Marketing Ideas

Free and Paid Dental Marketing Ideas That Work

You can have the best dental practice in the world, but if you don’t advertise, potential patients won’t know that you exist. Fortunately, dental marketing does not have to be expensive.


free-and-paid-ideas-2x1Take a moment to read the Google reviews for your dental practice as well as your competitors. They may mention how their mouth feels after their visit, but most often, they focus on the customer service they received. So how can you improve patient experience and customer satisfaction at your dental practice? Start by thinking like a patient.

Download our guide “Easy Ways to Attract New Patients” and discover more than a dozen strategies that can generate new patients for your practice.

Free Dental Marketing Ideas

Public Relations

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.

Social Media

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.

Google Reviews

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.

Google My Business

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.

Before & After Pictures

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

Healthy Tips Columns

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

YouTube Videos

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

Website Upgrades

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.

Paid Social Media Ads

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

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.

Social Networking Services

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.

Community Sponsorships

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.

Whether you have a small budget or a large one, it’s important to ensure you’re converting as many website visitors as possible into booked appointments. Adding a 24/7 live chat box to your website will ensure potential patients can ask questions, get answers, and schedule appointments even when the practice is closed. 

 

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