If you’ve recently opened up a new dental practice and looking to grow your client base, this helpful guide on dental marketing will get you results!
The number of dentists and dental practices in America continues to increase. This makes an effective marketing strategy an important part of your practice’s success.
Innovative marketing ideas allow you to reach new patients and expand your practice. This works to increase brand awareness and enhance patient loyalty. A creative strategy will also set you apart from the competition.
Follow this guide – courtesy of Ballarat dentists – for the best tips in developing a successful dental marketing plan.
Strengthen Your Digital Brand
Your dentist marketing strategy should place a strong focus on digital marketing tactics. Designing an innovative company website creates the first impression of your brand.
You only have about 10 seconds to captivate a viewer who visits your website for the first time. So be sure to make the design eye-catching and visual, with a mobile-friendly version. Your website should also be informative and easy to navigate.
Offer informational sections about what makes your practice unique. This includes past experience and the services you offer.
Include the insurance providers you accept and the locations you serve. Be sure all contact information stands out and gets listed in more than one place.
Providing access to new patient paperwork is also a helpful resource. A patient portal lets clients as questions and pay bills online. They can also schedule appointments and renew prescriptions.
Your brand should extend to social media for greater awareness. Having social media profiles is great for reaching a younger audience as well. Use Facebook and Instagram to share updates and engage with clients.
Optimize Your Business and Develop Ad Campaigns
It’s important to make sure all details are up to date on your Google business listing as well. This includes contact information, company description, office hours, and location. Google uses this information to share your business in online search results.
You may even want to consider a digital ad campaign to increase your website traffic. Use Google Adwords, Facebook ads, or Instagram ads to reach a new audience. You can even target by different demographics.
Other dental marketing opportunities include dental implant advertising. These services can offer a greater return on your investment.
Get More Online Reviews
Online reputation management is a key part of dental practice marketing. 91% of potential clients read online reviews. They use them in their decision to try out a new dental practice.
This makes it important to gets tons of reviews on sites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Online dental directories are another great resource that patients use. ZocDoc is a top website to get your dental practice listed on.
Always be sure to respond to both positive and negative reviews. Clients value your feedback and want to see that you handle concerns.
Ask satisfied clients to recommend your practice to help grow your reviews. Sharing their experience with the online community can help bring in new patients.
Send a Monthly Newsletter
An email campaign is an affordable and effective tactic in dental office marketing. Use them to send monthly updates and news about the practice.
Automated email marketing services like MailChimp are helpful for this. They make it easy to deploy email campaigns. You can also organize your client database and send targeted emails.
Email campaigns make it simple to send appointment reminders. This is a less expensive option than sending a mailer.
Another email idea is to send incentives for referring a friend to the practice. Target influential community members to help grow your business.
Your newsletter template should reflect your brand. You can create a custom design using your logo and colors.
Always include contact information in your newsletters. A CTA is also key for a successful email campaign. Encourage viewers to schedule an appointment or learn more about a new service.
Connect with Your Community
Engaging with local businesses is another way to attract new clients. Do this by supporting the school system or sponsoring a sports team.
Another idea is to offer to guest speak at a nearby college or a business conference. Donate or volunteer at a community-based charity or event. You can even write a guest post or article for a local magazine or newspaper.
These tactics will show off your philanthropic side and attract new patients. Your practice may even gain some media attention for these efforts.
Use SEO to Boost Awareness
SEO is an essential tool for successful dental patient marketing techniques. As most dental patients begin with an online search for a local dentist.
An SEO strategy helps people find your business through Google search. A higher Google ranking will result in more traffic to your website.
Using targeted and local keywords in your website content will improve your optimization. It helps to add a blog to your website as well for adding important search terms.
These weekly blog posts add fresh content to your website. They are also informative for your clients. Include topics like teeth whitening or tips for teaching children about oral care.
A well-optimized Google business listing is another step in a strong SEO strategy. Completing your business listing ensures more people can find you online.
Consider Hiring a Professional Photographer
Your own image gallery makes marketing for dentists much easier. Using a professional photographer ensures unique and non-dated imagery.
Having a custom photo gallery is much better than using stock images. Using these images helps patients to view you as being trustworthy. It also appeals to them on an emotional level.
A photographer can take pictures of employee headshots. They also capture the design of the dentist office and new equipment. Child-friendly amenities, seasonal images, and perfect smiles are other great images to have.
Use these marketing assets for your website, brochures, and social media. Adding video content to your website is another idea. Video works great for client testimonials, virtual tours, and staff profiles.
Skilled photographers will also be able to edit these images and videos. They will prepare files for print and digital use. You can even hire a photography student as a way to cut down on costs.
Adopting the Best Practices in Your Dental Marketing Strategy
These dental marketing techniques will help you to expand your practice. They offer innovative ways to attract new patients. They also work to help define your brand and get an edge up on the competition.
Looking for more marketing tips to enhance your practice? Check out the marketing section of our blog for all the latest advice.
