To bring in more patients, a dental practice, just like any business, has to be advertised. While a TV or radio spot could still work just fine, they simply would no longer be enough to ensure maximum reach. In a world where people no longer completely rely on traditional media for information, you will need to explore a non-traditional advertising approach to achieve the goals of your dental practice.
Fortunately, there are many non-traditional advertising strategies for your dental practice that you can take advantage of to boost your clientele. Here are some of them.
Non-Traditional Advertising Strategies for your Dental Practice
Develop and maintain an online presence
While most businesses today advertise their products and services on the Internet, many entrepreneurs have yet to establish a foothold online. If you are one of them, it’s time you put up a website for your dental practice. Make sure your site has a blog too, so you can easily share interesting and relevant information to your target audience.
You should also engage on social media, as it’s a must in society today. Set up profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and other social media platforms so you can interact with patients in engaging and unique ways.
Joining local online forums and groups would also be a good idea. This way, you can interact and develop a relationship with people within your community, and build up your online presence in the process.
Create a customer referral incentive program
Few things are as powerful as word of mouth when it comes to spreading information about your business. You provide top-notch service to a patient, and it’s highly likely that he or she will be telling friends and family about it. You get free advertising that way, but you can choose to make it worth their while to refer patients to your dental practice. You can, for example, offer existing patients discounts on future dental services for every customer referral. Gift cards or special prizes could also work.
Develop relationships in the community
Community involvement will always be beneficial for your dental practice. Actively participating in community activities or simply being friendly and helpful to the people in your neighborhood is a truly organic and inspiring way of marketing your practice. It cultivates trust and respect, and you know people will only have their root canals and oral surgeries done by dental professionals they respect and trust.
You can also make your presence felt by sponsoring local events. You can buy advertising for sports or charity events and see your practice’s name and logo put up in marketing materials for those events.
Make your logo attractive and consistent
Not all dental professionals create a logo for their practice. However, when you decide to get one, make sure your logo looks inviting and consistent. After all, a logo creates brand recognition, and a great-looking logo, a consistent one at that, is crucial in gaining new clientele. Make your logo visible within your practice and all over your community as well to foster a sense of awareness among your old and new patients.
Cook up special offers
Everybody loves a deal, so offering discounts on selected dental services will grab the attention of people in your community. Just make sure that your offers would be different from that of your competitors. Do your research, and see to it that your potential patients wouldn’t be getting the same thing from other dental practices in town.
E-mail marketing
Email marketing is a cheap form of advertising for your practice that works. Think of all the money you’ll save on printing costs and postage stamps. When you email your current patients, you don’t just stay in touch with them. You also keep them abreast of promotional offers and remind them of their appointments with you. Some people might call email marketing intrusive, but it’s a more passive approach to marketing your practice than, say, making cold calls. Add opt-in and opt-out options, and you’ll be able to narrow down the people who are interested in the information that your emails contain.
Keep your office clean, accommodating and comfortable
How your office looks and feels is a dental practice advertisement unto itself. Your office is essentially an extension of yourself, and people would love getting dental services in a clean place. They will also appreciate the warmth exuded by friendly staff members who will assist them in any way they can. It’s also an excellent idea to put up creature comforts in the reception area. If your patients sit on comfortable seats, have access to a water dispenser and wi-fi, and get excellent dental services on top of all that, you can be sure that they will recommend your practice to anyone who would listen.
Growing your clientele may take time, but your dental practice will get there when you implement these and other dental online marketing strategies.
See also: 10 Ways to Create Instantly Shareable Images of Yourself
