Marketing: It's everyone's job

We recently had a situation with one of our new clients that just begged for a more in-depth discussion.  Results in the practice had been particularly weak and a number of metrics had deteriorated noticeably.  Fewer new patients were making appointments, fewer showing up and a smaller percentage of those that did show up were signing contracts. 

While discussing the issues with the doctor, he said something along the lines of “the problem is clearly Person x (Note, this person’s real name is not person x.  The name has been changed to protect his/her identity).  He is in charge of marketing.”

And it is this quote that gives me pause because everyone in a dental or orthodontic practice needs to be involved in marketing in one way or the other.  Yes, you may have one person or an agency assigned to help you develop ideas and make sure those ideas move forward and become reality.  But that doesn’t mean that everyone can sit back and wait for new patients to roll in the door.  Rather, that marketing person is merely one part of the process.  Everyone can and has to participate meaningfully in the process.  

Specifically, keep the following in mind:

Achieving payment plan/patient scheduling harmony

Here, we examine one of the more common conundrums in orthodontic practices today.  Quite a number of practices believe firmly in offering patients a monthly payment plan that allows that patient to fit the monthly obligation into his or her budget.  Those of us at My Practice Engine fall into that method of thinking.  Combine this with the fact that over time, technology has allowed doctors to see patients less frequently.  In the distant past, patients had to consistently be seen on a monthly basis.  Now, sites regularly discuss 5-8 week intervals between appointments.

Very clearly, reducing the frequency of appointments is a win-win for all involved.  For a patient, having to make fewer visits to the doctor’s office is almost always preferred.  For the practice, seeing the patient less frees up time to see other patients.  Just doing the math, if you see patients every 4 weeks and then move to seeing them every 6 weeks, you now have increased the total number of monthly patients you can see by 33%.  That’s without adding chairs, space, staff or any other cost.

The problem that arises comes from the fact that practices intertwine the monthly payment and the frequency of visits.  As a result, a practice charging a monthly fee will see patients on a monthly basis so that they can make sure to collect that monthly amount.  This eliminates the possibility of the office using all of that wonderful technology available for treatment.  Here are some of the objections and solutions raised when discussing monthly payment and non-monthly visits.

Please note that we will not be discussing the quality of outcomes or movement of teeth using one method or another.  There are a number of outstanding sources for that type of discussion.  This is not one of them.

3 tips for no-cost advertising

In the recent past, we have gotten a number of requests from practices seeking marketing assistance with one thing in common: the practice have virtually no money available for marketing.  Generally, these practices fall into 2 categories:

1. 1. Startup practices that are trying to build things on a shoestring budget.  Once the staff and rent have been paid, there’s no money left over for much of anything, especially buying an ad or running a pay-per-click campaign.
2. 2. Struggling or failing practices.  These practices are holding on by making sure they have an office (rent), the heat stays on (utilities) and key personnel (salaries).  Marketing essentially becomes deemed a nonessential expense.

Whatever the case, marketing your practice with no money is challenging, but not impossible.  In fact, succeeding is very possible.  Just keep these things in mind:

Marketing strategy: call to action

Photo credit: triplecurve.com

At any given point in time, I get asked for a quick way to get a volume of patients in the door.  My answer is that other than being famous or having lots of friends who need treatment, I haven’t found a one-size-fits-all guaranteed way to get an influx of patients in the door.  Certainly, others claim that they have found a foolproof way and good for them.

But if I’m asked to come up with something that I would highly recommend in just about every case, I, and a host of others, would recommend a strong call-to-action in the marketing message.  In other words, what reason, promotion, opportunity or deal am I offering to get a patient to come in to my office and not that of my competition?

Here are some of the things I’ve learned about calls to action and what might benefit you as a practice owner or key marketing person.

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Turn old inquiries into new patients

As we progress toward the end of the year and demand begins to decline into the abyss of the holiday season, you are probably looking for source of potential new patients – probably not for the rest of this year, but certainly as we head into the new year.  A recent post discussed the fact that generating fresh demand from patients is extremely difficult at this time of year, but most practices miss out on a hidden treasure trove of potential new patients.

These potential patients are essentially any patients that have made any type of contact with you in the past, but for whatever reason, did not sign up with you.  Let’s take a look at these patients and some ideas for marketing to them:

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Marketing strategy: Dealing with the holidays

Perhaps you recall our piece on advertising during the high-demand summer months.  With the expiration of dental health month, we move into the holiday season and the absolute nadir of demand for services, especially for the specialists in the field.  

The reason for this is simple: most people have limited incomes and limited time.  That income and time generally turns toward holiday purchases and getting everything organized for the season – searching for gifts, preparing meals, attending parties, etc.  Unless there’s an emergency of some kind, you generally don’t see people trying to fit appointments into their schedule.  If they’ve waited this long to get started with treatment, another couple of months cannot possibly hurt, right? 

And, on the money side, not only do you see people spending money on gifts, food, etc., but you also see these type of situations: “I budgeted $200 for gifts for the kids, but I spent $1,000 on them.  Where’s the nearest lottery?’  Those types of situations add even more stress to an already stressful time of year.  Even the most favorable economic offer can seem like an additional burden.

So, how should you handle this time of year?  Here are some tips:

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