It’s been a tough year for dentists nationwide, with many practices facing difficult times due to the rising costs of dental services. But even though keeping your solo practice afloat is challenging, you can still attract new patients by being smarter about how you market your business. That’s why we put together this blog post featuring eight clever marketing ideas to help you expand your local dental practice.
1. Update Your Website
It’s a good idea to update your website to include the latest information about your practice, including hours of operation and business policies. This is an easy way to ensure that you provide accurate information for potential patients and clients, which can lead to more successful patient referrals and new business opportunities.
2. Beat Your Competition
Is there a practice down the street that has been around longer than yours? Before you write them off as a useless marketing tool, think about using their success to your advantage. For instance, you could approach them and offer to help them advertise on your behalf in exchange for a cut of their profits. While this isn’t enough to put you over the top, it’s something to keep in mind when looking for ways to grow your practice.
3. Know Your Target Audience
Getting caught up in attracting patients from all walks of life is easy, but if you make this your top priority, you could be doing yourself a disservice. This is because it’s important to identify a target audience with a high propensity for dental work. For example, if you’re interested in targeting working adults with families, look at individuals with children and steady jobs with health insurance coverage.
4. Encourage and Track Reviews
Reviews are becoming increasingly important in the digital age, and they’re something you should pay attention to because of the time they can take. This is because reviews can significantly impact your business, and those that are positive might even lead to new patients walking through your door. So make sure to encourage patients to write down their thoughts each time they visit and set up a system to track each review.
5. Harness the Power of Social Media
Social media has become a primary means of communication for many people, and you need to take advantage of this fact if you want your business to succeed. That’s because it’s a platform that can provide valuable information about your office hours, prices, contact information, and more. And because social media costs little to utilize, there’s no reason not to make the most out of it.
6. Post Patient Testimonials
Testimonials are a powerful tool when it comes to marketing, and this is especially true when it comes to dentistry. For example, if you have a patient with nothing but positive things to say about your services, chances are they’ll be willing to help you get the word out. That’s because word-of-mouth is still one of the most effective methods for getting the word out about your practice, so feel free to ask for testimonials and use them in your marketing efforts.
7. Offer a Patient Referral Bonus
If you’re looking for a way to entice patients into bringing their friends, family members, and co-workers to your practice, consider offering a referral bonus. This is a great way to get new patients, and the rewards for doing so are well worth it. In most cases, giving out a patient referral bonus will make more sense than offering free X-rays or cleaning.
8. Utilize Email Marketing
It’s proven that getting information out to your target audience through email marketing can be extremely effective in growing your practice. That’s because while it can be difficult for many busy professional adults to set aside time to read emails, they’re the perfect way for you to remain relevant in the minds of many potential clients. Plus, if you do this right, it’s a cost-effective way to make possible new patients aware of what you do and what services you offer.
Growing a dental practice is not an overnight process, and there are countless ways that you can use to promote your business. That’s why it’s important to make an effort to do everything to grow your practice. And while some of these ideas may work better than others, they’re worth looking into and discussing with your marketing team before taking action.
