Being a dentist, like many other professions within the healthcare industry, is a form of fulfilling and meaningful work. For many practitioners, it’s not about the money; nevertheless, every dental practice needs to be run like a business in order to thrive. Here are some marketing tactics you can use to great effect in promoting your practice.
Digital marketing
For many businesses in today’s world, a strong online presence can make a difference in broadening your reach to the people that matter. This is particularly true in healthcare, as most people who search online for a doctor in the area aren’t doing so out of curiosity; they are probably already in need of a consultation.
Digital marketing strategies apply across industries; SEO services work for oral surgeons, orthodontists, and dentists just as effectively as they do for major retailers or lifestyle brands. With a high ranking in online search results and confidence-inspiring, optimized website design, you’ll establish your presence online and be ready to serve the next user who enters your relevant keywords into their search engine.
Social media
Business owners often put social media strategy under the same category as digital marketing. Broadly speaking, they are both online methods of increasing engagement and brand awareness. However, this is where the nature of a dental practice matters, as you tend to build stronger relationships with your patients in due course.
Constant communication from other businesses through social media could be considered spam, but patients will welcome that sort of effort coming from their dentist. Use social media to stay in touch with your patients, remind them of scheduled appointments, and provide educational information from time to time. This can also lead to organic referrals as your patients share their reviews with friends and family, growing your network.
Flyers and brochures
A dental practice tends to have a larger-than-usual local customer base, compared to small businesses in other industries. This opens up opportunities to boost your reach through traditional means that may be slowly getting overlooked by others.
Mailing out printing materials, such as flyers and brochures, within your zip code, can effectively spread awareness among the people who are most likely to end up in your office. You can keep the communication simple and short; nobody likes to waste paper these days, after all. Just let locals know where you’re located, what services you offer, and make a great first impression with good design.
Community activities
Another way of embracing the local ties of your dental practice is to be more visible and get involved in community events. Conduct workshops or hold talks so that you can educate people on good dental hygiene while building up your exposure.
Partnerships with local businesses can also lead to a lot of referrals in the long run; after all, their employees are going to need dental services every now and then. Schools can be especially valuable sources of new clients; volunteering your services for charity will foster goodwill. Being more engaged within your community is still one of the best ways to grow your practice organically.
Using these approaches, you can slowly but steadily increase leads and conversions for your dental practice without necessarily investing a lot of money. It may take time and effort, but the stronger relationships with your patients and community are well worth it.