Acquiring new patients is essential to the success of any dental practice. However, it’s not always clear what marketing strategy will be most effective for attracting new patients to your practice. To succeed, you need to understand what people in your local community want from their dentist. Here are a few factors that can help to make a difference to your customer acquisition strategy.
Location
For many people, location is the first factor they consider when choosing a dental practice. As a result, it is extremely important to target your marketing to a precise geographic area. There is no point in wasting money on online, radio or print ads that will only be seen by people who live far from your dental practice. Instead, focus on distributing flyers in your local neighborhoods. In addition to targeting people’s homes, you could also market your dental practice to local businesses, as many people would find it convenient to have a dentist located close to their place of work.
Pediatric Care
When parents or expecting parents choose a dental practice, one of the key factors they consider is the quality of the pediatric care. One way to acquire new patients for your dental practice is to emphasize pediatric care in your marketing materials. Consider doing some outreach work in schools to reach out to kids and their parents. If you can establish yourself as the go-to family dentist in your area, you can be sure that you will always have a steady supply of new patients.
Hours
Many people are searching for a local dentist that offers convenient opening hours. If you do not already offer weekend or evening appointments, think about whether you could change your schedule to make these available. If you already offer extended opening hours, be sure to include this fact prominently in your marketing materials.
Community Outreach
Acquiring new patients often requires you to make your dental practice an integral part of the local community. One good way to do this is to attend health fairs, where you have a chance to educate people about dental health and provide them with free checkups and screening services. Health fairs can be a good way to show the people in your community you care deeply about their health, which may help to encourage them to consider your dental practice for their next appointment.
Promotions
Promotions often help dental practices to attract new patients. Consider distributing vouchers for free or discounted services, such as professional cleaning or teeth whitening. When people come for their appointment, you have a chance to impress them with the welcoming environment of your dental practice and the professional yet friendly service you provide. Although providing discounted services might eat into your budget, it could be worth it if you acquire a large number of new customers who end up remaining loyal to your brand.
Acquiring New Patients
Once your dental practice is well established in the community, you still need to have a plan for acquiring new patients. Keep up your marketing efforts through community outreach activities, advertising and reaching out to your local community on social media. This will ensure that your dental practice remains an important part of the local community, and that people new to the area are likely to receive the name of your practice when they ask for recommendations for a good local dentist.
