Dental Marketing Strategy & Tactics

Transcription

1 Dental Marketing Strategy & Tactics Tammara Plankers Wells Fargo Practice Finance California Society of Pediatric Dentistry March 30, 2012

2 1 What is marketing? Everything you do to put your product or service in the hands of potential patients

3 2 Marketing principles Branding and identity Logo, look and feel Internal marketing Customer service & public relations External marketing Website and advertising

4 3 Marketing strategies Service vs. product industries

5 4 Practice profile Where are you developmentally? Start-up Growth Maturity Decline

6 5 Practice profile How many active patients do you have? What type of dentistry do you do? What is your case acceptance?

7 6 Practice profile How many new patients do you need per month? (per doctor)

8 Branding and Identity 7

9 8 What is your brand? Your identity? Your Brand is your reputation and promise of quality and excellence Brands take time to build and repair if damaged Your Identity is a visual and tactile representation of who you are Your logo, website, signage and office are components of your identity

10 9 Four steps to a great brand and identity 1. Develop your vision statement 2. Design a great logo 3. Establish a design standards 4. Be true to your brand

11 10 1. Develop your vision statement How will your team treat each and every patient? What level of service will you provide as a team? What is your promise of clinical excellence? Live your vision. Patients can tell if you are sincere

12 2. Design a great logo 11

13 12 3. Establish design standards Font Colors Look and feel Tone and voice

14 13 4. Be true to your brand Patients won t return or refer friends or family if you do not deliver on your promise of quality

15 Internal Marketing 14

16 15 Word of mouth and reputation What is your reputation? Patient surveys

17 16 Referral patients 1. They have already heard you are great 2. Philosophy They probably will have a similar philosophy to yours 3. Relationship They are already tied to you through another person

18 17 Why don t dentists ask for referrals? Denial I ask for referrals all the time! Embarrassment I don t want to sound desperate! Don t know how

19 18 How to ask for a referral Patient gives you a compliment Say Thank you. Say We really try hard to OR We love having a fun place for our patients to come to.

20 19 How to ask for a referral Say If you have friends with kids who would appreciate the same kind of caring treatment, please tell them about us.

21 20 How to ask for a referral Say We d love to have more patients like MaryAlice!

22 21 Ask for referral Thank You Philosophy If you know someone else We would love to have more patients like you!

23 22 Phone skills How do you answer the phone? Indifferent Neutral Excited

24 23 Phone skills Number of rings Tone of voice Greeting Good morning/afternoon Thank you for calling Dr. Sunshine s office This is Tammara How may I help you?

25 24 Phone skills Receptionist or Bouncer?

26 25 Internal marketing options Asking for referrals Using business cards Answering the phone Handling complaints

27 26 Internal marketing options Post-op phone calls Ideal dentistry for you and the team Acknowledging birthdays, holidays and other special days Internal giveaways

28 27 Internal marketing options Cavity Free Club Patient education/newsletters Office décor and appearance

29 External Marketing 28

30 29 Website goals 1. Get visitors to your website 2. Keep them there 3. Compel them to take a specific action

31 30 1. Get visitors to your website Search engines Organic vs. pay per click Internal marketing Business cards, letterhead, brochures, street sign, etc. External marketing Print ads, direct mail, yellow pages, TV, radio, etc.

32 31 2. Keep them there Content is king! Write for your patients not other dentists Strong headlines Tell stories Testimonials

33 32 Keep them there Focus on benefits, not features No waiting with our on-time scheduling Easy payment options Experienced and compassionate team

34 33 2. Keep them there Photography Use your own Use portraits Smile shots Before and after

35 34 3. Compel Them to Take a Specific Action Phone number on every page Link to your on every page Button or link to request an appointment on every page Special offer or seasonal promotion

36 35 Key website elements Doctor s photo and bio Staff photos and bios Office tour Map Downloadable new patient forms

37 36 Social Media Facebook Yelp Twitter Myspace

38 37 Postcards, mailers and brochures Direct mail is only as good as your list

39 38 Postcards, mailers and brochures Key selection criteria Location (city, zip code) Average income Median home value Education level Age of head of household Number of children in the home

40 39 Postcards, mailers and brochures Do Work with a professional graphic designer Adapt practice brand look and feel Logo, fonts, colors, imagery Design to get the attention of your target

41 40 Postcards, mailers and brochures Do Include a compelling offer Include your name, address, phone number and website Include doctor s photo

42 41 Postcards, mailers and brochures Don t Overwhelm the reader with too much information Use poor quality paper or photos Forget to proofread it Send it out one and expect a miracle

43 42 Print ads Work for product-based industries

44 43 Insurance programs Read the contract Know your overhead Know the pros and cons of each insurance plan Make patient education about insurance a priority

45 44 Community involvement Charity campaigns Fundraising efforts Sponsorships

46 45 Community involvement Open houses New homeowner letters Be active in a local group or organization

47 46 Patient retention Reappoint me Tickler file Get to know me You are in the relationship business Document personal comments

48 47 Patient retention Financial arrangements #1 reason why patients leave your practice Handling complaints If done properly, this can be a practice builder Patient reactivation

49 48 Staff meetings Daily huddle Yesterday s schedule/today s schedule Doctor/Hygiene handoff New patient information Financial discussion Preblocks Internal marketing Patients with unscheduled treatment needs Goals Thought for the day

50 49 Staff meetings Monthly meetings Two types Numbers review Implementation/Practice Same format Agenda Timeframes Facilitator and Recorder

51 50 90 time rule Set plan and follow through

52 51 Developing a marketing plan Outline goals and objectives Identify your target audience Create a budget Define your action plan Immediate 3 months 3 6 months 6 12 months

53 52 Developing a marketing plan Set up a time table with due dates Action plan the steps for each project Who What When Use a Marketing Activity calendar

54 53 Marketing in today s economy How much can you afford? What s a good ROI?

55 54 For marketing to work Make a commitment to your marketing program Think of your commitment as an investment Have a consistent program

56 55 For marketing to work Be patient in order to make the commitment to pay off Use an assortment of methods Measure the results

57 56 Thank you Tammara Plankers Wells Fargo Practice Finance wellsfargo.com/dentists