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20 Genius Orthodontic Marketing Ideas To Get New Patients in 2024

Feb 2024
orthodontic marketing tactics to get new patients delmain

How do you market orthodontic practices?

As an orthodontist, marketing is probably not on your list of top things you want to deal with — but you also know it’s not something you can ignore.

Whether you’re a start-up or a well-established practice, your orthodontic marketing plan should include modern, proven strategies that have a high return on investment (ROI).

If you’re wondering where to start, keep reading. We work with orthodontists throughout the US and have curated a list of the top 20 orthodontic marketing strategies for 2024.

What do all these tactics for booking more new patients have in common? They’re focused on:

  1. Solidifying your brand
  2. Being in the right place at the right time with the right messaging
  3. Building a loyal patient base
  4. Giving you the best ROI (using your time and marketing dollars wisely!)

The best orthodontic marketing strategies to book more new patients in 2024

1. Know your audience

The first step of an effective orthodontic marketing strategy is to understand who you’re marketing to. This knowledge will be the foundation of your branding and marketing messaging, so it’s important to get this right.

Ask yourself these questions:

  • Who is your perfect patient?
  • What are their demographics, background, and financial situation?
  • Why does what you offer matter to this audience?
  • How can you help solve their problems?

Top orthodontists across the country are already using these questions to help simplify their brand messaging and connect with their audience, and you can, too.

2. Create a memorable logo and tagline

Without a brand, you risk being just another orthodontist, lost in a sea of hundreds of others. Taking time to develop your branding, including a logo and tagline, is a good way to differentiate yourself.

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

Remember, your patients are much more likely to choose a brand they connect with over generic alternatives.

3. Redesign your website

orthodontic marketing ideas for orthodontists delmain
When was the last time you redesigned your website? Technology is changing so quickly that most marketing experts recommend updating your website every 5 years.

Take a look at your site and ask yourself 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?
  • Is my website bringing in new patients?

If you answered “no” to any one of these questions, you may need a website redesign. Thankfully, creating a modern, effective website is easier than you think. Get inspired by our list of best orthodontic websites of the year!

4. Invest in original photography

Original photography on your website is one of the quickest (and simplest) ways to instantly build trust and lessen anxiety. Patients want to know what to expect — including what your practice looks like and who they’ll be working with.

Take a look at these examples of orthodontic practices using original photography.

Notice how investing in high-quality, authentic images truly transforms the feel of these orthodontic websites. The personal touch they bring could never be matched by generic stock photos.

5. Optimize your website for SEO

Your website can and should be your #1 source of new patients. SEO (search engine optimization) is a critical part of making this happen.

When searching Google for an orthodontist or for teeth straightening solutions, 75% of people will never scroll past the first page of results.

Optimizing your site for SEO means working to get your practice on that first page of results. The higher your rankings, the more visitors to your site, and the more opportunities you have to convert them to new patients.

Dental SEO Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Guide for 2024

Dental SEO is the process of making your practice appear higher in search engine results — it’s getting your orthodontic website to the top spot in a search engine result page (SERP) without paying for an ad.
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6. Add online booking for patients

Your patients want the ability to book an appointment online. Let the research convince you:

  • 43% of patients search for healthcare professionals after business hours (if you’re not providing after-hours online patient booking, you’re losing thousands of dollars a month)
  • 87% of potential new patients do not leave a message or book an appointment when reaching voicemail
  • 59% to 70% of patients prefer to self-schedule their appointments
  • Source

Offering online scheduling is a win-win:

  • You get more patients (and your front desk staff has fewer calls and voicemails to manage)
  • Your patients get an added level of convenience

NexHealth is an excellent patient scheduling system. This platform is customizable and integrates with most major practice management and electronic health record systems, including Dentrix, EagleSoft, OpenDental, and Curve Dental.

7. Develop a simple 3-step process for patients

When a patient is considering braces or clear aligners, they have a lot of questions. Mainly, they want to know what to expect. Shortening the treatment process to 3 easy-to-understand steps and highlighting this process on your website will help patients feel confident about booking an appointment.

Take a look at these 2 orthodontist websites that do a great job of outlining exactly “how it works” and what a new patient can expect:

 

8. Focus on the problem (not just the solution)

As an orthodontist, most patients come to you hoping for straighter teeth. But as you know — there’s a lot more to it. If you want to effectively market to patients, you need to consider the WHY.

Yes, your patient wants straighter teeth…but why?

  • She’s embarrassed about her smile
  • Misaligned teeth are affecting her life
  • She’s in pain
  • Her oral health is suffering
  • She tried in-home DIY aligners with disastrous results

Center your marketing messaging around these issues and you’ll be much more likely to convince a patient to book an appointment.

9. Outline safety procedures

orthodontic marketing tactics delmain
In a post-pandemic world, patients are more cautious than ever when it comes to safety. Patient safety is a core part of every orthodontic practice. However, highlighting your safety procedures and adherence to CDC and OSHA guidelines will build trust and may help you stand out from practices that don’t talk about safety on their website or marketing materials.

10. Offer free consultations

Getting braces or clear aligners is a big step. Patients often have questions like:

  • Am I a candidate for orthodontic treatment?
  • Should I get braces or clear aligners?
  • How long will treatment take?
  • How much will it cost?
  • What will it feel like?
  • Will it change my day-to-day life?
  • Why shouldn’t I just do direct-mail aligners instead?

It’s difficult to overcome all these questions and fears on your website alone. That’s why so many orthodontists today are offering free consultations as a compelling call-to-action. This type of offer is meant to get new patients through the door — and it works! This is one of the best orthodontic marketing strategies to try for your practice.

