5 marketing tactics every dentist should already be using

By Joy Gendusa, CEO of PostcardMania.com

Your receptionist better have the most contagious smile in the office!
Your front desk staff acts as the first impression for your practice, but so many dentists overlook this! Investigate your office staff: How many rings does it take for someone to answer the phone? Do they have an upbeat, friendly tone? Are they helpful? Do they ask how the prospect heard about your practice? Do they ask for the caller’s contact info? If your receptionist is slacking, I guarantee you’ll see it in your new patient numbers!

‘Et tu, website?’ — Is your website betraying you?
When someone comes to your website, what is the first thing they see? Is it professional? Are you proud of it? Is your goal for visitors to call and set an appointment? Is it clear what your practice specializes in or at least how to obtain more information?

It's important that you tell visitors where to go when they get to your site. For example, have a button that says, "Schedule An Appointment!" where prospective patients can give you their contact information in a fill-in form and ask any questions they may have. It's easy and allows you to convert your visitors into new patients.

Follow up: the best thing since flossing
What if a potential patient doesn't schedule an appointment right away? Do you have a fail-safe system in place to stay in front of those you already reached once but didn't schedule? It's an important part of the process and could make or break your new patient base. An easy and affordable way to stay in touch is through email marketing or by sending a weekly or monthly newsletter. Constant communication develops a trusted relationship and reminds patients you're still here and ready to help them with all their dental needs.

Email list: build it or else
Once you begin marketing your practice, you should start building your email list. If you're not collecting email addresses from potential patients, you are missing out on valuable opportunities. The bigger your list, the more your email campaigns will impact the growth of your practice. With so many ways to acquire email addresses, there is really no reason why you can't build your list quickly.

Promote oral health, produce practice growth
There is no shortage of uninformed individuals when it comes to oral health care. Go on the offensive with a campaign about why oral health is essential for a happy, healthy body. There are tons of ways to do this: posters, postcards, speaking at schools, etc. Find one that's right for your area, and you'll benefit from being the dentist who educates the community!

Author bio
Joy Gendusa is the owner and CEO of PostcardMania, a direct mail marketing firm. Joy began the company in 1998 out of her home with nothing but a phone and a computer, never taking a dime of investment capital. She originally started PostcardMania as a full-service postcard marketing company to help clients create turnkey marketing campaigns with graphic design, printing, mailing list acquisition, and mailing services. Since then, PostcardMania has expanded to offer its clients more services including website and landing page design and development, email marketing, and full marketing evaluations — all while continuing to educate clients with free marketing advice.