When marketing makes all the difference – Neil Photey CosTech Dental Laboratory
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 9th September 2019
It’s likely that as a dental professional you’re always on the look out for ways to help enhance your practice and offer patients more. After all, dentistry is a fast-evolving industry and patient expectations are changing to favour more aesthetic treatments, meaning that to stay ahead of the curve, you need to offer the latest procedures.
However, whilst it’s all well and good supplying these treatments, it won’t make any difference to your existing or potential patients if they don’t know about them. It is in these situations where effective marketing becomes essential.
A social media world
You may have heard that social media has become the new must have for dental practices. After all, when you look at the figures for those who use social media, it’s clear that it is one of the biggest marketing opportunities out there. According to data gathered by Hootsuite, there are now 3.48 billion people using social media channels across the globe, a 9% increase from the figures of last year.[i]
However, what’s important to remember is that social media may not be an effective channel for marketing towards your patients. They may not want to follow their dental practice on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook and it can be hard to convince them to do so. However, even if they do follow you, these platforms have their limitations, and in order to get posts seen by those who follow or like your page, you may have to consider putting together a marketing budget for social media advertising.
It’s also important to consider which age group you are marketing towards and your practice’s catchment area, as well as how unique the new treatment you are offering is. If you have recently started offering a new style of denture, for example, this is unlikely to be best marketed on social media which is still dominated by a younger demographic.
More traditional marketing should therefore never be discounted.
Leaflets and poster marketing
Patient information leaflets have long been considered one of the most reliable ways to help patients get the information they need. By setting up a leaflet stand with relevant literature in your practice, you can give your existing patients or those popping in with enquiries access to information about the new treatment. Furthermore, these individuals can take the leaflets home and consider the solutions in their own time, which may help to increase patient acceptance.
A systematic review evaluating studies that have explored the impact of patient information leaflets found that in all cases, leaflets were an exceptional way to improve patient knowledge about treatment, and that they helped to increase patient satisfaction.[ii]
Research has also found that as many as 79% of people will read, keep or even pass an information leaflet on to a friend.[iii]This suggests that leaflet marketing is a good way to help entice new patients to visit your practice, especially as it’s likely that people will trust their friends’ recommendations above others’.
Poster marketing too has proven to be beneficial for those seeking to inform patients of new procedures and offers. Studies suggest that posters are able to increase knowledge, alter behaviours and change attitudes, especially in healthcare settings.[iv]Therefore, putting up a poster promoting any new treatments is likely to inspire some enquiry.
A wider reach
Of course, it’s important to consider how you can promote your new treatment to a wider audience outside your practice. In this regard, patients really are the best way to spread the message. If they have received the treatment themselves and are happy with the results, it’s highly likely they will tell friends and family about it, bringing in new interest.
Is there a way you can supply these patients with branded materials? Everyday essentials such as pens or even things such as bumper stickers have high visibility, and these small touches can also help to inspire questions and interest within your local community.
Find marketing support
The one negative side to marketing is that it can often get expensive. Not only do you need someone at your practice that has a design flair for posters etc. but you also need the resources available to create these assets.
The best way forward is to see if the manufacturer of a product has any pre-made marketing packs available. For instance, CosTech Dental Laboratory has recently launched Monolith Full-Contour Zirconia – an aesthetic restorative option for NHS patients priced at just £29.95 per unit including free delivery to and from the laboratory.
When practitioners choose Monolith, CosTech can provide them with a Marketing Pack including leaflets, a leaflet stand, an A3 sized poster and other branded items to help promote this new opportunity effectively.
Suitable for you
The most effective marketing methods will differ from practice to practice. However, by working with manufacturers/laboratories that offer marketing support, you are likely to attract more patients with any new treatments you introduce to your practice.
For more information about CosTech Dental Laboratory, please visit https://costech.co.uk/monolith/or call 01474 320076
References
[i]Hootsuite. 130+ Social Media Statistics that Matter to Marketers in 2019. Link: https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-statistics-for-social-media-managers/[Last accessed May 19].
[ii]Sustersic, M., Gauchet, A., Foote, A., Bosson, J. How Best to use and Evaluate Patient Information Leaflets Given During a Consultation: a Systematic Review of Literature Reviews.
[iii]DLM. Leaflet Marketing: the Good, The facts, The Stats. Link: https://www.directletterboxmarketing.co.uk/leaflet-marketing-the-good-the-facts-the-stats/[Last accessed April 19].
[iv]Ilic, D., Rowe, N. What is The Evidence That Poster Presentations Are Effective In Promoting Knowledge Transfer? A State Of The Art Review. Health Info Libr J. 2013 Mar;30(1):4-12. doi: 10.1111/hir.12015. Epub 2013 Jan 15.
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