Obtaining practice growth through nurturing relationships

with your existing patients

Struggle

Dental Challenges

1. Increased competition (locally and overseas)2. Corporates and insurance providers.3. Oversupply of dentists4. Ever-rising practice operating costs5. More marketing-savvy patients.6. Potential patients are more discerning. 7. Overseas dentistry

Marketing Challenges

• Marketing companies constantly calling. • Well-meaning people offering advice.• Marketing is constantly evolving and it is

impossible to keep up.• You want to focus on running your practice.

3 Main Problems

Today’s presentation1. Marketing basics

– Your ‘why’– Your ideal patient– Your numbers

2. Marketing is everything – Internal vs. external marketing

3. Existing patient retention– Techniques – Best practice

4. Time for questions

Carolyn S Dean

• Passionate about educating dentists in smart ways to use dental marketing.

• Tired of speaking to dentists who have wasted time, money and effort on marketing

Carolyn S Dean

• Managing Director - My Dental Marketing

• Over 20 years marketing & sales • 10 years in dental, health and

medical

Dental Marketing Book

• Fully Booked - Dental marketing secrets for a full appointment book.

• 9 steps to:– Have a full appointment schedule – Easily attract new patients– Retain existing patients and grow

referrals

Dental Marketing Book

• Fully Booked - Dental marketing secrets for a full appointment book.

Your gift from– Have a full appointment schedule – Easily attract new patients– Retain existing patients and grow

referrals

My Dental Marketing

• My Dental Marketing (est.2009) Rebranded from Wellsites 2015

• Dental and Medical marketing specialists• 75% Dental / 25% Health & Medical• 13 people – all in Australia• Worked with over 300 practices

My Dental Marketing• Marketing should never be ad-hoc

but part of your business growth strategy.

• Long-term communication with patients creates a brand and builds revenue.

• Every practice is unique

About You

• Owners / Managers / Team• Are you responsible for marketing?• How do you feel about your practice’s

online presence? – Happy/neutral/unhappy

Marketing Golden Rules

There is no silver bullet

Be Authentic

Fish where the fish are

#1. The Basics

The Basics

Before any marketing can begin you need to know:• Who you are• Who your ideal patient is• Your numbers• Your goals• A plan

Where do want your practice to be in 5 / 10 / 15 years time?

What do you hate doing?

What lifestyle do you want to have?

What do you love doing?

What to you believe in?

Why did you choose dentistry as your career?

Why are you different?

Your Ideal Patient

Do you know your ideal patient?

• Don’t jump in and start marketing

• You can no longer try and attract ‘everybody’

• Identify your ideal patient profile• How to communicate with them

Case StudyIdeal patient #1 Ideal patient #2

Gender?Where do they live?

Their profession?

Age?

Income?

Their lifestyle?

Their attitudes towards your services?

How do you help them?

What they want to know about your services?

Their concerns about your services?

Your ideal patient

• How is best to communicate with them? • Why should they come to you?• What can you offer them?• How to use marketing to reach them?

Understanding your patients • Pricing – cost of the appointment and treatments.• Responsiveness – ease of getting an appointment and opening times• Waiting time – how long they waited.• Patient comfort –anxiety experienced, comfort level, and perceived

pain.• Perceived professionalism – if they felt informed about treatments. • Practice ambience – the physical characteristics of the practice.

Summary

• Think about your practice and who you want to attract

• Identify your ideal patient• Think about what they care about• Pick suitable types of marketing to attract and

retain them

Know your numbers

Know your numbers

• Average lifetime value patient• Marketing spend• Marketing return• Marketing return of investment (ROI)

Know your numbers

• “If you fail to plan and plan to fail.“ • Track all your business metrics.• Track your marketing numbers.• How do you know which marketing is

working?

Case Study

Average lifetime value of a patient

• Do you know how much a patient is worth to you?

• How much to spend to attract new patients?

• How much to spend to keep patients?

Average Lifetime Value Patient

Consider• How long average patients stay with practice• How much on average spend per year• Average number of referrals per patient• The spend of those referrals

Growth Goals & Marketing Budgets

• Your marketing budget depends on growth goals.

• Growth – Rapid, Sustained or Retention

• Expect to budget 2% – 10%

Marketing ROI

• Which activities are bringing in patients?

• Which ones need to be improved? • Which ones aren’t performing and

should be stopped?• A minimum of a 3:1 ROI

Start with a plan

If you don’t plan then:• You are very likely courting failure.• You don’t know where you’re heading. • You can’t evaluate whether your marketing

attempts have been successful.

Summary

• Plan – what are you trying to achieve?• Know your numbers• Track constantly• Review regularly

#2. Internal and external marketing

External marketing

• What you do to attract new patients into your practice and entice a patient to contact you.

External marketing • Print advertising• Digital advertising• Website content• Blogging• Social media marketing• Direct marketing• Practice marketing materials e.g. logo, business cards, letterhead, and brochures• Radio & TV commercials• Yellow Pages advertisements

Internal marketing

• Everything you do to make certain that the patient remains with your practice.

