Growing your dental practice is more than just about attracting new patients. It’s also about maintaining the relationships you have with your current patients. The way to interact with your existing patients is just as important as how new patients will learn about your practice. One of the ways to improve your relationships with current patients is to improve your dental patient marketing by sending them appointment reminders.
Yes, that’s right. Why will you leave it for your patients to set reminders for themselves when you can do it yourself? Not only will they appreciate the gesture, but they will also be convinced that you are the right dental practice for them.
These are the four ways to remind patients of their appointments:
Emails
Sending an email is the most practical way to remind patients of their appointments. It’s not too intrusive and believe or not, even Generation Z checks their email inboxes regularly. While there are many misconceptions that this current generation no longer likes to open their email inboxes, marketers are saying this is utterly untrue. Email marketing, in fact, remains to be an effective way of promoting a business or in this case, a dental practice.
Texts
With texts, you are assured that your reminders get to your clients. Text messages are instantaneous. They receive it in milliseconds after you send them. They are then reminded of the fact that they have a standing appointment with your dental clinic. Use this when you need to remind your patients of an appointment the next or the same day. There is a 99% chance that they’ll see the text message and get reminded of the appointment they made weeks ago.
Phone Calls
This is probably the last thing you should try with your patients. People don’t like receiving calls. They are intrusive and time-consuming. People lose sight of what they’re currently doing when they suddenly receive a phone call. You’re not giving them enough time to decide whether to cancel or go through with the appointment, too. If they have something else to do that day, their first decision might be to cancel.
Postcards
Although there is a risk that these may get lost in the mail, many dental practices find that these are actually what patients love to receive. They like being reminded of appointments old-school style. They love the idea that dentists took the time to sign a postcard and send it via snail mail. Just make sure to send the postcards ways ahead of time so it gets to your patients before the scheduled appointment.
These dental patient marketing tips should help you keep a good relationship with your patients. Following these tips will ensure your patients get the best service while you receive their loyalty.