Tags – Raising Awareness About Dentistry Treatments
Dentistry treatments are often seen as necessary evils.
Nobody really enjoys going to the dentist, but most of us realise that it’s something we need to do in order to maintain our oral health.
However, there are many people who still don’t seek out dental treatment because they’re not aware of all the different options that are available to them.
In this blog post, we will discuss some ways that you can raise awareness about dentistry treatments and encourage more people to get the care they need!
The Foundation of Marketing For Dentists
Before you start raising awareness about the dentistry treatments you have to offer, you need to lay the foundations.
In other words, without a strong platform to start with, your marketing efforts will unfortunately fall short.
To begin, make sure you have the following:
- Patient understanding: you need to have a clear understanding of your patient’s needs, otherwise it will be hard to offer them the advice they need. When patients visit your practice, ask questions like what problems have they had before, what products have they used, what are they struggling with right now, what treatments are they interested in etc.
- Team buy in: team training plays an important role in the success of raising awareness in the dental industry. Whilst your staff will already be aware of the treatments and service you provide, they may not know how to communicate this with the patients. As such, each member of your practice (receptionists, hygienists, nurses etc.) is included in the training so they feel comfortable talking about products and procedures
- Outstanding patient care: if patients value you and your practice, they’ll trust you. Simply, providing outstanding care will give you a better opportunity to build valuable relationships and make treatment recommendations that they’ll actually listen to. For most dental practices, the majority of new patient inquiries come from recommendations; if you exceed their expectations, they are more likely to inform their friends and relatives.
- Treatments and products you believe in: as a dentist, you’re invested in the welfare of your patients. As such, you need to provide treatments that you truly believe in and would perform on your patients confidently
Once you’ve laid the groundwork and established your initial platform, you’ll be better prepared to start successfully raising awareness about your dentistry treatments to new patients.
3 Ways for Raising Awareness About Dentistry Treatments
In recent years, there has been a consumer-driven phenomenon to achieve the perfect smile.
And this comes as no surprise: 99.7% of adults believe a smile is an important social asset. So how do you approach potential patients and help them achieve their goals?
Here are 3 ways:
In-Practice Marketing
In-practice marketing is a really effective and valuable technique to promote dentistry treatments without the need for heavy investment.
The trick here is to highlight the benefits of the treatment, showcase results and encourage enquiries.
To do this:
- Use brochures to convey the treatment’s process and advantages. They may be distributed at promotional events or given to patients in patient letters, and they may also be found in your waiting room for light reading while people wait to be seen
- To promote the benefits of the treatment and encourage inquiries, hang posters or framed pictures throughout your practice. To attract attention, put them in the waiting area or outside each dentist’s room
- Create a before and after smile gallery, and make your patients the centre of your narrative. Seeing examples of how the treatment has benefited others will entice your patients. Try displaying these on a TV in the waiting area, or produce a glossy hardback for clients to browse while they wait to be seen
- Write and distribute patient letters to advertise new and existing treatments. This doesn’t have to be restricted to new patients; sending a letter to remind people of maintenance treatments is a wonderful method to demonstrate concern for their smile – and it encourages repeat visits
External Marketing
Most dental practices believe that external marketing is just about attracting new patients. However, it can also be used to promote new or popular treatments to a targeted audience. Here’s how:
- Local News: begin by contacting your local press. It’s a simple approach to gain credibility and awareness in your community while also affirming your position as a dental expert. Tell stories about patients and make remarks on current topics – basically the type of content that would be genuinely appealing to potential consumers
- Referral Programmes: once you have established your brand as the dental specialist in the area, you could also create bonds with local lifestyle brands. Adults are increasingly concerned about having a beautiful smile, therefore focusing your efforts on companies that reflect similar beliefs – such as boutiques, beauty salons, spas, and gyms – will help you reach a large audience with news and deals on different treatments.
- Social Media: Many dentists now have established social media accounts across a variety of platforms. Social media is an important tool for many dental practices, from sharing before and after results to practice information, customer testimonials, and new products and treatments. Simply, sharing images, videos, and stories that your patients will be interested in is another great way to increase engagement and foster connections.
- Website: Patients want to know that you are a trustworthy provider. They need to understand that you will look after them and their teeth appropriately. Typically, this implies that they will thoroughly research your website. However, if your website doesn’t function as intended, if it is vague, confusing or deceptive, visitors will abandon it, leaving you at risk of missing out on new business.
Brand Management
Your dental practice is not just another dentist surgery, which means you should be looking at it as a brand.
From the second your patient visits your website or walks through the practice doors, to meeting the dentist and undergoing the treatment, your brand needs to appear consistently throughout.
To put it differently, this means an attractive logo is simply not enough.
Rather, you must carry your brand through each of your marketing assets and showcase it across all of the treatments you offer.
Final Words
For most dental practices, marketing and raising awareness often feels like a sticking point. But, an innovative platform will help to attract new patients, encourage repeat visits and boost your overall growth as a business.
All in all, when raising awareness about your dentistry treatments, all your marketing activity needs to be patient-focused – the goal is to help them, providing value and educating them on the benefits.
Want to know more? Get in touch today.
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