5 Best Ways To Consistently Attract New Patients To Your Dental Practice In 2021 | In-Depth Guide

Dental practices come in all shapes and sizes.

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They have different personalities, different types of patients, and different goals.

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What they do share is a need to consistently attract new patients to their clinic.

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The dental business, just like all profitable businesses, is one that relies on a steady stream of new clients and also a lot of repeat clients if it wants to continue thriving and be relevant for years and decades to come.

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The best way to ensure that your dental patients keep coming back is by leaving a good first impression.

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First impressions are important because they set the tone for the rest of your relationship with that person, whether it is a customer or a patient.

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The first impression you make on them can lead to a long-term client who will be loyal and repeat customers.

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The first impression as the name implies is the first big step to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.

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Customer satisfaction is worthless. Customer loyalty is priceless.

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There is a big difference between a satisfied customer and a loyal customer.

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Loyal customers don't just come back, they don't simply recommend you, they insist that their friends do business with you.

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Patients know when they have been treated poorly by dental clinics and will be hesitant to return, not to talk of referring someone else to your dental practice.

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It's important you work on building a relationship with those potential patients because people choose their dentist based on word-of-mouth referrals from friends and family members which means old customers become your best marketing tool!

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A dental clinic that cares about its patients and ensures they are leaving happy is more likely to keep them coming back than one that doesn't take the time or effort to do so.

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Show patients that their oral health is important to you and your team members.

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The dental industry as a whole needs new clients, but these new clients have other options if your practice makes it hard for them to get an appointment.

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Offer good and cheap deals on your services to get potential new customers in the door, then sell them dental care products they will need after leaving the office so they can continue feeling confident about their smile.

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So In this article we discussed the 5 best ways to consistently attract new patients to your dental practise in 2021. So let’s dive right in.

Get A High Converting Website

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The importance of having a high converting website for your dental practise could not be overemphasized in today's world.

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There is no doubt that, over the past decade, dental practices have realized the need to get a website as it has become a crucial process in getting new leads and patients.

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It is very important to have a website for your dental practice.

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What's more important than having a website for your dental practise? 

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You guessed right if you said - Having a high-converting Website!

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A high converting website means you can attract potential patients doing research about dentists near them and hopefully capture those leads in just a few simple clicks at the comfort of their mobile devices.

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You can capture more leads with the help of a high converting website.

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So, you should choose your Web Design Agency carefully because they will need to hand you a high-converting dental website that is responsive, attractive, and highly converting.

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Conversion means getting more traffic on your site and turning those visitors into paying customers/patients.

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A dental practice’s website is their online store where they sell services to potential clients; this makes it very important for a dentist's website design to grab attention and convert as many visitors into leads or paying clients.

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Leads are great but nothing beats conversions!

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It is very crucial to have a good first impression because your website is the first thing people look at before making a purchase decision online.

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Here are 5 Essential Sections Of An Extremely High-Converting Landing Page you should aim for on your website;

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The Hero Section:

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The hero section is the most important part of any landing page, so it should be persuasive. That's because it will be seen by first-time visitors to your landing page, and it may also be prominent in search engine results pages. The hero section should sell your practice by explaining what you do, why it's relevant to the visitor, what benefits they get from coming in for an appointment and how to proceed to the next step.

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This implies that you must do all possible to make the landing page stand out from your competitors’, give an offer, or grab attention!

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You should use at least one call-to-action on the hero section of your landing page. Examples of CTAs you can use are "Buy Now", "Get A Quote”, ”Learn More" or “Get Started”.

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The first impression on your landing page is the hero section, therefore it must convey them the most vital information.

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The hero section of your landing page should consist of some key elements that makes your website stands out;

• A headline statement that summarizes what your products/services will do for them or the main benefit they stand to gain in working with you.
• A Subhead that supports the headline and gives it more meaning and direction.
• A Hero and Background that supports and give me more meaning to the headline and subhead statement. Is should also be eye-catching and command attention.
• The "Call to Action" Button: The Hero section of your landing page needs to have at least one call to action button. This button should lead the website visitor to the next phase of their journey and should answer the simple question - "What do i do next?". It is highly recommended that you use action words that prompts the website visitors to take the next step e.g "Book a Free Consultation", "Book an Appointment", "Reserve your Spot", "See a Dentist"

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The Process/How it works: 

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The process section of the landing page explains how your products and services work, and how to get started in simple steps. It provides the user with the exact information they need to know in order to make a purchase decision.

