Digital Marketing Techniques for Growing Your Dental Practice
Are you a solo practitioner dentist looking to grow your practice? You’re not alone! In fact, 50% of private practice dentists work solo, just like you. With the right digital marketing approach, even solo practitioners can thrive.
There are various dental marketing ideas that can help you grow your patient base. Implementing the right marketing strategy will help you achieve your goal. At My Local Start, I can help you with the ideas and ways in which you can attract new patients online.
Let’s dive into the 10 simple and practice digital marketing ideas for dentists
But first…
Before you decide about your marketing ideas, it’s important to determine your marketing strategy involving three essential steps.
1. Set realistic goals
Outline your goals, realistic and achievable ones. Focus on your mission, what services you are offering, and your clinic objectives.
For example, are you going to offer affordable services or high-quality ones that can make you the best dentist in your area? Quality services are pricy generally, so you should have a clear objective that you want your clinic to meet.
Next, think about how many new patients you want to attract. This has to be a realistic number, and not as many patients as possible. Be specific while choosing your target number.
2. Build a patient profile
After setting your goal, determine the type of patients you want to attract. You may have heard of the term ‘Buyer Persona’ in marketing, well it is the same thing. Focus on building patient profiles based on the patient’s needs and determine whether you will meet these needs.
With patient profiles, you can develop targeted marketing strategies, tailor your services and improve communications to better your patients’ needs.
On top of that, having a complete understanding of your patients can help you build strong, long-lasting relationships with them, leading to increased patient loyalty and a more successful practice.
Example profiles that come to mind:
- Busy Professionals: This profile includes individuals who have demanding careers and busy schedules. They value convenience and are looking for a dental practice that offers flexible appointment times and is conveniently located near their workplace.
- Families: This profile includes parents with children and grandparents who are seeking a family-friendly dental practice that offers services for all ages. They are looking for a practice that can accommodate the needs of multiple family members and offer routine check-ups, orthodontic treatments, and preventive care.
- Seniors: This profile includes individuals over the age of 65 who are seeking a dental practice that specializes in geriatric dentistry and understands the specific needs of older patients. They may require restorative treatments and dental implants, and are looking for a practice that provides gentle and compassionate care.
- New Patients: This profile includes individuals who are new to the area or seeking a change in their dental care provider. They are looking for a practice that offers a comprehensive range of services and provides a welcoming and friendly environment.
- Dental Anxious Patients: This profile includes individuals who have a fear of dental procedures and are seeking a practice that provides a calming and stress-free environment. They may require sedation dentistry services and are looking for a practice that offers a gentle and compassionate approach to dental care.
3. Test what works for you
At this stage, you would want to test your marketing strategy if it is working for you. If it works, continue to implement it, if it does not, make changes and test new ideas.
The Best Digital Marketing Ideas for Dental Clinics that Work
Now that you are aware of the basics of your marketing strategy, let’s talk about some of the best marketing ideas that work to increase your number of patients and attract new ones.
- Create your website
Create a professional website for your dental practice, which can provide information about your services, staff, and location. Take photos of your office and staff (or hire a professional photographer), appropriate information, services, a photo gallery, your clinic’s location, and a brief introduction about your staff.
You can promote your website on Google, take online appointments to make you look more professional, and even add dental care products which can be directly purchased from your website!
SEO is the key to getting your dental website to rank. Identify your keywords your potential patients might use to search for your services. Plan your landing pages, Q& A page to address common patients concerns. Project confidence and expertise throughout your website.
Hire a digital marketing team that knows the ins and outs of SEO, copy, and design. These three elements are crucial in getting your website to stand out and attract potential patients.
- Use social media to promote your dental clinic
This is one of the easiest and best ways to promote your clinic and market your services to people. The power of social media is unbeatable if you know how to use it and what to do to increase your patients.
Regularly post updates about your services, promotions, and special offers. Engage with people and keep them updated about your work.
Make small videos, add images of your clinic, talk about your hygiene practices, and share dental care with patients online.
