15 Dental Marketing Strategies To Grow Your Practice

Growing a rockin' dental practice takes more than just providing excellent clinical care. In today's digital age, having a smart dental marketing strategy is crucial for attracting new patients and expanding your reach. With the right tactics, you can establish your practice as the top provider in your community.

Dentistry is an increasingly competitive field, so relying only on your clinical skills is no longer enough to build and sustain a thriving practice. Patients have options when choosing a dentist, and most call Dr. Google to research providers. If you want your practice to stand out, be crazy easy for potential patients to find, and grow faster than mould on week-old bread, you need a strategic marketing plan, stat.

An effective dental marketing strategy should include a mix of online and offline tactics designed to boost your practice's visibility, reputation, and conversion of new patients. This article will explore 15 proven dental marketing strategies spanning SEO, content creation, advertising, referrals, reputation management, and more. Whether you run a solo or group practice, these techniques can help strengthen your online presence, generate more five-star reviews, increase word-of-mouth referrals from happy patients, and fill your schedule with your ideal patients. With robust digital marketing and grassroots local outreach, you can establish your practice as the top provider in your community. Patients will view you as the trusted expert for all their dental needs.

Make Your Website Pop In Search Engines

Search engine optimization (SEO) should be the bread and butter of your dental marketing recipe. SEO for dentists helps your website rank higher in search engines like Google, Especially if you're in a narrower niche, such as kids' dentistry. So it's easier for potential patients to find you online. Follow on-page and off-page SEO best practices, like optimizing page titles and meta descriptions, speeding up your site, earning high-quality backlinks, and using targeted keywords. Do keyword research to see what patients are searching for related to your services. Sprinkle relevant keywords naturally throughout your website copy. This makes your site more visible to searchers looking for a dentist like you.

 

Create Content That Rises To The Top In Search

Unique, high-quality website content goes hand-in-hand with killer SEO. Your blog articles, service pages, and other content should target keyword phrases patients use to find dentists. Answer common patient questions and provide valuable info related to your services. For example, write articles about topics like 'How Often Do My Pearly Whites Need a Cleaning?' or 'What's the difference between a Dentist and an Orthodontist?' Optimize each piece of content for relevant keyword phrases to improve search visibility. Publishing regular fresh content shows search engines your practice offers helpful info. A dental marketing firm can help you achieve this.

Get Reviews To Boost Your Local Credibility

Reviews do more than inspire trust—they also level up your local SEO. Being active on reviews like Google My Biz, Yelp, and Facebook helps your website rank higher for local searches. Try to get multiple reviews on each major site. Keeping a five-star overall rating with many positive reviews makes your practice stand out. Respond professionally to any negative feedback. The more glowing reviews you collect, your biz becomes locally visible. This builds great local street cred.

Leverage Paid Search Ads

Pay-per-click (PPC) ads allow your dental practice to pop up at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). With Google Ads and Microsoft Ads, you only pay when someone clicks your ad. Use keywords and targeted local ad placements—track conversions from phone calls, emails, contact forms, and online bookings. Tweak your ads to boost relevance. Combine PPC with your organic SEO strategy to maximize visibility and lower your cost-per-click.

Invest In A Professional Website

Your website is your dental practice's online headquarters. Investing in a well-designed, mobile-friendly website is a must. It should showcase your services, highlight your approach, and build trust with patient reviews and before-and-after photos. Easy navigation and clear calls-to-action like "request an appointment" help convert visitors. Pro websites designed specifically for dentists integrate advanced functionality like online booking, cost estimators, and paperless forms patients can complete digitally. This streamlines onboarding new patients.

Create A Strategic Content Marketing Plan

Developing a strategic approach to content marketing strengthens your dental practice's search, social media, and referral marketing results. Identify topics that educate patients, boost your website's SEO, and position your practice as a top provider. Promote your latest blog posts, videos, and resources across all marketing channels. For example, expand the reach of a new blog post by sharing it on social media, adding it to email newsletters, and converting it into a handout for current patients. Repurposing high-performing content gets more mileage from your marketing efforts.

Run Targeted Ad Campaigns

Beyond search ads, explore digital ad options like Google Display Network, Facebook ads, Instagram ads, YouTube pre-roll ads, Hulu ads, and ads on dental-related websites. Geo-target these ads to reach people searching in your service area. Retargeting ads engage previous website visitors. Create ads that showcase your dental expertise, office environment, services, patient reviews, before-and-after photo results, new patient promotions, and anything else that makes your practice one-of-a-kind. Effective ads attract more ideal new patients.

