There are a lot of reasons to want to bring in new patients. Maybe you want to expand your practice enough to hire an associate. Maybe you want to open a second location. Or, maybe you want to make sure your practice is established enough for you to have a healthy retirement when the time comes.
Whatever the reason, you need to remember the people who have already helped you grow your practice: your current patients. Bringing new patients through the front door is useless if your current patients are sneaking out through the back.
How to Create Loyalty
If you’re lucky, your patients are loyal to you. With patient loyalty comes regular visits, more involved treatments, and those sought-after referrals. If you are not loyal in return, then what’s to stop them from switching to another practice?
Your patients have tons of dentists from which to choose. Some of those dentists may offer discounted treatments, some may be closer to home or work, or some may have a stronger marketing game.
What makes your practice unique is you, but you have to be willing to remind your patients that you’re there for them beyond their semi-annual appointments. Plus, you have to let them see who you are when they’re not in your chair. The following ideas will get you started.
- Use Facebook multiple times a week: Only 20% of your posts should “sell” a service or product. The other 80% should be fun posts that show the personalities of both you and your practice.
- Use targeted emails: Have you spoken with clients about a treatment such as implants or adult orthodontics who haven’t followed through? Reach out to those people via email to remind them of your discussion and encourage them to seek treatment.
- Use email regularly: Once a month, reach out to your current patients via email. The content can be educational, but keep it fun. You’re trying to keep your patients informed and make them feel connected to the practice, not overwhelmed by information.
- Use customized content: Nothing says you’re just phoning it in like mass-produced marketing content. Using customized content on your site, social networking platforms, and emails is another way to set yourself apart from other practices and let your patients know who you are.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to grow your practice. In fact, the same tricks that help your current patients feel connected to you also help potential patients know why your practice is unique. But instead of putting all of your efforts toward bringing in new patients, remember that you have current patients who need a reason to stay loyal.
With more than a decade of experience in corporate dental laboratory marketing and brand development, Ms. Ulasewich decided to take her passion for the dental business and marketing to the next level by founding My Dental Agency. Since starting her company, she and her team have helped a wide variety of business owners all over the nation focus their message, reach their target audience, and increase their sales through effective marketing campaigns. She can be reached at (800) 689-6434 or via email at jackie@mydentalagency.com.
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