Dental and Orthodontic Marketing 101 – Current Patients Are Worth More Than Prospective Patients

A big part of what I do for orthodontists and dentists looking to improve their marketing is to find ways to get more, new patients in the door.  There is more competition than ever before and the amount of noise and chatter the average person faces is overwhelming so getting that new patient is harder and more important than ever.  And using the internet to help is proving to be effective and inexpensive.

What we all need to remember is that the patients you already have in the office are generally worth more to you than the one who you are trying to get into the office.  In most marketing books you will read that it generally takes 6-10 times more marketing dollars to sell a new patient on coming to your practice than it does to re-sell or up-sell an existing patient.  With the increased competition and shaky economy this may be more like 12-15 times more today.

The question becomes what do you do with this knowledge?  It doesn’t mean you should stop looking for ways to get new patients.  A practice that is standing still is really moving backwards when you look at inflation.

It does mean that you should never forget to make offers to those who are already in your practice.  Dentist should make sure that their patients know about everything they offer including whitening, veneers, as well as any and all new technology or techniques in the office.  You may think they already know about what you offer, but unless you tell them specifically, chances are they do not.  And, they may know someone who is looking for that particular service.

Orthodontists need to make sure they know everything about their patients family and offer them treatment.  Don’t make the mistake of assuming a patient’s parent just knows that you treat adults as well as children – Tell Them!  Orthodontists and dentists also need to make sure they are taking advantage of referrals in a systematic way and not just hoping for them.

Do you have a referral program?  If you do, is there one person in the practice in charge of making sure it is implemented and gets results?  If you have a referral program but are not sure how it’s working, then it is probably not working.  Ask the next few patients or parents of patients if they know what it is.  If they don’t, tell them and put someone in charge of implementing the program for real.

One of the best ways that I have seen a referral program work was when an doctor placed a sign showing their referral offer in each area of the office that patients and parents couldn’t help but see.  It was for your choice of a free dinner, bowling, movies and a few other options with the certificates right there below the signs.  The staff was trained to ask everyone if they had decided which offer they were going to choose when their referral came in.  You wouldn’t believe how well this works and how inexpensive it really is compared to even just a simple Yellow Pages ad.

Let me know your thoughts and how this works for you and your office by leaving a comment below.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Bye for now,

Brian