12 Dental Marketing Tips to Help You Grow Your Practice

#1 It doesn’t need to be complicated to work

At its core, dental marketing is simple: find your audience and demonstrate why your practice is the best option. Your entire dental marketing strategy should be working towards doing just this.

I’ve met many practice owners who are convinced that a complicated strategy is their one-way ticket to endless new patients. But the best dental marketing strategies are simple and focus on identifying your audience, highlighting the strengths of your practice, and putting your message in front of your selected audience. Don’t lose sight of that.

#2 Get to know your audience

You probably know broadly who your best types of patients are. We encourage you to dial in on this audience. Think about…

• How old are they?
• Are they married with kids or single?
• What type of work do they do?
• What type of dental problems do they commonly have?
• What is their lifestyle like — do they need evening appointments?
• What is their communication style — fun and casual or all business?

Once you understand who you’re talking to, it becomes a lot easier to speak to them and show them why your practice is the best option.

#3 Your website should be your best friend

We are now well into the 21st century — your website should be, too.

No matter what type of dental marketing you are doing, your #1 sales engine should be a modern website that reflects your practice and services. Whether a patient finds you through a referral, online marketing, or even a billboard, many will still go to your website to learn more. That puts your website in a unique position to create a KILLER first impression.

Take a look at your current site and ask these questions:

• Can a patient easily view and navigate my website on a phone?
• Does the website feature high-quality photos of my office and staff?
• Does my website look modern?
• Is it easy to find a way to contact and book an appointment?

If you answered no to any of these questions, your website might be holding you back. Take a look at some of the best dental websites to see how other practices are reflecting their brand and connecting with patients on the web.

#4 Ads have come a long way — are you using modern strategies?

In the past, advertising cast a wide net to get your practice’s messaging to as many people as possible. Whether it was a billboard, radio advertisement, or mailers, the goal was getting your name in front of as many potential patients as possible.

Today’s ads take a more targeted approach. With Google and Facebook ads, you can actually zero in on your target audience like never before, reaching your ideal audience and only people who might be interested in your service. While this results in fewer people seeing your ads, the people who do see them are much more likely to take action and book an appointment.

#5 Use SEO to get your practice to the top of Google Search

Search engine optimization, or SEO, works to get your website and practice as visible as possible on Google. This ensures that if you are a dentist in Memphis, when someone searches “dentist in Memphis,” your website shows up — and on the first page! 

SEO is a crucial part of modern dental marketing and building a website that will increase your new patient opportunities.

#6 Make it as easy as possible for your patients to book an appointment

You want patients to book appointments, don’t you? Make it as easy as possible.

One way to do this is through call-to-actions, otherwise known as CTAs, on your website. These will work to move visitors to give you a call and book an appointment.

AN EVEN BETTER way to do this is through online booking. Take a look at these numbers:

• 43% of patients book appointments after hours (if you’re not providing after-hours online patient booking, you’re losing thousands of dollars a month)
• 31% would seriously consider switching to a new provider if they offered online appointment booking 

In today’s world, convenience is king, and online booking makes things as easy as possible for your patients.

#7 Let technology — and modern tools — help you

In addition to online booking services, you can find modern tools and technology to help you…

• Encourage patients to leave positive reviews
• Answer questions from patients on your website
• Text and communicate with patients 
• Offer virtual appointments 
• Much more!

#8 Make sure your best patients are advocating for you with reviews

Your current happy patients are your best advocates. This has made online reviews one of the most important aspects of a dental marketing strategy.

Consider the numbers…

• 90% of dental patients consult online reviews before booking an appointment
• 70% of patients say online reviews are as important as a dentist’s credentials
• 42% of people won’t go to a dentist with less than a three-star rating

Source

Services such as BirdEye can actually help you encourage your patients to leave reviews and help you track your online reputation. Patients already love your practice — just make sure that other patients know they do!

#9 Most people use Google Maps — make sure you’re on it

Google Maps is one of the most commonly used apps and services on the internet. Make sure your practice has a profile.

Not only will this make it easier for patients to find you when using Google Maps, but practices on Maps show up before other sites in Google searches. This will make you even more visible to anyone searching Google for a dentist in your city.

#10 Develop a brand that reflects your practice and its values

Branding doesn’t have to be a complicated process. 

• Logo & Tagline: Quickly highlights what makes your practice unique
• Branding: What makes your practice different from others in your city? The way you answer this question and communicate this difference (via words, images, video, & design) is called “your brand.”

Your patients are much more likely to choose a practice they connect with over more generic alternatives.

#11 Don’t abandon old strategies that work — just make sure you’re tracking results

The best dental marketing is the marketing that works to get patients into your practice. If you’re using strategies that are already working, we encourage you to keep on using them.

We do have one recommendation — track the results and make sure that you are getting good ROI. Modern dental marketing is based on the idea that results need to be tracked to ensure you’re using effective strategies and know when things have to be adjusted.

With Google Analytics, call tracking through services such as CallRail, and other online marketing tracking tools, you can see exactly how well your website and ads are doing to get patients in the door. Make sure that any marketing efforts you invest in can be similarly tracked.

#12 Work with a marketing partner who understands the dental industry and has a proven track record

If you’re just getting started using modern dental marketing to grow your practice, we encourage you to work with a dental marketing partner to get your marketing strategy up and running. 

At :Delmain, we work with hundreds of practices across the country to use effective and efficient dental marketing strategies that get patients in the door. We can help you institute all of the strategies we spoke about in the post (and more), and get your dental marketing to start working for you.

Have questions about optimizing your online presence with dental marketing services? Book an intro call to learn how we can help.