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Social Proof Section:  

A landing page with a lot of social proof will convert better than one without any. The Social Proof Section is the section where you should add testimonials from current or past clients to show them that other people are happy with your services! 

Testimonials are an excellent way to demonstrate social proof and there's probably nothing more effective than hearing it from a customer who has actually used the procedure of your dental clinic. 

You can also use high quality images to showcase the results you've achieved. For example; you might want to include an image of before and after results! This is because people are highly visual and will be looking for before and after pictures of your practice.

Call-to-Action:

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The CTA section is basically a choice for the website visitor to make. 

You should have at least 3 CTA buttons on your website.

Make sure that you include them in your call to action section because it may be prominent in search engine results pages.

Benefits/Unique Selling Proposition Section: 

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The benefit section of your landing page is the most persuasive by far.  This is where you let people know about the biggest benefit they'll get from opting for your dental clinic or products. 

It should be written in a manner that convinces them to take action because if you can't convince your website visitors, then you won't make any sales. 

Your business's unique selling proposition is what sets your dental practice apart from others. Most people don't read a lot, they scan it - this means that you must use bullet points or icons to highlight the key benefits or facts that you want them to know about your dental clinic.

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There are other sections you could also consider for your dental practice website. Such as;

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The Location and Contact Details Section: 

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The contact details section is where you should include your address, phone number and business email (or a contact form). 

You'll be surprised how many dental websites don't provide a working contact number or mailing address!

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Read more: 5 essential section of an extremely high converting landing page.

Having a beautiful website is one piece of the puzzle, but there's no point if your website is not highly optimized and visitors are not taking action.

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You also need a good amount of traffic.

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Let's face it, there's no good to a website if there are no visitors.

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Here are some of the recent search statistics in the health sector according to Google

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"5% of all Google searches are health-related."

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"Patients who booked healthcare appointments ran 3x more searches than those who didn’t."

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This shows a huge revenue potential for health practitioners that have a high converting website and are willing to tap into the free source of traffic.

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Most health patients start their online journey by searching on google. Which in turn leads them to your website.

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SEO is an important factor that will determine your ranking on various search engines like google, yahoo, and bing. 

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The website's SERP position determines how many visitors you can get to visit your site through search engines.  

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Having a high converting website for dental practices doesn't just mean one with a great design but also one that has been optimised so it shows up at the top of Google when potential patients are looking for dentists near them or specific procedures they need doing.  

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A landing page usually has a 1% conversion rate, but if you manage to get a 2% or 3% conversion rate, then that would be considered as an exceptional achievement!

This simple guide should give you some insight into the process of making your dental clinic stand out from the rest and how to use a landing page for your dental clinic. 

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Creating a high converting website usually takes weeks or months (some would take more because of the research that needs to be done) and this is mainly because it needs to be perfect. 

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We understand building a landing page all by yourself could be time-consuming and stressful. At Pristine Digital Webflow agency UK, we understand what it takes to have a high converting website and for your dental practice and we are ready to do the heavy lifting for you.

Hire Friendly Staff

Hiring a friendly staff is an extremely important factor in attracting new patients to your dental practice.

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Dental clinic’s staff who can effectively relate with their patients on a personal level will have an advantage over those who don't.

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It may seem like common knowledge to be friendly and personable, but that's not the case for everyone.  

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Many dentists are seen as intimidating or cold by their patients because they do not know how to appropriately communicate with them!

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If you want your dental practice to attract new potential patients in 2021, it is essential that your staff members are approachable enough so people feel comfortable walking through your doors.  

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A great way of doing this would be having an open-door policy where any patient can walk in and speak to anyone on your team about whatever concerns they might have without feeling intimidated or judged. 

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Not only does it increase the level of comfort among those who are walking through your doors for the first time, but it also boosts retention rates.

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Dentists and members of their team should be well aware that they have been hired because they're good at what they do, not just because you need someone on board full-time since there will definitely be times where work can become overwhelming with longer hours.  

