13 Ways to improve your dental advertising and get new patients

Dental marketing strategies have changed drastically over the last several years.

There was a time when direct mailers, word-of-mouth and bus stop billboards were enough to attract new patients. But, as over 90% of the population turns to their smartphones and laptops to find information, dentistry must adopt a digital-first marketing approach.

If dental practices want to attract potential patients and convert them into new patients, they need innovative ways to improve dental advertising.

The following 13 dental marketing ideas can help improve your online presence, expand your dental practice and increase profits.

1. Get to know your target audience

Before you put any effort into developing a digital marketing strategy, you must know your target audience. Think of these people as your ideal dental patients.

Are they families with young children? If so, develop a persona based on a parent in their late 30s with three kids under 13. What is essential to a parent of three? Most likely a kid-friendly environment with reasonable dental fees.

It’s essential to note that you can create multiple personas if you serve several demographics. These personas will guide your marketing, so you can more easily reach multiple target audiences and turn them into new patients.

2. Invest in Facebook ads

Facebook ads can increase local awareness of your dental practice. You can target prospective patients using your target audience and narrow it even further by geographic location, relationship status, income and other interests based on Facebook profiles.

Local Facebook Awareness ads are an excellent way to share details about your dental practice, like hours of operation and a map with a pin drop on the exact location of your dental office.

Facebook even allows you to include a call to action (CTA) button to encourage phone calls or online bookings.

Lastly, you can choose where to display your Facebook ads, like the regular desktop feed, mobile feed, messenger, Instagram and more.

3. Improve search ranking with Google Ads

Google Ads use a pay-per-click (PPC) model — you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, making them highly cost-effective. Google Ads are designed to help your dental website appear at the top or on the right of the page when someone uses search terms related to dentistry.

For example, your ad should appear if someone types in a keyword like “new dentist” and you’ve bid on that keyword.

However, you aren’t guaranteed the top spot on page one just because you bid on specific keywords. If other dentists in your local area are bidding on the exact keywords, you need to outbid them.

4. Get on board with video ads

It’s always best to test the creative content that works best for your audience. But, thanks to the popularity of social media channels like TikTok and YouTube, short video ads have proven to perform well and receive higher click-through rates than other types of ads.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with short videos of actual patients from your dental practice. You can ask patients to record their testimonials and use them in video marketing or social media posts.

Because video ads of this nature are personal, they help build rapport and trust with potential patients.

5. Take advantage of email marketing

Email marketing is one of the top-rated ways to keep in touch with current patients and build relationships with potential patients. It’s essentially free, and there are endless ideas for email campaigns and newsletter content you can send to your email list, such as:

• A seasonal promotion on teeth whitening
• Welcoming new staff members
• Updated office hours
• A new dental service you now offer, like implants
• A series of educational emails during dental health month on something like how to prevent gingivitis

The great thing about email marketing is that, unlike social media marketing, the people on your email list will see your emails, and it’s a great reminder to book a check-up!

Campaign software like Broadly can make sending consistent email campaigns easy thanks to industry-specific email templates.

6. Re-target website visitors

The best time to show up in front of a prospective patient is when they’ve recently visited your website or interacted with one of your social media platforms.

It shows they are interested since they were looking at dental care options. Gently prodding them with a retargeting ad can jog their memory or redirect them back to your website if they get distracted (it happens!).

You can even re-target people who joined your email list because they might just need that sign from the universe to book a dentist appointment.

7. Improve your online reputation with positive reviews

Over 40% of Americans choose a dentist based on positive Google reviews. This means generating online reviews on third-party sites like Google, Facebook and Yelp is an excellent way to improve your online reputation and attract new patients.

Online reputation management software like Broadly can automate this marketing tactic so you can manage patient reviews on Facebook and Google without spending all your time on the Internet.

8. Invest in search engine optimization (SEO)

When someone does a Google search, you want your dental website to appear as close to the top of page one as possible. This is critical to grow your dental practice as most internet searchers rarely click past the first page.

One of the most significant things you can do to improve your dental advertising is to include SEO in your marketing plan. It’s a complex strategy, so you should check out this article on simplifying local SEO to get maximum ranking results.

9. Start a referral program

A referral program is an effective marketing strategy to create social proof and build trust with prospective patients. It speaks volumes about the quality of your dental practice if current patients are so happy with the service that they’re willing to share their experience with friends and family.

Offering a referral bonus is a great way to show appreciation. It’s a win-win as you gain new patients and reward your current patients for the referral.

10. Complement your online marketing efforts with a direct mail campaign

Direct mail campaigns might feel old school, but a well-timed campaign can help to boost your online marketing efforts. According to marketing expert Neil Patel, direct mail has a decent return on investment (ROI) with an average response rate of 5.3%.

Direct mail can increase website traffic when combined with your digital marketing strategies. Remember to include a CTA like a scannable QR code to make it easier for prospects to navigate to your website.

11. Sponsor a local recreational sports team and attend local events

Getting out in your local community is an excellent way to spread the word about your dental practice. Meeting people in person is the real-life version of dental SEO.

Sponsoring a local recreational sports team shows you care about your community. It’s also a great opportunity to get your dental practice logo strategically placed on jerseys and other promotional materials.

Remember your business cards when you head out to local events. Modernize your traditional cards with a QR code that directs people back to your dental website.

12. Send appointment reminders

Missed appointments are no fun for anyone. It can mess with the schedule of your dental office, and patients can get frustrated when they have to wait for the next available time slot for a service they need to receive.

Sending out appointment reminders via SMS text or email can reduce the number of no-shows. Include an option for rescheduling or canceling appointments, which allows your staff to manage the calendar. It also provides a better patient experience. Always send reminders at a suitable time, not five minutes before an appointment!

You can also use appointment reminders to encourage dental patients to book their next check-up. Streamlining this process with a consolidated Inbox helps your entire team manage customer communications seamlessly.

13. Track analytics to improve your dental practice advertising

It is impossible to know how your marketing campaigns are working if you don’t track the data.

A Dashboard like Broadly is designed to help small businesses track and monitor business performance. It can help your dental practice determine what’s working and where to focus more of your budget and effort. It sure beats guessing!

Manage your dental advertising and reputation management with Broadly

Keeping up with all the online and offline marketing strategies can be overwhelming, especially when you have a dental practice to manage.

If you’re dedicated to improving your dental marketing advertising, a marketing solution like Broadly will help streamline your efforts.

Broadly has a full suite of marketing tools designed to make your life easier, from Reputation Management Software to email Campaigns and Dashboard, where you can gain key insights about your marketing campaigns.

Are you ready to easily send appointment reminders and improve your local SEO with patient reviews?