Dental marketing for your practice can be the answer to obtaining more new dental patients, if you use dental marketing tools correctly.

In the past, many dentists relied solely on their good reputations to attract new patients over utilizing proven business marketing strategies.

That was before patients began paying more out of pocket for dental treatments and started using the Internet to research dental care costs and services.

In today’s technology driven environment, now more than ever, it’s important for dentists to employ proven dental marketing tools and use them correctly.

Here are 7 common dental marketing mistakes to avoid —

1. Not asking for referrals or testimonials from current dental patients.
Referrals from dental patients can help build your loyal patient base and make your current patients feel like they are a part of your dental practice. Create an incentive program like “free teeth cleaning” for each referral. Think about putting a referral request statement at the bottom of all your emails, correspondence and business cards.

Something like: “We value patient referrals. If you know of anyone who would benefit from our services, please let us know.”

2. Not using your office phone as a marketing tool.
Do you ever have your office staff call dental patients after their dental appointment to see how satisfied they were with their dental visit? If a patient calls and is concerned about costs, does your staff offer up payment plan suggestions over the phone?

Does your office voice mail briefly let callers know what specials you may be running or what new treatments you might be offering? If your office is calling patients to confirm their appointments are they letting patients know about new services you are providing or a special you might be offering them because they are a valued patient?

Your dental practice phone system can be an effective dental marketing tool for providing information, re-connecting with patients and marketing your dental treatments.

3. Not making sure your dental website is geo-targeted and keyword rich.
More and more prospective dental patients use mobile devices such as iPhones, Smart phones, iPads and tablet PCs to find information about the dentists in their area. That means dental websites are more important than ever as a dental marketing tool.

Your dental practice website needs to have local keywords and that best reflect your geographical market.

4. Not having a front desk system in place for dealing with patients.
As many as 50% of dental patients can be lost at the front desk. Does your staff greet patients right away? Is your front office organized, bright and welcoming?

Do your walls have patient testimonials and before and after photos? Is there anything in the reception area that informs and educates your dental patients on all the treatments and payment plans that your dental practice offers?

Turn your waiting area into a dental marketing area!

5. Not having an effective outdoor marketing.
Great dental office signage that can bee seen by people driving by your practice offers dentists the ability to speak to those potential patients when their practice is closed. The front of a dental practice is the first impression a client may have of a business.

It is important to portray an appearance of professionalism with fresh paint, clean windows and an entrance that is inviting to a new patient. Dentists should utilize front windows by displaying dental treatment advertising and a an office phone number big enough for people to read while walking by, or from across the street.

Use the front of your building to reach out to new dental patients.

6. Having a dental sign that can’t be seen from a distance, or at night.
When deciding on a dental office sign, sometimes dentists don’t think about optimal letter size, fonts that are easy to see along with plenty of negative space for readability at various distances.

These considerations help make sure that passers-by can read your message. It’s also important to have the sign well lit at night so that your sign is working for your dental practice 24/7.

Is your dental sign effectively working for your dental practice?

7. No email list or dental patient follow-up plan.
Existing dental patients are an excellent source for creating additional revenue for your practice. Utilizing email marketing helps your dental practice inform patients of the services you offer, educate them on proper oral health, remind them of special promotions, and can make it easy to ask for referrals.

Keep reminding your patients of the services you offer and let them know how valuable they are to your dental practice.

The good news is that dentists don’t have to keep making these kind of dental marketing mistakes. The Wealthy Dentist offers dental marketing strategies and management training programs.

With video tutorials, slide-shows, and full supporting content, these training modules can enhance your own dental marketing, management, and continuing dental education.

Visit thewealthydentist.com/dental-marketing-tips-tools-ideas.htm for details about these latest dental marketing tools.

What dental marketing mistakes have you made?  Let us know in the comments.