If you run your own dental practice then you already know how important it is to attract new patients to your office. Perhaps you have tried several different ways of advertising your dental practice, but it has not generated the number of patients you wanted. The good news is that if you create a comprehensive marketing strategy that targets the right audience you can quickly grow you patient list and boost your revenue. Here is a look at several things to keep in mind when developing a marketing plan for your dental office.
Customized Marketing
The first thing you need to realize is that no two dental offices are the same, so do not try to advertise like all the other practices in your area. Instead, customize your marketing plan to highlight the uniqueness of your specific dental office. For example, do you pride yourself on providing caring services to you patients, is your office kid-friendly or family oriented, or do your offer affordable rates or the newest state-of-the-art dental equipment or treatments. Determine what your dental office values most and use this as part of your marketing strategy.
Know Your Target Audience
Next, you need to determine who your target audience is. Consider the location of your dental practice and the neighborhoods surrounding your practice. This is likely to be a large part of your customer-base. Also, take a look at the demographics for this area such as median income and average age. You can combine this information to determine what things are important to this target audience and what they are likely looking for in a dental office.
Online Marketing
Many potential patients are going to turn to the Internet when searching for a dental office in the area. It is vital that you have an online marketing strategy designed to attract the online user to your site and entice them to contact your office. Here are several areas where your dental office should be visible online.
Website
You certainly want to build a custom-made website that grabs people’s attention and highlights your business. In addition, you want to inform the viewer by providing information about the dental staff and the type of treatments offered.
Social Media
Social media is more important today than ever before and it allows you to reach a large audience in a short period of time. It is imperative that you set up a business profile page on social media sites like Google+ and Facebook.
Internet Directories
You also want to make sure your dental office is listed on all relevant internet directories. This will make it easier for potential patients to find your practice when searching online for a dental office.
Offline Marketing
In addition to online marketing, you also want to create an offline strategy that directly targets those in your local area. Sometimes, this is the best way to spread the news about your practice throughout the community. Here are several offline marketing strategies to consider.
Postcards
This is the most effective way to get new patients to your office, period. The main thing you want to do is make sure you customize your postcards to explain what sets your practice apart from the others.
Brochures
Brochures are a great way to get your name out in the community. Make sure your brochures will grab people’s attention and highlight the services your office specializes in.
Newsletters
Newsletters can be used to market to both current and potential customers. It gives you a forum to highlight the different services you offer and perhaps entice patients to inquire about them.
Together these marketing strategies will work to bring in new patients to your dentist office. If you have no marketing experience or simply do not have the time to put into marketing for your business, a professional marketing service can help implement a plan to attract more patients. Be sure that you select a marketing company that has experience working in the dental industry and can offer you an array of online and offline marketing solutions.
Byline: Jyrki Ikonen started in the industry by marketing his wife’s dental office and his passion for helping others with dental marketing since then.
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