Marketing That Works: How to Tell Your Dental Practice Story and Attract the Right Patients

There’s more to modern dental practice marketing than just promotion. You need to connect with potential patients to grow your practice. One of the best ways to do that is to share your dental practice story and highlight the values and services that make you stand out against competitors.

Define What Makes Your Practice Different

The first step to leveraging your story in marketing is defining what that story is. You need to know what makes your practice different if you’re going to communicate that to potential customers. This isn’t always as easy as it sounds, as it requires taking a close look at what your practice actually has to offer for patients.

First, clarify your practice area. Are you a family focused pediatric dentist, a cosmetic specialist, or a more general dentistry practice? This will help establish a strong focus by identifying both your target market and the specific benefits your practice offers.

You should also consider the highlights of your practice. Do you offer a calm, relaxing environment? Are you known for fast and efficient service? Is your team experienced in dealing with children? These details help further expand the story you’re telling and answer the questions potential patients may have.

Don’t overlook the importance of specific treatments, either. If your practice offers orthodontics, cosmetic treatment, sedation dentistry, or other unique options, then you should put those front and center. Treatment availability can be the deciding factor when patients are choosing their dental home.

Use Your Website and Social Media to Share Your Story

Effectively using online marketing is essential in today’s market. Luckily, many digital mediums are just perfect for the storytelling approach. You can use your website and social media to tell your story to a wider audience and bring in more prospective patients.

Your practice can stand out by using real photos and patient testimonials. Of course, get explicit permission to meet patient privacy requirements first. This transforms your online presence from something generic to a true representation of your practice.

There are plenty of technical factors to get right in digital marketing, like your website’s search engine optimization and mobile compatibility. However, it’s important not to gloss over the personal touch. Focus on personal messaging and making your online presence approachable and clear without going too deep into specific treatments.

Speak to the Patients You Want to Serve

When it comes to local marketing for dentists, the most important thing to keep in mind is your target market. Every aspect of your marketing efforts should be tailored to focus on the patients you’re trying to reach, whether that’s families, professionals, or patients in need of specific services like orthodontics.

Adjusting your language is one way to do this. As a dentist, chances are you tend toward overly technical language that can confuse patients instead of clarifying. It’s important to work at a level patients can understand, both during face-to-face interactions and in your marketing efforts.

You can further improve communication by focusing on pain points and outcomes instead of services. Don’t just list the treatments you offer. Instead, discuss common dental issues that patients may face and the results your practice can offer. Show your patients you can provide relief, beautiful smiles, and lasting oral health.

Before-and-after photos are an excellent way to do this for applicable treatments. A picture is worth a thousand words when it comes to showing what orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry can do for your patients’ smiles.

Stay Consistent Across All Channels

With modern marketing techniques, you want to take advantage of all channels. That includes digital marketing like your website, social media, and emails, but also more conventional radio, billboards, and print materials. You should strive to keep all of your messaging aligned to build trust and recognition.

Creating standardized branding is the first step. Your practice name, tagline, and logo should be the same everywhere. The tone of your marketing is also important to maintain consistency and should be aligned with your target demographics.

Messaging must also match across all channels. You want to always put forward the key benefits your practice offers and to ensure that important details are clear for all of your patients. Take the time to review all of your marketing materials before publishing to ensure accuracy.

Take the Right Approach to Telling Your Dental Practice Story

Putting these strategies into action will let your practice achieve successful marketing by showing patients who you are and how you can help. Adopting a storytelling lens can build lasting connections with your patient base. Find more opportunities to grow your practice by becoming a member of the American Orthodontic Society.