You have likely heard the old adage, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” It’s better to value and appreciate what you already have. It’s cheaper, too. A lot of dental practices have no idea what their cost-per-patient acquisition is. Have you calculated your costs for every new butt in your chair?
More Time Not More Money
Dentists, and a lot of marketers for that matter, almost completely ignore the profit potential sitting idle within their existing patient base. If you’ve read any of my blogs, you’ve likely heard me promoting the idea that dentists and their teams need to spend more time on their marketing, not more money.
You don’t have to discount dentistry or constantly chase higher new patient numbers. The truth is, there is likely a mountain of profitability right where you are.
The Power of Storytelling In Your Marketing
It all starts with storytelling. You have a story. Your practice has a story. Your patients have a story. Dentistry is unique in that there is a high-level of intimacy between you and your patients, plus a pretty universal anxiety/fear attached to your relationship. Understanding and expressing empathy is a great starting point for building a valuable connection.
Maximizing your patient experience is where I always recommend dentists start. Are you packing as much into your schedule as humanly possible? What do you think that is doing to your patient experience? Could case acceptance increase if you or a member of the hygiene team spent a little more time chairside? I don’t mean to play Devil’s advocate, but I always encourage practices to think about the experience, start to finish, as honestly as possible.
Next, all elements of the brand need to be reviewed and synergized. Your website, social media, SEO strategy, and reviews and testimonials all need to work together to promote integrity, trust, professionalism, cleanliness, etc. Consumers put a lot of emphasis on the experience of others even after a referral from a trusted friend or family member. Analyzing, optimizing and executing a cohesive marketing and branding strategy is no easy feat.
I know many, if not all of you, are already actively asking for reviews. What are you doing with those reviews after you have them? Are you just leaving them on Google or Facebook? Are you posting them on social media, along with photos and video of other happy patients? You need to be. Your existing patients wield the most power of persuasion for potential new patients. Not stock photography models.
Your Dental Practice Sales Approach
Aside from just reviews and a strong social media following, you should review your sales process. What happens once a patient confirms their appointment? Stop chasing sales after the appointment. Sell in the lead-up time to the appointment.
Over the years, I’ve had the honor of spending time with Revenuewell founder, Alex Nudel. Alex is a huge proponent for preemptive selling to patients once they confirm their appointment. It really works and it can change the profitability of your practice.
All you need to do is send a quick video message promoting products and services, like whitening for example, on the front end of hygiene visits. Most people want white teeth. Give them the option to add it before their visit. They can know and adjust their schedule for the added time during the appointment.
Most people say “no” chairside because:
They don’t feel connected to you. You haven’t gained their trust.
They haven’t been presented financing options beforehand.
They don’t fully understand the value of the treatment
They simply don’t have time.
Spend a little extra time and send this information and their options ahead of the appointment. Use video! It’s powerful and will get much more engagement than standard text.
You’ll be surprised how many people say yes!
Conclusion
I’m not saying new patients aren’t important. They are. However, focusing on existing patients will always provide tremendous upside for the practice. With a little extra time and care you will connect and build a bond that promotes loyalty and case-acceptance. Each member of your tribe will likely promote you to their family and friends, leave you great reviews, engage with you on social media, and stay with you for the long-term.
Start marketing products and services in the lead-up to appointments, not after the fact. Understand that patients are busy and need to “pencil you in”, to their lives, too. Maybe they would love to accept professional whitening after a cleaning, they can’t because they didn’t plan the extra time. This is a silly reason to lose revenue. Give options for treatment and products before. Shoot quick videos and add them to your confirmation, reminder and reactivation email sequences. Have your team text or call. You have options!
This marketing approach is slower. It’s not flashy or sexy. It will take more time and effort. But the ROI is there. Understanding human behavior and maximizing the relationship with each patient can and does lead to strong, steady growth.
Look at your patient experience and overall marketing presence. Give it an honest review. You can chat with a Dental Marketing Expert on our homepage anytime, too. Stop by today for a risk-free, zero-obligation audit of your existing website and SEO strategy.
