by Fred Joyal

After more than 20 years finding patients for dentists, I’ve seen the evolution of the dental profession — and the revolution in how a practice is marketed. Here are some of the most important tips that I would recommend to any practice.

Get on the Social Network Bandwagon
Don’t try to understand it. Just get your practice out there. It may not matter now, but it will matter sooner than you think. Of course you need a great, informative, up-to-date website, but social networks may matter more than Google™ at some point. Be ready. 

To start, get a Facebook® profile going for your practice, and ask all your patients to “friend” you. You should also keep track of your office on review sites such as Yelp.com®. People look at them, and you can respond to comments made about your practice. And while you’re at it, make sure you have the e-mail address of every single patient, as well as their mobile number. These will prove to be essential and inexpensive marketing tools, while at the same time they’ll add efficiency to your office processes (especially in your recall system, which for the average office takes three or four phone calls).

Believe in the Value of Dentistry
The most important transition a dental team can make is this: believe and communicate that dentistry is a great investment. Think about it. If a person needs restorative work, isn’t the $20,000 they would spend in their mouth almost unparalleled in value? What other investment would affect every meal, every smile, every conversation? Nothing else comes close.

Speak Another Language
Even if they speak English as their second language, most people prefer to speak to a healthcare provider in their native tongue. Pick a foreign language that has a community near your office. Spanish is the obvious choice, but also think about Vietnamese, French or other less common ones. Learn the language or hire an assistant who already speaks it. It’s a great way to carve out a niche for yourself — it’s easy to target your advertising to them and it will generate great word of mouth in their community.

Technology Sells Dentistry
We live in a technologically advanced world. Patients will take great comfort in knowing that you have the latest equipment and are always training yourself and updating your practice. Don’t be the last one to get a laser, or a CEREC®, or a 3-D cone beam scanner. Give tours of your office to new patients, highlighting your technology and explaining why it benefits them (it makes the dental experience in your office faster, better and more comfortable, etc.).

Look at Your Entire Practice as a Marketing Tool
Every aspect of your practice has a marketing element to it. By that I mean that everything makes some kind of impression — positive, negative or neutral — whether it’s your scrubs, your intake forms, your wall colors, your music or anything else that patients come in contact with. They become either more or less disposed to appreciate and accept treatment based on these factors. Think about everything that a patient sees, hears and smells, and make sure that it conveys something positive and, whenever possible, something informative.

I recommend using the typical medical practice as a reverse paradigm. Think about how they would handle reception, talk to people on the phone and design their offices — and then do the opposite. The last thing you want people to feel when they are in your office is that they are in a medical facility, because that means insurance pays for everything. You want them to be comfortable and at ease, and appreciate that what you have to offer can improve their life and their lifestyle.

If you start incorporating this approach, that every aspect of your practice markets you, then you will see a continuous increase in production and in the enjoyment of your practice.

Fred Joyal is CEO of 1-800-DENTIST® and author of Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Strategy for Dental Practice Growth. As one of the industry’s foremost experts on dental consumer marketing, Fred Joyal has lectured at dental tradeshows nationwide and is a regular contributor to various print and online publications. He can be reached at www.goaskfred.com.

Dentists interested in Fred’s marketing prowess and industry insights can get a 20% discount off his book’s cover price by entering promo code: THEVISIBLEDENTIST.

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