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If you hire people that aren't as skilled yet, it's going to cause them stress which usually results in mistakes being made or sometimes even ruining patient relationships!  

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It may seem like hiring unqualified individuals would save you money, but the truth is that hiring people who aren't as skilled will result in a loss of revenue and ultimately hurt your dental practice.

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Hiring friendly staff members may not seem like it's going to make much of an impact on how well you attract new patients into your office, but they play a large role when it comes down to the comfort levels of your patients while visiting the dentist for procedures or just general questions about services provided at the facility.  

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If someone doesn't feel comfortable coming to speak with anyone within their first visit, then there's no point in them returning because they won't be able to get all their concerns answered!  

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Here are some important qualities you should look out for when hiring a team member for your dental practice:

• Enthusiasm and Passion: It should always be clear that your team members are eager to assist patients in whatever way they can.
• Attentiveness: If you notice a member of your dental practice staff who is not doing their job, then it's important to replace them with someone else!   They have to make sure they're fully engaged and aware of what's going on around them.
• Experience: A team member who is not highly skilled yet can be beneficial if they are open to learning and improving themselves, so look for those qualities when hiring new staff members.
• Positive Attitude: Negative people will do more damage to your business than good, so it's important that you hire only those who are upbeat and always looking on the bright side of things!  
• Friendly/Personable: The employees in a dental office should be approachable and likeable by both old and new patients. Being able to hire a friendly dental practice staff will play an important role in attracting more patients into your office because it's easier said than done!
• Scalable: It may be difficult to find staff members who are able to work flexible hours, but it's a must-have quality if you want your dental office to attract more individuals and grow as time passes!
• Compatibility: You should only hire people who have the same values as your dental practice.
• Confidence: Staff members should have the ability to stand in front of a group of potential patients and speak about their dental practice without feeling intimidated.

Customer Service

While there are many different definitions of 'customer experience', every company's goal is to provide a pleasant and memorable encounter for their customers.

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A good customer experience can improve retention rates, boost revenue, instill trust in your dental practice as well as attract new patients!

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Focus On Building Relationships With Patients And Their Loved Ones - It Helps In Future Business Referrals

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It has been shown time after time again that repeat business is essential in the dental industry.

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And, most patients will recommend their friends and loved ones to a dentist they trust.

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So, you can attract new customers by understanding that existing ones are your best source of referrals rather than chasing them away with bad customer service.

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There is nothing more powerful than word-of-mouth advertising and not many industries have this on their side as the dental industry does. 

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There are many different ways dental practices can achieve a great customer service for their patients, here are some of the most common ones:

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Education - Providing information about what your dental practice offers as well as educational material to read!           

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Patient Appreciation - Make sure you're showing appreciation towards each one of your patients for choosing to visit you!

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Communication - Keep all lines open between yourself and every one of your dental practice members.  Ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes down to delivering a great service or product.

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Visual Appeal - Ensuring an aesthetically pleasing office will create a positive first impression for new patients!

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Great customer service - Providing exceptional care to every single one of your patients, regardless of their age or background.  Everyone should feel welcomed when visiting and they'll be more likely to keep coming back for future appointments! 

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Flexibility - You should ensure that you're available as much as possible so new patients can book an appointment any time if necessary.

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Positive environment - Staff members play a big role in creating this positive atmosphere which will create a memorable encounter for all those who visit your office!

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Up-to-date technology & equipment - Ensuring that you have state-of-the-art machines and equipment will increase the treatment quality and comfort levels for all patients!

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Modern & aesthetically pleasing design - It's important to have a clean, comfortable office that is also attractive.  This can be achieved by hiring professional interior designers who understand the market you're in and what your target audience desires from their dental practice experience.     

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Training - You should always have up-to-date training for your staff members to prevent any mistakes or mishaps from occurring.  Make sure you're communicating with them on a regular basis to ensure they are growing professionally and personally.

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Value Additions - The more value that's added to the services provided, the better it will be received by customers which can lead towards higher revenue levels and increased retention rates over time!         

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The reality is that customer experience in dental practices is a lot different than other businesses.

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There will always be some patients who have fear of visiting the dentist(or a new one), so you'll need to learn how to adapt and overcome their concerns!

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There's also competition between dental offices which means it can be hard to stand out from the crowd, but it's important to remember that providing a great customer experience is all about making small changes over time.

