Due to their effectiveness, promotions should ideally play an important role in your practice’s overall marketing strategy. And the most effective promotional programs should ideally align with your practice’s values and identity as a “brand.” Otherwise, the promotion may lack authenticity and seem incongruous with what you represent as an office and team.
Just how effective are promotion strategies?
- Nearly six out of every 10 people would rather be offered a promotional item than be exposed to other forms of marketing (such as TV, social media, and radio spots or ads).
- 83% of consumers say that promos have a positive impact on their loyalty, strengthening their allegiance to organizations they already do business with.
- Promotions are associated with 500% more referrals from satisfied consumers than a simple review and alternative forms of word-of-mouth advertising.
In dentistry, opportunities abound to promote new technology, service, or even an addition to your team that boasts a fresh perspective and expertise!
Here are a few tips to get started:
- Identify what you want to promote. Know that service, technology, capability, etc., inside and out. Otherwise, how can you promote the virtues of this service or capability memorably?
- Zero in on “target” patients and communities. This new or evolving offering may be more beneficial to certain patients or members of your community than others. Clearly outline the challenges this latest offering addresses for the target audience, as well as other factors or characteristics that could resonate with them for a more personalized promotional experience.
- Determine your tactics and what types of promotions best align with your services, principles, and goals.
There are several potential promotional vehicles to choose from; some are better suited to dental care than others. Some of these tactics may be a good fit for certain practices, but not necessarily yours.
We have isolated a few possibilities:
- Discounts and giveaways – This is likely the first tactic you think of when you hear the word “promotions.” Any strategies perceived as a good value or “money-saving” are highly effective. In fact, immediate discounts rank as consumers’ favourite promotional mechanism. As a dentist, you can promote these discounts with a sense of urgency. Create personalized emails and texts aimed at patients, offering exclusive discounts on a new service for a limited time. Adjust these emails or other communications to fit additional platforms. Communicate these money-saving opportunities via the likes of posts to targeted groups on your social media pages.
- Press releases – Aside from the manufacturers who create the technologies and products you use, healthcare-related companies tend to underutilize announcements featuring new amenities, treatments, and more. Cogent, impactful, and compelling announcements are more than worth their while when they potentially draw new patients to your office who might otherwise not have known about your practice if not for coverage from local or micro-neighbourhood publications and media outlets. Plus, these announcements can have the added benefit of establishing you as a source or authority in a given area. Journalists may turn to you whenever they need a source on oral health or dental-oriented topics, as you are now on their radar.
- “Bundling” – How many of us have been drawn to a telecommunication company or another organization due to the great deal and convenience of bundling many services into one handy, affordable package? As dental professionals and leaders, we can borrow from what other industries already do so well. Consider marketing various value-driven packages on your website and social channels. For example, you may promote aligner therapy and professional whitening with home trays as an all-in-one package. Clearly show the savings achieved by choosing the package instead of purchasing each treatment or service individually. This approach has another benefit; it further endears patients to you by clearly communicating the costs of treatment on your site or elsewhere. You demonstrate your transparency, fairness, and authenticity.
- Cause-driven campaigns – Today’s savvy consumer wants to spend their hard-earned dollars with organizations they can trust and are doing the right things for their communities and the planet. This extends to health care practices, as we know there are many other exceptional dentists that your patients and neighbours can choose from within your community. You can distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack by aligning promotions with partnerships to support local nonprofits and community causes. In dentistry, this might involve setting aside a certain percentage of each visit for a given new service or treatment to a local cause that helps provide dental care to the unhoused or low-income populations or that aids in bringing oral care education into the schools.
- Integration with loyalty schemes – Do not let your loyalty programmes sit on a shelf, gathering dust. Your programmes should remain dynamic to support the keen utilization of these services. Either add your new treatment or service as yet another benefit of an existing money-saving dental membership programme or market it as an important part of a new or revamped membership plan. Do not be afraid to “relaunch” old offerings or services, either. These relaunches can serve as friendly reminders to your communities about offerings they may have forgotten. All it takes sometimes is a simple nudge.
We are more than nudging you toward promotional mechanisms to acquire new fans and further endear existing ones. Promotions are not resource-intensive, as the efforts associated with them leverage existing assets. So, you do not have to reinvent the wheel to accelerate your operational goals.
About the author
Naren Arulrajah, President and CEO of Ekwa Marketing, has been a leader in medical marketing for over a decade. Ekwa provides comprehensive marketing solutions for busy dentists, with a team of more than 180 full time professionals, providing web design, hosting, content creation, social media, reputation management, SEO, and more. If you’re looking for ways to boost your marketing results, call 855-598-3320 for a free strategy session with Naren. You may also schedule a session at your convenience with the Senior Director of Marketing – Lila, by clicking https://www.ekwa.com/msm/.
