Why It Is Necessary to Market Your Dental Practice - A Study
For dental practices, digital marketing matters more than ever before, as 72% of patients look for reviews when searching for a dentist. Digital dental marketing can help dentists to strengthen ties with existing patients and also bring in new patients. You might have many goals concerning where you want to be and how much you should have earned in the next five years as a leading dental care provider. However, to achieve your goals, you must have a flexible and in-depth marketing plan. You won’t get desired results if you don’t have an effective marketing plan in place.
We surveyed patients based on gender, age, and income to help you understand the importance of dental practice marketing and its impact on dental clinics’ income. The following table will give you an insight into how much income you are losing if you have not yet implemented an effective marketing plan to promote your practice.
| Sample Size | 1431 | 544 | 883 | 596 | 427 | 118 | 286 | 626 | 396 | 250 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How often do you visit a dentist per year? | Total | Male | Female | Age | Income | |||||
| 18 - 29 | 30 - 44 | 45 - 60 | 60+ | LT $50K | $50 K - 99,999 | $100K+ | ||||
| Once a year | 43% | 40% | 44% | 42% | 42% | 39% | 46% | 35% | 43% | 58% |
| Twice a year | 27% | 28% | 27% | 32% | 25% | 21% | 20% | 32% | 28% | 19% |
| Less than once a year | 21% | 20% | 22% | 18% | 25% | 30% | 20% | 27% | 20% | 12% |
| More than twice a year | 9% | 11% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 10% | 15% | 6% | 9% | 11% |
Marketing Is Important to Attract and Retain Patients
Internet searches have made the digital marketplace highly competitive, and it is easier for patients to find dentists in a few seconds. So dental marketing has become essential if you want your dental practice to thrive. The surveyed data reveals that 43% of patients (both men and women combined) visit a dentist once a year, and 27% of patients visit a dentist twice a year. Moreover, 44% of women visit a dentist at least once a year. If you do not market your practice, you may miss out on these patients and the associated income.
Marketing your dental practice ensures that it is visible on social media platforms, search engines, and local directories and helps your prospective patients connect with you easily. However, don’t forget that attracting patients is only half of the battle won. In this digital era, when patients have many options to choose from, you must continue to compete even after acquiring new patients.
If you have more patients between 18 to 29 age group, you should continue to market your practice to retain them. Otherwise, you will likely lose 42% of patients (18 to 29) who visit a dentist once a year and 32% of patients (18 to 29) who visit a dentist twice a year.
An effective digital marketing plan not only helps to attract and retain patients but also defines your practices’:
- Vision and Mission - Your vision and mission statements help your patients know your practice's purpose, what it is striving to achieve, and what it is good at.
- Target Market - You need to identify your target patients in your community and what their needs are. Also, you must know your rivals, their strengths and weaknesses, and if and how they are meeting the community's needs.
- Success Rates - Setting business goals is common for any dental practice, but reviewing them regularly is important. The success of a digital marketing campaign is easy to monitor. With the ability to view statistics such as website traffic, patient base, online reputation and reviews, and the number of referrals, you can know whether your goals are met and what still needs to be done.
Local SEO Is Important for Higher Conversions
Dental clinics, by their nature, are local businesses, and heavily rely on local traffic. Since 58% of patients who earn more than $100k visit a dentist once a year, make sure to market your practice if you run your practice in the wealthiest community. Capitalizing on local SEO will increase your visibility and attract nearby patients.
Local SEO optimizes your site for better conversions to ensure patients visiting your site take the desired action, and either contact you or schedule an appointment. Differentiate yourself as a trusted dentist in your community through local dental SEO and attract more patients.
Are you a dentist looking for a result-driven marketing plan to accelerate your practice’s growth? Contact us today.
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