internal marketing for dentists

Internal Marketing

Maximize your internal marketing

There is no greater compliment to your practice than a referral from a satisfied patient. Their confidence in your care means the world, and the patients they send to you…those are the ones we all want.

They trust what you recommend, accept treatment more easily, keep their appointments, and their ROI can’t be beaten. And yet, so many practices and teams struggle to capitalize on the least expensive and most effective strategy there is – internal marketing.

Do I Really Have To???

It can feel uncomfortable to promote yourself, whether by asking for referrals or when presenting treatment. It would be so much simpler if patients just did what you wanted without asking. Unfortunately, that’s the polar opposite of how it works. Not monitoring and capitalizing on internal dental marketing is costing your practice far more money than you realize. We’ve helped hundreds of practices recapture revenue with smart, strategic internal marketing ideas.

We Make Internal Marketing Easy

Capitalizing on your internal marketing starts with an honest evaluation by your dental marketing company of how things are being handled right now. It’s the only effective way to heal and restore your internal marketing to health.

01.

Audit

We’ll audit recorded calls, will ask out how many existing patients have gone unscheduled, and determine exactly how many patients have really come from referrals. We’ll also read your reviews to make sure patients are having the experience you hoped for.

02.

Set Goals

As with everything we do, we’ll measure the baseline of your current results to help set goals for the future. Most practices believe half of their new patients come from referrals; in reality it’s only about 25%.

03.

Implement

Our team will recommend a range of internal marketing strategies to help you capitalize on your greatest asset – patients who are already in your practice. Once we’re in alignment on strategy, we’ll develop the campaigns and coach your team on implementation.

Internal marketing

opportunities

Dental Brochures & Patient Packets

 

White coat syndrome is a proven problem. Patients start to tune out what you’re saying because their mind is busy processing their diagnosis and “how am I going to pay for this?” It also means they are missing out on important information. Your solution? A beautifully designed practice brochure that provides a practice overview, the doctor’s bio, and a list of valued services all while reflecting your values and philosophy of care. The new patient pocket folder holds treatment plans, financial arrangements, post-op instructions, and lets you present your care more professionally.

Dental Patient Referral Programs

 

A new patient was referred by her co-worker, who said she had the BEST DENTAL VISIT EVER at your office. Wow, does that call feel good. A referral from an existing patient means you have created something amazing that your patients want to share. Our turnkey referral programs include in-office signage, referral cards, and custom coaching for your team so the program reaches the most people.

Patient Reactivation Programs

 

You invest a lot of money to attract new patients to your practice. But no matter how many new patients you get every year, your revenue never seems to grow. What gives? Most doctors only focus on the number of new patients that get scheduled each year. They don’t watch how many of those patients are lost to inactivity, simply because no one is watching the back door. We use email marketing, postcards, and social media campaigns to reactivate inactive patients back into the practice.

Dental On-Hold Messages

 

Has your practice put someone on hold only to have them hang up seconds later? Total silence can make callers frustrated and feel ignored, wondering if anyone is going to help them – so they simply hang up. On-hold messages for your dental office are an efficient, affordable way to engage your callers while they are waiting patiently on the line. Our custom scripting, professional recording, and digital messages are compatible with nearly every phone system.

Dental Newsletters

 

Are you frustrated with the generic-sounding, stock articles provided by most newsletters and patient communication systems? You already go out of your way to create a special, personalized bond with every patient who comes to your office. Continue that kind of care and communication inside the office with a proven strategy – patient newsletters and email marketing.

Call Conversion Training

 

You might think you know how your front desk is handling your calls, but then again…you might be surprised. Our Power Call program gives you an instant evaluation of your team’s strengths and weaknesses and helps your team with answers to common new patient questions.

It's Time To Spread The word

Complete Patient Engagement

Too often, internal marketing is an after thought for dental practices, and often only after they realize patients are sneaking out the back door. We see internal marketing as an opportunity to keep patients engaged, maximize treatment plan acceptance, and actually lower your marketing costs. Start here, and you’ll never end up here as an afterthought.

Does your practice culture hold your office back?

Download the Culture Guide

Internal Dental Marketing Questions & Answers

Referrals and reviews are the best, most cost-effective dental marketing strategies available because your primary investment is simply time and attention to detail. Start by providing an exceptional patient experience. Listen to your patients and spend time with them. Help your patients feel valued and they will return the favor.

Asking for a referral may seem intimidating but I promise it’s easy once you practice. Start by asking your patient how the visit went. Once you get a positive response, segue into saying “I am so glad you were comfortable and happy with our care, you know how important that is to us. If you know any friends or family members who you think would benefit from our dentistry, would you be so kind as to give them my card?” While the whole team should engage in this, we’ve found if the doctor asks for this referral, you’re far more likely to see a noticeable increase in new patients.

If you have appointment confirmation software, you likely have the capability to send email newsletters to stay in communication with your patients. All it takes is a little time to customize a template with the topic of the month, share new technology and training, or feature a team member’s bio. This is also one of the easiest ways to stay top-of-mind with your patients for future referrals.

If you’re experiencing a lot of new patient no-shows, evaluate your confirmation protocol. Set clear expectations when setting the appointment, and confirm via phone, text or email. If you don’t get a return confirmation, we recommend having the dentist call the new patient the night before their appointment to introduce themselves. It only takes a few minutes but the implication is clear: “I look forward to meeting you in person tomorrow.” If you have high no-shows with existing patients, it may be a scripting problem. You team may be unintentionally telling patients “If you need to cancel just give us 24 hours notice” which tells someone that it’s okay to cancel.

Despite your instinct to defend yourself via a brutal and honest answer to an unfair feeling negative review, we recommend you take this as a learning opportunity. Whether you agree with your patient or not, from their point of view they are right. What can you learn so you don’t repeat this experience with another patient? Often it’s a simple matter of unclear communication and mismanaged expectations. Download our 5-step guide for dealing with a negative review or call us for a little guidance.

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Golden Proportions Marketing