Growing a dental practice these days is no cakewalk. Thanks to the ever-changing healthcare and insurance industries, it’s like trying to pull teeth!
Unless you’re jam-packed with patient appointments, the stress of attracting paying patients to your practice, let alone finding time to focus on dental marketing, can feel like a root canal.
But don’t throw in the towel just yet!
If you want to reign supreme and grow your practice, a killer marketing plan on how to grow a dental practice’s essential. So, grab your toothbrush and get ready to give your competition a good bruising, erhm, brushing!
Here’s the good news though, based off of my interaction with lots of dentists that we’ve helped in the past, many practices are still stuck in the Stone Age when it comes to marketing (and not the cool Flintstones kind).
But you know better!
In today’s tech-obsessed world, you need to have some seriously sweet marketing tricks up your sleeve to stand out in the crowd.
Here’re 5 of our favorite strategies on how to attract new patients to your dental practice without breaking the bank. Say goodbye to old-school methods that chip away at your budget and hello to digital marketing strategies that’ll not only bring in new patients and make them smile, but keep ’em coming back for however long your LTV with them may be!
Speaking of Lifetime value of your patients, you do know the figures by heart, don’t you, you savvy Dentist you?!
3 Unique Marketing Strategies that’ll Make any Dental Practice buzz!
Marketing and advertising a dental practice can be a tricky business, and getting patients to stick around’s not always a walk in the park either. After all, we’re talking about an industry that used to rely on mailed letters, branded toothbrushes and even the Yellow Pages to attract new patients.
But fear not, because with the right marketing strategies on how to grow a dental practice, your business will grow and you’ll be able to help more people than ever before.
It’s a fact, most dentists have doubts and concerns about how to make the most of their marketing budget, but the truth is that you’ve already done most of the hard work.
You became a dentist to improve people’s lives, and marketing is just a way to reach more patients and achieve that goal.
So, get ready to learn about three of my favorite dental practice strategies that can help scale your business to the next level.
How to grow a dental practice 101:
1: Flaunt your mastery
One of the oldest, tried and tested onlione strategies to expand your dental footprint online and showcase your knowledge’s by writing for other blogs, publications or newsletters.
And guess what?
You don’t have to start from scratch. Why not share your thoughts on the blogs and websites of dental associations and programs? These sites already have a built-in authority and reach, so if you can get published there, it’s a win-win!
To get started, look up the college or university you attended and check out their submission guidelines.
Then, pitch your ideas on how to run a dental practice like a Pro!
Be sure to explain
- why your story’s unique,
- why you’re the perfect person to write it,
- include a brief bio and
- links to other examples of your written work.
Keep in mind that these sites are busy, and they schedule posts months in advance, so send your pitch as soon as possible.
If your idea’s a hit, they’ll help promote your content, share it throughout the community and boost your ranking on search engines like Google. So what are you waiting for? Get pitching and get published!
2: Email for Client Retention
Hopefully, you’re one of the few innovative Dentists that has an active email list where you update your current and prospective clients of industry trends, how to keep teeth healthy and strong, as well as healthy eating habits.
Whilst daily sending is not the usual norm with dental practices, a couple of times a month would suffice to keep your your name and practice top of mind with your prospective and future clients.
Curious about how to write an effective email campaign that gets results? Keep reading, as those tidbits are coming up further in this article.
3: Simplify your Social, Maximize your Media
In today’s digital age, internet marketing’s an efficient and effective way to generate leads for your dental practice without spending endless hours developing them. Social media platforms such as Facebook offer a great opportunity to schedule patient testimonials, promotional offers and before and after photos in advance using tools like MeetEdgar.
meetedgaThis saves you valuable time and ensures your marketing efforts remain consistent and timely.
However, with the plethora of social media platforms available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and spread yourself too thin. Instead of trying to be everywhere at once, focus on ensuring your practice’s information’s accurate and up-to-date on all platforms. Then, select one or two platforms max, where your target audience is most active, then concentrate your efforts there. This approach will not only help you better manage your time and resources, but also increase your chances of reaching and engaging with potential patients most often.
Yelp and Facebook: the dynamic duo for modern businesses.
With Yelp being a top trusted review site and Facebook being the go-to for researching a business, you can’t afford to ignore these platforms. A lackluster Facebook page could leave potential patients thinking your practice is just as boring, so keep it updated and active. Plus, Facebook can be a lead generator with a killer JDO funnel. Don’t know what that is? Keep reading, friend.
How to unleash these scintilating ideas in your next Dental Practice Promo
Alright, my dear Dental muggles, it’s time to get real about email newsletters and why your practice’s in dire need of one
You probably have a stash of your patients’ email addresses, don’t you? Instead of letting them gather dust, why not send out a monthly email newsletter (around 300-500 words) that teaches them something valuable and interesting related to your practice?
The key is to keep it informative and engaging rather than overly salesy. You want to share your expertise and provide a subtle call to action that encourages readers to schedule an appointment or drop by your office.
Once you hit send, the magic happens.
Patients will start calling, telling you that they were just thinking about scheduling an appointment and your email reminded them to do so.
And the best part?
Even those who didn’t open the first email will get a second chance to read it the following week, resulting in even more calls and appointments.
