If you are operating a dental surgery in 2022, then it is likely that you have heard of online marketing as a way to attract new patients and build your business.
But if you are like most dental surgeries or dentists in 2022, then it’s likely you don’t have time for that, and that is a job that will need to be delegated to a marketing expert. But before you contact a marketing team, it is worth having a look at the foundation from which you are building since you will be more involved in the marketing strategy than you may think, which will help you to get the results you want in the long-term.
This article is something of a step-by-step guide and will explore how you as a dentist can help to build your dental marketing so that you can effectively reach the new patients that you need to expand your practice.
Branding
Getting your surgery brand right is one of the first steps you can take. What do you offer your patients that your competition doesn’t? How does this impact your potential new patients or the ones that are currently under your care? And do you operate differently from other dental surgeries in your area? It’s important to note that when it comes to marketing, you cannot move forward without understanding your brand, and this will go further than simply tying into your logo, your site design or even the tone and voicing that you use on social media.
Target audience
Following on from what your surgery does differently from the competition, who is your target audience? This will once again depend on your branding and speciality. Do you, for example, offer cosmetic dental care to patients in your area that other surgeries do not? Or are you aimed primarily at preventive dentistry or orthodontics? You need to recognise the different niches within your target audience and help your marketing team to devise individual campaigns to target each of them. That way, you will attract more patients to your surgery.
Competition
Researching competition is an important step too; this may be as simple as logging on to dental surgeries in your area and exploring their web pages. What do they offer their patients in relation to pricing or services? And how does your team do this differently? What can you do to boost the competition on your end? You should also have a look at your competition’s social marketing presence and explore what seems to be working for them and what areas seem to be causing them issues.
Promote uniqueness
You and your team are unique, and the services that you offer may also be unique; it is important to promote this. A cosmetic dentist or an orthodontist can offer their patients a straighter, healthier smile, but can you do the same thing to a demographic that may not have the same level of disposable income? If so, this is what you need to focus on when it comes to marketing.
Budget
You need to assess the money you have available to spend on your marketing campaign. It will directly affect the type of marketing that you have and will also help you to ascertain whether or not you can afford to put your marketing onto paid channels or get access to higher channels of advertising.
