The competitive environment in dentistry is fierce with no sign of easing. More dentists are competing for fewer patients as the recession continues to bite. Even relatively inelastic demand items like dental treatment are under pressure. The industry is also adding to the natural economic pressures as GDPs enhance their skills to compete for the more lucrative “cosmetic” treatments like dental implants and rapid orthodontics.<\/p>\n
So how can established dentists counter these challenges to avoid the “gappy” appointment book and what techniques can new dentists use to hit the ground running? The answer lies with effective and affordable dental marketing to help build your brand and reputation in the local community and to a broader audience on-line.<\/p>\n
This isn’t an exhaustive list but it will identify the key areas which need to be covered….<\/p>\n
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Like any business, this is a primary driver for new patient enquiries and should be a key focus for all members of the dental team. Recommendations and positive reviews hinge on fundamental aspects of how a business is run which is beyond the scope of this short article. However, suffice to say that in the first instance you need to run a professional and customer-focused team underpinned by high levels of clinical skill. Without this, even the most comprehensive marketing campaigns will fail. So please work on these key business management aspects as well as your marketing. That may sound rather obvious but the sad fact is that many UK dental practices are still run badly.<\/p>\n
Again these may sound like obvious areas to address but we all know of dental practices that have poor signage, tired decor and badly presented staff. The whole ethos and brand projection of the practice are underpinned by these fundamental aspects. So make sure that your clients can find you by investing in good quality, prominent external signage and when they arrive they are greeted in a comfortable and modern environment by a professional, well-trained team. I know its obvious but so many still get it badly wrong.<\/p>\n
A dental practice is no different to any other business in that it needs a uniform brand presence. This starts with fundamental elements like a logo and colour scheme which should be extended across headed notepaper, compliment slips, business cards, signage etc. Of course a logo and a few signs don’t make a brand overnight but they are a key part of the brand framework which must be used consistently across all communication channels. Practice literature<\/a> is quite expensive to develop and print when compared to marketing on the Internet but new patient packs and information leaflets still have a place if managed conservatively.<\/p>\n These more traditional forms of marketing are often overlooked but can still be extremely effective if targeted correctly. A local leaflet drop and adverts in local directories work very well to raise the practice profile and actually don’t cost much.<\/p>\n These all take a degree of planning and investment but the returns and exposure can be excellent. We recently ran a campaign for a local dentist who is a partner of their city’s football team. This involved a penalty shoot-out at a Championship football match in-front of 26,000 people with the prizes sponsored by the practice. To enter the competition, you had to visit the practice website and answer a few questions about the dental services on offer – all with a sign-up to the practice’s email marketing list. The key is to be creative.<\/p>\n It is now accepted and fairly easy to show that marketing via the web offers the best return on investment and much wider reach than other marketing tools. The following elements are the recognised “must-have” components for a comprehensive dental web marketing framework:<\/p>\n It is very important to encourage your patients to help your marketing efforts not just by traditional word-of-mouth-referral but also by helping spread the word on the internet. This is how:<\/p>\nAdvertising in the local press, on the radio and leaflet drops<\/h3>\n
Sponsored events, competitions and affiliations<\/h3>\n
Dental marketing using the Internet<\/h3>\n
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How your patients can help with your marketing efforts<\/h3>\n
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\u00a0Summary<\/h3>\n