Taking over a dental practice is an exciting opportunity – one that you have likely planned for for many years. Along with your investment of time and money to tackle this endeavor, it’s important to include marketing as a top priority. No matter how good or bad the existing digital footprint is, it will need some work to ensure you can be found on search engines and that your messages and site resonate with your local audience. Your site should also be optimized to attract new patients, with clear calls to action.

From your new website to Search Engine Optimization to a Launch that includes PR, there are four basic steps that will get your practice up and running with the fundamentals, fast – often within 45 days if you are working with an agency that has a proven track record and process.

STEP ONE: Establish Your Brand

Transforming an existing practice involves more than just changing the name. It’s about building your unique identity

Typically, a dental practice may begin to see an increase in new patient appointments within 3 to 6 months post-acquisition, especially with proactive marketing and community engagement. However, establishing a steady flow of new patients often takes about 6 to 12 months. This period allows for the implementation of marketing for dentists so that you build trust within the community.* 

Website Update

• Develop messaging and value proposition that sets you apart
• Update services offered, if needed
• Add new doctor and team profiles
• Implement logo/branding changes or updates

Tangible Branding

• Redesign stationery, signage, and business cards

STEP TWO: Get Found Online

Visibility in your local market is crucial for attracting new patients and retaining existing ones.

Google Business Profile

• Update Google Business Profile to reflect changes
  • One Google Business Profile post
  • Five updated photos
• Establish or update Google Reviews, create a method for gathering reviews and reputation management

Digital Marketing

• Tap an expert to optimize your keywords and strategy for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so you are found via organic searches. 
• Budget for Google Ads. This works in concert with organic searches and typically delivers faster results. 

STEP THREE: Prepare for Ongoing Marketing Initiatives

A successful practice requires sustained marketing efforts so it’s important to choose your dental marketing agency carefully. Make sure they are equipped to deliver email marketing, SMS marketing, and social media management that will build momentum over time. 

Promotion 

• Promote your practice by sponsoring local organizations, advertising in local publications and even joining the Chamber of Commerce. 
• Direct Mail: Tried and true, direct mail still works for dental practices.
• Existing patient outreach is critical – especially at this stage of your business. Introduce yourself and your team and services and make them aware of the transition process. 
• New patient acquisition can be done through all of these outreach methods, and a good marketing advisor will help you manage not only the outreach to your existing database, develop new target lists, optimize your social media and most importantly deliver measurable results. Discuss your goals with your marketing advisor now, so you are prepared to continue the momentum you’ve started during the launch.

STEP FOUR: Launch Your Practice

Announce your arrival with a strategic launch that gets the attention of your community.

• Host a Grand Opening event or offer new patient incentives that make sense for your prospective patients and get the word out! 
• Send out a press release announcement and get local coverage by pitching publications in your area (editors are always looking for newsworthy community events). 
• Putting your release on the wire also helps enhance your backlinks which improves your SEO.
• Get more out of your content by turning the release into a blog post, which you can also push out through social media. Content like this has the added benefit of improving your SEO if you are working with an agency that understands how to select keywords and clusters that you can rank for.

Choosing an Agency

Finally, we recommend choosing an agency with expertise in marketing for dental practices. LocalFresh is an established marketing agency in Oregon, and we’ve got nearly 20 years of expertise in marketing for dentists. Reach out for more information. 

*Source:  Minnesota Dental Association