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While there are many different ways that companies attempt to achieve great customer experiences, here are three examples:

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Customer Experience Management (CEM) focuses on managing interactions with customers across multiple touchpoints. This means looking at every point where a business comes into contact with its clientele, such as social media, phone calls, and in-person events.

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There's also the concept of a "customer experience journey" which requires businesses to look at all touchpoints that occur before, during, and after the point where customers interact with their product or service!         

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Personalisation - This is when products are tailored specifically for each individual customer, allowing them to be more connected emotionally rather than just as another face in line!

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Service Design - Dental practices should always aim towards providing excellent services but it can also include catering towards your patient's needs like convenience and budgeting.

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These are only three examples of how companies attempt to achieve great experiences for their clients so make sure you're doing research on what methods work best for your dental practice.

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Dental practices can achieve a great service or product with value additions which leads towards higher revenue levels over time.  

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They should also ensure there is communication between themselves and each one of their customers on a regular basis through training sessions! 

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Here are some other tips for keeping your customer service at the top level:

• Make sure your front desk staff greets everyone who walks through the door with a warm welcome smile.  This makes people feel more comfortable knowing someone has acknowledged their presence as soon as they arrive at your practice.  
• Ask if there's anything else you can do for each patient when it comes time for check-out.  This shows them that you are aware of their needs and want to ensure they leave with a positive experience every time they visit your dental office.
• Dental practices should focus on building relationships with patients but also need to be more efficient about how they communicate during the day-to-day operations of running an office which is why some offices have started using messaging apps like WhatsApp for text messages or Telegram/Slack for sharing documents and images within the practice.

The best dental practices will utilise digital tools in order to streamline communication between team members so everyone can work together seamlessly.

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Marketing on Social Media

Marketing on Social Media is a great way to increase visibility and attract new patients to your dental practice.

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It's important that you have a strong presence online while also understanding what kind of strategies are best suited for a specific platform, such as Facebook or Twitter. 

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For most platforms, you'll need to create a business account rather than simply using your personal profile.

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After you've obtained a page for yourself, you can begin promoting and advertising on it with the right tools at hand!

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It's important that when posting content you're not only sharing images but also videos, which are known to generate more engagement across these platforms compared to just text or images alone.

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Make sure all of the posts have value by providing different types of information such as tips or tricks while always keeping in mind how this will benefit each individual patient!

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You can also create groups on Facebook dedicated towards dental practices where people from your local community can join and benefit from the information you share.

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You could even ask questions pertaining to what other people like so that you can provide advice and solutions to their problems!

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Make sure to ask patients if they liked your content and how it could be improved.  This will help in determining which areas need improvement while also gaining valuable insight for future content!

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Testimonials on Social Media are a great way to increase visibility and attract new patients.  

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The importance of testimonials is that social media users are more likely to trust these comments and videos from your patients compared to Ads.

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in fact, According to Nielsen research, “92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer, and 70% of people will trust a recommendation from someone they don’t even know.”

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Social media testimonials can bolster a dental clinic's credibility by building trust with existing customers while showing potential clients that this is the right business to choose.

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Social media has also made it easier for people to share any experience with your dental clinic online which is why it's very important to get good reviews from your patients on sites like Google or Facebook so that prospective new clients can see how other patients feel about you and your services!

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Showcasing awards and accolades on Social Media is also a great way to show you're an industry leader.

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If your dental office has been in the news and won awards throughout the years then this would be a perfect opportunity to share with your social media followers.

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Here's a summary of some of the social media marketing ideas you can start implementing for your dental practice in little or no time.

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- Create a Youtube Channel for your dental office and upload videos of different operations carried out at your clinic.

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- Put up pictures taken by your dental team members or any other staff working at the clinic on social media sites like Instagram to attract more clients.

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- Post testimonials from patients about what they liked most about their visit to the clinic.

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- Create a Facebook page/group for your dental office so that it can be connected to people all over the world and more potential patients will get attracted to your business.

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- Post about new technological equipment you have added to your clinic on social media  like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. This will help in attracting more potients who are interested in availing of such advanced equipment for carrying out dental operations.

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- incorporate fun and interactive videos within your Social Media platforms as this is an effective way of attracting new patients towards dental practices!

