Free and Paid Dental Marketing Ideas That Work

Identify local newspapers and magazines that publish event listings and let them know when you’re hosting virtual or in-person Q & A sessions on different oral health topics. The topics can be anything from “Top Tips for Children’s Teeth” to “Comparing Dentures and Implants.” Brainstorm with your team to generate a list of ideas.

A picture’s worth a thousand words. Take pictures of your happy patients and share them on your social media sites. Even better: ask your patients to post pictures from their visit on their own social media sites, and tag your practice. That way, their friends and family will see the pictures! Just remember: any time you post a picture of a patient, you need to have their signed consent form on file.

Ask at least two happy patients a week to write a Google review before they leave your practice and then show them how to do it right from their phones. Consistently adding new five-star reviews will help your practice show up higher in Google rankings.

If anyone writes a negative review, quickly post a reply saying you strive to provide excellent customer service every time, and ask them to call your office so you can address their concern.

Frequently referred to as your Google Map Listing, you can optimize your business page on Google by adding pictures of your practice, your team, and even special offers to your listing.

Share these on your website. Just make sure you have your patients’ consent on file!

Many schools, retirement homes, and community centers have newsletters where you can contribute short articles and showcase your expertise.

These can be informational videos such as your doctor answering commonly-asked questions, fun videos that show your personality, or your patients sharing how you changed their life and gave them back their confidence. You can then share the links on your social media sites, too!

Paid Marketing Ideas

Check your competitors’ websites to see how yours measures up. Modern websites are mobile-responsive and include live chat features, click-to-call capability, patient testimonials, online forms, and online scheduling. Websites should also be optimized for search engines, and soon they’ll need to be optimized for voice search as well. More people than ever are using Google Home, Alexa, Siri, and other voice-activated searches to find the information they need.

With a budget as small as $5 per day, you can place ads on Facebook and Instagram that target specific demographics within a geographic area. Other social media sites including YouTube, Pinterest, and TikTok also offer paid ads. The trick is (1) making sure the content is engaging enough for a potential patient to click and (2) sending them to a designated landing page on your website that is designed to convert them into a booked appointment.

Pay-per-click ads are the ads that show up at the top of Google search results. Attract patients searching online for specific services such as dental implants, clear aligners, emergency dental services, or teeth whitening.

Hyper-local community websites like Nextdoor.com have gained popularity and offer paid advertising opportunities.

Professional Videos
Hire a professional videographer to showcase your amazing practice, team, and patients. Ideally, 15 seconds to 2 minutes long, these videos feature real patients talking about how you made a difference in their lives. They can be shared on your website, YouTube, and social media channels, and even embedded in the emails that you send to patients. You can also shoot a short welcome video and even a happy birthday message to share with patients, too.

Direct Mail
Postcards, new homeowner welcome packets, and coupon cards work for some dental practices.

Many schools, local sports organizations, and professional networking organizations offer sponsorship packages to increase brand awareness and drive potential patients to your website. Check with the local PTA, YMCA, and other organizations in your community.