13 High-ROI Dental Marketing Strategies to Thrive in 2022

Have you planned your dental marketing strategy for 2022?

If not, it’s time to put those marketing hats on and get started.

Now:

Your patients are craving for connection and don’t want to be bombarded with cheesy sales tactics.

So use your marketing strategy as a channel to communicate and build relationships with current and new patients.

How? In this blog post, I’m going to share 13 dental marketing strategies to implement into your 2022 strategy.

1. Implement “Marketing with Love” into your campaigns

When people hear “marketing,” they automatically think of the pushy car salesmen trying to get you to “buy, buy, buy” that run-down Honda (they would call it rustic and old-fashioned).

Marketing isn’t a sales pitch – to an extent. You do have to promote yourself and your services, but you can do so without coming off as a sleazy salesperson.

People are hungry for genuine connections. They want to buy from businesses whose values align with theirs.

This is what we call Marketing with Love. It’s empathizing with your patients, not their wallets.

Marketing with Love turns dental skeptics into raving, loyal patients.

When you’re planning your marketing campaigns:

• Think about the problems you solve for your patients.
• Put yourself in patients’ shoes. How are they feeling? Why aren’t they calling your office?
• Identify their barriers and obstacles.
• Create authentic, trust-building content.

Every piece of content you publish into the world should:

• Connect.
• Provide a value of service.
• Be generous.
• Be authentic.

Ultimately:

Think human, first. Little carrot, second.

2. Build and engage with your community

Be the inspiring leader in your local community. Really think about what they need. What valuable information can you share with them?

There are many ways to show your support:

• Reach out to local leaders and offer your services. You could provide free dental services or donate electric toothbrushes.
• Support your neighboring small businesses with cross-promotions or by tagging them on social media.
• Build up your connection with your industry networks.
• Start social campaigns and share your knowledge.

3. Blog consistently

We’re constantly bombarded with information overload on the internet.

It’s a lot to take in and it’s hard for people to decipher what’s true and what’s not.

Be their credible source and share the facts. Blog about it.

This benefits you in two ways:

• You’re building trust with your readers.
• People will continue to come back to your website, which Google loves.

Harmony Dental is an excellent example of using a blog to providing credible and quality content to their audience.

One of their top-visited blogs dives into a comprehensive overview of root canals … Opens in a new window to Harmony Dental’s website….

It talks about:

• Whether root canals are considered a dental emergency
• Why someone would need a root canal
• How to avoid getting a root canal
• How to get relief if you’re experiencing pain
• Why root canals are safe
• If root canals cause cancer
• Whether or not root canals are painful
• How much root canals cost
• Insurance coverage
• And so much more

This blog is so comprehensive, answering the top questions people have about root canals.

And guess what:

People are spending over 7 minutes reading it.

Stumped on what you should blog about?

Here are a couple of ideas to help get the creative juices flowing:

• Share your favorite healthy recipe and why it’s good for your teeth.
• Share your favorite exercise routines and explain the connection between oral and overall health.
• Answer the top 10-15 questions you hear from patients about a particular dental service.

When writing blogs, you want to think of terms of “evergreen” where the content you publish stays relevant long past the publication date.

Check out our blog about the importance of evergreen content (plus 7 more blog topic ideas!)

4. Start a social campaign

Now that practically everyone is working from home, they’re spending more time on social media.

Get a slice of the pie and post on social. But post engaging and valuable content.

This could be:

• Fun opinion posts (Would you rather go camping or glamping? Pumpkin spice: Yay or nay?).
• Informative, trustworthy articles.
• Videos of you and your team
• Giving shoutouts to local leaders and first responders.
• Tagging local businesses and sharing how amazing they are.
• Sharing photos of your patients and what you appreciate about them.

Having an active social media presence breathes life into your online presence, which will turn those followers into forever patients.

5. Make authentic videos

People crave authenticity. They’re sick and tired of being sold to. They’re savvy and can sniff a sales pitch a mile away.

Combat this by creating videos.

Videos featuring people build trust and familiarity.

And, it works:

• Social video generates 1200% more shares than text and image content combined. (SOURCE… Opens in a new window to Biteable.com…)
• Video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80%. (SOURCE… Opens in a new window to Unbounce.com…)

Now, if the very thought of putting yourself on camera makes you… sweaty, you could always be the one behind the camera while you get the rest of your team to amp it up.

It’s easier than you think.

Here are 5 quick tips for successful smartphone videos:

1. Wipe your lens (you’d be surprised how greasy those suckers get!).
2. Shoot horizontally, not vertically.
3. Try to shoot in a quiet area, if possible.
4. Make sure your device is charged.
5. Inexpensive video tools are your FRIENDS! Consider investing in a tripod/ring light combo like this one … Opens in a new window to Amazon… (pro results for less than $40!).