Invest In Professional Photos And Videos

Dynamite dental websites and ads feature pro images and videos showcasing your office, team members, services, and patient stories. Crisp, high-quality photos help patients picture themselves as a patient at your practice. Similarly, video testimonials of real patients describing their positive experiences build trust. Videos and virtual tours also spotlight your office environment, safety protocols, technologies, and patient comfort. Infographics and before-and-after galleries visually display your expertise. Investing in assets like an intraoral camera can help capture engaging visual content to boost marketing.

Prioritize Patient Education

Patients want to understand their conditions, treatment options, and how to properly care for their teeth at home. Position your practice as an educational resource by creating content on dental health topics. Answer common questions and create tutorials using blog posts, social posts, videos, and visual aids. For instance, make posts explaining topics like types of dental implants or instructions for proper flossing techniques. This establishes your expertise while teaching readers. In-office resources like handouts and demo models further support patient education.

Build Referral Networks

Getting referrals from happy existing patients, dentist colleagues, local businesses, and other healthcare providers is priceless. Yet referrals don't just fall into your lap. You have to put in work to actively build relationships with potential referrers. Identify win-win partnerships where you can cross-promote each other's services. Go above and beyond to wow any patients sent your way. Word-of-mouth spreads fast when you deliver an awesome experience. Also, consider formal referral partnerships with complementary providers like orthodontists, oral surgeons, denture professionals, pediatric dentists, and periodontists. That referral train can keep on chuggin' when you have an all-star referral squad.

Develop Your Reputation As An Expert

Becoming known as an expert and thought leader in your dental speciality helps attract patients looking for top-notch care. Share your wisdom by publishing guest blog posts for dental industry websites, local publications, and high-authority sites related to your speciality. Pitch stories to local media contacts to get your insights out there. Offer yourself up as an expert source for relevant news stories. Become a keynote or featured speaker at dental conferences and events. This exposure lets you stand out as an authoritative voice in your field. When you establish yourself as a leading authority, patients seeking the best will knock at your door.

Sponsor Local Events And Orgs

Local event sponsorship provides good exposure for your brand in your community. Sponsor kids' sports teams and school clubs, charitable races and fundraisers, business expos, church and wellness events, and nonprofit galas. A visible presence at these events through banners, booth space, giveaways, etc., raises awareness. Supporting the community also builds goodwill. Consider sponsorship opportunities related to your target patients.

Prioritize The Patient Experience

Patients with an awesome experience at your office are likelier to refer others and leave great reviews. Go above and beyond to exceed patient expectations every step of the way. Train your team on advanced customer service protocols. Make your office environment comfy, soothing, and cutting-edge. Offer perks like warm blankets, noise-cancelling headphones, refreshments, and entertainment during procedures. Follow up with patients after visits to address any concerns. Continually gather patient feedback and make improvements.

Automate And Streamline Communication

Automating appointment reminders, follow-ups, recalls, and other communications through tools like email, text, and voice make staying in touch with patients a breeze. Schedule social media content in advance to consistently promote your practice with minimal effort. With a digital workflow, patients can seamlessly book appointments online, complete intake forms electronically, and manage paperwork through a patient portal. Streamlining admin tasks lets your team focus on delivering personalized care.

Analyze Your Marketing Results

The final step to successful dental marketing is meticulously tracking and analyzing your results. Look beyond vanity metrics like web traffic and social followers to understand what's truly working to generate new patients. Connect your phone and online systems to track conversions. Assess essential KPIs like quality leads generated, new patients onboarded, online reviews, rankings for target keywords, social engagement, referral volume, recall effectiveness, and more. Use these insights to refine your strategy.

Conclusion

Putting the right marketing tactics in place lets dental practices reach new patients, build street cred, and grow referrals. By making the most of proven techniques like rockin' SEO, digital ads, social media, reviews and reputation management, educational content, and off-the-charts patient experiences, your practice gains visibility and becomes known as a top provider. 

Though dental marketing takes effort and resources, the long-term payoff of more patients makes it so worth it. Keep a close eye on conversions and other key metrics to fine-tune your strategy. With smart, strategic dental marketing, you can grow your practice and deliver quality care to more needy patients. When you implement a killer marketing plan, your stellar dental practice can thrive and provide brighter, healthier smiles.