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Oct 14, 2022
As much as retaining existing patients, dental practices need to acquire new patients in order to stay alive in such a highly competitive industry.
If it has been a while since you’ve seen new faces walking through your clinic door, or you’ve recently opened your dental business and you’re not quite sure how to get the word out, you’ll definitely want to stick around. Digital Resource will be more than happy to show you the ropes!
With more and more new dental practices entering the scene each year, it’s easy to see why many dentists are finding it hard to expand their patient base. Even if you may already have loyal patients supporting you from the get-go, obtaining new patients is vital to scaling your practice in the long run.
The good news is that there are tons of things you can do to hook prospects and get them to book an appointment with you. And, guess what? That’s pretty much what we’ll be discussing in this post!
So, if you’ve been having trouble attracting new patients to your dental practice, be sure to follow these tried-and-true tips!
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Dental patients want nothing more than to have the reassurance that the person taking care of their oral health is someone who has an exceptional background in dentistry. That’s why you should do everything you can to establish yourself as a leader in the field.
Providing valuable content is one way to demonstrate expertise. Educate potential patients by posting blogs that are related to dental care, as well as infographics and how-to guides to answer the most common questions regarding oral hygiene. Unleash your innovative side by creating quick tutorial videos to grab the attention of your target audience.
Formerly known as Google My Business, Google Business Profile aims to help businesses of all sizes get discovered online. All you have to do is create an account – and no, you won’t be paying a single dime!
With a listing on Google Business Profile, you’ll be able to manage your online presence by linking your dental practice to Google Search and Maps. In other words, you’ll be among the first few to show up to users in your area who are searching for dental businesses.
Providing relevant information such as your address, business hours, services, website, photos, and reviews will make it easier for potential patients to reach you. Don’t forget to update your details whenever necessary. Otherwise, you’ll end up confusing prospects, causing them to go for another dentist.
Folks browsing for dental practices in an online directory are certainly the type of patients you should be targeting. Either they’re new in town or they’re looking to switch.
That said, aside from Google, you also want to list your dental practice on popular online local business directories such as Yelp, Better Business Bureau, Angie’s List, and Vitals. List it on niche dentist directories, too, including Super Dentists, Dentist Directory, Smile Guide, and RateMDs.
Make sure that all of your business listings are completely consistent. If Google sees that certain details don’t match, especially your NAP (name, address, and phone number), it will give your dental website a lower ranking.
Before they book an appointment with you, your potential patients will prefer to learn more about your work first. They want to know that they’re in good hands as soon as they’ve sat on the dental chair. And so, they turn to online reviews to gain that sense of trust and security.
Reviews are the number one factor people consider when making a decision. In fact, DentaVox found that 86% of dental patients use online reviews as basis for choosing a dentist, with 60% visiting a dental office that has garnered feedback that’s mostly positive.
So, how exactly can you get reviews from your patients? Simply reach out to them! Better yet, delegate the task to the most outgoing and friendliest member of your team. Every time a patient of yours compliments your dental practice or services, that employee should make it a habit to express thanks and then ask as nicely as possible for a review.
You can also request your long-time patients via email or SMS to leave a review on popular platforms like Google Reviews, Yelp, and Facebook. In case only you’re only getting a few reviews despite your efforts, consider incentivizing your reviewers. It can be in the form of special discounts, deals, and maybe even freebies. Just don’t pay them!
Word-of-mouth marketing has gotten so powerful that it can drive new patients to your clinic door if you’re doing it right. Even if you’re just starting out, referrals can attract more patients into your practice. Since you’re new, many will want to hear firsthand experiences first.
Loyal patients telling others wonderful things about your dental business can no doubt help you grow your patient base. Plus, it’s not just your patients who can refer you; you can count on your employees too!
Keep in mind, though, that you can’t be passive and wait for your patients to bring new faces to your practice. You gotta take control and come up with a strategy to efficiently solicit referrals. One such way is by sending feedback emails to ensure patients are satisfied with your services, after which you deliver a follow-up email where you ask for referrals.
There’s no point in having a well-designed dental website if it fails to show up in search results. No matter how beautiful and interactive your site is, it won’t be able to drive traffic and leads if you didn’t optimize it for search.
Think about it – how will potential patients discover your dental practice if they can’t find you in Google?
This is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in.
In a nutshell, SEO is a process that aims to boost a website’s online visibility. The higher you rank, the higher your odds are of gaining new patients.
However, since you’re only targeting people within your area, you can just focus on local SEO. 97% of consumers search online to find nearby businesses, of which 70% of them will head over to the store after obtaining the info they were looking for.
Here’s a local SEO checklist from our experts to help you get started.
Social media is the place to be if you intend to promote your dental practice for free. With billions of users every day, it makes perfect sense that you post valuable content regularly there. Just be sure that you’re not among those businesses that set automatic posts with zero effort to engage with their followers!
In reality, social media goes beyond advertising your business. It also serves as a platform to connect with your existing and prospective patients on a deeper level.
They’d love to see personality and substance from you. Posts such as before and after pics of your patients, how-to videos on oral hygiene, and behind-the-scenes can reel them in and make you appear more relatable. If you’re just there to pitch your dental services, you’ll most likely drive potential patients away from your practice.
Another way to use social media to gain new patients is by cross-promoting your other tactics. If you’re sponsoring a local community event, for example, you can post about it to spread the word.
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We can’t deny that attracting new dental patients can be exhausting and time-consuming, especially if you always have your hands full – whether it’s tending to your patients, supervising your team, or doing inventory.
So, why not enlist the assistance of our top-tier team of experts here at Digital Resource? It would be our absolute pleasure to apply these dental marketing strategies in your behalf. As what we’ve done to our former clients in the dental industry, we’ll also do everything we can to bring you more patients!
Contact us today to learn how we can make it happen!
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