The success of a dental office depends on a steady stream of new clients. Thus, the acquisition of new patients is critical for dental practices. According to statistics, every dental clinic needs at least 20 new patients monthly to ensure growth.
However, the problem is that dentists excel at helping clients achieve beautiful smiles and may not be skilled enough at finding new clients. After all, marketing isn’t what they studied in dentistry school. Nevertheless, marketing strategies to increase patient volume is necessary for dentists who want to keep their clinics thriving in today’s competitive market.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or already have a digital presence, here are some helpful ways to elevate your marketing:
#1. Optimize Your Website
Think of your website as the digital door of your dental clinic. When people search online before visiting any business, the website is the first point of interaction with potential clients. In your case, they’ll judge your dental clinic based on how your website performs and looks.
Hence, having a basic understanding of web design is required. It could help you develop a professional-looking site to advertise your dentistry practice. Additionally, it should be optimized for mobile devices and have a responsive design, especially since most people use their smartphones for browsing.
Furthermore, it helps to add convenient features such as online scheduling, prescription renewal, and bill payment capabilities, among others.
#2. Prioritize Local SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important digital marketing strategies. When done correctly, SEO can help your dental clinic appear in online searches. However, for location-based businesses like dental clinics, you want to opt for a more specific category: local SEO.
Local SEO is almost similar to SEO. The only difference is that local SEO targets audiences in a specific geographical location. If your dental clinic is based in Los Angeles, CA, it only makes sense to attract customers within that area. Local SEO can help you with that.
The first thing you need to do is to create or claim your Google My Business (GMB) listing. Other than GMB, it’s also necessary to list your business on sites like Bing and Yelp. When listing your dental clinic, ensure your basic information is consistent, including name, phone number, and address.
Moreover, it helps to learn how to optimize your dental clinic’s website and content for localized search results using the right keywords. For instance, you can add your state or city on your preferred keyword, like ‘dental implant in Los Angeles.’
#3. Use The Right Social Platforms
If you want to attract new clients, it’s best a create social media visibility. That said, there are plenty of social platforms to choose from. However, it would be better to determine the right social platform for your dental clinic to help you reach your target market.
Here are some tips for using social media to elevate your marketing efforts:
- Use Facebook to market and advertise. You can also use this platform to position yourself as an authority in your niche by discussing different dental procedures.
- Set up a professional LinkedIn page. However, ensure to separate your personal profile and your dental clinic’s profile.
- Participate in forums like Quora or Reddit. You can answer users’ questions to establish authority while appealing to potential clients.
- Follow leaders in the dental industry on Twitter. Make sure to engage in valuable and thoughtful conversations.
These tips can help you promote your dental practice through social media platforms.
#4. Leverage Video Marketing
Marketers believe that ‘content is king.’ However, in terms of the types of content, video is said to be the most effective option. This makes video the king of digital marketing. As a powerful tool, your dental clinic can do video marketing to maximize its market potential.
There are several ways to use video to elevate your marketing efforts:
- Create a video to introduce and welcome prospective patients to your practice.
- Make animated videos of your dental procedures and treatments to give your potential clients insights on what to expect.
- You can create a video about your staff members, discussing their areas of expertise, training, and educational background.
- You can leverage video to provide dental tips and overall oral health.
Once you have a video, you can market them on several channels including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
Takeaway
Strategic marketing is key to increasing brand awareness and getting more clients for your dental clinic. By implementing tried-and-tested strategies and the above tips, your dental clinic can thrive and grow amidst intense competition.