So, why does your practice need an email newsletter?
It’s a great way to reconnect with past patients, remind them of your existence, and drive more sales for your practice.
Exciting stuff, right?
Let’s dive into the details.
How to get Jaw-dropping results with your email marketing campaign
Looking to make your email campaign stand out and deliver high-quality results?
Here’re some steps to follow:
- Create a captivating subject line that hooks your audience. Keep it short and sweet, but also descriptive and compelling. Consider what’s timely and relevant to your audience, and tease the value that your email will deliver. For instance, if you’re a dentist sending an e-newsletter in the fall, try a subject line like “Fall into Fresh Breath: Tips for a Healthy Mouth this Season.”
- Start off strong with a timely and topical opening. Catch your reader’s attention by acknowledging the season, holiday or current events that are relevant to them. For example, “Happy Fall! As the weather cools down and the leaves change colors, it’s important to keep your teeth healthy and strong.”
- Use bullet points to deliver valuable tips or advice. Make your content easy to skim and digest by breaking it down into quick, actionable steps. This makes it more likely that your readers will remember and share it with others. For example, you could offer tips for maintaining oral hygiene during Halloween, such as “Brush your teeth after eating candy,” or “Avoid sticky, hard-to-clean sweets like taffy and caramel.”
- Finish with a memorable closing remark. Wrap up your email with a memorable statement that leaves a lasting impression. Consider offering a final piece of advice or encouragement, such as “Remember, taking care of your teeth is a year-round commitment. Keep up the good work!“
- Include a clear call-to-action. Encourage your readers to take action by providing a simple, easy-to-follow next step. This could be booking an appointment, signing up for a service, or simply getting in touch with your office for more information.
- Personalize your email with a custom header and signature. Make your email stand out by adding your logo and contact information to both the header and footer. Additionally, consider including a recent headshot of yourself to help your readers connect with you on a personal level. Canva is a great tool to create these custom elements quickly and easily.
Setup an amazing Sales Funnel your Mom-in-law would be proud to show off on Social Media
Since I’m already on a roll, lemme share some of my top marketing secrets, including the foundation of your dental marketing plan – the jaw-dropping offer (JDO).
This JDO will be showcased on Facebook, where your ideal patients are most likely spending most of their lives anyway. To run a successful practice, you must identify and solve a specific group of people’s problems, which requires you to know where they hang out.
While Facebook ads may appear expensive, if used correctly and targeted appropriately, they provide a significant return on investment when considering the customer’s lifetime value.
So, what exactly is a JDO?
It’s an irresistible sales offer that stops Facebook users from scrolling and prompts them to click on your ad.
But, before you start creating your JDO, you must meet a few requirements. It must be a narrowly targeted and compelling product or service of perceived high value offered for free or at little cost.
You should focus on one audience at a time, and in this case, let’s focus on women aged 20 and up. Brides-to-be, those preparing for homecoming or prom, and those with upcoming anniversaries are typically interested in teeth cleaning and whitening.
Now that we’ve identified our target audience, let’s move on to the second requirement: the offering.
A free teeth whitening session is the most compelling and feasible service you can provide to this clientele.
To put this JDO into action, you’ll need to create a simple four-part funnel, which includes
- a well-targeted Facebook ad,
- a landing page,
- a thank you page, and
- a straightforward follow-up email sequence and text message.
Each component is critical for the funnel’s success, like a mini-puzzle that requires all the pieces to work correctly.
To ensure your funnel’s success, reach out and I’ll gladly setup the JDO for you and even monitor the ad campaigns and email follow ups to ensure that you go to bed with a big grin on your face!
You’d love that, wouldn’t you, you innovative and competitive Dentist you!
Should you Hire a Digital Marketing Agency?
While the dental marketing and advertising ideas on how to grow a dental practice are great starting points, managing them on top of your other responsibilities can be challenging. It’s all too easy to make mistakes, such as throwing together weak Facebook ads at the last minute or guessing at your target audience, resulting in wasted money and poor results.
Partnering with a local agency can help prevent these blunders and produce better outcomes. Here are six benefits of outsourcing your dental marketing efforts:
- Frees up your time: As a practice owner, you already have many responsibilities. An agency can complete the task more quickly than you would.
- Saves you money: Contrary to popular belief, hiring an agency can be less expensive than hiring a full-time employee.
- Provides in-house expertise: Agencies employ professionals who are experts in their field and always seek to improve their skills.
- Gets you results faster: Agencies know the best strategies to take and can get a campaign up and running quickly.
- Keeps you updated on the latest advertising trends: Agencies stay ahead of trends to ensure your success.
- Offers opportunities to learn: By working with an agency, you have the opportunity to attend brainstorming sessions, expand your knowledge, and understand marketing terminology more easily.
And there you have it folks! Six reasons why partnering with a Digital marketing agency that knows how to grow a dental practice plus speaks your language like Assegai Media can take your practice to the next level. So, whether you’re tired of throwing money at lackluster Facebook ads or just want to free up more of your precious time, we’ve got you covered.
Plus, we promise to bring a little more joy and a little less stress to your marketing efforts. Now, don’t be shy – give us a shout and let’s get started!