- Special offers and discounts
Discounts, discounts, and discounts!
Consider offering special promotions or discounts to new patients, which can be a great way to attract new customers and build your practice. You may offer a free consultation to new patients with 10% off on their first visit.
You may offer a discount on the patient’s second visit, or buy one get one free offer on your dental products if you have any. Patients usually prefer to visit clinics that are affordable to them, so you make pocket-friendly deals and discounts if a patient brings one more person with him for treatment.
- Business collaborations
Collaborating with businesses such as health clubs, spas, or fitness centers is a great way to attract new patients. You may offer special discounts to the member of these clubs or keep your pamphlets in these places so people may get to know about your clinic.
You can also offer joint promotions and exposure to a wider audience. For example, kids under the age of 5 may get free treatment if their parents are a member of certain health clubs. You may set up an awareness session, or seminar at these places to get known.
- Offer educational resources
On your website, offer educational resources, such as blog posts or videos, that provide valuable information about dental health and hygiene. This can help build trust with potential customers and establish your practice as a reliable source of information.
You may post your blogs on your social media accounts and website. You can also make videos about your content and post them to engage your audience. This will help you look more credible and knowledgeable. Ultimately, patients would be willing to visit your clinic based on your knowledge and practice.
- Strong branding
Develop a strong brand for your dental practice, and use it consistently across all of your marketing materials, from your website to your social media posts. This will help customers easily recognize your practice and create a loyal following.
This is also called brand awareness and helps you improve your perception in the minds of your patient. It will speed up the incoming of your patients, you will get more traffic on your website and more loyal customers.
Remain consistent with the quality of service you are providing so more people recommend your clinic to others.
- Incentivize your patients
Consider offering a loyalty program or rewards program to incentivize customers to continue using your services. For example, your regular patients get free scaling once in 6 months, or any free dental product when someone comes in for braces.
Loyalty programs will help you retain your patient and attract new ones. It may also provide you with a competitive edge against your competitors and increase your number of patients.
- Encourage reviews and respond to them
Use online reviews and patient testimonials to showcase the quality of your services and build trust with potential customers. Whenever a patient visits for treatment, take feedback in the form of a video or photo and upload it to your social media and website.
Ask your patients to record their experience at your clinic, leave a review on your Google Business Profile or social medias and share your work with their family and friends.
Most people look for authentic reviews before visiting a clinic, therefore, it is essential to use reviews to ensure your authenticity.
According to a survey, about 81% of people use Google to evaluate local businesses and make decisions to visit a certain salon, restaurant, or clinic based on others’ feedback. So, post reviews as much as possible on your website and social media.
- Participate in local activities
Participate in local events and community activities, such as health fairs or school events, to promote your practice and reach new patients.
Set up free dental camps once every few months for low-income patients. It will help you earn more respect in your area. You may organize your booth at health events or start a dental campaign in schools offering free dental checkups to students.
Here in Waynesville, a family practice that gets this technique hands down, IMHO is Great Beginnings Dentistry (I didn’t realize till today that they had a major site facelift + changed their name from Great Beginnings to Great Smiles. “Great Beginnings” has been ingrained into my brain for so long because my kid went there for years. Rebranding done right is rewarding. I wish the team at Great Smiles the best. The website is fantastic. I love the photos. Job well done.
- Invest in SEO
Invest in search engine optimization (SEO) to improve the visibility of your website and make it easier for potential customers to find your practice online. SEO will help you improve your brand awareness, create a trustworthy web experience for patients and stay competitive. You will be able to get a greater presence online and increase more patients.
The cost of SEO varies based on factors such as your industry, competition level, and how quickly you want to see growth.
For example, if you’re operating in a big city, your SEO efforts will require a more substantial investment compared to a less competitive market.
Similarly, if you’re looking to achieve rapid growth online, you’ll need to invest more than if you’re okay with a slower, more gradual growth.
It’s important to understand these factors and work with an SEO expert to develop a customized strategy that fits your specific needs and budget.
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