Dentaltown August 2018 - 61

hat kind of practice marketing approach do you take-
comprehensive or hit-or-miss?
A hit-or-miss approach to attracting new
patients isn't nearly as effective as a steady,
evidence-based and fully integrated marketing
approach. Too many dentists don't get everything they need from their marketing, and their
new patient numbers (or lack thereof) show it.
Let's take a familiar example of a comprehensive system-your vehicle's engine.
Everything in your engine is there for a reason,
and there are only a few things you could do
without and still expect an engine to perform
reasonably well.
For maximum "new patient performance,"
your dental marketing system should be
comprehensive and inclusive as well. And in this
interconnected age, the online environment is
an important focus for your marketing efforts.
You can't build a functional marketing system
out of only some postcards, the odd newspaper
ad and a few emails. You simply don't have
everything you need.

What you'll need
The essential elements of a comprehensive
marketing approach are:
1. A strong web presence. Some 98 percent
of prospects begin their search for a dentist
online. To be found by searchers, you'll need
state-of-the-art search engine optimization,
including substantial content that meets Google's
quality standards. To attract those prospects,
you'll need copy that is understandable and
focused on the benefits to the patient,
plus a high degree of
engagement on
your practice's
social media
pages.

2. Conversion features. You can't count on
someone who visits your website immediately
deciding to schedule an appointment. If you can
convert that prospect into a qualified
lead by getting their agreement to
receive additional communication
from your practice, you can stay
in front of them until they're
ready to choose you.
3. Extensive, dental condition-specific
email streams. Following up with prospects
on a predetermined schedule is essential to
educating and influencing dental prospects.
Because prospects' needs and wants vary,
your email streams should be specific to each
prospective patient's dental concerns.
4. A method of tracking results. Few dental
practices can afford to waste marketing dollars.
Without the means to accurately determine
which marketing channels are
producing, practices can spend
themselves broke. Research has
shown that patient self-report
is very unreliable, yet many
practices still rely on patients to
remember which particular ad,
social media post or email led
them to book an appointment. Phone tracking
is the most reliable method of evaluating
marketing effectiveness.
With that said, every dentist's situation
is different, so there are some auxiliary components that may not apply to you. I believe
that some of them-direct
mail campaigns, for
instance-are like
traction control on
your vehicle. They
should come into
play only under specific circumstances.

dentaltown.com \\ AUGUST 2018

http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown August 2018