I graduated from dental school with the world before me, no patients to speak of, and a mountain of debt. I needed to find a way to meet new patients and build my practice. For many dentists, the only way new patients find them is through the Yellow Pages or a health insurance listing. But in today’s competitive dental market, I always recommend practice marketing.
Many dentists advertise locally on radio and TV, and in newspapers and magazines. This can be extremely effective, but it can also be quite costly and out of your budget. These are also the most risky of marketing investments. Create a solid marketing plan, with established goals (with an understanding of your target market and your competitive position) and assign a budget for both internal and external marketing initiatives.
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Dr. Bill Dorfman
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Dr. Bill Dorfman
Internal marketing initiatives are often your lowest-investment/least-risk options. This will include tactics like your patient newsletters, your patient referral, reminder, and reactivation programs, brochures, support materials, and public relations. It’s always much easier to promote to people who know and already like you.
Email marketing is a very cost effective option, but requires a consistent effort to collect email addresses and to send quality content so your patients don’t unsubscribe! For your external marketing component, direct mail and a website should be next on your list. Both are extremely effective and reliable, particularly when you partner with the right support networks to create initiatives that are aligned with your practice vision and competitive position, and then properly targeted, designed, and implemented. Consider creating a professional referral network by partnering with local doctors and pharmacists to refer each other if a patient has a need outside your area of expertise. In addition to your patient newsletter, post your newsletter on your website – capture surfers with your concise and informative marketing piece.
One of the latest and most exciting trends in dentistry is the oral-systemic connection. Patients realize that their oral health is critical to their overall health. They’re aware of the connection between oral disease and heart disease, diabetes, pre-term birth, certain types of cancer, and stroke. Research is coming out regularly that validates this and new connections are being researched at leading universities and research institutions. Patients want to live longer healthier lives, and for the first time in history, physicians and patients are looking to dentistry to help them do this. Develop a state-of-the-art periodontal program and make oral health care a daily part of your practice. Learn about salivary diagnostics. Oral health care is regularly in the media from The Today Show to Men’s Health magazine, and The Doctors.
By learning about periodontal disease, how to treat it, and how to promote oral health, you will create mass appeal. By looking beyond the teeth into cancer screening, periodontal pathogen detection, genetic susceptibility testing, and the host of salivary diagnostics, you can achieve status with your patients! You won’t just clean their teeth; you’ll help them live longer healthier lives.
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The best commercial you could ever have is word of mouth – satisfied patients sharing their good experience about you. Mail your patient newsletter regularly, and use it to let patients know about new ways to improve their smile or ease their discomfort. Be first to inform them about new treatments. Make sure your entire team is up-to-date on your products and services and know how to support you and your practice vision. Your team plays a big part in the good experiences your patients have in, and out of, your practice. Spend time on your marketing plan and how it will help you connect with your patients. Use these opportunities to start and maintain a dialogue with your patients and you’ll see an increase in your practice.
Sending a newsletter directly to patients-of-record will strengthen patient loyalty and optimize patient lifetime value.
Did you know that the number-one reason patients leave is perceived indifference? A patient newsletter shows you care and connects you on a one-to-one level. Share philanthropic news, continuing education, procedure promotions, team updates, and events. A newsletter sent in an envelope will improve treatment acceptance and patient longevity.
Maximizing patient lifetime value is also about referrals. The average patient will refer five more patients to you – but only if they loved the service AND you ASK consistently. You take care of the service, we’ll help you ask! A patient newsletter is also an excellent way to reactivate stagnant patients that could be falling prey to a competitor’s lure.
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As Dr. Dorfman points out in this article (and proves through his commitment to his quarterly patient newsletter program), internal marketing programs should be a big part of your overall plan. Let Patient News help you attract patients and also improve retention. Your quarterly patient newsletter will increase patient referrals, case acceptance, and lifetime value!
AND we’ll send you a signed hard cover copy of Dr. Bill Dorfman’s best seller Billion Dollar Smile when you subscribe! Call today! 877.572.1537
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Dr. Bill Dorfman graduated from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry in 1983. For
the past 30 years, he has maintained one of the most successful aesthetic dental practices in the Beverly Hills area where he is responsible for creating smiles for homemakers and business people to some of Hollywood’s brightest stars.
Additionally, he is responsible for helping develop several award-winning innovations in the world of dentistry, such as NiteWhite, DayWhite, BriteSmile, Zoom! and Breath Rx.
Dr. Dorfman is a world-renowned lecturer and author of the best-selling cosmetic dentistry book,
The Smile Guide and the NY Times bestseller Billion Dollar Smile. He is known by many as
the featured dentist on the hit ABC series Extreme Makeover, and is a frequent guest on the Emmy-awarded CBS daytime talk show The Doctors. He has also appeared on several other shows including Larry King Live, Oprah, Good Morning America, the New Ricky Lake Show,
Entertainment Tonight, E!, 20/20, EXTRA!, and Access Hollywood.
Dr. Dorfman is the co-founder of LEAP, an annual week-long non-profit motivational and leadership program for high school and college students, and has helped raise over $30 million for children’s charities. In addition, he has received 9 lifetime achievement awards from some of dentistry’s most noted academies and the UCLA Alumni Association’s 2009 Outstanding
