If there’s one mistake that you’re doing wrong in your dental patient marketing, it’s not making an effort to understand who your patients are and where they are coming from. Without this knowledge, you are bound to create a marketing strategy that does not really work for your target market.
When trying to understand the decision process that takes places before your patients book an appointment with you, put yourself in their shoes. How do you choose the store you’re going to purchase your dinner from? Is it the price? Is it convenience? Is it quality? Here’s how that decision process goes on for your dental patient marketing:
Looking For What’s Wanted or Needed
When it comes to dental services, patients would usually feel the need to go to a dentist because of sore gums or teeth. There will be a physical manifestation of their need to book an appointment. In some cases, these appointments are pre-planned for teeth cleaning and regular checkups, for example. So, here’s the first step to attracting clients: remind them about their regular dental checkups or if they have any issues with their oral health.
Checking The Prices
Most dental procedures are not covered by dental insurances. That’s why many people don’t prefer to have these policies anymore. They just use up what they personally saved. However, this also means they are always looking for affordable dental care options. You can be a part of the shortlist of dentists they are checking out if the quality of your services is at par with their requirements and you’re not exactly asking them to empty their bank accounts.
Searching For Reviews and Recommendations
But before they even book an appointment with you, they’ll check reviews about your dental services and equipment. They will ask their friends and families if one of them has prior experience with you. They will scourge the internet to find information about whether or not you have steady hands and is good with the patients. They have to know they’re signing up for a legitimately good dentist.
Purchasing or Booking Appointments
The final step would be to purchase a product or book an appointment with you. Now that they are convinced you are the right dentist for them, they are going to look for your website or social media page and find a way to contact you. Make this step easier by having an online appointment system for your dental patient marketing and publishing your contact information on all platforms so they can call or text you. It would also be better if you install a bot for your Facebook Messenger so it can give the necessary information when asked.