It’s no secret that to be a great dentist, you need great patients. But how exactly do you go about helping people find and then choose your dental office?
The answer is all about how you market yourself. Now we can practically hear you saying, “I spent all my time in college learning about cavities and enamel and bitewings. How was I supposed to find time for marketing too?” through the screen. And we get it! That’s why we’ve created this blog breaking down some helpful dental marketing ideas.
So, if you’d like to learn more about some dental marketing strategies that can help you grow your practice, read on.
As a dental practice, your main goal is to bring in new patients in order to grow your business. We’ve outlined nine dental marketing ideas that will help people find and then choose your office over the competition to keep your schedule full.
The first step we always recommend for local businesses with a physical location is to set up your Google Business Profile. When you create or claim your profile, Google will create a Google Maps location that will sync with traditional Google search. This helps your business show up when people search for something like “dentists near me,” and since 75% of patients search online for doctors, dentists, medical care and other healthcare providers, this is pretty crucial. Your profile also displays relevant info like business hours, reviews, photos and more things that help potential patients choose your office.
You may not think about a dental office having a target audience, but you should. Are you also an orthodontist? If so, you may want to target families since pre-teens are the most likely candidates to need braces. Does your office offer prosthodontics? Then you’ll want to market to an older client base.
Once you nail down what the target audience is for your office, your dental practice marketing becomes a lot more effective.
Smartphones are only getting smarter, and people are turning to them for their internet searches just as much as, or more than, desktops. This means it’s more important than ever to make sure your dental office’s website is optimized for mobile use. Your mobile website should be easy to navigate, load quickly and provide potential patients with the info they need without too much clicking.
Speaking of people using their smartphones more and more, sending out SMS messages is a great way to keep in touch with your patients. You can use them to promote specials, remind patients of upcoming appointments or prompt them for a review. 66% of all customers worldwide say they use SMS messaging to engage with companies. So, making sure you have this available for patients to opt into will keep you top of mind.
We talked about how setting up your Google Business Profile can help you appear within the maps section of Google when people search for dentists, but running paid advertising can also help get your dental office at the top of search results. Google recently added dentists to their list of providers who can run Local Services Ads, which is a great affordable option when it comes to online advertising.
Healthcare ads have an average conversion rate of 3.2%, so it’s worthwhile for you to explore other forms of paid ads as well, like display ads or social media ads.
When it comes to performing possibly uncomfortable dental procedures, your reputation means a lot. 75% of patients rely on reviews as a first step in finding a new doctor or healthcare provider. So being able to collect reviews from satisfied patients is both extremely important and beneficial to your business. Make it as easy as possible for your patients to leave that helpful feedback by sending them direct links via email and SMS messages after their visit, posting QR codes around your office and having your employees remind them before they leave the office.
But it’s not enough just to collect reviews, you need to use them to your advantage too. You can do this by responding promptly to every review that comes in (both positive and negative!) and displaying positive feedback on your site and within your paid ads. This demonstrates immediately to potential patients that your business is trustworthy.
In a world where social media platforms dominate three of the top five most visited websites, it’s a miss for any business not to have a social media presence. That goes for healthcare offices too. 33% of U.S. consumers use social media for health care info, so keeping an active profile can help people get the expert advice they’re looking for. This builds your authority as a dentist and draws more people to your office.
To try and engage with your followers try things like office tours, “ask me anything” sessions with the doctor(s) or informational videos on services and procedures.
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of improving your website to increase visibility with search engines. This happens mainly through the usage of keywords and phrases. SEO is important because it helps get you to the top of Google for free. By working on SEO, your dental office can show up when someone searches something like, “What happens when you have a cavity?” if you have content on your site to answer that question.
It’s a great idea to explore putting informational content on your dental office’s website in the form of blog posts or infographics (if you have the capacity) because it’s another way you can show up in search for potential patients.
Not all forms of marketing require a ton of digital lifting, especially when you have a local storefront location. Something as simple as being involved in your community can make a big impact. Try sponsoring a local event like a community cleanup or pay all adoption fees for the local shelter. Even sponsoring kids’ sports teams within your area shows your support to the community and helps to build recognition.
When it comes to dental practice marketing there are a few main themes we can pull from all these ideas. First, make sure that you are easy to find online. You can do this by setting up your Google Business Profile, identifying your target audience, running paid advertising, monitoring your reviews and exploring SEO. Second, give your patients what they’re looking for. Simple steps like optimizing your website for mobile and setting up SMS reminders. Finally, get involved with your community—both online and in person. Engage with your online community by posting informational content to your social media pages. Support your local community by sponsoring local events and sports teams. When combined, all these practices work together to create a strong dental marketing strategy.
Of course, that is easier said than done, and we get it! That’s why RevLocal is here for you with digital marketing experts who can help guide you through the process. If you’re interested in finding out more, call us today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Mideya Kinney, Junior Content Writer
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