Do you feel your current marketing is failing to hit the mark? Noticed a decline or stagnation in your new patient numbers when you were expecting a boost? You more than likely need to review your strategies and give them a shake-up. If you haven’t yet ventured into marketing your practice, it is vital that you do so.

Google, newspaper, television, radio, Facebook, Instagram, and more – there are so many avenues for marketing your dental practice. Do you know where to invest your marketing budget for the best results? Not sure where to start? Read on to learn 9 proven marketing strategies for boosting patient numbers each month.

 

Is Dental Marketing That Important? 

People will always need dentists, right? So why does advertising matter so much, if it’s an essential health service, shouldn’t there always be a steady influx of patients? The reality is a dental practice is a business, just like any other. Targeted, well-strategized marketing is integral to its success and how it performs amongst the competition. 

Data from Google tells us that when searching out healthcare options, 77% of patients will begin their research via a search engine. 76% of patients will continue their research on the provider’s website. Marketing your practice is the key to placing at the top of search results and ensuring once a prospective patient finds you, they feel confident to book with you.

So How Do You Achieve A Boost In Your Patient Numbers?

Thankfully, there are proven, actionable steps you can take towards becoming more visible and gaining new patients. 

  1. Ensure your GMB or Google My Business information is correct. This is the first place many potential patients will have contact with your practice. Your GMB posting needs to include your operating hours, email, phone number, and a well-chosen, professional photo.
  2. Asking for reviews, one way to achieve social proof is to ask for feedback and display positive feedback prominently. Reviews from past patients are considered trusted feedback and can be the decider for new patients. You can obtain this feedback via email or text – as an added bonus asking your patients for their feedback helps them feel valued.
  3. Content marketing via SEO-optimized blogging, podcasts, informative FAQ pages, and more all add to your credibility. Not only are you showing your knowledge of industry-related topics, but boosting your return search results for key search topics. Video is one of the best marketing strategies as it provides an opportunity to showcase your practice and staff in a genuine and easily visible format. 
  4. Social media marketing is free and can be incredibly effective – ensure you are across all major platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. Even Tik-Tok can be a fun way to interact with your patients and gain more visibility. The downside of social media is that the algorithms are complex with organic reach estimated to reach just 5.5% of followers.
  5. Paid Facebook or Instagram ads are the solution for posts that fail to reach their intended audience and are a powerful tool for dental marketing strategies. For the best dental marketing strategies for Facebook in 2021, be sure to read our blog on this topic. 
  6. Keep your website updated, educational and interesting. When a potential patient visits your website you want them to feel confident in your services and assured of your professionalism. Consider including staff profiles and experience/education, videos, an online booking tool (this one is important as many people prefer online booking than speaking on the phone), and live chat facilities. Use crisp, professional imagery throughout your website and ensure it is compatible with mobile and PC.

 7. Introduce email marketing, through email marketing you can send personalized reminders to patients and advise regarding promotions. Referral promotions are a great strategy for email marketing. You may also like to include links to any new blogs or informative content on the website too. 

8. Start blogging or blog more regularly, as mentioned above, blogs work in two ways. They provide professional resources for your patients that help demonstrate your expertise and also help keep your website refreshed with content. When SEO optimized, it will also boost your visitation as your practice is more likely to be top of a google search for those topics.

9. Act natural! Through all of your marketing, remain genuine and relaxed. Patients will feel more comfortable booking with your practice if they feel connected to your staff. It is important to keep a good balance of fun and information in your marketing to ensure your practice is approachable and trustworthy. 

Great marketing is an ever-evolving process and you will find you need to review and tweak your approach as you go along. If a campaign or post doesn’t perform as you anticipated, try changing one thing about it and observe the results. Avoid changing multiple parts of a post or campaign in one go as this will make it harder to track which change resonated with your audience. 

The most important thing is not to abandon your marketing. Persistence and a willingness to learn and modify your approach as needed will be critical to its long-term success.

Unsure Where To Start?

We understand that even with all the strategies and tips in the world, implementing and maintaining the momentum alongside running a practice can be overwhelming. At HIP Creative, we can manage your marketing strategy for you and ensure it is seen by your ideal audience.

We work collaboratively with our clients to create a comprehensive marketing strategy that helps your practice achieve its patient and profitability goals. We help independent medical practices become authorities in their space. Through powerful tools, hands-on training, and our tried and true Patient Acquisition and Retention Framework™

Contact our skilled and experienced team members today on 833 975 2506.