Low-Cost Ways to Market Your Dental Practice

Dental professionals know the importance of patient recalls every 6 months or so. Even for the more thorough brushers and flossers.

When patients put off essential care, problems can come up later which could have been prevented with regularly scheduled recalls.

For instance, a cracked tooth can be spotted and repaired before a debilitating painful infection sets in.

But, as witnessed in the 2007-2009 recession, patients tend to put off dental care when times are tough financially. This pause in care not only affects a patients health but can trickle down to a dental clinics bottom line as well¹. With economists predicting that another recession is on the way, many dental clinics are thinking about how they will effectively recover the expected losses.

Most might think that reducing marketing might be the solution. However, it’s been proven that an effective marketing strategy is an important part of how businesses will survive a recession. The potential patient pool will shrink during a recession, and an effective marketing strategy can bring patients to your dental clinic door before they go through your competitors.

Instead of cutting marketing budgets, dental practices should look for lower-cost ways to market their dental practices.

Social Media

Social media has evolved from a platform where people went to build personal connections to a platform where businesses, like dental offices, can reach new clients and build meaningful client relationships.

If dental offices are strategic with their social media marketing strategy; i.e. targeting audiences by platform, posting content that fits well with the audience on the platform, and tracking their progress to see what is and isn’t working, they can connect with new clients and grow meaningful online relationships.

A Beginners Guild to Social Media Marketing for Dental Offices

Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile (formally Google My Business) has recently made some upgrades to make it easier for small businesses, like dental offices, to utilize and get found online.

It’s 100% free and an effective way to get your business in front of potential customers.

This is especially true for dental offices that utilize a business-to-customer (B2C) marketing plan.

When using Google Business Profile, there are some key strategies that will make your Google profile stand out significantly from your competitors. Dental Clinics will want to make sure that their hours, pictures, and company info is up to date.

It’s also very important that your clinic is listed under the correct category. Google My Business has over 3,000 categories and is always adding in more.

Google does this so that small businesses can choose a niched category.

This helps Google put your business profile in front of customers who are more apt to choose your business!

Another useful feature that Google has added to Google Business Profile is the ability for small businesses to post updates.

A dental clinic might utilize this to post a special offer or products they sell.

Google is constantly updating and adding new features to Google Business Profile, so dental offices will want to check in on their profiles and keep them updated as updates and new features are added.

Imprinting Patient Takeaways

More often than not, dental clinics will offer a toothbrush, floss, or some sort of oral health product to their patients after their visits.

Why not get them imprinted with your dental offices name, contact information, and logo?

Handing out dental promotional items has a proven positive impact on patient recall.

Especially if they are given out after a positive patient experience.

Since these are usually tangible items, they also create a higher level of recall visits².

maxill offers high-impact pad printing and full-colour HD printing on a huge selection of oral health products that will help promote your practice.

You can get your logo imprinted on patent containers, toothbrushes, lip balms, and even brushing timers to help your practice stand out from your competition!

If you’re giving out dental promotional products that don’t have your dental practice information on them, check out our imprinting page and learn how you can get your logo printed on your practice promotors without biting into your budget.

To Sum it Up:

With economists predicting a recession on the way, it’s a good time for dental clinics to start thinking about low-cost ways to market their dental practice.

Utilizing online tools, like social media and Google Business Profile, are great options for dental offices to reach new clients, grow meaningful relationships and inform their customers about products they sell and upcoming promotions.

When it comes to in person marketing efforts, imprinting patient takeaways with your logo and contact information can create a higher level of recall visits.

maxill offers high-impact pad printing and full-colour HD printing on a huge selection of oral health products that will help promote your practice and keep your budget in check.

Sources:

1. Guay A, Blatz A. The effect of the Great Recession on the demand for general oral health care and orthodontic care. The Journal of the American Dental Association. 2019;150(4):287-293. doi:10.1016/j.adaj.2018.11.019 https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177(18)30798-0/pdf
2. Zeng J. Why Do Promotional Products Work? American Marketing Association. https://www.ama.org/marketing-news/why-do-promotional-products-workPublished 2022. Accessed August 25, 2022.