6. Do SEM and PPC ads

The Internet is littered with noise. It’s hard to put out your message and get others to see it.

One of the best ways to get your message heard is SEM ads or paid advertisements.

SEM ads are one of the most profitable marketing strategies to generate higher ROI. And they lead to more search visibility.

PPC visitors convert 50.6% more than organic search visitors. … Opens in a new window to digitalvidya.com… 

7. Use webchats and online booking widgets

People want instant gratification – especially when they spend the majority of their time online.

And they want their questions answered fast.

• Do you offer Invisalign?
• Do you have openings on Monday for a dental cleaning?
• Do you accept my insurance?
• How much does in-office teeth whitening cost?
• I need to make an appointment.

But here’s the kicker:

They don’t want to get on the phone to get those questions answered.

Give those potential leads what they want and use a webchat and online booking service.

This will turn those website visitors into customers. It shows potential patients you offer stellar customer service 24/7 by adapting to their every need.

8. Update your website’s messaging

This goes back to our first tip about Marketing with Love and empathizing with your community.

Communicate on your website how you help your patients overcome their barriers with dentistry.

• Did they recently lose their dental insurance? Talk about financing options and offer an in-house membership plan.
• Are they busy? Bring up all the conveniences you offer to make appointments efficient.
• Are they scared? Suffer from dental anxiety? Share how you make everyone comfortable.
• Are they embarrassed to smile? State how you’re going to help them smile again.

Update your website’s messaging based on your patients’ needs.

Here are some excellent examples of our current clients changing their website messaging:

Your dental website messaging is key to building patient trust.

If it’s not clearly communicating who you are as a practice, then you’re missing out on new patients.

Now:

If your website isn’t clearly communicating your core message and brand, it may be time to update your website. One of the most common questions we get from dental professionals is:

Should I invest in my website now or later?

Well, I’m handing this question over to Angela, our Client Services Director.

9. Update your Google My Business profile

Ok… I tried not to bring up the elephant in the room, but we can’t avoid it anymore:

COVID.

I know! Don’t shoot the messenger.

But, COVID is still on top of people’s minds.

Most likely:

You have a landing page on your website detailing how you’re keeping patients safe (if you don’t, do that RIGHT now).

But:

You can link to that page directly from your Google My Business profile. It’s another way to gain trust, get people on your website, and convert them to patients.

Side note: Make sure your hours, images, and phone number are all updated on your GMB profile. This will not only give people accurate information to contact you, but it helps your rankings as well.

10. Offer virtual consultations/teledentistry

People LOVE virtual consultations because of how convenient it is to get their smile questions answered without leaving their homes.

Not to mention:

It’s affordable!

And you’ll love it for many reasons:

• Many insurance providers are covering ADA Teledentistry codes as a covered service.
• You generate more leads in a HIPAA-compliant manner.
• You connect with more leads, reducing chairtime so you see more patients in a day.

There are many providers to implement virtual consultations into your practice. Here are our favorites:

• NexHealth … Opens in a new window to NexHealth.com…
• Doxy.me … Opens in a new window to Doxy.me…
• RevenueWell Virtual Visits … Opens in a new window to Revenuewell.com…

11. Implement a text marketing strategy

You most likely have a texting system that reminds current patients of appointments or to leave a review.

Sending a text message is giving you first-class access to your patients.

So, why not take it a step further?

Use it to share your knowledge and provide them with timely content.

• Share your blog posts.
• Send a video of yourself with an update on the dental office.
• Announce the launch of your in-house membership plan.
• Share you offer virtual consultations.

This is just another marketing channel to build trust and show you’re a generous leader in your community.

12. If you do paid ads, use retargeting

What is retargeting? Retargeting is a way to build brand awareness and reach your audience who’ve expressed interest in your office. When someone visits your website or social media profiles, that person will start seeing your paid ads as they browse online.

This is retargeting at work. It’s reminding people of your brand and message. Before someone makes a purchase, they need to hear your message at least 7 times. It’s an excellent marketing strategy to convert website visitors into patients.

It’s a crucial component for your Google and social ad campaigns.

13. Do a long launch marketing strategy

Do you offer a product or an educational course?

Put it online and create a long launch campaign around it.

This is an excellent way to create another source of income for your dental practice.

Once it’s set up and launched, it’ll sell itself over and over again – without your constant managing over it. You can focus on running your dental practice.

Simplify your marketing while connecting with patients

These 13 dental marketing strategies listed above will help grow your dental practice.

I covered a lot on what you need to do with your marketing:

• Blog
• Update your website
• Do ads
• Post on social media
• Make videos

That’s a lot on your plate when you’re already busy running a dental practice.

Now:

Imagine if you could post an entire week’s worth of content in under 10 minutes. 

Our subscription Weekly Coach will simplify your marketing by delivering 5 ready-to-go social posts, pre-written captions, and timely tips every week.