How to Grow Your Dental Practice

August 11, 2021


How to Grow Your Dental Practice
How to Grow Your Dental Practice

It’s been roughly 18 months since the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the aftereffects continue to reverberate through the dental industry. Many people remain reticent about attending their regular dental checkups in this atmosphere of uncertainty that’s causing them to defer appointments. Many of us with practice might not think that this is the time to consider expanding our business, but growing our business and attracting new patients could provide the best chance at success if we take this opportunity to expand our practice. Here are some points of strategy that can help you attract new clients to leave your business stronger than ever.


Grow Your Team


Expanding your practice is a big step forward that you don’t have to take alone. Ideally, you want to be able to expand your business while still having the time to tend to the needs of your current patients. So, put together a team you can consult with who can take care of the business side of things and give you expert advice moving forward. If you want to get in contact with qualified personnel in your area, an online finder tool will enable you to source professionals who have relevant experience in the dental industry.

 

Expanding or moving premises will require a lot of legal administration. These responsibilities will be time-consuming and require a lot of attention to detail, and are best delegated to a professional. If you’re having trouble sourcing qualified staff, this extension can help connect you with legal experts who are familiar with the dental field.

 

A financial advisor should be able to make sure the books balance and that any expansion is going forward within the limits of your budget. It’s worth consulting with one before you settle on a decision to expand your business as they can advise on whether such a move will be viable. They can also provide you with insight into the direction of your expansion, and which moves would offer the best chance of a return on your investment.

 

A lending partner can ensure that you’re not blurring the lines between your business finances and personal finances. You’re probably going to require a business loan or working capital to fund your expansion. So it’s important to partner with a trustworthy lender who’s familiar with the landscape of the dental industry.


Determine Your Expansion Strategy


You’ve decided that it’s time to grow your practice, but in what direction do you want to expand? Your two choices are to make an acquisition of an existing practice, or open a new practice from the ground up. Both choices have their advantages and disadvantages, and your team can help advise you on which will be the best approach.

 

An acquisition lets you buy a large interest in an existing practice, with a view to buying out the original owner’s remaining interest once they’re ready to retire. This can offer more security from a preexisting base of patients and a team already in place. Acquisitions typically require less of an investment of capital upfront. Opening a new office will give you the freedom to create a practice to spec around your vision, but the costs of starting afresh will require a much larger initial investment.


Strengthen Your Online Presence


The internet is the first port of call for many patients, and if you don’t have an attractive web presence you could be severely limiting your marketing opportunities. For many people, your website will provide the first impression of your practice and can make the difference between whether they book an appointment or click over to a competitor’s site.

 

At the very least, your website will need to show your up-to-date credentials, office policies, appointment hours, available services, and contact details. Additionally, you should be promoting the safety measures you currently have in place to tackle COVID-19 to assure visitors that you’re working hard to protect them. If you’re not sure about your site design, visit the competition to get some idea of the standards customers will expect.

 

Furthermore, don’t underestimate the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) in making your website a success. There’s no point in investing in an excellent website if no one is going to find it. Properly implemented SEO can place you at the top of search engine results and ensure your practice is visible to the maximum audience. For most of us, the best way to do this will be by hiring an SEO specialist to come up with a strategy for your website.


Offer More Services


Investing in new equipment and providing a wider range of services will provide a strong foundation for the expansion of your practice. Extra services provide the potential to enhances your USPs for attracting new customers, and let you tap into niche patient groups. Such services might include providing emergency dental services out of hours, or cosmetic dental modeling. Obviously, upgrading your skill set and equipment requires a lot of upfront investment, but it will help future-proof your practice and keep your business profitable in the long run.


Send Reminders via Text or Email


Putting in place a reminder system can ensure that your patients are maintaining their dental health and treating potential problems before they become more serious. A lot of practices still send reminders with physical mail, but this method of communication may be showing its age. An SMS-based reminder system or email notifications may be more appropriate and result in improved patient engagement. The next time a patient comes in, ask their preferences for communication and then make a note of it in their file. An effective digital communication strategy helps maintain your long-term relationship with your current patients and keeps you in the picture as their primary provider of dental services.


Leverage Word of Mouth Referrals and Online Reviews


We’ve looked at how important it is to have invested in a well-designed website, but that won’t be the only place on the internet where your practice will have a presence. There are dozens of review sites online where past and present patients can leave permanent reviews of their experience of your services. So it’s important that you’re managing this to leave your practice in a positive light. One way to do this would be to encourage patients to leave a good review online with incentives, like a small gift card or voucher for a major retailer.

 

Should you get a poor online review, don’t despair. As the service provider, most online review sites will give you the option to respond to bad reviews, giving you the opportunity to apologize and address their specific complaints. At the very least, this will show other people reading that you care about patient satisfaction and shows that your practice operates with a personal touch.

 

The decision to grow your practice shouldn’t be taken lightly, but with the right team and a solid marketing plan in place, you can discover an expansion strategy that will have the highest likelihood of generating a return on investment. Whether it’s SEO optimization or financial planning, make sure you’re seeking the help of experts who can help with specialized tasks you’re not familiar with, to allow you to keep putting your patients first.

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