Create a Referral Bonus System
Yes, we now live in a highly digitized world – but word-of-mouth is still one of the most potent forms of marketing. If you can get people to tell their friends about your practice, they're more likely to come. That's because they hear about you from a trusted source (their friend) instead of a random ad.So, how do you increase word-of-mouth? One of the best ways is to incentivize people. You can do that through a referral bonus system.For example, you can offer current patients a gift card, a free cleaning, or free dental product for every new patient they refer to. For your staff, you can provide a bigger bonus (perhaps a Kindle or iPad) for every five new patients they cover to.
Membership Plans And Discounts
Bring all your inactive dental patients back by offering them captivating membership plans or discounts.Entice them with a one-time free dental hygiene checkup. And once they are there at your clinics, get their contact information so you can send more offers later and upsell your services.This way, you can keep them informed about new dental practices and local events that conduct free checkups and entice them to maintain their oral health.
Paid Advertising
Today, social media is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach a large audience at once. You can interact with your target audience by looking for ways to keep in touch with the existing and new dental patients.80% of Americans have at least one social profile, and social apps on mobile devices are the most commonly used apps. Your dental practice cannot afford to be inactive on social media, especially if you are looking for more clients.While word-of-mouth is powerful, there's undoubtedly still a lot of room for paid online ads. It would be best if you were using a mix of Facebook ads and Google AdWords to attract new patients.Social media marketing usually involves "PPC" which means "pay per click". You are charged for every lead that a social network or advertising platform sends to your website.Your ads should include a strong value proposition and benefit and a strong call to action. For more tips for creating great ads, you can check out this excellent post from our friends at HubSpot, as well as this one on how to build a 3-step Facebook ads funnel.
Local Search Engine Optimization
When people search Google for, “Dentists in [Your] city,” is your dental practice on the first page of results? Better yet, is it in the top 3 or even #1? If not, you have some work to do.You see, many potential patients will search that key term or something similar. If you can rank for it locally, you can get a steady influx of clicks, and potentially new patients. SEO ensures that your dental clinic has an online presence and is found in Google search results by people searching for a dentist in their vicinity.It ultimately gives them better search results.In the Covid-19 age, people are far less likely to just head to a dentist surgery. If someone is looking for a new dentist, they will probably use Google. Your visibility on searches is absolutely crucial in an age where people are more reluctant to go out of the house.So, how do you improve your local SEO results? Here are a few tips:
Keep your listings updated and consistent
Your practice should have the same name, address, and phone number listed on all websites and platforms.
Target local keywords
Your website and blog posts should include a variety of local keywords. They should include the name of your city and even your neighborhood, as well as specific services you offer, such as “root canal,” “implants,” “teeth whitening,” “children’s dentist,” etc.This is where having a blog or a website that is rich in content can be helpful. Content marketing is relatively inexpensive. Your practice website can include a number of pages that target specific local keywords, helping to boost website traffic but also to show your authority in the local area.
Claim local listings with Google, Yahoo, and Bing
Each of these search engines provides a simple guide for claiming your local listing. You can start with “Google My Business” to get your practice set up.
Chat Service
Having a built-in chat function on your website is an incredibly effective way to respond to your patients. This way, they can get answers to their questions and concerns about your dental services straightaway as they browse your site.After all, there is stiff competition among dental businesses, and excellent customer support is an effective way to win potential clients and retain existing ones by catering to each patient's needs.A professional website with an active live chat can facilitate our prospects and push them into getting an appointment as soon as possible.Consider providing an option to chat on pages that detail your dental patients. And let Nexa's answering services quickly answer their queries.
Encourage Reviews
Reviews and testimonials left by existing clients can encourage prospective customers to opt for your services. So, you'll want to ensure you have as many great online reviews as possible. Offer coupons, deals, and discounts to customers who leave positive reviews and address any grievances immediately.For example, once you claim your listing on Yelp, you can direct patients to your Yelp listing to leave reviews. Aside from Yelp, you can also ask patients to leave a review on your Google Places listing.Every positive review will make potential patients a little more comfortable with choosing you as their dentist. On the other hand, don't be discouraged by negative reviews. Use these to show everyone that you take customer service seriously by quickly addressing the disgruntled clients, fulfilling their patient needs, and making their issues go away.All of these dental marketing ideas can bring potential new customers, but if you don't have good reviews when they reach your website, or check Yelp for reviews, then it might be that they are put off.
Quality Patient Care
Of course, there’s the only way that any of the previous strategies will work effectively for an extended period: You must provide quality customer service. This means patient care.When you provide quality care, your patients will keep coming back to you, leave positive reviews, and rave about you to their friends and family.Along with quality care, it is imperative to protect your patient’s confidential information, not just in the office, but it should be secured online, too.Quality service includes delivering great customer support. This means sending timely appointment reminders, checking up on patients, and treating patients well when they’re in your office. A virtual assistant service such as Nexa's can suit businesses of all sizes. On top of that, you can find that your new VR can help to give you 24-hour coverage. That way, no potential new customer falls by the wayside. Read more on how a virtual receptionist can be your new best friend.
Start An E-Newsletter
Just informing new and potential clients about your dental services is not enough. It is essential to reiterate your USP to the target audience with relevant and valuable information they might be interested in.Advertise discounts, special offers, and other promotional packages by sending regular e-newsletters include the latest information about office closures and updates. Get their contact information and ask them to subscribe to your newsletter.There is no definitive rule for getting new patients, but it is important to ensure that the quality of your service speaks volumes. Perhaps it can get your answer to the question, how to attract new patients to your dental practice and preserve customer loyalty.
In Conclusion...
In addition to getting a number of new patients, it is equally important to maintain quality services to retain them and the current patients. Offer customized treatment plans and quality customer support to ensure a satisfied patient base.It may be easier than you think to get more patients to your dental practice. With these strategies, you will have more patients smiling bigger and brighter, and you will be smiling bigger and brighter too!
