Marketing Your New Orthodontic Services
As a dentist, you are likely always looking for ways to better serve your patients. Offering orthodontic services in the same place your patients go for standard dental care provides a high level of convenience for them to get what they need to maintain their oral health.
As you gain orthodontic skills and begin offering those services, effective marketing will be key to attracting patients who are looking for more comprehensive care options. Discover the keys to making a compelling announcement about your new services so that you can grow your practice and provide care to a wider base.
Benefits of Adding Orthodontics to Your Practice
Adding orthodontic service options to your practice brings two main benefits. First, it opens up a significant new revenue stream. The more services you can provide in-house, the fewer patients you will need to refer to outside providers.
By offering orthodontics, you can effectively become a one-stop shop for dental services. This allows you to increase patient loyalty as well as your chances of growing your bottom line.
Second, offering orthodontics as a general dentist can mean greater levels of patient satisfaction. Patients appreciate the comfort and convenience of being able to get all of their dental services under the same roof from a team they already know and love.
Convenient access to orthodontics can convince patients to return to your practice for further care. They might even be encouraged to bring along their entire family and recommend your practice to friends.
6 Ways To Announce Your New Services
Adding orthodontics to your practice can be an exciting venture, but how you announce your new service offerings will determine whether you reap the potential benefits. Here are 6 ways you can reach a larger audience so you can start adding new patients to your roster.
1. Blog Posts
To effectively market orthodontics, or any new dental service for that matter, you need to provide patients with as much information as possible. Consider writing a few blog posts that explain what orthodontics entails and how these services benefit them in the long run. Educate patients on what they can expect during and after their treatments and how to know if a particular service may be right for them.
2. Social Media Campaigns
Many of your current and future patients are on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter), and studies show that people are increasingly using social media for local searches. Consider creating a page or profile on each of the popular platforms and using it to share the news of your new services.
You can also create posts that link to your blog to help people learn more about orthodontics and your practice. As you make your social media marketing campaigns, remember to use engaging images and popular hashtags to appeal to a broad audience.
3. Email Newsletters
Does your practice have an existing email newsletter? If so, your current patients would probably love to know about the new and convenient orthodontic services you can now offer them.
An email newsletter is also a great place to provide some additional education about orthodontic procedures. You might even consider announcing your new services to your email list first, giving them a sneak peek—and maybe even an exclusive offer.
4. Community Events
Participating in community events creates brand awareness and shows your patients that you’re a part of the local fabric. It gives you the chance to use flyers and in-person interactions to inform people of the comprehensive services you offer. Even if you can’t attend, consider sponsoring events to support locals and get your name out there.
5. In-Office Signage
Not all of your marketing has to take place outside of your practice. You should also be announcing your new orthodontic services to patients who have already walked through the door.
Having eye-catching signs and posters around the practice gives visiting patients a chance to learn about your offerings. From there, they can ask questions and get more information about the new services.
6. Press Releases
Press releases can help your announcement get picked up by local media outlets, resulting in exposure to a wide audience. Your press release should highlight which services you’re offering and how they can benefit patients. If you’re running any offers, such as patient referral bonuses, make sure to include them in the announcement too.
Attract new patients with a comprehensive marketing plan.
Adding orthodontics to your practice can boost patient satisfaction and your bottom line. But you can only achieve these aims if you’re able to get patients to take advantage of the new services.
Fortunately, effective announcements via online outlets like your blog and email list, social media profiles, and press releases can help you meet that goal. Outside of the virtual world, in-office signage and community events can raise awareness of your new offerings. If you’re a dentist looking to gain the skills necessary to add orthodontics to your service menu, the American Orthodontic Society provides educational courses to equip you with the right skill set. Contact us today to learn more about the educational opportunities we offer and how we can help you fit orthodontics into your practice.
To learn more about our popular orthodontics courses for pediatric and general dentists, check out one of the upcoming events below.