http://www.susankettererconsulting.com
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For starters having a complete list of every dentist and physician who could make patient referrals is essential if you want to grow your dental practice. Even when you have a full schedule you still need to market. Take advantage of your full schedule to attract the next level of treatment or patients for your practice. Yes, marketing when you have a full schedule! This will allow you to work smarter not harder and produce more with less. Do you want to be a high volume or high quality office?
Set a new patient goal! How many new patient s do you want to see per month? Block your schedule to accommodate for your numbers.
It is important to market your practice Externally. External marketing reaches beyond what you or your practice is all about.
Top 17 tips to Externally Market Your Dental Practice
1. Be outgoing: When you meet other dentists and physicians at professional meetings or socially, introduce yourself. Develop a habit of being the first to say hello. When you meet someone, establish eye contact and smile. Be interested in what is going on in the practices of other health care professionals. Ask open-ended questions about the latest research or procedures. Don’t interrupt. Listen. The better you understand another health care practitioner’s concerns and challenges, the better you can relate to that individual. When you do speak, get to the point. Be concise. Be prepared to tell others about your dental practice in a few short sentences. When you speak about your dental practice, especially how you handle referred patients, do not over promise. It is far better to under promise and over deliver than come up short. When dealing with referring dentists and physicians, be enthusiastic and upbeat. It not only makes you more memorable, but it also makes you more likable. Upbeat individuals tend to attract others. In contrast, no one wants to be around negative people. Compliment referring dentists and physicians. Be sincere, but remember that all people appreciate being appreciated. When you receive a patient referral, there is often an opportunity to acknowledge that a good diagnosis was made. Make a real effort to remember names. People love to hear the sound of their own name. Exhibit positive body language by leaning forward while maintaining a proper distance. Once you have met a potential referring dentist or physician, don’t let him or her forget you. Keep in regular contact. The easiest way to do this on a systematic basis is by sending them a copy of your newsletter
2. Learn about the referring Dr.’s: Everyone likes to be recognized and your referring dentists and physicians are no exception. Reaching out to them and/or their family will earn you high marks and improve your relationship.
3. Remember Birthdays of referring Dr.’s send a personal gift or card with a personal message
4. Dr. lunches. Take them out to a lunch where they we like to eat not where you would like to eat.
5. Small group activities (such as golf)
6. Offer certifications OSHA, HIPAA, or CPR certifications for free to referring offices
7. Have training to referring offices regarding all procedures offered as well as the referring process.
8. Offer Continuing Educational programs they can earn Credits for re-certification
9. Study clubs: Form a power group of referring Dr.’s and specialists to collaborate and larger or more difficult cases.
10. Marketing deliveries handled by third party (Mrs. Fields etc.)
11. Gifts: Drug Information Handbook for Dentistry, comprehensive list of pharmacies in the area, blood pressure cuff, pens or mugs with your name and logo etc.
12. Newsletters: At the very least, dental specialists need to have an ongoing communications program that reminds referring dentists and physicians about their competency. In the world we live in, if you are “out of sight,” you become “out of mind.”
We have found that one of the best ways to maintain “high visibility” while demonstrating your competency is to provide digests of recent journal articles in your field. If you have the time, you can do this yourself by regularly preparing summaries and mailing them to your referral sources.
A newsletter can help define your image, build your reputation and provide useful information to your referring dentists and physicians.
13. Study clubs: Form a power group of referring Dr.’s and specialists to collaborate on larger or more difficult cases, or join one.
13. Web page: Make sure you have a web presence!
14. Blog– email to patients, On line presence with quality content.
15. Dental Marketing for referrals: track, and follow up with a thank you and give inforation back to them about treatment.
16.Event marketing: chamber of commerce invite them to office (and ask them to promote event), have door prize to collect email addresses to send your newsletter, use Facebook and LinkedIn Events to invite your contacts; invite your favorite patients as live testimonials. (TV, radio, etc.)
17. Social Media
a. Facebook– Great for engagement beyond your current patients with the ability to create Modern word of mouth. If you have a patient bragging about your office it will automatically
b. LinkedIn– Professional
c. Twitter
d. Pinterest
e. Instagram
f. Google+
Stay tuned for part II Internal Marketing for your Dental Practice! As always, unless you take some of these ideas and put them to use right away they will not help you. I challenge you to pick your top 3 and make an action plan to implement today!
I am currently booking dates for in office consulting via virtual or I can travel to you. Hire me to spice up your next routine monthly team meeting or to offer a course to your local dental colleagues for marketing exposure.
Call me today I am ready to Inspire*challenge*educate*!
Susan Ketterer Consulting 