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ePaper created 2016-05-18, 11:28:18 | version 1.38.0
Seven dental marketing mistakes ...and how to avoid them Author: Carolyn S. Dean, Australia As a dental professional, you face unfamiliar chal- lengesinrunningandmarketingyourpractice.Youare confrontedwithincreasedcompetition(bothlocally and abroad), an oversupply of dentists, ever-rising practice operating costs, and more marketing-savvy patients.Ontopofthis,yourpotentialpatientsarebe- comingmorediscerningaboutwheretheygoforden- tal treatment, with many heading overseas. In order to achieve practice success, it is essential to build long-term relation- ships with patients and prospects. Long-term patients are more likely to feel satisfied. It is they who wel- come the opportunity to refer others to you and who will continue to use your services in the future. Over my years working with hundreds of dentists as a marketing consultant, I have observed the com- monmistakesthatpreventthembeingabletomarket their practices successfully. 1. Not knowing your numbers and not tracking them One of the most common mistakes that I see is that many dental practices just do not track their numbers. Thereisasayingthat“ifyoufailtoplan,youplantofail”. Itiscriticalthatyoutrackallofthemetricsinyourbusi- ness,andyourmarketingspendisnoexception.Thesig- nificantnumbersthatyouneedtoknowandtrackare: · average lifetime value of a patient, · marketing return on investment, · new patients, · patient loss. 2. Not knowing your ideal patient Oneofthecornerstonesofanymarketingcampaign is knowing who your ideal patient is. Many practices makethemistakeofnotidentifyingthisintheirea- gernesstogoaheadwiththeirmarketingcampaign as soon as possible. You need to stop and think about whom your marketing will be directed to, what this group of patients wants, what prob- lems they have, and what solutions theyneed.Thekeytoimple- menting a strategic mar- keting plan is identifying your practice’s ideal pa- tientortargetpatientprofile. Once you know your market, youneedtoestablishhowbestto communicatewiththem. 3. Wanting a silver bullet Marketing your dental practice toattracttherightkindofpatients, keep them active and encourage themtoreferyoutotheircontactsis no easy task. Many practices think | practice management marketing mistakes There are just so many things to think about when it comes to successful dental marketing. 06 roots 2 2016 © Ja ro sl av Fr an ic sk o / Sh ut te rs to ck .c om 22016