In a digital age where visual appeal is king, video commercials reign supreme in attracting new patients and helping your dental practice stand out and grab attention. This guide dives into creating dentist videos that capture attention, build trust, and highlight what makes your practice unique. Keep reading to learn how to leverage the power of video ads to grow your practice!

The Power of Video in Dentistry in 2024

Video has always been an excellent way for a dental practice to differentiate itself. But it’s even more powerful today for a couple of reasons.

First, video costs less to produce than it used to. As recently as 10 or 15 years ago, creating a quality video meant hiring a specialized agency and a pretty hefty financial investment to get something usable (not to mention the cost of media buying).

In today’s world, high-quality video creators are everywhere, and post-production editing software is readily available. You can find someone in almost any community who creates high-quality videos that your practice would proudly publicize.

Secondly, there are many more ways to distribute video commercials for dentists than in the past. It used to be that commercials were just for TV. Today, you should still distribute your video dental ads on local TV. But you can also promote them to prospective patients through organic social media posts, paid social media ads, YouTube homepage and tailored ads, TikTok, YouTube shorts, Instagram, Facebook, and more!

According to Forbes.com, social media video content gets up to 1200% more shares than posts with photos. So, repurposing your made-for-tv dental ads as online content can help you reach many more people in your community or even go viral worldwide.

Five Video Commercial Ideas for Dental Offices

1) Tell Your Story

What’s your story, anyway? When creating dental advertising, your “story” isn’t where you went to school, how you started your business, or even how you grew your practice. Your story is what you can do for your patients and what makes your practice stand out above the others.

Sometimes, that’s as simple as being friendly and telling them about your services. This short 30-second commercial by Thrive Dental & Orthodontics does a great job of telling their story quickly: View Their Video

You’ll see that they cover a lot of ground in a short period:

    • They are friendly and high-energy.
    • They offer full-service dentistry and orthodontics.
    • It’s the place for “affordable dentistry done right.”

<li”>They’ll treat you like family.

After watching that video with its authentic energy, it’s hard to not believe all those things are true! And that’s the power of video.

The Atlanta Dental Spa also has a great “story” commercial that quickly lets you know what they’re all about: View Their Video

Within moments, you can tell how much they prioritize a comfortable patient experience. If you experience anxiety visiting the dentist or just enjoy being pampered, you’ll book an appointment immediately.

Both of these videos establish an identity for their practice through visual storytelling. But sometimes your story is about more than who you are– it could also be what you’re selling.

Check out one more dental ad from Thrive, focusing on a $0 down payment promotion they’re running: View Their Video

It’s the kind of story that will drive new patients to their practice, whether they run it as a TV commercial or promote it through their online channels.

2) Build Trust through Testimonials & Case Studies

Trust is a powerful currency in the world of dentistry. It can be the deciding factor in whether prospective patients choose your practice over another. While your story may be compelling, research shows that patients will trust other patients’ recommendations over your words.

So, how can you leverage that to your advantage? Get your patients to do your ads for you!

Let’s look at these two examples of customer-powered advertisements from Juban Cowen Dentistry in Baton Rouge, LA. The first one is a series of testimonials from a variety of patients, all saying wonderful things about the practice and their experience there: View Their Video

The second commercial video is a case study that tells the story of a particularly challenging dental case. The patient is sympathetic, relatable, and thankful. The dentist is gracious, caring, and skilled. The powerful story of transformation would make anyone excited to visit their practice: View Their Video

Even if you’re not going to run ads, patient testimonials, and case studies on YouTube and Facebook can help soothe potential patients’ fears or concerns about visiting the dentist. Isn’t that a compelling reason to start recording your patients’ stories?

3) Showcase Your Dental Services

Video marketing isn’t just about telling stories and building trust—it’s also about showcasing your unique dental services. Video enables dental practices to present their services visually, which is much more emotionally powerful than some words and photos on a website.

Comfort is a key motivating factor for many patients. Hence, creating video content with visuals of cozy waiting rooms and comfortable chairs helps potential clients make positive associations with the practice. So it makes sense why Advanced DDS in Garden City, NJ, chose to create a commercial all around their sedation dentistry service: View Their Video

The most effective commercials for services will solve a problem for your potential patient. Check out this video from OneSolution® Dental Implant Centers: View Their Video

By speaking to the embarrassment of missing and rotting teeth–“people thought I was homeless”– they’re creating an emotional connection with their audience and helping them imagine a better life for themselves.

What problems do your services solve for your patients? Try creating video advertisements around those solutions, and patients will flock to your office.

4) Make Them Laugh

Humor can be a potent tool for capturing the attention of prospective patients with dental commercials. If likeability and humor fit into your brand identity, then you can have a bit of fun with your commercials like Oak Ridge Dental did with theirs: View Their Video

Content like this is likely to grab some folks’ attention, but it might turn other people off. So, know your audience and ensure the ads you create are appropriate for your target audience. In this vintage dental commercial, Libertyville Dental Associates called on the help of a local professional wrestler to attract laughs and, hopefully, clients: View Their Video

Funny commercials aren’t for everyone, but they can be effective. It’s up to you if you choose to use them or not.

5) Teach Them Something

Educational dental videos wouldn’t be great for traditional TV commercials. Still, as online content that doubles as advertisements for your business, they’re very effective.

Dr. Coughlin of Thrive Dental created this video on how to cure an abscess that’s been viewed over 734,000 times: View Their Video

That’s a lot of views and a lot of potential patients! Most of your videos won’t get anywhere near that level of views. But educational videos on popular topics will attract attention online and serve as advertisements for your business, like this “10 Facts About Braces” video, also from Dr. Coughlin: View Their Video

Teaching your audience establishes you as an expert in their mind. If they learn something from you, they’re much more likely to trust your office when it’s time for their next checkup.

Tips for Creating Effective Dentist Video Commercials

When you start to produce video commercials, work with someone with a proven portfolio of high-quality video work. If they have a writer on staff, work with them to develop concepts that match your goals. If they don’t have a writer, you may need to hire a script writer to help you out.

Here are some tips for getting started:

  • Be concise, ideally around 2 minutes long
  • Be focused on a specific topic or service
  • Integrate personal stories & testimonials
  • Be authentic and showcase your dental practice’s genuine culture
  • Showcase before-and-after results
  • Use high-quality cameras and sound equipment

You want your dental video commercial to reflect the quality and professionalism prospective patients expect from your practice. So, high-quality visuals and sound are crucial. A high-definition camera ensures that dental commercial visuals are crisp and appealing to the audience. For sound quality, using an external microphone instead of the camera’s built-in microphone can significantly enhance the audio experience.

Investing in custom photography, videography, and professional lighting and sound equipment provides an authentic and professional image that increases engagement and conversion rates. Remember, quality matters in dental services and how you present them to your audience!

Grow Your Business With Video!

By now, you’ve seen the power of video to transform and grow your business. Whether your dental video commercial is an introduction to your practice, a collection of patient successes, or a viral belly laugh, it has the potential to draw more patients through your door. Leverage social media channels and traditional TV stations to get your message into your community and show prospective patients why they should choose your dental practice for their next treatment!