Marketing solutions for dentists: 5 tips to get more patients

Dentists see themselves first and foremost as professionals performing an important public service: promoting positive dental health for the communities they serve. What they are traditionally not so good at is promoting themselves effectively. The reasons for this are many: Some dentists resist marketing because it seems somehow out of step with the Hippocratic Oath. Others support the idea of ​​stepping up your marketing activities in principle, but aren’t sure how or where to start.

The bottom line is that marketing itself is not the antithesis of what it means to be a responsible doctor. In fact, if you believe in the value of your services, you might say you owe it to yourself, your staff, your family, and your community to spread the word about your services more effectively through effective security solutions. dental marketing.

Here are 5 tips to get more patients through effective dental marketing solutions:

Tip #1: Target highly responsive prospects, like newcomers, with direct mail campaigns:

Direct mail can be a very cost-effective way to get the word out about your practice to prospects within walking distance of your office. Many dentists are understandably wary of direct mail due to low anticipated response rates. However, there is a way to drastically improve response rates: specifically target new users in your area. Newcomers are simply people who have recently moved into your neighborhood, either into apartments or houses, and are therefore much more likely than average to be looking for a new dentist. In fact, research shows that first-time movers are 4 to 8 times more likely to respond to direct mail advertising than longtime residents.

Tip #2: Offer prospects promotions and coupons:

When doing direct mail advertising, it’s always wise to offer prospects special promotions, coupons, or other incentives. Sound too expensive to try? Think again: imagine taking a slightly lower margin (ie higher cost) on a new patient’s first visit and in exchange for effectively hooking them for multiple future visits. From a cost-benefit standpoint, your dental practice will be much better off getting repeat business from these leads, even if you have to bear a small short-term cost impact. Each new client is potentially worth hundreds or thousands of dollars per year to your practice, so taking advantage of promotions and coupons is a smart way to capture those dollars.

Tip #3: Identify something that sets you apart and promote it:

One of the golden rules of any good marketing plan is to differentiate yourself from the competition. There are likely many other dental practices in your area that are competing for the same potential patients as you. You need to find a way to differentiate yourself. You can achieve this without resorting to gimmicks like standing on your head or posing with Siberian tigers in your ads! The key is to focus on a few key brand identifiers that will distinguish your practice from others in your area. For example, try to become proficient in a particular cosmetic dentistry technique. Or just make yourself known as the bright smile dentist or kid-friendly dentist in your area. Your prospects will identify with your new image and are more likely to give you a chance.

Tip #4: Train front desk staff on how to effectively present your services verbally:

Ask yourself: who are the first people to interact with your prospects? That’s right: they are your phone assistants and your front office staff. To attract, acquire, and retain more patients, it’s important that your staff know how to talk to potential customers and keep customers happy. This goes beyond making sure your staff are merely courteous and polite. Rather, you should train them to memorize a script that they can recite about your services every time they meet a new potential client. Of course, it is not necessary for your staff to memorize the script word for word; in fact, that might sound creepy or unnatural! Rather, they should learn the script and then create their own variations on that theme that work well for them. The script should be written in a way that positions your practice in a unique way (see Tip #3 above) and describes some of your most important (and lucrative) dental services in a way that doesn’t sound commercial.

Tip #5: Send your hygienists for training on better conversation skills:

While it is your front desk staff who first meet and greet your patients, it is your hygienists who spend the majority of their time with them. Although your patients may necessarily be quiet during their routine dental cleanings, your hygienists must be trained to become excellent conversationalists. Sure, that’s not why you hired them, but consider this: It’s a people’s world, as they say, and employing a staff of friendly and engaging hygienists will keep your patients coming back for years to come.

Consider these 5 tips to attract more patients to your dental chairs. From targeted and effective direct mail campaigns to smart branding and training a courteous and engaging staff, you have a variety of tools at your disposal to improve your income. These tips will work even if you’re on a shoestring budget and even in the face of stiff competition.