Alongside new dental and orthodontal technology, clinics have generally been ahead of the curve when it comes to embracing digital dental clinic marketing.
Most dental clinics have a CRM, have setup their reminders and are able to communicate with their customers fairly efficiently.
According to Vijay from Springvale Dental in Melbourne, Australia, the reason dental clinics have opted for more digital tools is about competition.
“It’s becoming very competitive and complicated these days. You know, there’s a dental clinic opening up down the road everywhere, in every street. You gotta be in the forefront of digital advertising to be able to get those patients in.”
So what’s next for dental clinics? How can they elevate themselves ahead of their competition in an already highly-digitized world?
Below are some ways you can evolve your digital marketing and take your clinic to the next level.
Automate Everything!
This goes without saying, but if you are still having to push a button to send reminders or notifications to clients manually, you could be saving a lot of time.
Automating your processes is the beginning of digital evolution, and will allow you to take back time spent on the annoying admin, and back to doing what you love.
Setting up text reminders is the first step, and if you’re using Thryv, you’ll be able to automatically schedule customers’ future appointments as well.
Of course, you’ll still want to send custom messages to customers based on their individual needs but this way, all you’ll have to worry about is ensuring they’re receiving the best treatment possible – without the niggly admin stuff.
Not on Social Media? Get on Social Media
Google, Facebook, Instagram.
You probably have a profile for each right? And if you’re really keen, possibly Twitter and LinkedIn as well.
These are great to have as it will give your clinic some social proof. However, the effort doesn’t stop there, and social media is one of those things that can really expand your reach and market penetration.
Some of the most successful dental practices have been using social media to update customers on new treatment options as technology is released, on general dental hygiene and even some fun TikToks.
You don’t need to be the next viral thing, or spend money on expensive recording equipment. But maintaining a steady schedule of social media posts, news and – if you have the ability – blog articles, you’ll keep your clinic front-of-mind for the customer, and remind them their teeth need some updating soon!
“It’s becoming very competitive and complicated these days… You gotta be in the forefront of digital advertising to be able to get those patients in.”
Explore Your Digital Options
When Vijay began his clinic 10 years ago, there was already an established clinic down the road.
“They had been there for like, 30 years, but there was no SEO, or articles on their website, no AdWords, nothing like that. So it was much easier for our clinic to get an online presence in place.”
For Vijay, AdWords were the most valuable way to get noticed – but this came from trial-and-error testing.
“We tried Facebook advertising, it didn’t work as much as AdWords, but you know, it’s about exploring… Digital advertising is quite key.”
If Vijay hadn’t tried multiple ways to expand his reach, he wouldn’t know to spend the majority of his digital budget on Google.
“New options keep coming up and when they do, we’ll explore to see which one works and which one doesn’t, learn from that and move on.”
Invest in AI and ChatBots
Artificial Intelligence in dentistry?
It’s not the dystopian Sci-Fi future you think.
“We’ve realised that we are missing out on patients reaching out after hours. That’s where using a chatbot works,” says Vijay.
Having a process in place to give customers an incredible experience from their first to last interaction with you is one of the most important things you can do.
But if your process relies on human touches along the way, you’ll be missing out on giving customers that experience when they’re not online.
An online chatbot, one that uses AI technology, can help adapt to your customers’ needs and questions, and reply appropriately.
It means they’re not waiting until someone has the time to answer their questions before booking in, and that means a potential customer that may have been lost.
“That’s how I see we can be in the forefront of getting more patients coming through to us.”
“Focus on the patient experience early on. Not just giving a good experience in the chair.”
The Best Advice? Get an All-In-One Solution
Vijay recently made the switch to Thryv because it can provide him with everything he already does, plus everything he will need in the future.
“I know that Thryv can provide a place where I can interact with people on multiple social networks. I can update my Google, Facebook et cetera. So I think having one platform through which I can access all this in one place makes it easier.”
And he wants to give this piece of advice for anyone looking to expand their clinic, or start their own: “Focus on the patient experience early on. Not just giving a good experience in the chair, but also to be able to keep them updated.”
