Marketing Your Practice
On a Budget
Scott Mahnken
Marketing your practice on a minimal budget requires taking advantage of some of the small opportunities that present themselves. Many of these options are right in front of you, yet go unnoticed by many dentists as they focus on the clinical requirements of operating their practice.
Let’s start with the patient information form. Your patient information form should include patient insights to help you and your staff operate a more productive practice, while appealing to the patient’s lifestyle and preferences. Asking your patients what days and times are best for them to maintain their scheduled appointments will show the patient that you are sensitive to their needs and allow your receptionist to reduce the incidence of cancelations.
Many professional patients prefer early morning appointments or appointments during their lunch break, therefore your staff should target these times. Asking your staff to say something as simple as, “You’ll be our first patient so they’ll be no wait,” will provide the subtle motivation to influence busy professionals to maintain their commitments and keep the doctor and staff smiling.
The patient information form should require the patient’s email address and request permission to send them appointment reminders along with invitations to come in for a cleaning or checkup. If your office added whitening as a new part of its treatment options, consider sending out an announcement with a coupon for the patient to print and redeem. Having an opt-in email list will also allow you to send patients interesting articles about oral care. A well balanced marketing plan should include patient education.
Certainly most dentists recognize the value of having a thoughtfully-designed, comfortable waiting room. Some of today’s most successful practices have incorporated computers/laptops as part of the décor. This allows patients to take care of business or just have fun while their waiting for their name to be called. If you allow a student to accomplish some school work or a busy professional to have access to the business world, you will find that they appreciate the seamless transition from school or work to their dental appointment.
Most dental offices have a television in the waiting room, but are they maximizing this opportunity? Many offices will show product videos to promote services or special procedures, but how many show fun clips of the staff? Dental professionals are people too, and it’s terrific for patients to see the other side of the staff’s personality. You should also consider showing before and after videos along with patient testimonials, just be sure to be conscious of HIPPA compliance regulations in all that you do. The message is that you should take advantage of the visual medium to make sure that you’re not just featuring Judge Judy or Oprah on the television as it’s another marketing tool that should be leveraged.
You will also need to decide if you should be dispensing oral care products as a way to market your practice or build a secondary revenue stream. Power toothbrushes, such as Sonicare and Oral B, allow you to make a small profit and build relationships with your patients. Consider setting performance reward goals for your staff, like, “We’ll put all the profit from Sonicare sales in 2010 to bonuses and holiday party.” You’ll achieve willing participation from your staff, and your patients will benefit, too.
The past decade has seen an explosion in interest in whitening as every patient wants to have a smile like the anchorman/woman on the local news. Many of the whitening companies will provide you with beautiful marketing collateral. and again, here we identify another revenue stream and great word of mouth advertising opportunities. Manufacturers of Nite White – Oxyfresh and Zoom will also provide you with banners to display on your office windows to help you generate new patients.
One very interesting product which allows you to either build a secondary revenue stream or market your practice by giving it away is Violight (www.violight.com). Violight manufacturers a toothbrush sterilization system which works on manual and power toothbrushes. The product has been featured on the Today Show and Ellen and publicized in People and Time. A common reaction from patients is, “Wow, why didn’t someone think of this sooner?” as the Violight system eliminates 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria from toothbrushes using UV technology. Pedodontist, periodontist and GP’s alike see immediate benefits when they incorporate Violight as part of the practice protocol. Recently the company launched a dental spa, ideal for sterilizing sports mouth guards, retainers, dentures and whitening trays. One way to “build relationships” with patients is to offer them a Oral B or Violight as part of the treatment process.
If you decide that representing products outside the traditional treatment protocol, ask your dental sales representative if the manufacturer offers co-op advertising dollars. Many manufacturers will support your print advertising efforts by either offering free products or by paying a portion of the advertising costs if their product is featured. Therefore that coupon in the Valpak or the local newspaper just might be cost you 50 percent less, just by mentioning the product and including a logo.
