The Purpose of this Guide for Dental Marketing
Marketing your dental practice can be challenging without expertise.
This guide empowers dentists to make informed marketing decisions.
By the end, you’ll:
- find knowledge you need to choose an agency, strategy, or to handle it in-house.
- Understand various marketing techniques, their benefits, and drawbacks.
- Learn how to select the right approach for your practice.
- Confidently navigate dental marketing complexities.
Why Marketing is Crucial for Dental Practices
Studies show that 77% of patients research a healthcare provider online before making an appointment, highlighting the importance of a strong online presence.
Practices that invest in effective marketing strategies can see a substantial increase in patient inquiries, with some reporting up to a 50% rise in new patient appointments within the first year of implementing a comprehensive marketing plan.
Additionally, dental practices that actively manage their online reviews and reputation can see an increase in patient retention by 25% to 30%.
Dental marketing isn’t just an option—it’s a critical investment that can yield measurable results, driving both new patient acquisition and long-term practice growth.
Making the Right Marketing Choices
Assessing Your Practice’s Unique Needs
To determine if your dental clinic has a marketing problem, start by measuring key performance indicators (KPIs). These metrics help identify where your marketing efforts might be lacking and where improvements are needed to better attract and retain patients.
- Track New Patient Acquisition Rates: Monitor the number of new patients each month. A decline could indicate a need for improved outreach.
- Monitor Patient Retention Rates: Assess how many patients return for follow-ups. Low retention may signal issues with patient satisfaction or engagement.
- Analyze Website Traffic and Conversion Rates: Evaluate website visitors and appointment bookings. A high bounce rate or low conversion rate may suggest ineffective online marketing.
- Track the Source of New Patients: Identify how new patients found your practice. You can also identify which sources bring the highest paying patients.
- Review Online Reviews: Check the number and quality of reviews on Google or Yelp. A decrease in positive reviews could indicate problems with patient experience.
- Evaluate Social Media Engagement: Track likes, shares, comments, and follows. Low engagement may suggest your content isn’t resonating with your audience.
- Measure ROI on Marketing Campaigns: Compare marketing costs with revenue from new patients. Consistently low ROI may mean it’s time to re-evaluate your strategies.
Budgeting for Your Dental Marketing Efforts
Deciding how much budget to allocate for marketing depends on your practice’s goals and size.
Typically, dental practices allocate 5-10% of their gross revenue to marketing.
If you’re a new practice looking to build awareness, consider budgeting closer to 10% or more. Established practices focused on patient retention might allocate around 5%. Higher percentages are often necessary for practices in competitive areas or those aiming to rapidly expand.
For example, if your annual revenue is $500,000
- 5% budget = $25,000;
- 10% budget = $50,000.
Consider which past marketing efforts were most effective. Allocate more to channels that drove significant patient engagement. Reduce budgets for underperforming campaigns and redirect funds to more successful strategies.
1 Avatar, 1 Channel, 1 Product
“1 Avatar, 1 Channel, 1 Product” is a streamlined strategy for maximizing impact. It works best when launching a new service, entering a competitive market, or with limited resources.
By focusing on one specific customer, the most effective channel, and one service / product, you can quickly build traction and achieve measurable results.
Key Components:
- 1 Avatar: Identify your ideal customer. Consider demographics, job occupation, needs, pain points, and desires.
- 1 Channel: The most effective platform to reach this customer. Social Media, email, or local SEO. etc.
- 1 Product: The service or product that directly solves their problem.
This approach reduces wasted resources, improves efficiency, and boosts conversion chances, making it a powerful tactic for focused marketing efforts.
Tracking and Measuring Success
How do you define the success of a marketing campaign?
To determine if your marketing campaign is successful, start by calculating two key metrics:
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) = Total Marketing Spend / Number of New Patients Acquired.
- Example: If you spend $5,000 on a campaign and gain 25 new patients, your CAC is $200 per patient.
- Lifetime Gross Profit (LTGP) = Average Revenue per Patient – Average Cost of Treatment per Patient.
