Why you might need to be content with fewer Invisalign enquiries (but still prosper)

Competition increasing, disposable income decreasing, what happens next?

One of the most popular marketing services we offer for UK dentists is advertising for new Invisalign patients using social media i.e. Facebook and Instagram.

We’ve built up a lot of momentum using these techniques and delivered many hundreds of new orthodontics patients, however it’s only reasonable to share some of the slightly less encouraging market dynamics we are seeing currently. We’ll also take a closer look at what you need to do to maintain momentum.

For several years it was relatively straightforward to secure new patients from social media, even for lucrative treatments such as Invisalign. Whilst you need a good eye for developing great ads, high-quality landing pages and a sound knowledge of how Facebook and Instagram work, it isn’t exactly rocket science to do this kind of work – despite what you may hear some suppliers claim. It really isn’t alchemy.

However, over the last year or so, it has become less easy to get new patients like this and more time, effort and budget is needed to deliver on those campaigns. So why is this? Invisalign trade representatives might tell you that all is buoyant and for the aligner business as a whole, that’s easy enough to understand. But what is the impact on the individual provider and what are the underlying factors you now need to consider before embarking on your own Invisalign campaigns?

Competition is increasing

Not only is competition increasing, it’s increasing significantly. To put it in context, we work with one small dental group that recently sent eleven dentists on Invisalign training courses in the space of two months. It seems that virtually every practice we work with now has someone who can carry out Invisalign treatment.

The net effect of this is that lots of dentists can now offer basic Invisalign after attending short courses and it’s quite difficult for a layperson to differentiate between those guys and more experienced practitioners. They are all able to subscribe to a marketing company to publish good looking ads and there is very little a patient would be able to do to be able to make an informed choice regarding who is best qualified to undertake their treatment.

The bottom line is that lots of Invisalign ads from lots of dentists are now appearing on the social media feeds of patient across the UK – in rural settings as well as bigger urban areas. More competition invariably leads to less enquiries, particularly if you don’t up your game to counter it.

Patients have less disposable income

With inflation set to hit 10%, disposable income is being significantly reduced for many. Those who could stretch to more expensive items, including dental treatment, are now more likely to hold off until the future looks a little more certain. This was brought home for me just the other day when, out of curiosity, I was browsing the UK section of the Tesla car forum. To my surprise I saw a couple of posts from owners who were actually ditching “luxuries” such as Netflix and Sky so they could pay for essentials. It’s not a stretch to consider that those folks and many others like them, probably won’t be considering Invisalign in the current climate.

So whether we like it or not and however much your dental coach or trade rep suggests otherwise, times are tougher and the number of enquiries you get for “high-end” treatments will fall away somewhat.

What can you do to mitigate the patient drop off?

As one of our clients suggested the other day, you have to be “in it to win it” and I definitely agree. Chopping right back on your marketing means that your enquiries via those channels will simply go away and you need to look at return-on-investment to understand why that typically doesn’t make any sense.

It is essential to understand that even if your enquiries drop to half of what they were before competition became intense and economic factors kicked in, you will still be making very good returns; just not to the same level you likely experienced previously. Even where it costs £2k per month to run an Invisalign campaign (including ad costs and management), you only need very few cases to pay that back. That is still very achievable. You will also ensure that your brand is continually represented and that your business remains top-of-mind for those patients who might be holding off until their financial position eases.

Maintaining success with Invisalign marketing

Hopefully it’s reasonably clear that it pays to continue with your Invisalign marketing initiatives even when times get tougher. But what are the key fundamentals you need to maintain to give yourself the best possible chance?

• Ensure your campaigns are set-up correctly and then managed proactively
• Follow best practice, e.g. use optimised landing pages and make sure ads are refreshed regularly to remain engaging
• Ensure you receive clear reporting so you can assess the effectiveness of your campaigns
• Don’t tie into long-term contracts – you’ll probably still get charged even if your marketing partner fails to perform
• Keep a close eye on the competition – you’ll need to react if they switch tactics
• Be realistic – no-one wants a race to the bottom with prices but particularly when times get tough, compelling value proposition will win out. Even the best need to remain affordable!
• Recognise that you will probably need help. Unless you have lots of time on your hands to learn the ropes when it comes to digital marketing, you’ll probably be much better off seeking assistance from an experienced marketer

Summary

Times are getting tougher again for all types of businesses, dentistry included. With a combination of factors coming into play, including increasing competition and patients with less money to spend, you have to be on your ‘A’ game to continue to succeed. With the right mind-set, assistance and realistic expectations, this is very achievable and easily sufficient to get you over the bumpy road ahead.

If you need assistance to build and then maintain momentum with your paid advertising campaigns, please call the team at Dental Media on 01332 672548 for help.