You’ll never be successful in figuring out what you need to do with your dental marketing if you don’t understand what your patients are looking for. Or better yet, how a dental patient looks for and finds a dental clinic. Think about your own past. Why was your dentist your dentist? It was because of your parents. They were the ones who chose this dentist. You can still remember that time you had your braces, right? It’s painful and scary, but the dentist was able to soothe your fears. In fact, you may still be in contact with this dentist. This could be the same dentist who inspired you to become one yourself.
That reasoning is not far from the truth. Parents choose the dentists that a potential patient will go to. Just think about how you make decisions now. When you need a plumber, do you go immediately on Facebook? Not likely. There’s a good chance you’ll phone your parents or relatives or friends to ask if they know anyone who can provide plumbing services to you.
That’s exactly how patients look for dentists. They first ask around. They ask the people they trust. They don’t go searching for one on the internet immediately (sure, that is still an option). They want to know if someone from their own network had issues and experiences with you (the dentist). If they received a glowing recommendation from their friends and family, they might not even check other dentists. They might go and visit your clinic without considering other dentists.
That’s why word-of-mouth and recommendations/reviews on the internet are very critical to your dental practice. If no one wants to recommend your clinic, you won’t be getting as many patients as you should. Every time a patient enters your clinic is an opportunity for you to turn this into a worthy recommendation. Think about it. How many people does this person know? How many will listen to his/her recommendations? How impactful can his/her words be?
Always put that in mind when dealing with a patient. If a patient truly becomes impressed with your services and affordable dental packages, you’ll surely get a good review and recommendation. Speaking of review, do not forget to ask patients to write a review for you if they were satisfied with your service. This is a great dental marketing strategy that will bring more attention to your dental practice.