- Example: If a patient generates $2,000 in revenue over their lifetime and the cost to treat them is $500, your LTGP is $1,500.
- LTGP : CAC Ratio = Divide LTGP by CAC = $1500 / $200 = 7.5 : 1
Ideally, your LTGP should be at least 3 to 5 times higher than your CAC.
In this example, the ratio is 7.5:1, which indicates a highly profitable campaign. This means you can confidently invest more in the same marketing strategies and channels, expecting greater profitability.
Regularly tracking this ratio ensures that every dollar spent on acquiring a patient yields significantly more in return, helping your practice achieve strong, sustainable profits through effective marketing investments.
Also track before/after changes in new patient growth, retention, website traffic, and conversion rates to fully measure your marketing campaign’s success.
Maximizing Dental Marketing Success with Cross-KPI Analysis
Tracking and analyzing cross-KPIs is crucial for dental practices that want to improve their marketing. By looking at different metrics together, you get a clearer picture of how well your marketing is working.
This helps you make smart decisions that attract more patients, keep them coming back, and boost your practice’s profits. Here are some valuable cross-KPIs to track before and after campaigns:
% New Patient Inquiries / Brand Searches: Determine if increased brand awareness is translating into actual patient interest.
% Appointments from Website / Website Visits: Assess whether higher website visits are leading to more scheduled appointments.
% Website Visits from Social Media / Social Media Followers: Measure if social media interactions are effectively driving traffic to your website.
$ New Patients from Ads / Ad Spend: Evaluate if increased advertising budgets are resulting in a proportional increase in new patients.
Using these cross-KPIs helps your practice identify the most effective marketing strategies, ensuring a better return on investment and sustainable growth.
Key Marketing Strategies for Dentists
1. Local SEO: Your Practice’s Online Visibility
Local SEO helps your dental practice stand out when people nearby search for a dentist online. For example, if someone in your area types “dentist near me” into Google. If your local SEO is strong, your practice could appear in the local pack—the top 3 results shown with a map on Google.
This is crucial because 44% of people click on a result from the local pack, meaning if you’re listed there, you’re much more likely to attract new patients.
The benefits also include increased website visits and more patients coming to your practice.
To improve your chances of appearing in the local pack, start by optimizing your Google Business Profile (ex. Google My Business):
- Add accurate and consistent details like your hours, categories, address, phone number, services.
- Add 100+ real photos (no stock photos).
- Encourage happy patients to leave positive reviews, which can boost your ranking.
KPIs to Track: Local search rankings, number of new patients from internet searches.
2. SEO for Dentists: Content Marketing to Educate Patients
By creating valuable content—like blog posts, videos, and FAQs—you can answer common patient questions and provide useful dental advice.
This not only helps educate your audience but also improves your website’s search engine ranking, making it easier for people to find you online.
For example, writing a blog post on “How to Choose the Right Dentist” can attract visitors searching for that topic, boosting your visibility in search results.
The key to success is regularly updating your website with fresh, relevant content that addresses your patients’ needs and concerns.
Additionally, using the right keywords—like “best dentist in [your city]” or “dental care tips”—throughout your content helps search engines understand what your site is about, further improving your SEO.
KPIs to Track: Ranking for targeted keywords, website traffic growth, time on content pages, leads generated.
3. Social Media Dentist: Connecting with Your Community
Social media marketing is crucial for dentists to connect with their community and enhance their online presence. Different platforms offer unique benefits:
- Facebook: Ideal for reaching older adults.
- LinkedIn: Great for connecting with insured patients.
- TikTok: Perfect for engaging younger generations.
Engage your audience by:
- Sharing updates, patient success stories, and dental tips.
- Creating educational content, like a quick video on “How to Brush Properly,” to position yourself as a trusted dental expert.
TikTokification refers to the trend where major social media platforms now use algorithms similar to TikTok’s. This means content can go viral based on interest and engagement, not just follower count.
This “TikTokification” allows you to:
- Test different organic posts to see which resonate most.
- Repurpose high-performing or viral content as paid ads to maximize campaign effectiveness.
Additionally, responding to comments and messages builds a sense of community and trust.
