Attract Patients to Your Dental Practice with these Brilliant Ideas

Dentist appointments are one of those things we all want to avoid, but can't. No matter how healthy a person is, visits to a dental clinic are still required for preventative care at least twice a year.

Dentists know there is no dearth of patients, but the challenge is something else–attracting enough patients to your clinic.

Social media can help! We are here to help you kick-start your social media journey. Before we get started, there are  a few important factors to consider:

1.  Make a SWOT analysis: Make a SWOT analysis first. These are your business Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This analysis will help you create your marketing strategy.

The following template might help you make a complete picture of your business situation.

STRENGTHS: What sets you apart from other dentists in your community?

Example: Your knowledge of the latest technology in dentistry.

WEAKNESSES: What are your weak points? These are the jobs you don't feel comfortable with or area where you don't have the required expertise.

Example: Do you feel repairing fractured teeth is more challenging than treating cavities? If yes, then fractured teeth treatment is a weakness.

OPPORTUNITIES: These are unexplored areas with great potential to help your business grow.

Example: Using social media marketing to find new clients.

THREATS: These are issues that may affect your practice.

Example: Lack of online exposure while your competitors are already there.

2.  Will your digital assets suffice: We generally don’t look for a dentist until we need one. It’s important to review your digital assets to make sure they are prepared to help potential patients make their decisions quickly.

Social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube work well for dentists. However, not all of them are essential. Instead, if you feel you can only manage one network efficiently, go with just one.

3.  Understand your buyer's journey: When someone needs to visit a dentist, they either searched online or asked someone they knew for a reference.

Social media is an excellent tool to help you stay at the top of your target audience’s mind. In this article, we will show you how to harness the power of social media to increase your business’s digital reach.

Now we're ready to get started. Let's take a look at the 8 ideas

1. Optimize your social pages:  When looking for a dentist, we either reach the social media pages through Google search or a search for dental services on social media platforms themselves. The goal is to find the best in the business and get their contact number to book an appointment.

It’s in your best interest to optimize your social pages so patients can find your dental practice. Once they’ve found you, it's your duty to help potential patients be able to contact you instantly.

Facebook business pages allow adding your physical address, phone number, website, and other relevant links to your profile. Fill this information in completely, so you don't miss a single chance to get contacted.

2.  Be a social media-friendly dentist:Just because you belong to a serious industry like health and medicine, doesn't mean you can't have a fun social side. In fact, being on social media for the sake of it doesn't make much sense unless you connect with your audience on a personal level.

That's the magic of social media in the first place.

Going to the dentist can be scary and intimidating to some patients, so give them a glimpse into the practice to show there is no reason to be afraid. Social media lets you be your true self.

Share your patient success stories, work process, how you care for patients, what to do when there are no available appointments, future plans for the practice, and so on. Mix in a funny meme or two every now and then because a little humor goes a long way.

3.  Improve your referral program:According to a report, 90% of consumers stated that positive reviews influenced their buying decisions.

Remember, you are in a competitive era. In order to stay ahead of the competition, you have to actively seek out positive reviews. Moreover, when Facebook shows search results, they also show ratings to help consumers choose wisely.

Always ask your patients to leave a review or a recommendation on social platforms. This is one of the best ways to attract new patients.

Build a referral program to reward loyal customers with an offer for writing a  review, leaving a rating, or recommendation. Make sure patients know about this program so they will be properly incentivized to leave positive reviews.

4.  Create content for your target audience:According to patientnews.com, dental buying decisions are predominantly made by women.

Women, and moms--especially--are the most important target group. Content needs to be created specifically to resonate with this audience. In order to do that, you first need to understand their pain points as the manager of a family.

Educate them on the importance of visiting a dentist and motivate them with great content. Here is a good example.

Encourage your audience to make the right decision.

5.  Launch campaigns to beat the competition:This is one the most tried and true ways to stay ahead in the competition is social media. Arrange at least one campaign in every quarter to attract more clients. Let's take a look at the following example.

This dental service provider announced a lucrative offer for students to win a Kindle by showing their good grades. Even if they don’t win the Kindle, any student with straight A’s still receives a $10 gift card. Cool, isn't it?  

Also, don't miss the chance to talk about your offline activities and campaigns on social media. It may open opportunities for new collaborations. Let's see an example.

6.  Engage with your audience:Social media offers a great platform to connect and engage with your audience. Tools like Facebook Live, Twitter Chat, Instagram Live, or Instagram "Ask me anything" stories can help you get more attention from your audience.

Conduct a Q&A session and ask your audience to participate so they can talk about their dental queries. Announce the chat on your social media pages and promote the event beforehand.

You can take a cue from the Singing Dentist on Facebook.

Social channels also allow your fans and followers to connect with you. Actively monitor your pages to watch for new comments or messages, and answer them without delay. This will not only improve your social media friendliness, it will also increase your response rate.

This is a great way to show patients how they will be treated at your practice. There is nothing worse than a company not responding to questions or concerns posted to their page.

7.  Create an email list: Build a Facebook tab for email sign-ups. It's an easy way to send out business offers and deals. MailChimp is one of the best free email marketing tools we have, and they even have their own Facebook tab for email sign-ups as well.

Let's take a look.

Similarly, you can build a Facebook tab and promote your services, deals, offers, campaigns, and send personal emails like holiday wishes to your patients.

8.  Invest in ads: Social media ads provide an excellent opportunity to find and connect with your target audience based on your location. Use this tool to reach a maximum number of relevant people within a short span of time.

Conclusion:

According to Sprout Social data, 75% of consumers made a purchase decision at the time they saw it on social media. This statistic applies to dental marketing as well.

It’s never too late to revamp and optimize your social media profile, so start today!

‍