Perfect dental marketing strategies would allow you to know exactly what your dental patients are thinking about your dental practice on any given day.

Unfortunately, dental marketing doesn’t work this way, so you’ve got to use the right marketing resources to reach more dental patients.

In 2012, The Wealthy Dentist researched and reported on a variety of dental marketing ideas to help dentists get the most from their dental marketing efforts.

Here are the top 5 dental marketing strategies dentists responded to in 2012 in order of popularity –

1. Best Dental Marketing Vectors
Many dentists believe that word-of-mouth referrals are the best way to secure new dental patients while ignoring the dental marketing opportunities presented by engaging in social media. Dentists are further challenged by where to allocate their limited marketing resources in order to see a quality return on investment –be it for time, money, or both. But there is great opportunity in the use of social media to attract and engage new dental patients. The Wealthy Dentist offered advice on the best dental marketing vectors for dentists.

2. Dental Marketing with Facebook
Many dentists worry about the number of Facebook followers when they really should be worrying whether their followers are reading and enjoying what they are posting on Facebook. The difference between Facebook and other dental marketing efforts is that a dental practice needs to invest a little bit of time on Facebook. This small amount of extra time can go a long way and can even provide a rewarding experience as dental patients begin to provide feedback and communicate directly with a dental practice. The Wealthy Dentist offered suggestions on how to use Facebook for dental marketing.

3. What To Share on Social Media
Utilizing various social media sites as part of an effective Internet dental marketing plan will provide a dentist with the ability to connect with potential dental patients directly. A dental practice’s online presence is more than putting up a dental website and having a local Google business listing; it’s about being transparent and connecting with the community on a more personal level. The Wealthy Dentist informed dentists on the best information to share on social media.

4. Avoiding Negative Online Reviews
Dealing with a negative online review can be a nightmare for many dentists because one poorly executed response can hurt years of dental marketing efforts. Many dentists learned that the better prepared a dental practice is on how to handle a negative review, the less likely the dentist is to blow what could be a dental marketing opportunity. Yes, negative online reviews can be a dental marketing opportunity. The Wealthy Dentist showed dentists how to turn a negative online review into a positive dental marketing opportunity.

5. Dental Video Marketing
Reports revealed that video appears in around 70% of the top Google search listings, thus dentists began looking into creating dental videos. This was a smart move by dentists as dental videos are an easy way to gain attention for your dental practice and beat your competition in search results. When it comes to Internet dental marketing, there is no better investment than web videos. The Wealthy Dentist revealed the best ways to use dental video marketing.

So there you have the dental marketing strategies dentists valued most in 2012.

What were your favorite dental marketing strategies for 2012? What worked and didn’t work for your dental practice?

Leave us a comment and let us know!