There are more than 200,000 professionally active dentists in the US.
Attracting patients in this climate can be competitive. But with a great patient acquisition strategy, you can make yourself stand out amongst the crowd.
In 2022, patient acquisition revolves around having a website, engaging with social media, and keeping up with online reviews. You might also try paid advertising to increase your reach or offer progressive options such as Telemedicine.
To learn more about each of these strategies, read our quick guide below.
1. Patient Acquisition 101: Have a Website
A website is non-negotiable when it comes to patient acquisition. Having a website shows credibility and professionalism. It also gives you a place to shape your brand and expand brand awareness.
A website is a one-stop shop for potential patients of any dental practice. It’s where they can learn about your services, experience, and costs. And a website works while you can’t – that is, it’s always there, even if you’re on vacation or out of the office.
2. Find New Patients with Social Media
Dental marketing on social media gives you access to millions of potential clients, and for absolutely no cost, (except the time it takes you to write a post). It’s a place to showcase your brand, where you can talk to your patients and they can talk to you.
You can advertise promotions from here and increase your conversion rates. You can also use your social media to drive reviews or to send more traffic to your website.
3. The Importance of Reviews for Your Dental Practice
A key part of any online marketing strategy is reviews. Have a look at what your clients are saying about you on Google, Yelp, and YellowPages.
Good reviews can help with patient acquisition by creating credibility and trust amongst potential patients. Bad reviews, on the other hand, can provide a learning opportunity and show you where you might need to improve.
4. Paid Advertising for New Patients
If the budget allows for it, paid advertising might be an option to extend your reach.
You might run ads through a Google campaign to attract potential patients on the search engine results pages (SERPs). You can run social media ads targeting patients according to their location. Or you might go a more traditional route and try paid advertising in a local newspaper, for example.
Regardless of which method you choose, be sure you know your audience when creating ads. This is an important step to market your dental practice that can’t be overlooked.
5. Offer Telemedicine
The world has changed since COVID-19 and many patients feel more comfortable having appointments from home, when and where possible. To keep up with the remote trend and the move online, offer telemedicine at your practice.
Telemedicine, such as video appointments, can also help you reach clients who cannot otherwise come into the clinic. This may include elderly or disabled patients.
Business Advice for Every Business
Patient acquisition strategies are a necessary thing to consider if you want to grow your dental practice. To start, make sure you have a website. Then, you can start using social media marketing, engaging with reviews, considering paid advertising, and perhaps even offering telemedicine.
And for more help with your business, regardless of what your profession, check out our Business Advice section now.
| 
Fetching the Best Small