Incremental marketing for dentists
New practice with a tight budget? Which marketing elements come first?
I’m prompted to write this article following many discussions with dentists who were just starting out and wanted to know how they should prioritise their marketing spend. I’m loosely labeling it “incremental dental marketing” to try to illustrate that you don’t need to do everything at once and can build up steadily after the basic framework is in place.
Whilst there are many marketing/advertising tools and techniques available, experience suggests that there is a fundamental set which need to be in place first.
Getting this “start-up” framework in place will start to attract the new dental patient enquiries which all practices, not just the new ones, rely on. So let’s take a closer look….
1. Setting your stall out for clinical and customer service excellence
Many would suggest that this is too obvious but actually how many are really getting it right? How often have you visited a practice where there is a veneer (sorry) of professionalism which then gets undermined by a shoddy patient experience? This could be down to a hard working team trying to compensate for sub-par clinical care or on the flip-side, an excellent clinician being let down by a disinterested team – or worse, both.
More new patient referrals come via word-of-mouth than any other mechanism and this is only achievable if the full team is “on message” and committed to the business. Team structure and performance is way beyond the scope of this article but I know from personal experience that even the most comprehensive marketing methods and techniques can be rendered useless in moments by people who simply do the wrong thing. So unless your team is trained, capable and committed to deliver an exceptional customer experience, no amount of marketing work will compensate. If you need help with this, there are dedicated trainers and coaches who can assist.
2. Develop a professional brand identity
Of course you can’t build a brand overnight but you can establish a brand identity fairly quickly. By this I mean the “flag” that the business stands behind – the logo, colour scheme, uniform, signage etc. Do it once, do it right and then apply it consistently across your business. I’m aware that everyone needs to be conscious of budget but it really does concern me when the practice marketing budget doesn’t accommodate £500 for having a professional logo developed – it happens more often than you might imagine. Without a brand identity, there is no framework on which to develop the rest of your marketing tools.
3. Internal marketing
Are you actively marketing to your existing patients? Is the reception area drab and boring or are you successfully promoting the full range of services to your patients? Are there some particular treatments that you are keen to offer and how are you getting the message across? I’ve covered this in more detail here, but to recap, “internal marketing” loosely refers to the tools and systems you put in place at the practice to encourage existing patients to take up additional treatments and services. This ranges from what you exhibit in the reception area (displays, offers, before/after gallery etc) through to the way your staff interact with patients to encourage uptake of new treatments.
(Note – the accurate definition of “internal marketing” refers to how a business motivates and trains its employees to realise the overall business vision. However, it is widely used in the dental context to encompass not just this, but also the more tangible tools and systems used to market to existing clients).
4. Leaflets and patient information packs
But this is all history and superseded by the web I hear you cry – well to a large extent yes, but in certain circumstances, traditional print is still a very effective tool. Don’t under-estimate the power of a comprehensive leaflet drop in your local area if you want to announce the opening of a new practice. It works.
Whilst I don’t recommend going overboard on lots of glitzy patient literature, a conservative “new patient” information pack or at least, information leaflets are beneficial.
5. Local press advertising
Local newspapers, the sort where there may be 5 or 6,000 circulation around the local and adjacent areas, are excellent for getting the word out and very cost-effective too. A half page spread will cost you a few hundred pounds, plus another hundred or so for the design. You can hit a lot of doormats pretty quickly like this. It’s traditional but it works.
6. Web marketing
This is the most effective method for building new patients after word-of-mouth. However for new practices, it’s probably *the* most important method given that there will be little “WOM” initially. It also delivers the best “bang for buck” of all methods.
Here’s what you can set up quickly:
- the practice website, optimised for mobile and tablet as well as desk-top PC
- your email marketing system – you might not have many email addresses at the outset but your new system will allow you to start building that all important email database
- possibly some pay-per-click (AdWords) advertising to get a foothold in Google
What about blogging, social media and search-engines (SEO)? Visibility in Google is essential if your website is going to succeed. Where there is limited competition, a good website will probably land on page one of Google quite quickly and may be sufficient without any supporting search engine optimisation. However, in most cases, some ongoing SEO will be needed to ensure success. One of the biggest mistakes made by dentists who are just starting out, is failing to budget for professional SEO and consequently never realising the potential of their new website. In most cases it isn’t a case of “build it and they will come” unfortunately.
Complementary activities like blogging and active use of the main social media channels are also important, as part of SEO but also to help find and engage with potential new patients. Bear this in mind when you are defining the skill-set for new practice staff – or be prepared to outsource it.
What’s next after the basics are in place?
The list above may seem quite daunting but with some experienced guidance, is actually quite quick to launch – and cost-effective too. Thereafter, it’s a case of measurement and review to make sure that what has been put in place is delivering results. An experienced marketer will also be able to assist with this.
As the practice becomes more established and budget available, additional systems can be implemented, for example practice video, radio adverts, co-promotional activity with local sports teams, attendance at wedding fairs and much more.
Summary
Knowing how to prioritise your marketing when starting a new dental practice, or indeed taking an established practice forward, can be a daunting prospect. However, an experienced dental marketing advisor will be able to tell you what works and help you to implement suitable systems quickly and cost-effectively.
If you would like to hear how the team at Dental Media can help, and for some free advice to get you moving, please call us on 01332 672548.