Tips to attract new patients

Tips-&-tricksSarah Barnard shares her top tips for attracting new patients to your practice.

Very often when I visit dental practices I get asked how to go about attracting new patients without spending too much money.

There are many low-cost ways in which you can do this and the best options for you will depend on your practice, its circumstances and your budget. Having said that, below are a few tips to get you thinking.

1. Good signage

It sounds obvious, but how visible is your practice? Many practices don’t have the right signage to, a) create the right image and b) be noticeable to passers-by on foot or in a car.

Take yourself 100 yards down your street and then walk up to and past your practice – is your signage visible enough?

2. Story telling

Engage with the local press and provide them with an interesting story and information about your practice and the service you are providing for your patients.

Make sure you are telling a story of how you’re helping your patients achieve a smile they always wanted. For example: ‘Janet was able to attend her son’s wedding and smile confidently because of the implants we provided for her.’

3. Website

If people are looking for a new dentist, a Google search is likely to be their first port of call.

An attractive, informative and benefits-driven website is essential in getting you noticed. After word of mouth, your website will be your most important marketing tool – make sure you invest in getting it right.

4. Networking

Make sure you have someone who is prepared to ‘get out there’ into your local community and tell your story.

Establish your presence and find out who the key influencers are. Make an effort to join their circles – business clubs, sports clubs, Chamber of Commerce etc. Many of these organisations hold regular meetings and events, and some quite often look for speakers – volunteering to put an interesting talk together on the health benefits of good dentistry could also get you in front of a few audiences.

5. Social media

A hard-working Facebook (and Twitter) page is a must for any practice wanting to spread the word.

Find the person in your practice who is most experienced in social media and ask them to head up your social media activity. But make sure you concentrate on providing engaging and relevant content, not just a stream of adverts for your practice.

6. Open days

An open day is a great way of getting a number of potential new patients into your practice in a short space of time.

You can publicise it through your social media channels, the local press and via your network. But make sure you think about what you want to happen on the day – demonstrations, presentations, tour of the practice, meet the team, etc. The day needs to have structure and a clearly defined set of outcomes.

7. Incentives

Everyone likes a good deal. Why should potential patients give your practice a chance? Think about low-cost, but high-perceived value ways in which you could incentivise patients into your practice.

For instance, you might be able to buy an electric toothbrush from the trade for £20 – but in the high street stores it would retail for nearer £90. You could run a promotion (make sure it’s time-based) offering a new electric toothbrush worth £90 for each new patient that has an initial health check and joins the practice.


For more information visit www.practiceplan.co.uk.

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