KPIs to Track: Engagement rates, follower growth, website visits and patients inquiries from social media.
4. Email Marketing for Dentists: Build Long-Term Relationships
Email marketing for dentists is a powerful tool for building and maintaining long-term relationships with your patients. By sending regular emails with valuable content, you keep your practice top-of-mind and nurture trust and loyalty.
This consistent communication encourages patients to return for future appointments.
Types of Emails You Can Send:
- Automatic Appointment Reminders: Help patients stay on track with their dental care.
- Custom Dental Care Tips: Provide useful advice to maintain oral health.
- Monthly Newsletters: Share practice updates, patient success stories, and general oral information.
- Special Offers and Promotions: Incentivize patients to book their next visit.
- Birthday or Holiday Greetings: Personalize connection with patients through thoughtful messages.
Segmentation allows you to tailor messages based on patient needs, ensuring each email is relevant and personalized. For example:
- Pediatric Patients/Parents: Send tips on children’s oral health and reminders for regular check-ups.
- Periodontal Patients: Provide follow-up care advice and information on maintaining gum health.
- Cosmetic Dentistry Patients: Offer maintenance tips for procedures like teeth whitening and updates on new cosmetic services.
- Orthodontic Patients: Share progress reminders and tips on caring for braces or aligners.
By focusing on email marketing and segmentation, you can strengthen patient relationships, improve retention rates, and drive consistent growth for your dental practice.
KPIs to Track: Open rates, click-through rates, patient retention.
5. Dental Ads: Reach the Right Audience Quickly
Paid ads are a powerful way to attract more patients and boost your dental practice’s visibility. There are two main types of dental ads:
- Google Ads, just like SEO, target people actively searching for a dentist or specific dental solutions to appear at the top of search results without waiting to rank organically. Keyword research helps you find the best opportunities to target relevant search terms.
- Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram) interrupt users while they scroll through their feeds, raising awareness among potential patients who may not be actively searching but could be interested.
Some other tips:
- A well-optimized landing page with a good conversion rate typically ranging between 3% to 5%.
- For both platforms, a minimum daily ad spend of $20 to $30 is recommended to gather enough data and see significant results.
- It’s important to create 3 to 5 ad creatives to test what resonates best with your audience.
KPIs to Track: Cost per acquisition (CPA), click-through rate (CTR), landing page conversion rate.
6. Dental Affiliate Marketing: Boost Recommendations
Dental affiliate marketing is a powerful way to grow your practice by partnering with local businesses offering complementary services. The best affiliates align with dental care, allowing for seamless cross-promotion and referrals.
Effective Affiliate Partners:
- Pharmacies: Cross-promote dental hygiene products and offer special deals to referred patients.
- Pediatricians: Collaborate to provide comprehensive care for children, referring families.
- Dermatologists: Combine skin treatments with cosmetic dental procedures like teeth whitening.
- Nutritionists: Emphasize the link between diet and oral health through joint sessions or promotions.
- Chiropractors: Promote overall health, focusing on how dental care impacts posture.
How to Do It:
- Identify Potential Partners: Seek local businesses that complement dental care.
- Propose a Collaboration: Suggest a partnership that benefits both practices through referrals.
- Offer Incentives: Provide discounts, commissions, or complimentary services for referred patients.
- Promote the Partnership: Feature your affiliates in your marketing and encourage them to do the same.
By forming these strategic partnerships, you can increase referrals, enhance your reputation, and strengthen your practice’s community presence.
KPIs to Track: Number of patients from referrals, referral conversion rate.
In-House Marketing or Hiring a Marketing Agency?
Pros and Cons of In-House Marketing
| In-House Marketing | Marketing Agency |
|---|---|
| Pros: – Direct control over strategy and execution – Cost-effective; no agency fees – Deep understanding of brand | Pros: – Access to specialized skills and expertise – Scalable with advanced tools and resources – Frees up time for core practice activities |
| Cons: – Limited expertise in advanced techniques – Time-consuming; can distract from dental duties – Requires investment in tools and training | Cons: – Higher cost due to agency fees – Less direct control over execution – Communication delays compared to in-house teams |
When to Consider Hiring a Marketing Agency
1) Do you have a budget of at least $500-$5,000 per month for marketing?
