STANDARD
Traditional marketing for your practice has stood the test of time and proven itself beneficial. It is an easy and free marketing service for your practice, which is solely based on the experience of your patients. These forms of standard marketing require little to no effort, however, it does hold you accountable for how you treat your patients as you have no control over what they say after they leave your office. Though 91.9% of Canadian dentists say new patients found them through word-of-mouth, it is very likely that they have also Googled your practice for reviews and testimonials. Imagine Patient A tells their friend or family member about your practice. Chances are that friend or family member will then Google your practice, looking for additional information, including positive reviews. If their search is unsuccessful, the odds of them booking an appointment are slim to none. While you might think that word-of-mouth is the most beneficial method for obtaining new patients, consider finding a comfortable balance.
ADVANCED
In today’s digital world, more advanced marketing options are readily available. The benefits of developing an online presence is one of the best ways for a practice to market itself. You must represent your practice online to meet the expectations of today’s tech-savvy patients. A website for your practice should be a ‘one stop shop’ where potential new patients can find information regarding the services you provide, testimonials, team biographies, contact information and more. User reviews can be monitored by your staff and allows the opportunity to maintain your professional image. Social media platforms allow you to engage with your community and are the ideal outlet to interact and have fun. Managing your website and social media accounts essentially is a full-time job in itself. Staying active is crucial for keeping a positive online presence where you are readily accessible to patients during and outside of office hours.
*Between February and March 2018, RKI, a third party independent research house, conducted a 10-minute online survey of active, practicing non-hospital affiliated dentists and dental specialists on behalf of Oral Health. Using Oral Health’s subscription list, a total of 398 dentists participated in the study (with 219 completing the survey to the end). Assuming a total of 20,000 dentists in Canada (and 398 total completes) the margin of error for the survey is +/- 4.86, 95% CI.
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