Some Do’s and Dont’s for Print Advertising
The Yellow Pages have become less important, but I do recommend reviewing your local Yellow Pages to decide what is appropriate for you and your office. If you have a small budget, you might just need a small ad, but try to make a statement which paints a picture of your practice and philosophy.
Example: Dr. David Sullivan Family Practice, Using the Newest Dental Technologies.
It is very hard to turn print advertising efforts into a profitable ROI. The biggest mistake a practice makes is when it tries a print campaign one time and is disappointed by the return, thus they terminate the effort. Print campaigns take time to resonate with consumers, whether it’s the local paper, Valpak, coupon magazines or local flyers you shouldn’t attempt a one and done campaign.
Research the quality of the offering, talk to other advertisers (not just the references the sales rep recommends), talk to your patients and decide which “one” publication suits your patient demographic. Once you identify the best advertising partner, try to budget a series of ads. This will allow you to negotiate the best price while allowing your ad to resonate with the consumer. Consumers see your office consistently featured in XYZ publication will start to build confidence. Running one ad with five different advertising mediums is NOT recommended. Don’t forget to negotiate; never accept the first price any advertiser offers, in most cases they have the ability to reduce the cost. Make sure that you are exclusive. Most print campaigns generate a one percent response, thus if they promote two dental offices, you just reduced your ROI opportunity by half. Try to be featured as a new advertiser; ask for placement near the front of the publication or at least ask that your ad be placed on the right hand side of the page.
Your Web site needs to be outstanding, including images, testimonials and pictures of the practice and bios of your staff. Fortunately, there are several companies that specialize in constructing Web sites for dentists at very reasonable rates. Yet be very careful about signing Web site maintenance agreements, for if you build it right the first time, your site should require minimal maintenance. I recommend paying for updates on a case-by-case basis. Research has shown that the Web site is the first place consumers are turning to gain information, thus build it with this in mind!
You can also consider third party providers to help you grow your practice. Certainly Fred Joyal has done a terrific job helping dentists gain new patients thru 1-800-DENTIST. Fred has created a highly recognizable brand and has expanded his offering to dentists by publishing books such as Everything is Marketing.
Map Dentist found at www.mapdentist.com has been developed by Dr. Said a successful practitioner in California. Map Dentist plans on leveraging the consumer’s use of the internet to help dentists grow their practice and educate patients.
I strongly recommend targeting groups. Building relationships with local schools, the police department, youth sports and businesses can prove invaluable. Once you get the first patient from a group, you will find that it’s the most-effective way to grow your word-of-mouth referral base. Upon opening your practice, prioritize contacting the schools in the area to see if you can speak to the students about oral care. Offer special discounts for cleanings and whitening to teachers and administrators. Talk to human resource administrator’s at large companies to see if they can help promote your services to employees via the company newsletter, or by placing notices on the company bulletin board.
Remember, it doesn’t take a big marketing budget to build a successful practice. Recognize that small efforts can add up to big results if you stay consistent with your effort.
Yet I must leave you with one very important piece of marketing advice. Managing the front desk and phone calls at a dentist’s office can be quite stressful, and I’ve seen my share of receptionists show signs of frustration. Therefore, it’s vital to hire the right person and make them understand that they are the bridge to your success. It’s important that the receptionist understands that they are a walking and talking advertisement every minute, every day. Consider meeting with your receptionist often to monitor their attitude along with the message they are sending to your patients in the waiting room and those that call the practice. Reward your receptionist for maintaining an outstanding attitude especially during the most challenging moments and you will reap many rewards in return. Remind them that your job is to create healthy and happy smiles and their job is to keep them smiling. ■
Scott Mahnken, President of Edge Marketing www.go-to-guru.com is a consultant for the dental industry and member of The Dental Entrepreneur editorial board. Scott has been providing marketing advice for dental manufacturers and dentists since 1994. Scott resides in New Jersey with his spouse Dr. Joy Mahnken and children Lindsey and Courtney.
Scott welcomes your questions and can be reached at marketingsupport2010@gmail.com