Have you recently tried to search a business, service provider, or medical professional on the internet only to find that they don’t have any real online presence to speak of? Maybe you can find the phone number and address on Google, but no website. Maybe you find them on Facebook, but there hasn’t been a post in over a year. Maybe you locate a website, but it does not contain much useful information other than contact details. How likely are you, as a consumer, to trust that business or professional?
When it comes to marketing any business, data never lies. However, it is easy to let our personal tastes and inner voices prevail, even if we do not have the data to back it up. The business owner’s opinions certainly have a place in devising their marketing plans, but they should never become an obstacle to success. And that is why I always use hard numbers to guide my marketing plans rather than gut feelings.
Data-Driven Decision Making: Using Metrics to Drive Success & Not Your Gut
Patient success is the mark of a successful dental practice. There is no better way to prove to the public that you’re as good as you claim to be than by showing real results with real patients.
Using Patient Testimonials in Dental Practice Marketing
Of all the available digital marketing options, which one is the most effective, the most pervasive and the most important? It’s a trick question. Here’s the real question: Is it possible to achieve all of your dental practice’s marketing goals with a single digital marketing channel?
Which Digital Marketing Channel Should You Use?
Dental practices continue to rely heavily on referrals, and each practice needs a strong referral network in place as part of their new-patient pipeline. It may seem odd that a digital marketing company is advocating for an analogue approach like a referral network, but it makes sense if you consider referrals as one piece of a practice’s overall marketing strategy. Having a robust referral network will contribute to a practice’s success and enhance its digital marketing efforts.
Build a Solid Referral Network for Your Dental Practice
Being in-network with various dental insurance providers consumes the major portion of a dental practice’s marketing budget. If your practice relies heavily on insurance networks to attract new patients, you are essentially paying for marketing by accepting lower fees for services. Many dentists see this as a fair trade-off. Others, however, wish there was a better way, and that is when they begin to consider transitioning away from dental insurance to a fee-for-service model.
Fee for Service Is Not a Bad Thing
Every dentist and dental practice defines success differently. For many dental practices, success can mean more brand/practice awareness within the community, fewer patients but higher revenue, or an influx of new patients — or some combination of these things. That’s the beauty of success — it can’t be defined in a singular way, and anyone can have it on their own terms as long as they have a clear goal in mind and a plan to achieve it.
How Do Dentists Define Success?
Part of marketing your practice is telling your story to the people you are trying to reach so they feel like they know you before they ever come through the doors. One of the best and most powerful ways to do that is through video, and these days, there is a wide variety of video styles to choose from. It is easier than ever for a dental practice to take advantage of the video + social media combination to boost the effectiveness of its marketing.
The Power of Telling Your Story Through Video
As a dental practice owner, you are an expert in all things dentistry. But when it comes to the marketing side of things, are there some concepts that perhaps you’re not completely familiar with? There is a lot of terminology in marketing, and sorting it all out can be a little confusing, especially because some terms can have slightly different meanings depending on the context. Let’s break down the most common marketing terms to make them a little less intimidating.
Marketing Terms Explained
If your marketing seems generic or (heaven forbid) boring, it’s time to wake it up! Customizing content, telling your story, focusing on patient needs, and having a solid strategy in place will make your marketing more interesting without making it “weird”, and you will notice that the quality and quantity of patients coming to your practice will improve.