Dental Marketing – Is It Even Required?

Dentistry has been one of the most progressing streams of the healthcare industry. However, some challenges at the dentist’s practice level still remain the same when it comes to patient care and patient experience.

With 289,947 dentists working in the dentistry field as of now (2022), being competitive to stand in place & attract more clients becomes a strenuous task. Constant search for ways to achieve high standards in Dental treatment, address patients’ pre and post-treatment concerns, manage staff services, gain visibility amongst potential patients and stay connected with the current ones to retain the list goes on.

Having said that, this task becomes non-negotiable as it stands as a fundamental responsibility for any dentist.

Fun Fact : The average retirement age of dentists is increasing, which means more of your competition is sticking around longer.

Heard about Dental Marketing?

Dental marketing is a dental-focused marketing strategy that empowers dentists to increase awareness of their practice & quality of service, attract new patients and retain them too. Most dental patients agree that finding a dentist is difficult. When asked to dentists, they express their own challenges – getting new patients, retaining current patients and all other practices in between. However, dental marketing eases this situation. It allows effective communication amongst targeted audiences thereby growing practice and achieving higher ROI. Doing it in association with a dental marketing company tackles the barriers like non availability of time to try hands-on digital marketing and physical marketing themselves.

Pro Tip – When marketing is strategically employed with an uncomplicated message, you not only save on marketing commercials but further set yourself apart as an authority in your field.

Listing some top trends in Digital Marketing

1) Dental Website

A website is the bedrock of any modern practice that empowers to host content, establish authenticity, trust and provide quality information on your services and set up a string base on Google for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes.

2) Emphasis on Google review

Looking for reviews is the first step patients take while searching for a new doctor. Reviews have certainly been a fixture on Google’s local properties for well over a decade.

3) Diverse Blogs by Dentists

Oral health facts, tips and advice are best shared via blogs as they allow elaboration and make it more understandable for readers.

4) Increase in use of Social Media

Not just mere presence, but an active and creative one is what is observed. Many of them leverage all the features like reels on Instagram and make the most out of it.

But the question is, is dental marketing even really required?

Well, dental marketing is clearly inevitable if even the above 4 parameters are considered. Let us understand why.

The goal of marketing is not always to attract more patients. Established doctors also need marketing as a tool to communicate their value system to all their current, historic and potential patients. The most decisive aspect that adds to its importance is it helps in strengthening doctor-patient relation, creating empathy and stimulating retention.

Thus, marketing is not just for beginners.

Who requires dental marketing?

Let us start with who does not!

The only Dentist for whom Dental marketing is not required is the one who already has a sufficient number of patients and thinks he will stay invincible forever. It is also not essential for dentists who aren’t concerned or willing to focus on patient feedback and know/hear from them and boost patient retention.

But, if a Dentist doesn’t fall in the above 2 categories, then he/she certainly needs dental marketing. What differs is just the intensity level. Afterall, no size fits all!

The only need is customization. Here is a quick look into how dental marketing plan differs as per the stage of practice and its objective-

A dentist just entering –

A dentist who has just begun and his goal is to spread awareness and get as many patients, yet wants to ensure a pleasant patient experience; very aggressive marketing is the need.

Mid-Level Dentists –

A dentist whose goal is to ensure a continued positive patient experience, retain them and reach out to new potential patients through various sources; aggressive marketing is the need.

Experienced Dentists –

The family Dentists or the ones which have majorly middle-aged or old-aged patients and a goal to keep the current patients happy and retain them; mid-level marketing is the need.

These face another challenge to be relevant and visible for the high demanding Gen Zs (probably kids of their current patients)

Nth Sense’s ultimate dental marketing plan

We have cracked the code and have built a solid plan on how to grow the dental practice and sustain it. Based on immense research and experience, Nth Sense knows how to streamline the process of dental marketing and empowers dentists with key strategies to succeed.