- Yes: Continue to next step.
- No: In-house marketing is recommended due to cost constraints.
2) Do you or your team have experience in digital marketing (SEO, PPC, social media)?
- Yes: Consider in-house marketing.
- No: Consider hiring an agency for specialized skills.
3) Can you or your team dedicate significant time to marketing without neglecting patient care?
- Yes: In-house marketing might work if the expertise is there.
- No: An agency can help you save time and focus on your practice.
4) Are you looking to scale your practice quickly with advanced marketing strategies?
- Yes: An agency might provide the expertise and speed you need.
- No: In-house marketing may be sufficient for steady growth.
Alex Hormozi's Strategy to Hire a Marketing Agency
Who is Alex Hormozi
Alex Hormozi is a highly successful entrepreneur, having scaled multiple businesses to over $100 million in cumulative revenue by his early 30s. Known for his practical, data-driven strategies, he’s built a reputation for helping businesses grow rapidly and sustainably.
His approach to social media marketing has been proven effective.
In less than two years:
- his Instagram account grew from under 100,000 followers to over 1.5 million followers (Now 2.8M).
- His YouTube channel also experienced rapid growth, jumping from around 50,000 subscribers to over 1 million in a similar timeframe (now 2.61M).
Steps to Implement the Strategy
- Begin by hiring a marketing agency for 6 Months:
- This gives you immediate access to professional expertise and advanced marketing strategies.
- Ensure that the contract includes a learning component where your team is involved in the process and has access to the strategies and tools being used.
- Learn and Document Processes:
- During the 6-month period, have your team actively learn from the agency.
- They should document all processes, strategies, and tools the agency uses, from campaign setup to analytics and optimization.
- Transition to In-House Marketing:
- After 6 months, transition the marketing responsibilities to your in-house team.
- Apply the knowledge and processes your team has learned to continue and refine the marketing efforts.
- Ask and pay for additional consultancy if needed to help the transition.
This strategy allows your practice to start strong with expert guidance, while ensuring that your team gains the skills needed to sustain and grow your dental marketing efforts independently.
How to Choose the Right Marketing Partner
Begin with researching agencies that specialize in the dental industry with a proven track record in the key marketing strategies mentioned above.
Start by seeking recommendations from other collegaues, reading online reviews, and examining case studies that showcase their success with similar businesses.
Once you’ve identified potential partners, follow this decision tree to decide whether to hire them:
- Does the agency have specific experience in dentist marketing?
- Yes: Continue to the next step.
- No: Consider other agencies with relevant experience.
- Does the agency offer clear communication and regular performance reporting?
- Yes: Move forward in the selection process.
- No: Consider agencies that prioritize transparency.
- Are they willing to agree to a 6-month trial period with consultations included in the contract?
- Yes: Schedule a consultation and consider moving forward.
- No: Look for a partner who is flexible and willing to accommodate this trial period.
With this process, you can choose a dental marketing partner that is well-suited to drive your success.
Case Study: Dental Marketing in Action
In late 2019, a dental practice in Italy, established in 2014 and specializing in dental implants, struggled with growth.
The practice had no online presence, no website traffic, and no patients from the internet—relying solely on word of mouth and the local neighborhood.
To address this, we optimized the website and focused on SEO and Local SEO, targeting key phrases like “dentist + [local area]” and creating specific SEO pages.
The results were remarkable. New patient grew from 13 per month to 76 in 2022 and 81 in 2023.
Annual revenue tripled!
The website became a passive lead generation machine, consistently bringing in new patients, while the practice became one of the most well-reviewed in Italy.
The dentist, thrilled with the success, referred me widely, and I became his trusted consultant. This experience underscored the effectiveness of SEO, particularly Local SEO, as a fast and powerful dental marketing strategy.
Moving forward, the focus is to keep on enhancing SEO for high-paying treatments and using Google Ads and new strategies to further boost growth.
