Attracting new patients to your dental practice is vital in today’s competitive market. Whether you’re just starting your dental practice or are looking for ways to attract more people, knowing what works and what does not can simplify the process. Our blog will walk you through proven methods to attract new dental patients, improve your marketing plans, and increase your profits.
When choosing a dentist, most patients search for dental offices online. This means that your dental website must be SEO optimized so patients can find you. SEO is a set of practices designed to improve the positioning of your website in organic search results. SEO optimization is important because it is the most effective way people discover and access online content.
Therefore, a good SEO strategy can increase your website’s position in search results pages on Google. Consequently, the higher your website is listed, the more potential customers will see and ultimately visit your clinic.
Therefore, if you don’t have a website or your current website lacks SEO, attracting new dental patients may be challenging. So, invest in a new website optimized for search performance to make a difference with your online presence. In addition, share detailed information about the dental services you offer and testimonials from current patients to increase SEO and engage prospective patients.
In addition, make sure that your website is mobile-friendly and works the same way on all devices. Avoid too many graphics or visual media because they can slow your website’s load speed and cause your visitors to leave your website. If necessary, hire a website designer and SEO company to help you with your website and convert visitors into new patients.
Lastly, consider adding 24/7 online appointment scheduling on your website to allow patients to book an appointment at any time of the day. Then, your staff can confirm the appointment as needed once they receive a notification.
Claim your business listings on directories such as Facebook, Google My Business, and Yelp to enhance your online presence. This is an effective marketing strategy to expand your reach because patients can find you on multiple platforms.
Make sure to update your dental practice pages as needed and mention essential details such as your contact information, business hours, and your website’s link. You may also add photos and respond to patient reviews depending on the directory.
Social media is a powerful tool for online marketing. Having a presence on different social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram helps give your brand a human element, allows you to connect with potential dental patients, and increases your online presence.
First, focus on a social media platform with the largest number of your target clientele. Then, regularly post engaging content related to your dental practice and industry, such as before-and-after photos of your dental procedures. Also, use keywords and hashtags relevant to your niche to expand your audience and get more reach.
Moreover, when deciding what to post, choose a topic relevant to your audience that offers value. Answering their questions and solving their problems will help you gain their trust.
Online reviews are one of the most important factors people consider when searching for dental offices. Therefore, it is no surprise that patients choose a dentist with hundreds of positive reviews over a dentist with no reviews.
Consequently, positive reviews are critical for a dentist’s reputation and online presence. However, patients don’t always take the initiative to write reviews, so ask them to share their experiences online to boost your reputation and encourage future patients to visit.
Then, highlight patient testimonials on your website, business pages, and social media platforms to help build trust with future patients.
You could also give your clients incentives such as a discount or a free service in exchange for writing a review.
Also, if you receive a negative review, remember to deal with it quickly because ignoring them will only aggravate the issue. So, take your time to clarify your position and explain what has happened to convince other people that the case was a one-time occurrence.
PPC advertising is one of the most common marketing techniques for dentists. Google Ads is the largest PPC platform where paid ads appear above organic search results. These ads target specific keywords like SEO to ensure the ads are relevant to the audience. Therefore, PPC ads work well in exposing you to your target audience.
Moreover, you don’t have to pay to display your ads. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad. While the amount you pay varies depending on the competitiveness of the industry and the market, the cost of PPC advertising for dentists ranges from $2 to $15 per click.
For example, a person may enter the keyword “dental clinic near me” in the search bar. If you’ve invested in PPC advertising, your ad will show up near the top of the Google results page. You will be charged when the user clicks on your ad.
Remember to optimize the right keywords to reach your target audience and avoid paying out a large amount of money for ineffective ads. Also, consider narrowing down your audience to be more specific to your area, demographic, or household income levels.
Dental practices are local businesses that rely on the local community to provide patients. Therefore, another great way to attract new dental patients to your practice is to get involved in the community, such as becoming a sponsor for a charity event or community organization.
This is especially helpful if you are new to the business and want to have your name at a local event to help build brand awareness. This also enables you to network with potential new patients living in neighborhoods within your business’s proximity.
You are more likely to attract new patients if an existing satisfied patient testifies to your excellence as a dental practitioner. Therefore, patient referrals are a great way to get new clients into your dental practice.
There are multiple referral program ideas you can try to encourage and motivate your patients to recommend your practice to a friend. For example, you could offer free cleaning or a special discount whenever one of your patients refers a friend. You could even take the extra mile and reward the referring patient with a free movie ticket or a dental product.
Also, if you are starting a new business, you can always use the same strategy with your employees. Encourage them to refer their friends and family to your practice and reward them accordingly.
Business referrals are another effective way to get new dental patients into your practice. Therefore, team up with other dental offices, such as orthodontists and oral surgeons, to refer clients to one another. Consequently, working with related businesses will get you the most relevant and valuable referrals.
Offering flexible payment plans and showing your clients that you are willing to work with them on payment encourages patients to seek dental care without worrying about their inability to pay.
One option includes offering dental patient financing, where patients make an initial deposit and pay off the rest of the balance in installments over time. Consequently, you are more likely to have happier patients who would recommend your service to other people and help you attract new patients to your dental practice.
Consider offering your patients a membership plan that provides them with essential services for an annual fee. Doing so may encourage them to remain loyal and refer friends and family.
Moreover, offering customer financing or a membership plan is beneficial for patients who aren’t insured or have limited insurance. You could also provide a monthly payment plan to make the membership deal more attractive and encourage your patients to visit your clinic without the fear of a costly appointment.
One of the top reasons why people avoid visiting the dentist is cost. Therefore, if you want to attract new patients to your dental practice, consider offering them a special discount. For example, you can use a new patient special to get new people to book their first appointments by offering free teeth whitening or discount service bundles.
Most importantly, make sure that whatever new patient special discount you offer beats your competitors’ pricing policy.
Also, provide patients with convenience such as before-and-after school appointments, weekend availability, or one-visit treatments. Also, make sure that your staff is well-trained and offers quality customer service. If not, it reflects poorly on the dentist, and you may end up losing valuable patients.
There are numerous ways to attract new patients to your dental practice. These include creating an SEO-optimized website, leveraging social media, asking for online reviews, getting active in the community, and offering flexible payment plans.
By doing so, you will be able to establish your brand and become trusted by your patients and the community in which you work.
But for any of these methods to be successful, you need to make sure you’re committed to delivering a positive experience across the entire patient journey.
Ensure you’ve addressed all your client’s fears and concerns early on in the customer relationship and let them know that you will go above and beyond to make sure they are happy with their dental experience. Once you’ve achieved this, they’ll likely spread the word themselves and help you attract new patients to your dental practice.
