Does your dental marketing plan include a ‘Spring Cleaning’ plan? It should! Spring time is the perfect time to reach deep into your patient file to reactivate lapsed patients, identify inactive patients and find sources of hidden revenue. In part 1 of this series we’ll talk about Lists, Cards & effective messages to gain interest, market, and convert lapsed or inactive patients.
The SmartPractice Dental Practice Marketing Spring Guide is the complete guide to successful dental marketing with sections dedicated to patient promotions, local events, updating your office, spring cleaning your online profiles, tracking performance, as well as insider only offers. This week we are going to focus on best practices to ensure maximum response rates! Let’s get started!
Goals of a Dental Marketing Spring Cleaning
- 1. A big boost in hygiene production to increase profitability.
- 2. Increase patient loyalty and increase referrals by reaching out to your patients with news about the practice, limited time offers and fun events.
- 3. Update your patient file with returned cards due to patients’ moving (this will save money in the long-run).
Who to Target
- 1. Active Patients who are past (and really past) due for hygiene appointments 30 days – 2 years. (Depending on your recall system can modify to 60-90 days – 2 years).
- 2. For this campaign, consider including those who have only been in for emergency appointments.
Whitening Promotion
As an incentive to improve response rates for spring hygiene appointments, couple your communication with a Whitening Offer. Educate your patients on the fact that the best time to whiten teeth is
after their regular dental cleaning. In-office whitening offers a way to brighten a smile for graduations, weddings, reunions or just to shake off the winter blues.
Quick tips to execute a successful whitening promotion:
1. Make it time sensitive with an expiration date or include other urgency messaging like “limited to 1st 20 appointments scheduled in April.”
2. If financing is available include this good news in your message.Quantify the value of the offer…how much exactly will they save?
3. Google “Teeth Whitening Treatments” in your area to make sure your offer is competitive for existing or new patients. Use “40-50% OFF” as a guide.
4. Here’s an example to reference, “Only $300 thru June 1 (Regularly $600!)”
Each take-home Patient Whitening Kit includes:
- Two huge, 5ml bulk syringes of solution—twice the amount when compared to other national brands.
- Two universal, reusable trays that do not require heating.
- Shade guide and instructions so patients can track results.
- FREE personalization with your practice information.
Personalized Take-Home Whitening Kits benefit you AND your patients
Now more than ever, patients understand the personal and professional benefits of showing off a beautiful, bright smile—and you can give them what they want. Personalized Cosmetic Whitening Kits
offer a safe whitening solution that looks like it’s manufactured exclusively for your
practice.
ReflectionTM Advanced Tooth Whitening System provides the dependable quality of a 22%, or our new, faster acting 35% carbamide peroxide solution. The viscous, water-based gel is designed to make direct contact with the teeth for maximum whitening. Plus, the refreshing mint flavor and the addition of Potassium Nitrate to help reduce sensitivity and make it pleasant to use.
Reflection kits provide a fast, easy way for patients to do at-home teeth whitening under your supervision. Use them as patient giveaways—the premium quality is sure to generate positive word of mouth that will lead to referrals, and you’ll see return visits when patients need refills.
Cosmetic Dentistry Marketing Tips
Motivate Your Staff
Establish an incentive program for employees aimed at growing your cosmetic business. Use Personalized Patient Whitening Kit sales as a profit center for the office. Offer the kits to patients for $79 (your
cost is only $11.99 per kit). A portion of the profits can go toward employee bonuses, travel or staff outings.
Cause Marketing
Connect with your patients and prospects over a cause. Attend charity events and hand out Free Personalized Patient Whitening Kits. It’s a unique way to show your support for a cause and get your practice name and information into prospects’ hands. For in-office cause marketing, customize kits with a unique message about how patients’ purchase of Whitening Kits will help support a cause and donate a portion of the profits. Consider the Pink Ribbon Whitening Kit design, which generates an automatic donation to fund breast cancer research and awareness programs.
Community & Event Marketing
Market yourself and your practice to communities and at events. For example, you can participate in Bridal Expos to encourage brides-tobe to improve their smiles for their big day, or post an ad on a bridal or wedding website. Target recent graduates and remind them of the impact a confident, healthy smile can have during interviews.
Create Awareness
There’s a good chance your patients don’t realize you offer cosmetic services. Be sure you show and tell them how you can give them perfect smiles. Hang cosmetic-themed Wall Art in reception and treatment rooms.
Send Personalized Mailers listing your services and offering a discount or free consultation. Create a Smile Wall with Before & After photos of actual patients whose smiles you’ve perfected. Start the conversation and patients will take action.
Offer Free Whitening
Implement a program that gives new patients a free personalized Reflection Advanced Whitening Kit. This $11.99 investment will reap huge rewards. Patients WILL tell family, friends and coworkers about this fantastic perk and they’ll want a whitening kit too. Along with generating referrals, patients will return regularly for refills, which encourages patient loyalty and increases your revenue. It’s a win-win!
Use Social Media
What better place to showcase perfect smiles than on Facebook? Create an album with Before & After photos of patients. Ask permission to “tag” the photos with patients’ names and use them as a source of one-on-one testimonials about how their lives were changed thanks to cosmetic dentistry. As you know, these stories can be moving and compelling—which will prompt prospective cosmetic patients to take action and change their smiles—and lives—for the better.
Host A Smile Spa Event
Use Cosmetic-themed Recall Cards to invite current and prospective patients to a Smile Spa, where they can learn about your cosmetic services in a relaxed, fun environment. Have patients who’ve completed treatment show off their beautiful smiles and give brief testimonials. Hand out smile Cosmetic Supply Bags filled with oral hygiene basics plus Cosmetic Dentistry Brochures, Flavored Lip Balms, Hand Mirrors, Breath Mints and Xylitol Chewing Gum. Have a drawing for free Reflection Whitening Kits and offer a discount to anyone who books a cosmetic appointment.
Coordinate Your Efforts
Use matching marketing materials to make a strong impact and a lasting impression. Use Wall and Window Art to make the bold statement, and reinforce it with matching Recall and Appointment Cards, Patient Acquisition Mailers and Supply Bags. Set up a display of Cosmetic Dentistry Brochures with a custom sign saying, “Ask how we can give you your best smile.”