• To keep your existing patients and reactivate dormant patients.

Internal marketing • The reception area• Practice brochures• Phone communication• Recalls• Email newsletters• On-hold marketing• Patient satisfaction surveys• Patient ‘thank you’s• Rewards and referral programs

Which is right for you?

• What are you trying to achieve?• Most likely you will need both internal and

external marketing strategies

#3. Existing patient relationships

Existing patient relationships

• Attracting patients is only the beginning.• Build on the relationships with your existing

patients.• Use the correct marketing techniques to

turn them into long-term patients.

Patient retention

• Existing patient base is a practice’s most valuable marketing asset.

• Acquiring new patients 5 - 10 x the cost of retaining an existing one.

Patient retention

• One main reason patients leave a practice is that they do not stay in touch.

• Regular communication with your existing patients is critical.

Email Newsletters

Email Newsletters Benefits

• Cost effective.• Increase the lifetime value of your

clients.• Use to reactivate clients.• Instant measurement.• They enhance your reputation and

increase lead generation.• Use with clients and referring

practitioners.

Social Media

Why get social?

• People buy from people• They want to know you / who you are• People want to know you care• People want to know you are human and

feel relaxed when they see you

Social Summary

• Have fun• Be real• Share your passions• Educate and inform• Remember to ask for referrals / appointments / ideas• Increase your Google ranking!

Recalls

Recalls

• One of the most important systems • Best practice - multiple forms of

communication, e.g. SMS, post, and phone call.

• Use to also market your practice with news and patient education.

Incentive based marketing

Incentive-based marketing

• People are procrastinators• 81% of Australian consumers

purchased because of a promotion• Retain existing patients, attract

new patients, and sell a wider array and services

Promotion Steps

• Plan – What are you trying to achieve? What services? Timing - When?

• Promote – Many touch points• Track – Which worked? What

was the ROI?

Practice open day

Practice open day

• Show the human side of your practice• Say thank you to your existing patients • Hello to your future patients.• Opportunity to reach unlimited members of your

community.• Make connections in a casual and relaxed atmosphere

Open day planning

• Plan well – make the most of the opportunity• Be approachable • Offer freebies• Gather details• Take pictures

After your open day

What you do after the event is critical. • Follow up!• Send thank you’s• Send a follow-up article to local paper.• Post pictures on social media.• Include the story in your newsletters.

On hold messaging

On hold messaging

• Cost effective way to market.• 70% of all callers are placed on hold.• Average on-hold time is one minute.• 90% of callers prefer informative messages

to silence or the radio.

On-hold messaging tips

• Your message must attract.• It should be informative.• It should always include a call to action.

On-hold messaging ideas

• Talk about your products and services.• Promote specials and events.• Reinforce your branding and positioning statements.• Address your patient’s concerns or fears.• Promote your online presence & social media.• Introduce them to team members.• Help them prepare for your appointment.

Patient referrals

Patient referrals

• Long-term patients will always refer people to you.

• 70 to 80% of new patients in a typical dental practice are referred by current patients

• Referral programs maximises the benefits of word of mouth.

Referral program

• Formalised program• Promoted program• Need to be front of mind with patients• To motivate your existing patients to refer your

practice. • Top of mind when patients are talking to people.

Referral program

• Needs to be front of mind when patients are:– in your practice – when they leave your practice – when they receive any communication from

you.

Summary

• Pick your marketing carefully. • Take your time.• Market to the best of your ability and budget. • Be consistent. • Tracking your results. • Set goals and review on a regular basis. • Getting advice from trusted experts.

How can we help?

Design and Branding

• Branding • Logos• Brochures • Signage• Corporate style guides• General graphic design

Website OfferingsWebsites• Websites/ Mobile Websites• Photography • Videos• Copy writing• SEO & PPC

Blog Writing

• Partner with Bite Magazine• 12 x blog posts• SEO• Use in newsletters

Marketing Consulting & Coaching

• Marketing strategies• Quarterly marketing coaching– Marketing review– ROI tracking– Goal setting– Skills transfer

Henry Schein HalasOffering

Email Newsletters• Cost-effective.• Enhance practice reputation. • Educate patients. • Increase the lifetime value of

a patient.• Leverage marketing efforts.

Email Newsletters• 12 x monthly email newsletters.• We research, write, create and send.• Your brand, your client database.• 3 options:

– General dentistry / family– General / cosmetic– General / implant

• All we need are your patients emails and your branding information

Email Newsletters• 12 x monthly email newsletters.• We research, write, create and send.• Your brand, your client database.• 3 options:

– General dentistry / family– General / cosmetic– General / implant

• All we need are your patients emails and your branding information

More Information?• Speak to us.• Order from Henry Schein

Halas representative.

Further Talks

30 minute callValue $xxxExclusive for HSH

Answer any questions…

Thank YouContact• Carolyn Dean• 02 9410 1507• carolyn@mydentalmarketing.com.au

www.mydentalmarketing.com.auwww.fullybookeddentists.com

Questions