If you own a dental practice, you’re probably more focused on patient care than figuring out what the latest marketing trend is to include in your dental marketing strategy. This is understandable, but how will you attract more new patients to your dental practice? How will you continue to grow when you don’t put yourself out there and don’t have a solid game plan?

In regards to health care, patients typically go online to examine their options through search engines or their provider’s website. They’ll also use general health information sites for research. Furthermore, what they find discover online affects their decision on the care they will seek.

So, have you looked at your marketing ROI dashboard lately? If you don’t have that set up yet, this is your sign to do so. And if you already have one but there hasn’t been any movement for quite a while, now’s the best time to look into new ideas.

Below are five ideas to promote your practice and attract quality new patients.

1. Optimize Your Location-Based Efforts By Updating Your Google My Business Page

There’s nothing quite like Google My Business, especially when you want to take the location-based marketing approach a little more seriously. For any business that wants a more solid online presence, this is usually the first step. If you don’t have one already, take the time to build a Google My Business listing.

The best thing about this tool? It’s free! Google My Business assists dentists and other business owners in managing their web presence across the search engine. So if you’re looking for ways to acquire new patients, this is the way to go.

Once you have this setup, your clinic’s name will be displayed along with a list of nearby dentists. Your prospective patients will then see information about your services, including your address, business hours, website, reviews, and so on.

Don’t forget to completely fill out the important information about your business:

• Business category
• Business hours
• Business description
• Contact information (email, phone number, etc.)
• Scope of services
• Continue to acquire new Google reviews

2. Create Local Awareness Facebook Ads

Another way to target new patients in your area is to create Local Awareness ads. It’s tempting to spread the word about your dental business to everyone in the entire country, but it's very important to be specific about who you market to.

You probably don't want to advertise your practice outside of a 10-mile radius. It’s not going to help you or your potential patients.

Local Awareness advertisements are a wonderful way to reach a local audience. You can even provide locally relevant information about your dental practice, such as the address, distance to the business, hours of operation, and a "Get directions" link. Your CTA could even be a phone button, prompting your new patients to schedule an appointment with your practice.

3. Give Your Website A New Look

Be very honest with us: when was the last time you updated your website? First impressions matter, and if your website looks like it was designed in the early 2000s, you're going to have a hard time attracting new patients. Patients do not want to be treated in an unappealing environment. Plus, it’s going to look sketchy, making it harder to gain their trust. That’s why a well-designed dentistry website is no longer an option.

The way your website works is a direct reflection of how customers expect you to work. It's not a good start for your patients if your website is badly designed and the information about your practice is difficult to access.

Since patients are also looking for convenience, consider adding the following features to upgrade your website:

• Online scheduling
• Online patient forms
• Live chat
• Profiles of the dentists in your practice
• Valuable and informative content

4. Leverage On Patient Reviews

Every local SEO strategy relies heavily on customer reviews. It’s important for your practice to get reviews consistently and on a regular basis. Google is the most significant source for acquiring reviews. You can never have too many reviews on this platform.

Avoid just stuffing your reviews into a patient management software portal. They won’t do anything for your business. If you’re having a hard time getting patient reviews, try the following:

• At the end of their appointment, ask them to make a small video testimonial
• Request that they leave a Google review for you by sending them a link
• Send them an email and inquire about it
• Message them on Facebook and ask them about it

For patients that don’t have a gmail address, ask them to review you on Facebook.

5. Try Video

Video is still the king of content. It’s a great way to attract new patients and keep them interested. Video with real people from your practice can help your prospects form a personal connection with you, which can lead to trust, recommendations, and more appointments.

Here are some video ideas that your practice can execute:

• Dental practice introduction
• Doctor profile videos
• Patient review videos
• Educational videos
• Procedure and treatment videos

Grow Your Practice By Working With The Right Dental Marketing Expert

Dentistry is a competitive business (especially in Ontario) and perspective new patients have a lot of options. What makes you unique and what helps you stand out? Hiring a marketing pro will help you identify your business opportunities to help you grow.

When you implement the above ideas into your digital marketing efforts, you’ll have a better chance of attracting more and more people and keeping them as loyal patients. Just make sure to do everything consistently and with intention. Even in marketing, never do anything half-heartedly.

If you’re looking for comprehensive help and someone invested in your success, choose Vitamin D Marketing as your marketing partner.