As a dentist, making a name for yourself and your practice is a career-long commitment. Customer service, staying on the cutting edge of technology, honing your dental skills, and dental marketing are all intricate parts of the process. While dental direct mailing, promotions, and customer service are beneficial and central to your branding success, you can always find more ways to connect with your customers and your surrounding community.
Building your brand and connecting with your customers can be done in various ways.
Here are some dental marketing ideas and options as you begin looking at how you are connecting and brand-building in your community.
Free Day of Dentistry
While you hopefully see most of your community on a regular appointment basis, remember some do not have such a luxury. Many are in economic situations that do not allow regular, steady dental visits. Everyone deserves the comforts and health benefits of a clean smile and healthy dental hygiene. Extending this opportunity to those in need can benefit you and them.
Find an opportunity that balances your schedule and budget to have a day of free dentistry. Provide cleanings and consultations to those who are less fortunate and in need. During the holidays or before children return to school is a great time to offer this free day of dentistry. Targeting specific demographics can help you draw those customers that are in need.
Service Dentistry
Finding the opportunity to serve in your local, or even world, community can be great for your brand, not to mention you personally. International humanitarian trips can be found through many different groups. Global Dental Relief, for example, provides charitable dental work to children in Africa, Asia, India, and Central America. Similar groups are the ADA Foundation and International Medical Relief. These are a few of the many charitable groups that provide activities and access for you, as a practitioner, to take advantage of.
These experiences will allow you to connect with your active patients upon your return. You will have unique stories and experiences to share that are centered on dentistry. You will have yet another opportunity to show your commitment and passion for dentistry.
Locally Connect
Don’t forget your degrees. While they primarily qualify you to practice dentistry, they also qualify you to educate others. Teaching children in schools or community-recognized organizations can be great for your practice. Find a way to give back to younger generations.
Teaching children about the benefits of lifelong dental hygiene will broaden your reach as a brand and establish yourself as an expert in your local community. Showing widespread interest in your field of work is essential to becoming a recognizable brand.
A Candy Buy-Back Program
Programs that facilitate the service of others will be key in your attempts to give back. Allowing others to serve through your practice will give patients another reason to come back through your doors. Programs like “Candy Buy Back,” facilitated by Operation Gratitude, are great opportunities to connect with your community.
Around Halloween, children are invited to donate their candy to our soldiers. The candy will be collected in exchange for prizes, coupons, toothbrushes, and goody bags. Keep track of donors, as well, through a donor’s board or donor’s wall. Partner with local businesses to help provide coupons and gift cards. Local movie theaters and restaurants are great options to look at.
Follow up with participating businesses. Send photos of the candy and participants. Return the favor with some of your coupons to draw in new patients.
Using social media and dental marketing mailing pieces to promote the event are great ways to increase visibility and help establish your brand in the community. Find other similar programs that might interest you or come up with your local program to help those in need.
Finding opportunities to connect with your community are endless. As you find time to step out of the office, sharing your trade and time, you will see customers stepping into your office in return. Check back often for more dental marketing ideas!