Maniac Dispatch: How to Increase New Dental Patients

Welcome to another edition of Maniac Dispatch! Today’s topic is dental marketing. What’s working right now in the dental industry? Let’s get right to it!

Here’s what I have been able to gather by talking to our results manager (who tracks our clients’ campaigns) and looking through our database…

When analyzing the campaigns of our successful dental clients, we identified 4 elements that were consistent across all of them. These are what we call “successful actions” (clever, I know). We were also able to confirm two successful models for mailing lists and nine successful offers. Let’s tuck in and begin with the successful design actions.

Successful Design Actions:

1. Campaign success VERY sensitive to offer

The biggest factor in a successful dental marketing campaign is the offer. This came up over and over again in every successful campaign. Unless your offer knocks their socks off (or their teeth out), they won’t be calling you. See below for examples of offers that got the job done.

2. Offer printed on front and back of card

Since your offer is of paramount importance — it needs to be easy to locate! We’re talking immediately visible, not matter where on the cad you’re looking. We found cards with the offer printed on both sides performed better than one-sided acts.

3. Picture of Dentist and Bio

When deciding who gets to root around in their mouth with sharp tools, people are understandably drawn to professionals who they feel comfortable with. Cards with a picture of the dentist and a short bio outperformed those without them. Don’t be afraid to get a little personal!

4. Three step communication layout

What is this? It means the card was laid out in such a way that the prospect was led through the copy (words) in the following order:

I’m a dentist!
Here is my offer
Here is my picture and bio

Make it clear what you do. Make it clear what you’re offering. Tell them about yourself. It’s not rocket science, but it is incredibly important to your response rate.

Mailing Lists and Offers

When it comes to mailing lists, we found two successful paths: targeting your immediate area, and targeting high end customers. The best option is the first one. We recommend targeting every address within a ten-mile radius with an income of over $35,000. This brings in a lot more patients.

The other option is to target high end work. To do this you would get a list of homes valued at 400,000 or more where the residents are 55 years old or older. This is good if you are just looking for a few big-money patients.

Almost done! Here is a list of the nine most successful offers we’ve tracked. Pick one that fits your practice and watch people respond. It’s a beautiful thing!