What have you done to improve your dental marketing strategies? While you may think that you’re doing “enough” to get your dental practice going, the fact that there are no new clients or inquiries about your services shows that you’re not doing nearly what you should be doing. Let’s be clear. It’s a noble cause to focus on building a website with an integrated online appointment system, but this isn’t the only thing you should be doing.
List Yourself in Dental Directories
The most important directories for you to be listed in are the American Dental Association, The Dentist Hub, ZocDoc, Dentist Directory, and RateMDs. While you are not required to be listed on every online directory, these are the most vital for your dental practice. Listing your practice on these directories will improve your SEO and will ensure that prospective clients can find you.
Get More Reviews
While you must seek recommendations of family and friends, reviews from guests and strangers are also welcomed. A 2018 study showed that internet users aged 18 to 34 trust online reviews as much as they trust the recommendations of their family and friends. About 57% of consumers will only trust a company if it has four or five stars. This signals to them that they can trust the company. Google and Yelp remain to be the most important review sites.
Improve Your Social Media Presence
Social media is a must, especially in dental marketing. But remember that your presence on social media shouldn’t be all promotional. You can produce content that will simply help inform your patients about the do’s and don’t’s of dental hygiene, for example. You can create videos that will explain dental procedures. You can post photos of your staff. You can show a before-and-after photo, provided you have the patient’s permission.
Use Email Marketing
You’ll be surprised how very much alive email marketing still is. Many patients prefer emails as a form of communication. However, remember not to use email marketing only to send newsletters and promotional materials. You can send personalized emails to remind patients about their upcoming appointments, as well as to thank them for visiting your clinic.
Invest in Direct Mail Marketing
Do you know that direct mail marketing has a higher response rate compared to online advertising methods? This is a proven way to increase sales and leads. Many dentists love using emails for their dental marketing, but direct mail is still one of the smartest strategies to use for your dental practice.