Dentistry is a difficult area of work. Profit making or even staying afloat as a dental practice is a complicated task with the extensive competition in the market. After years of rigorous study when you finally have the skillset and capability to start a dental practice; you can’t let the opportunity go. Simply setting up the practice and being proficient is never really enough. To run your practice, get income out of it and make it grow, you need effective marketing strategies.
But how exactly can you market and grow your dental practice? Read on to know!
1] Get a well-designed website
Your website defines the quality of your services. Today; everyone navigates through the internet whenever they want to avail of a service or buy a product. When needy patients are looking for a dental service on the internet; your website is what will flash before them. It will often be the first point of contact for patients and therefore, can make or break your impression. This is why it is essential to put in your best effort when designing your website. Make sure the website is compatible and operational on all devices, is user-friendly, has crisp and quality content and graphics, is responsive and represents your brand in the most positive light.
2] Increase your social media presence
7 in 10 Americans use social media for long hours on a daily basis. The estimates indicate that there are 302 million social media users in the US. All these figures are an indication enough as to why you must increase your social media presence. Advertise your brand on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social networking sites. Add personalized content that actually is interactive, informative and engaging for the audience. Don’t restrict your social media to advertising your brand but also update people with information relevant to your field.
For instance- add posts about tips for oral care, dental issues and home remedies, advancements in the field of dentistry and so on. When people get valuable information on your social media, a connection is built between you and the audience. You can also connect with influencers and ask them to advertise your dental service. Influencers have a huge fan following which imitates them. This can be leveraged by your dental practice.
3] Focus on SEO
SEO has been recognized as a strong marketing tool. It is responsible for a high ranking on search engines. Make use of local keywords that will improve the visibility of your practice to interested patients in your locality. Thoroughly research and keep updating your SEO from time to time.
4] Add a dental membership plan in dentistry
For uninsured patients, dental services are often above budget. So, you must incorporate dental membership programs into your service. This will provide patients with payment flexibility and make oral care pocket-friendly. When patients get aware of your dental membership plan, which works in their favor, they are likely to talk about you, which will serve as word-of-mouth publicity.
5] Enhance patient experience and leverage referrals/ reviews
Satisfied patients are likely to refer you to their near and dear ones. When it comes to healthcare, people often take recommendations from their trusted people. When you provide satisfactory and remarkable treatment by keeping a friendly demeanor, sending appointment reminders, keeping a relaxing clinic space and so on; patients will refer you to others. You can also seek reviews from patients who visit you. When any individual wants to avail of a new service, they will check reviews, which serve as an authentic source of information and drive new patients to your service.
6] Get involved with local non-profit
The exposure that getting involved with nonprofits gets you is unmatched. Everyone favors a service that gives out to the community. Provide treatment to underdeveloped areas and get your name out there.
7] Answer FAQs and patient queries if any
Patients are often anxious about dental treatments. It is vital that their queries are therefore answered. Keep a keen eye on the questions that come up on your website, or any queries that pop up on your social media accounts. Answer and communicate with the inquirers so that this serves as a rapport-building ground. People often put up generic questions on the internet like why does my tooth hurt? [ A question that receives over 1,500 Google searches each month]. Put in the effort to find such questions and utilize them on your FAQ page to gain visibility.
8] Present new patients with stunning offers
Offers and incentives are often irresistible. Determine a price that fits your needs and also appeals to the demographic and advertise it. If you can’t offer monetary benefits, offer additional services like a first free preventive care exam and so on. You can also offer free or discounted services for a particular population. This will lure in more patients.
Growing your dental practice is not difficult when you are equipped with the right strategies. Employ the ones mentioned above, think out of the box; and in no time you will see your business flourishing like never before!