Google’s new Ask Maps feature is a game changer for dental practices. As the AI-powered replacement for the outdated Google Q&A tool, Ask Maps allows patients to ask specific questions about your practice and receive instant, accurate responses. This isn’t just an update, it’s an opportunity for dentists to connect with more patients and build trust in a highly competitive market. What Is Ask Maps? Ask Maps is a feature in Google Maps that uses artificial intelligence to provide answers based on trusted data. It pulls information from your Google Business Profile, reviews, website, and other reliable sources to respond to user questions. Examples of what patients might ask include: Do they offer Invisalign? How do I book an appointment? What do their reviews say about their cosmetic dentistry services? The AI responds with detailed, accurate answers tailored to your practice, eliminating outdated user-generated responses. Why Dentists Should Care About Ask Maps Patients often decide on a provider based on the information they find online. Ask Maps ensures they receive accurate, engaging answers about your services, helping you stand out from the competition. An optimized presence on Ask Maps can result in higher trust, increased patient inquiries, and more appointments booked. How Ask Maps Works Ask Maps gathers data from: Google Business Profile : Details like your services, operating hours, and photos. Reviews : Google reviews and those from third-party platforms. Your Website : Key content about your practice, team, and services. Social Media : Profiles such as Facebook and LinkedIn are also considered if other data sources are insufficient. If your online presence isn’t robust, Ask Maps may fail to provide answers, potentially costing you opportunities. How to Maximize Your Practice’s Presence on Ask Maps Here are actionable steps you can take to optimize your online presence: 1. Optimize Your Google Business Profile Ensure all practice information is accurate, including hours, services, and contact details. Regularly update high-quality photos of your office, team, and equipment. 2. Enhance Your Website Provide detailed answers to common patient questions like “What does a root canal involve?” or “How do I know if I need braces?” Include professional images, videos, and clear calls to action to improve engagement. 3. Encourage Reviews Ask satisfied patients to leave Google reviews. Respond to all reviews (positive or negative) to show professionalism and care. 4. Maintain Social Media Profiles Keep platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn updated with accurate and consistent information. Use these channels to share patient success stories, team introductions, and practice updates. 5. Regularly Update Photos Upload fresh, high-quality images to your Google Business Profile and website to maintain relevance and engagement. Why Story-Based Marketing is the Key to Success At The Art of Dental Marketing, we understand that facts alone don’t drive patient decisions, stories do. That’s why we developed the StoryBuilt™ Engine , which combines advanced SEO with story-based marketing to help your practice connect emotionally with patients while ranking higher in search results. SEO That Converts : Our strategies ensure that patients find your practice when they search for services in your area. Story-Based Content That Resonates : Patients want to feel understood. By using stories, we help you build trust and loyalty with your audience. Story-based marketing enhances how tools like Ask Maps present your practice, ensuring your message is emotionally compelling and highly visible. Take the Next Step Ask Maps is just the beginning of AI’s impact on patient engagement. Ensure your practice is positioned for success by leveraging this new tool alongside proven marketing strategies. Schedule a call with our CEO, Sean, today to learn how we can optimize your online presence, attract more patients, and help your practice thrive. Let’s tell your story and grow your practice together.
Website migration is a critical step for dental practices looking to switch marketing providers or improve their online presence. However, a poorly executed migration can lead to lost search engine rankings, reduced traffic, and patient confusion. Most dentists want better marketing without the hassle of building a new website. By understanding the key aspects of website migration, you can guide your marketing team to protect your online visibility and ensure a smooth transition. Why Website Migration Matters for Dentists A website migration involves moving your website to a new provider, hosting platform, or content management system. This process often comes with goals like improving site speed, security, or user experience. While these improvements are valuable, mishandling the migration process can cause significant issues. When search engines can’t find your pages due to broken links or missing redirects, your rankings drop. This makes it harder for patients to find you online. Traffic decreases, and potential patients may visit competitors instead. Revenue can be affected if these issues persist. What to Ask Your Marketing Team Before Migrating To safeguard your practice during a website migration, it’s essential to ask your marketing team key questions: Are you backing up the current website? A full backup of all content, images, and settings ensures nothing is permanently lost if issues arise during migration. Will you implement 301 redirects? Redirects are crucial for maintaining your search engine rankings. They ensure patients and search engines are directed to the correct pages on the new site. Are you auditing the current site’s content and performance? Identify high-value pages with the most traffic, backlinks, or conversions. These pages need special attention to protect their rankings and visibility. How will you protect SEO elements? Your marketing team should carefully review and update metadata, internal links, and header tags to preserve your search engine performance. Is there a testing process before launch? A staging environment allows your marketers to check for broken links, missing content, and technical issues before the new site goes live. Common Pitfalls to Avoid During Migration Mistakes during migration can harm your online presence. Broken links frustrate visitors and lead to lost traffic. Missing pages cause confusion for patients and damage your credibility. Slow load times hurt your user experience and can negatively impact your search engine rankings. Introducing BYOW: Bring Your Own Website At The Art of Dental Marketing, we understand that dentists want better marketing without starting from scratch. That’s why we offer BYOW... Bring Your Own Website. You can come to ADM with your existing website and still take full advantage of our Storybuilt™ Marketing Engine. Our process is designed to make transitions seamless. We protect your SEO, handle the technical details, and transform your website into a powerful marketing tool that creates emotional connections with patients and drives real growth for your practice. How The Art of Dental Marketing Can Help Unlike other agencies, we don’t require you to build a new website to work with us. Our team ensures your SEO is protected during the migration, handles the technical aspects, and makes the process quick and stress-free. With our Storybuilt™ Marketing Engine, we amplify your website’s impact, making it a tool for meaningful patient engagement and practice growth. How to Move Forward If you’re considering switching marketing providers but want to avoid the hassle of building a new website, The Art of Dental Marketing is here to help. With BYOW, you bring what you’ve got, and we’ll handle the rest. Contact us today to learn how we can make your website transition easy and effective. Protect your practice’s online presence and keep attracting patients with a seamless migration.
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