Dental health matters, as oral diseases directly affect the quality of life.
Decaying teeth and overall poor oral hygiene make it difficult to chew and socialise and can even contribute to developing heart disease and stroke.
You may think patients would flock to your doors since dental health is so important. However, in reality, they won’t.
Going to the dentist is expensive and scary, and in many cases, people are just blissfully unaware that regular dental checkups matter, and not only when toothache appears.
That leaves us with the million-dollar question: how can you promote your dental practice to get more traffic through your doors?
Let’s discuss and look at 7 effective marketing strategies to elevate your dental practice.
Number 1: Reviews
No marketing is as powerful as word of mouth, whether at high tea or on the internet. Encourage patients to leave a review to help other potential patients make informed decisions.
Flaunting powerful testimonials on your website or across social media also never hurt anybody. About 74% of people say that reviews increase their trust in a company. In addition, 73% of people say they trust a local business more if it has positive reviews. There you have it.
Interestingly, Yelp is often the go-to platform for millennials seeking a great dentist, so make sure your dental practice is clearly visible.
Number 2: Localised Facebook Campaigns
When spreading the word about your dental practice, precision in targeting your audience is key. It simply does not make sense for someone in Beijing to see your ads if you are practising in London.
Similarly, unless petrol prices have plummeted in the last year, the chances of someone living in Liverpool driving to London are slim.
Therefore we cannot stress this enough, local awareness ads are the perfect tool for engaging with your local community. Using Google My Business, you can showcase your address, operating hours, “Get directions” link, and other important tidbits, with the bonus of including a call-to-action, making it super easy for potential patients to book their appointments right then and there.
Number 3: Reach The Right Patients
Sure, everyone on this planet has teeth. However, not everyone may need your services or be willing to commit to treatment or show up to follow-up sessions.
That is why it is so important to target the right patients and market to them. Facebook, for example, offers an extensive range of demographic targeting options you can leverage to your advantage. In addition to the basics, you can refine your audience by factors such as language, relationship status, and employment.
Did you know that, according to research, women seem to make about 90% of all dental buying decisions? Therefore, marketing to women may be the best idea ever.
Number 4: Appointment Confirmation Alerts
Everybody is busy, and most people love a reminder. Whether it is a classic SMS, phone call, Whatsapp message, or even an email reminder by using Google Calendar alerts, there is no denying that appointment reminders play a vital role in ensuring your patients show up and show up on time.
If you are enthusiastic about thinking outside the box, you can even use reminders to remind patients that it has been a year since their last cleaning, potentially encouraging them to book an appointment.
Number 5: Social Media
We live in an era when Reels have taken the social media game to new heights and are a great way to promote your dental practice. From showcasing before-and-after carousels with a pick-me-up tune to having influencers or celebrities endorse your clinic on their accounts, social media can be your greatest ally.
If your dental practice sells teeth whitening products or groundbreaking toothbrushes, remember that Instagram has a shopping platform, too.
Number 6: Email Marketing
Email marketing is crucial to successfully marketing your dental practice. Crucial.
It allows you to promote specials or new technology and treatments, share dental tips, notify clients of important dates and appointment reminders with your clients, foster long-lasting relationships, and even prompt them to book appointments with “we haven’t seen you in a while!” emails.
Not to mention, compared to traditional advertising methods, email marketing is relatively low-cost and offers a high return on investment. It allows targeted communication with minimal expense.
Email marketing also provides insights into open rates, click-through rates, and other metrics, allowing dental practices to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and adjust strategies accordingly.
Number 7: Click-To-Call Ads
Of course, the main goal of dental marketing is to get patients to book an appointment. Therefore, click-to-call ads, available through Facebook and Google Ads, help facilitate this process on mobile, desktop, and tablet devices (devices that can make phone calls), allowing patients to give your practice a ring-a-ling upon seeing your ad.
To Cap Things Off
As with any business, attracting and retaining patients is the goal, and by following these seven easy steps, you can achieve both.
Tooth be told, your website and overall online presence also form part of the marketing ecosystem.
If you need help with any of the above OR to give your website the root canal it needs, please never hesitate to reach out to us and let’s chat.
