Dentist Newbie

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Hey everyone,

Next Thursday I have an appointment with a local dentist. Long story short, the dentist has been established for 20 years but his daughter just got done with Dental School and is joining his practice. They are looking to bring in new customers for her.

They do not have a website right now so obviously that is the first thing I will do.
They wanted to talk about sending postcards out to their zipcode.
And I am tempted to do some videos to get them to rank high
I am a big fan of email too

Any sage advice you can give me that would help bring in general dentistry clients for this new dentist in their office?
#offline marketing #dentist #newbie
  • I have a great idea but I need the answer to one question:

    Is the daughter HOT?
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • Hi OnlineStoreHelp:

      You Need an incentive like free teeth whitening or something for "free" that people will want..like ebook that says "Top 10 Tips to Choosing the Best Dentist"
      Then once they optin have an autoresponder that entices them to take IMMEDIATE action.

      Here is what is working for me:

      I have a site that is top ranked for my keyword it is a landing page that is only one page with NO other links to other pages. They have to put in name email and phone number to get the "Coupon" I then have an autoresponder send them an email with how to take immediate action

      I've been verysurprised at the optin and conversion rate. I have about a 40% optin rate and conversion rate of around 15%

      Let me know if you have any other questions
      • [ 2 ] Thanks
      • [2] replies
    • Get them to rank #1 in the 7 pack. Also, place an offer there too.

      And the idea with the whitening incentive is awesome.

      And get the list of former clients, and invite them back in, tell them about the whitening offer.

      I had the same idea. Go figure!
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • I also suggest to use postcard or any offline marketing strategies, it is really effective promoting a business.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • We have a fair amount of experience in using greeting cards and post cards with local businesses to help increase business and we've learned a few things, mostly around the power of referral marketing.

    The biggest thing is that this dentist could send out a fun greeting card to all of his past clients for the last 20 years saying 'Thank you for your business' and letting them know it is... 'We've extended our family business and were ready to help your extended family' or something to that effect.

    Notice we aren't recommending blanket marketing your 'pitch' via greeting cards? We have tried that with business owners who wanted that service and it has never performed anywhere as good as a simple 'Thank you for your business, we appreciate you' in a card.

    See... Marketing pieces get thrown away while greeting cards get put on display. And it is when cousins, sisters, neighbors, etc come over to the past customers' house and see the card, they ask 'what is this' and the introduction begins.

    Also, it keeps your client top-of mind with their previous customers... So, when a co-worker mentions their toothache, or whatnot, your client gets the referral via a 'Oh, I've got the best dentist ever and he just brought his daughter on board to help' type referral.

    These warm market referral systems can absolutely transform local businesses and we've got a simple system that would allow you to get them all setup to send their own cards in bulk and you'd receive a % off of every card they ever send...

    PM if you are interested in learning more about the system... But know that even hand-written cards done by their secretary could create the same effect. We are just all about automating those tasks.
  • AS a consumer of plenty of dental services (5 kids!) I think that the offline methods like post cards are still quite effective. Except for dental emergencies like a broken tooth, I believe most people have plenty of time to think about a new dentist and that asking friends and neighbors is still quite common. A nice website is a plus to reinforce the recommendations but to build brand identity and recognition when the recommendation first is made, a post card in hand (sent at reasonably frequent intervals) is best.
  • Are you considering suggesting a Facebook presence? Google+ with loads of testimonials from a 20 year practice should work wonders...minimum of 10
  • Some promotional videos on YouTube. A direct mail campaign with a contest (for free whitening or some other prize(s)) you can enter on Facebook or Foursquare and perhaps gather opt-ins for coupons/discounts that way too.
    • [1] reply
    • Thanks everyone for the great advice. I landed the client and it was really interesting talking to the Dentist. He has been in business for over 20 years, ha never had a spot in the Yellow Pages, never done direct marketing and done just fine. All his business has been referral based. I think he makes his money off of more cosmetic procedures and his daughter will be running the family practice side.

      I am going to get the website up and going first then head back in with some other marketing programs when that is done. They are really comfortable with post cards and I have talked to them about Google Places but I worry how difficult it will be to break into the top 7 since it is very competitive where I live but I think I can persuade them as we move along.

      BTW, love the greeting card idea since they send xmas cards out anyway.
      • [1] reply
  • Free exams for kids would be a great way to introduce
    the family practice.

    Dan
  • The real advantage of using post cards for a Dentist is that as he sends them out regularly...he uses them to educate his customer...not just dangle a carrot in front of them.

    He uses headlines that draw attention to an issue..and the emotional response from the reader is...ahh I didn't know that I better check that...or uh oh that sounds like me..

    When people get something that draws their eye to the teeth whitening thing first...people have seen that 100 times from every dentist, so the quick response is...ok another teeth whitening deal...then there is nothing to draw them in to read further, and they don't.

    The postcard, gives your guy the opportunity to solidify himself as the authority...the go to guy in an emergency.

    Its nice to be ranked on local google...but in reality...that's not a whole lot different than being in the yellow pages....because you are STILL in the disadvantage of having to wait for the customer to move at his own pace and decide to go looking.

    That is never a good marketing position to be in.

    For every 1 person who goes looking..there are what, at least 500 more that STILL need your dentist....Postcards get him in front of that 500.
  • I've helped several local dentists over the last few years with web design/marketing services - PM me if you need any advice!
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    Dentist Newbie

    Hey everyone, Next Thursday I have an appointment with a local dentist. Long story short, the dentist has been established for 20 years but his daughter just got done with Dental School and is joining his practice. They are looking to bring in new customers for her.