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.
Press Releases
Announce your “Spring Cleaning Event” to local news sources with a Press Release
Looking for ways to get FREE publicity and increase visibility for your practice? Why not reach out to local radio stations, TV stations, magazines and newspapers (both printed and online) and announce your event. Research the name of the Editors or News Directors with a quick search online. (Their business website will provide instructions on how to submit a press release to them as well—they too are looking for news!). Other options include local bloggers that are popular. It’s very common to share events like this via email to them—they may be delighted to share. There are online tools, like PRWEB.com that you can pay a nominal fee to post your press release. This especially becomes important for fueling traffic to
your website. Let’s gets started with some tips, common mistakes to avoid and press release templates.
How To Write A Successful Press Release
Start Strong
Your headline, summary and first paragraph should clarify your press release and should be engaging enough for the reader to want to read the remainder of the release, including the call to action. Remember, you only have a few seconds to grab your readers’ attention.
Identify Yourself
Let readers know who you are early on, otherwise you lose the promotional value of your brand. Identifying yourself as a credible source is key to building trust with potential readers.
Write Professionally
It takes only a few sentences to discern whether a news or press release is written professionally. If your release contains hype, slang, excessive exclamation points or a direct address, it may be viewed as an advertisement rather than a press release.
Limit Jargon
Specific dental jargon will confuse your readers and is not appropriate in press releases. While it may be tempting to include names of equipment, procedures, or services such as Cerec or Lucid-Lok®, if you are not going explain the benefits of these services, it’s best to eliminate them.
Pick An Angle
When you write a press release, pick an angle that will ensure the announcement is timely and relevant to local events, recent studies, trends or other issues that bring relevance and urgency to your message.
Illustrate The Solution
Using real life examples and scenarios to illustrate how your practice solves problems is an easy way to strike a chord with your patients. Using real life examples (HIPAA compliant of course) powerfully communicates the benefits of your services.
Don’t Be Afraid To Promote Yourself
Press release distribution is a successful way to brand yourself and your practice as dental experts. If your practice has reached a milestone, celebrated an anniversary, hired a new doctor or hygienist, experienced significant growth or received an award, tell the world what you did right.
Proofread
Always write a press in a text editor like Word. Write your press release, print it and proofread the hard copy, then pass it along to a colleague for additional proofreading. A new set of eyes will catch mistakes you might have missed.
Common Press Release Mistakes
Use Of ALL CAPS
AVOID USING ALL CAPS TO CREATE EMPHASIS AND DRAW ATTENTION TO KEYWORDS AND PHRASES.
Grammatical Errors
Be sure to run spell check and grammar check and thoroughly proofread the release before sending it to your contact list. Grammar and spelling errors will undermine your credibility.
Lack Of Content
Keep the release concise, but not at the expense of important details that define your news. An ideal press release will range from 300 to 800 words.
Hype Flags
Hype flags include an abundance of exclamation points, wild product and service claims and overabundant use of words like “best,” “FREE,” and “amazing.” Not only do you risk tripping spam filters by including these in your release, you also risk turning off readers who are looking for information, not hype.
Example Press Release for “Spring Cleaning Whitening Event”
Happy Dental – Smile Esthetics and Wellness
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Phoenix, Az – Happy Dental is pleased to host a special spring cleaning whitening event from 4/
___ – 4/___
Spring is in the air and spring cleaning your teeth is an important part of the season. Between April ____ and ___ Dr. Smith and her staff at Happy Dental – Smile Esthetics and Wellness will be hosting their annual Spring Cleaning Whitening Event to encourage patients of all ages to “spring clean” their teeth. For a limited time, all patients who book an appointment between 4/__- 4/___ will receive FREE Teeth Whitening for Life with a one-time $99 enrollment fee.
Dr. Smith of Happy Dental notes, “I love springtime because of the beautiful weather and flowers blooming in wonderful colors. But one color you never want to see on your teeth is yellow. The Spring Cleaning Whitening Event will start to transform your smile into the confident, proud smile you’ve always dreamed of.”
Happy Dental is dedicated to optimizing the lifelong health and appearance of your smile in a family-friendly, comfortable, state-of-the-art environment. Dr. Smith is dedicated to your overall wellness and committed to offering the very best that dentistry has to offer.
