It is often asked, “what is the best marketing channel to use for a dental practice?” Is it social media, video, email marketing, website, pay-per-click, direct mail..?

How do you define “best” dental marketing?

Do you define it by the most important, the one that brings in the most patients, the channel that gets your practice name most recognized, or the one that gives you the largest ROI? Some dentists say the most important is internal marketing, however, digital marketing generates more new patients for their practice. Other dentists say direct mail generates the most leads right behind word of mouth. Some marketers tell you that having a social media presence is worthless, while others are telling you it’s the best marketing channel to use. And at one time or another you have probably read an article that says, an interactive, responsive, fancy website is not important, while other articles are telling you that a well designed, responsive website is the one and only thing that matters.

Ahhhh, is your head spinning? Because I know mine is. How do you cut through all of the information that is being thrown at you and truly decide what is the “best” marketing channel for your dental practice?

Let’s take a stab at cutting through the clutter.

First, I want to highlight a very important part of this sentence.. what is the “best” marketing channel for your dental practice. Take a look around at your practice and ask yourself these questions;

• who are your patients?
• what are their needs?
• where do they receive their news and how do they prefer to interact with you?
• what marketing activities have you done in the past that worked well for you?
• what are your goals?

By answering these question and better understanding your practice, you can start the process of identifying what channels will fit your need and meet your goals. Now I did say “start the process” because a process it is.

The second step I recommend you take, is look at how patients are responding to the various marketing activities. This is a helpful guide that breaks down marketing best practices and below are a few statistics you might find insightful.

30% of patients say their choice of dentist is greatly influenced by the quality of a practice’s website.

28% of 18-34 year-olds check Facebook before they get out of bed!

Over 70% of consumers are influenced by customer reviews when choosing a dentist.

The third and final consideration is what marketing channel will provide you with the largest return on your investment and that doesn’t necessarily have to mean only one channel. Integrating multiple channels is a great way to reach your audience and engage with them, as well as create a greater awareness of your dental practice. I often find that dental practices are not tracking their activities, so be sure to track your results and adjust accordingly.

If you are unsure of this process, consult with a dental marketing company that can assist you in making these decisions and collaborate with you to meet your needs and reach your goals.

Learn more about our Digital Marketing Experience for dental practices.