11. Consider virtual options

orthodontic virtual consult marketing idea delmain
In the last 5 years, we’ve seen a surge of practitioners adopt telehealth options — particularly virtual consults. Are you one of them? If you have the ability, we recommend it!

Done well, virtual consults are more efficient and cost-effective than their in-person counterparts. Best of all, offering virtual consult options gives you a competitive advantage over orthodontic practices that don’t offer this service.

12. Offer quick virtual smile designs

Embrace a modern marketing approach by offering virtual smile design options. Engage potential patients by allowing them to visualize their post-treatment smile in seconds via a simple QR code scan. This interactive experience not only captivates interest but also significantly boosts consultation bookings, setting your orthodontic practice apart in a tech-savvy market.

Holy City Orthodontics is a great example of how this can be incorporated into your website and marketing – take a look here.

13. Include pricing on your website

Historically, most orthodontic providers have been reluctant to list pricing on their websites. However, that trend is changing. Our most recent research of thousands of Google Ads and dental websites shows that about 25% of practitioners are showing pricing for services like clear aligners. We expect pricing to become more common on orthodontic websites over time.

By showing pricing (even if it’s a “starting at” number) you’re setting yourself apart from the competition. Additionally, pricing and finances are major patient concerns. Being upfront about the investment someone can expect will help build trust.

14. Add a live chat option on your website

Live web chat capabilities offer real-time assistance to potential patients in a format that fits their usage preferences. Like online scheduling, this feature also reduces your calls and emails in your office, giving your team more time to focus their attention on the patients in the office.

If you decide to test out this orthodontic marketing strategy, make sure you choose a chat software that’s HIPAA compliant.

15. Gather more patient reviews

Good reviews (and lots of them) will give your practice a major competitive advantage:

  • 90.4% of patients trust online reviews
  • 73.6% of people read reviews to learn about the quality of your dental service.
  • 69% of patients look at the date a review was written (keep the new reviews coming!)
  • Source

It’s not enough to hope a satisfied patient will leave you a review. You need to be actively soliciting reviews to maintain a steady flow of feedback.

We recommend using a reputation management system to automate this process and help keep an eye on what patients are saying about you online.

16. Discover the power of video testimonials

Video testimonials from happy patients are the most effective way to catch the attention of people who visit your website. Don’t overlook their value! Consider the stats:

  • 4x as many people would rather watch a video than read about it.
  • 95% retention rate (people only remember 12% of textual information).
  • 40x more likely to get shared on social. Plus, videos lead to a visitor staying on your site an average of 2 minutes longer.

Video reviews can be created on any budget. Produce a professional video, shoot the testimonial yourself, or ask your patients to record a video on their phone.

Take a look at some excellent examples of video testimonials from orthodontists around the US:

 

17. Optimize your Google Business Profile

orthodontic virtual consult marketing idea delmain
When someone searches on Google for, say, “orthodontist Seattle”, some of the first results they’ll see are Google Maps search results. Make sure you optimize your Google Business Profile (GBP) to give yourself a better chance of ranking in a top position.

Here are 5 tips:

  • Add as much info about your practice as possible. The more information your listing provides, the higher it will rank in results. Most importantly, keep it updated! If hours change, update them immediately.
  • Maximize your GBP categories. Choose the primary category that best represents the core focus of your practice (for example, orthodontist). If any other categories apply, choose them as secondary categories.
  • Focus on getting more positive reviews than other local orthodontists. Google gives ranking favor to business listings with positive reviews.
  • Add photos to your profile & update them regularly. Google loves it when you upload photos to your profile. And so do your patients!
  • Always take advantage of new GBP features. For example, the ability to include a list of accepted insurances, respond to patient reviews, and post regular updates.

18. Invest in paid advertising

Your marketing strategy should include a paid advertising campaign. You have so many options, but we recommend focusing on a digital strategy that includes both Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and Meta Ads.

Google Ads will get your practice in front of patients who are ready to schedule an appointment now. And for Facebook, we recommend creating a Facebook Ads Funnel. This strategy offers three campaign objective options: awareness, consideration, and conversion. You’ll create unique ads for each stage with the goal of moving someone through the funnel.

Dental Ad Ideas Guaranteed to Attract Patients

This guide features a collection of dental ad ideas that will help bring in more patients and grow your practice.

These ideas are great for all dental practitioners, especially orthodontists!

Read More

19. Use social media to get involved in your community

Tap into the power of organic social media to connect with a wider audience (and build your brand). Use your accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to create a space where anyone curious about orthodontic care can learn, engage, and feel part of your practice. Share success stories, run promotions, or host live Q&A sessions. It’s your platform to showcase your expertise, share your passion for orthodontics, and build relationships, one post at a time.

20. Find a partner to manage it all

If you want the freedom to continue doing what you do best (providing excellent care), an orthodontic marketing strategy is a must — but it does take a lot of time and expertise to do it right. We recommend partnering with an orthodontic marketing company. Doing so offers many benefits:

  • Frees up your time
  • Gives you a team of marketing experts on your side
  • Ensures you’re spending your marketing and advertising dollars wisely

If you’re wondering how to promote your orthodontic practice and get more patients, working with a marketing company is a great place to start.

Let us help you create an orthodontic marketing strategy that works

We’ve only cracked the surface of orthodontic marketing tactics. But no matter what ideas pique your interest, it’s all about taking lots of small steps to create one larger, cohesive marketing strategy. If you need some help putting it all together, let us know.

We’d love to hear from you, answer your questions, and help you succeed. That’s what :Delmain does for dozens of practices around the nation every day.

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