As a dental professional, you are probably already familiar with the challenges associated with finding new patients. Common issues such as lack of insurance, fear of dentistry, and a belief that dental work is unnecessary are just a few of the things that keep patients from contacting your office. Don’t get discouraged if patients aren’t flocking through your door just yet. Revamp your marketing efforts, experiment with different dental practice marketing resources, and watch as patient visits continue to grow.

Utilize Social Media
More than 618 million people use Facebook each day, making it a wonderful dental practice marketing resource. Creating a business page is free and allows you to easily connect with potential patients in your area. Twitter also has a large number of users, so consider activating a Twitter account after you fill in your Facebook profile. Use your social networking sites to host contests, post photos of your practice, and offer special online-only deals for dental care.

Happy Birthday Greetings
Skip the birthday cake and treat patients to a birthday discount each year. Mail out a celebratory postcard the month before each patient’s birthday to encourage them to come in and receive 15 percent off of any dental service. Free gifts like toothbrushes and toothpaste are another nice way to honor the birthdays of your patients.

Keep In Touch
Send out a monthly newsletter filled with coupons, dental-related articles, and upcoming events. Consider hiring a freelance writer to produce well-written content each month. Interesting newsletters are more likely to be forwarded to other readers, increasing your chances of attracting new patients. Make sure not to send emails more than once a month or you’ll run the risk of having them end up directly in the trash folder.

Referral Contests
Everybody loves a good contest. Set up a reward system for current patients that motivates them to invite friends and family members to your office. Display the winners on a bulletin board in the waiting room and publish the names in your monthly newsletter.

Expo Booths
Thousands of people attend expos and trade fairs to learn more about local businesses. Create goody bags filled with samples of toothpaste and mouthwash, as well as toothbrushes and business cards, and hand them out to visitors at the venue. Be prepared to answer questions about the practice and bring along a stack of consent forms just in case you find a few new patients at the event.

Patient of the Month
Awarding one patient the honor of being your office’s Patient of the Month may not seem like a successful marketing plan, but it is actually an excellent way to draw in new patients. Give the winning patient a stack of coupons to hand out, and make sure you mention the patient in your monthly newsletter. It’s also a good idea to give an award out to the Employee of the Month and formally announce the winner. Patients get excited about interacting with top-notch employees.

Don’t Forget About Your Employees
Treat your employees and coworkers well. A happy employee will go home and tell friends, neighbors, and family members about how wonderful the practice is. An unhappy employee will bash the business on Facebook and scare off prospective patients.

Author: John Hammond is a marketing blogger who has written several articles on the subject of Dental pratice Marketing. He recommends Patient News, a full service dental practice marketing resource.