May 20, 2021
So you’ve achieved your dream of setting up your own dental practice; your clinic has been decorated, equipment bought and installed, and, most importantly, you have mastered dentistry and built up your experience working in this field. However, with many dental clinics around all offering similar services at affordable prices, how can you ensure that your own clinic makes an impact and builds a loyal customer base? Here are some tips for ensuring that your dental practice stands out from the crowd and draws in new patients.
Offer a range of high-quality treatments
It might sound obvious, but the more treatment options you can offer patients, the more people will be encouraged to book an appointment at your clinic. This might involve employing additional dental practitioners who are specialists in areas of dentistry that differ to your own to give customers the peace of mind that they will be receiving the best possible care from an expert. For example, a dental hygienist and orthodontist would make excellent additions to your staff. You might also consider diversifying into other areas of dentistry, such as offering cosmetic dental treatments like tooth whitening which are becoming more popular. You can offer these kinds of services in addition to traditional preventative treatments.
Keep up-to-date with new treatments and research
As with all other fields of medicine and healthcare, dentistry is a constantly evolving field with new research and treatments being regularly devised. As such, it is important that you continue to refresh your own knowledge and keep up with medical advances so that you can continue to provide patients with top-quality, cutting-edge treatments. For example, orthodontia is a branch of dentistry that regularly sees new treatments. If you offer traditional orthodontic work at your clinic, such as braces and retainers, you might consider offering new treatment methods like Invisalign, which offers an almost invisible teeth straightening solution.
Consider dental marketing
An effective marketing strategy is the key to the success of any business; however, there are some specific industry-related points to consider for your dental practice. Let us show you how using dental marketing is the key to success. For instance, the addition of patient education videos on your website and social media accounts provides an excellent source of dental marketing to would-be patients, as they clearly transmit further information on the treatments on offer, enabling the client to make an informed decision. Consulting with a marketing company that specializes in dental practices will enable you to create a wholly effective marketing plan for your clinic that is sure to see a huge increase in customer engagement.
Testimonials from satisfied clients
Testimonials and reviews are hugely influential in a client’s ultimate decision-making process – people trust that a testimonial will provide an honest and up-to-date opinion on the quality of a dental clinic’s treatment and practitioners. Prospective patients look to reviews to evaluate the satisfaction level and success rate of a practice that they have never visited before. Encourage satisfied customers to post a review on your social media pages, and perhaps find a few who would be willing to record a testimonial video for your website. When prospective patients hear the positive words of people with similar dental issues to them, they will be rushing to make an appointment at your clinic. However, it is important that you regularly update your reviews and testimonials to keep entirely up-to-date and demonstrate to potential customers that you continue to have a high level of customer satisfaction.
Before and after videos and photographs
Similar to reviews and testimonials, before and after videos and photographs provide prospective clients with a clear idea of the quality and success of your dental treatment, especially if the condition being treated was relatively severe and the improvements profound. Remember to include views from all angles to give a clear picture of the improvements made, such as in profile, facing, and when the patient is smiling. You could even supplement the before and after images with x-rays, case notes, and a testimonial to provide a clear picture of the work that has been done. However, remember to gain complete permission from the patient whose images and case you are using. Before and after images are particularly useful for showcasing the success of your corrective procedures, such as teeth whitening and Invisalign.
Patient education
Everyone dreams of having a healthy, beautiful smile, and your dental clinic can help clients to achieve this by providing patient education on your website and social media platforms. Providing plenty of information about the treatments you offer and the conditions these are suitable are essential for helping patients to make informed decisions about their treatment plan. However, you could also provide education about dental hygiene in general. For example, you could post a video demonstrating the most effective brushing and flossing techniques or a blog post discussing how to establish a good oral hygiene routine in kids. Patient education will allow potential clients to take control of their own oral hygiene and demonstrate that your dental clinic has an empathetic, human interface.
Introduce your practice
Many people have a fear of the dentist, perhaps due to traumatic childhood experiences in the dental chair. Introducing your practice through an interactive online walkthrough and staff profiles can work wonders in helping prospective patients to relax. By clearly showing what they can expect from a bright and airy clinic, rather than dingy, and dental practitioners that are sympathetic and approachable, patients will be reassured that their visit to your clinic will be a positive experience.
To conclude, there are many techniques that you can use to demonstrate the benefits of your dental practice to prospective patients. The most effective are centered around providing clear information about the wide range of up-to-date treatments available and demonstrating their effectiveness and overall patient satisfaction. This will reassure potential clients that they can trust your dental work as a sympathetic, skilled dental professional.