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Users are three times more likely to spend time on a page while watching a video than when they read the text on the screen alone.

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Videos should be focused on providing helpful tips and information that the public will find interesting.

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With more than 50% of people watching videos online every day, it is also considered to be one of the most powerful marketing tools a dental office can have!

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Social Media is also a great tool to showcase your expertise using "before and after" photos.

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Before and after pictures might be used to plant the desired impression and expectations in the mind of potential clients.

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It enthralls them about their prospects and shows them a view into their near future.

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Isolating your target market is a critical aspect of marketing strategy. The fact that pictures can be enough to schedule an appointment and add your prospect to the list, makes it one of the most powerful marketing tools available.

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The most effective before and after pictures are those you've taken of your own patients, not just some random picture from the internet. Take some time to document your work.

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These photos are your opportunity to sell yourself and let your patients know why you're the ideal person to assist them.

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It also demonstrates that you've been trusted by others and have aided them in obtaining outstanding results.

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This matters more to your patients than you might think. They want to trust someone with experience, someone they truly believe can help them get the results they want.

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There’s no greater proof than showing them what you’ve already accomplished with real patients.

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You can also post Up-To-Date News With The Current Trends In Dental Care - To Keep Your Patients Interested!

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People might not realize it but some old techniques for keeping teeth healthy don't work that well anymore.

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You can use this medium to let them know.

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Here’s and example:

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"Have you heard about 'dental implants'? They are usually made from titanium which is inserted directly onto the jawbone where the tooth will be supported.  It contains an internal screw that acts as a replacement root for the missing tooth and is attached to a replacement tooth that looks and functions just like your other teeth. Having implants can often be good for overall dental health as they allow proper chewing. This means - it's pointless going around to various dental clinics asking for teeth cleaning if you don't have enough healthy teeth left! You might need dental implants instead!"

In 2021, more people will continue to learn about these advancements in the dental industry which means the demand for such treatments will increase too. 

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This trend might also encourage more millennials (as well as older folks) to visit their dentist more frequently than ever before.  

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Let people know that you offer more services and specialisations to show how unique you are as a dentist.

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A lot of people visit a dental clinic and usually leave with just some tooth cleaning done. It can really be boring for your patients!

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So, you need to offer more services than just teeth-cleaning

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For example, did you know that some dental clinics even specialise in other treatments like orthodontics? 

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They will work closely with a dentist who does amazing work at straightening teeth without using braces or headgear or Invisalign.

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Another great social media marketing strategy for dental practices is investing in Targeted Ads.

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Targeted Ads have been available on most social media platforms and have been a very effective tool for greater Return on Investment.

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It's time to reconsider your approach if you think of advertising on Social Media is as putting an ad in a local magazine.

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The Social Media marketing methods you employ for your dental practice across various platforms should be implemented with targeted Ads.

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If you're doing things right for your practice, you should connect each marketing effort back to outcomes.

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Keeping a close eye on your metrics with both your targeting as well as return on investment is one of the finest ways to improve your dental Social Media marketing.

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This technique may be tracked and immediate.

Conclusion

The possibilities of what you can do as a dentist are endless so remember this: Do not stick to the same old routine.

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Take The Right Steps To Modernise Your Dental Practice.

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Technology is constantly advancing and this means that your dental clinic needs to keep up with the latest trends when it comes to using advanced equipment in treatments!

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In case you have some old x-ray machine or similar equipment that's mostly used just for show - consider replacing them with more efficient machines so they can serve their purpose.

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Some dental offices are actually beginning to use technology which makes it easier and faster for a dentist to map out an accurate treatment plan for their patient. This helps improve communication and allows the dentist to work more closely with his/her patient.

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It's also true that patients want to be treated in a clean environment (like modern dental clinics). So, try to rid your dental office of dirty tools and equipment - they're not saying you need to be like a brand new medical center.

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Just keep it as clean as possible since such an impression can actually help improve their experience as well.

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We hope this post has helped you learn about the best ways to attract new patients and maintain your dental practice.

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If you want more information, please contact our team of experts at Pristine Digital Webflow Agency UK for a free consultation on how we can help with all aspects of High Converting website and social media marketing.

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Your time is valuable so let us work hard for you!