Become the go-to dental practice for children’s and general dentistry.

Are you a general or pediatric dentist looking to expand your dental practice and serve a greater number of patients? By doing so, you can grow your community presence and establish your team as the go-to dental experts in your area. 

There are many different strategies you can use to see the growth you want. From taking orthodontic courses to establishing a social media presence, some of them may surprise you.

Today, we’re sharing 10 of our top tips on what to do and where to focus your efforts. 

1. Be the best.

It takes hard work, time, and dedication to rise to the top of your craft. While there are a range of marketing tactics that can give your dental practice more exposure, none will be effective if your team isn’t actively trying to sharpen and develop their skills. 

Invest in the training, tools, and resources required to ensure that your team members are always moving forward and progressing in their careers. The dental industry is rapidly changing and growing, and successful practices are those that keep pace.

As you work toward being the best, don’t hide your candle in a corner! Talk about your achievements on your website, and share them on your social media pages. Make sure your community knows how hard you’re working, and the goals you’ve achieved. 

2. Implement online scheduling.

Your dental practice website should be user-friendly, visually dynamic, and responsive for all device types, including smartphones. 

Once you have that basic framework in place, take it to the next level by adding patient scheduling software to your website. Look for platforms that make it easy for visitors to search your schedule and choose a date that works for them. 

According to a recent survey, nearly 60% of people would like to have more online access to their healthcare providers. Of that group, 49% want the ability to schedule an appointment online. By catering to this need, you can take the stress out of scheduling for your patients and make it easier for them to plan their visits. 

3. Consider your office design.

While you don’t need to add a ton of embellishments, your space should feel warm and welcoming. After all, it’s the first thing people see when they visit, and their last impression as they leave.

Try to imagine how your patients feel as they walk through your doors. Assess your reception area, your entrance, as well as your treatment rooms. Do they make you feel: Welcome? Relaxed? Confident? Or do they feel a bit sterile and unwelcoming? For design inspiration, check out our guide on 10 ways to help your office look great. 

4. Ensure staff members are professional and friendly. 

Your receptionist is the first person that patients interact with when they visit your office. From there, they may also speak to other members of your staff, including dental hygienists. 

It’s important that everyone knows how to communicate professionally and demonstrate a friendly demeanor during every interaction. It only takes one negative encounter to turn someone away for good, but by consistently displaying a kind and welcoming attitude, you can retain existing patients and encourage them to tell others about your office. 

5. Show genuine interest.

When it’s time for you to go in and talk one-on-one with your patients, be sure to display the same level of genuine care and concern that you expect from your staff. 

Patients can tell when their dentist is distracted, uninterested, or trying to hurry the visit along. By being relational and showing real interest in their needs, questions, and concerns, you can help build their trust in your dental practice. Don’t underestimate the power of a true connection.  

6. Keep service levels sky-high.

To attract new dental practice patients and keep current ones, maintain a commitment to providing the highest-quality care possible. The experience should be stellar from start to finish, and patients should never have a reason to question your dedication or aptitude. 

That might mean investing in new dental technology to make sure you’re using the most innovative and effective tools. Or, it could mean training your employees to develop their soft skills, such as teamwork and optimism. Often, it requires a comprehensive approach that prioritizes both professional and personal growth. 

7. Add specialties with orthodontic courses.

Want to reach more patients and cater to your existing ones? If so, it might be time to consider adding specialties to your dental practice. For instance, think about how much wider your scope could be if you could offer orthodontic or endodontic services in addition to family dentistry or pediatric dentistry.

Our orthodontics courses can prepare your team for a future in this rewarding and profitable field. You can take a look at our upcoming courses to learn more and find an orthocourse that works for you. 

8. Ask for reviews.

Get as many patients as possible to write a review about their visit to your office. Make the request as soon after their visit as possible, and provide a link that makes it easy to give feedback about their experience. 

In the same vein, don’t be afraid to ask for referrals! Studies show that leads garnered from referrals have a 30% higher conversion rate than those earned through other marketing channels. In addition, referred customers are 29% more likely to recommend your services to others and also have a 37% higher retention rate.

Consider incentivizing your referrals process to encourage current patients to share their recommendations with others. Create a patient reward program that allows them to earn and redeem points for prizes, discounts, and more. 

9. Be active on social media.

If you haven’t already established social media profiles for your dental practice, now is the time to do so. Most accounts are easy and free to create, and they allow you to directly interact with your patient community.

You don’t have to join every platform, but start with the major players, such as Facebook and Twitter. Use your account to share updates about your office, engage your followers with polls and surveys, and share links to any content you create on your website. Seeing as most people around the world access these sites for more than two hours a day, it’s smart to invest in social media marketing. 

10. Optimize your website for SEO.

As you build your social media presence, don’t neglect your dental practice website. Your website should not only be well-designed and easy to navigate, but it should also be easy to find. 

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of using special keywords, links, and images to attract your target online audience. When you employ these tactics the right way, Google will reward you by bumping your site higher on its Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). 

Here are some quick, easy, and free ways to get started with SEO. 

Grow your dental practice the right way.

There’s no shortcut to building a successful dental practice. Rather, true growth only happens when you’re willing to put time, money, and energy toward being the best. 

These 10 strategies can help you build a framework for growth that you can sustain for years to come. With the right moves in place, you can keep current patients happy and bring new visitors through your doors. Our orthodontic courses can help your team members grow their skills and deepen their experience. Learn more about AOS membership today.