Marketing Planning: Being A Profitable Dental Practice in 2012 Through 2022

Each dentist's specific economic predicament, their community's position and the overall perspective creates many businesses challenges, but also provides opportunities of wide and prosperous potential! Therefore, dental practices needs to respond in various ways to encourage consumers to make dentistry a higher priority.

STOP: Waiting For Results, Sitting On Hands, Watching Time Go By

Dental consumers will keep delaying without reminders of value (of not waiting, of what is out there...), which is especially true in this 'manufactured' environment. Manufactured because dentistry is different, it is needed, and after a while a 'must' for those patients who would have gone to the dentist sooner without a bad 'economic climate'.

Additionally, general dental consumers and even current patients have always needed a higher level of communication. Better and more consistent dental marketing is used to upgrade their perspective to accept advanced dentistry treatments. Stronger, more comprehensive, referral skills will help patients encourage friends, family and colleagues/coworkers to consider higher level dentistry not just moving to a 'nicer dentist' or doing merely traditional drill, fill and fit only what's in their insurance till.

While regular preventive dental visits can be delayed without a short-term downside (pain), significant oral health problems (gum disease, tooth loss) and 'personal driven' reasons (replace missing, damaged teeth/tooth before job interview) will not wait for an economic recovery.

When smile emergencies arise, and toothaches flare up, dentists and dental offices should have a public presence to keep patient numbers on a upward growth trajectory as well as improve value acceptance internally.

Dentists who offer high value services such as biomimetic focused approach, comprehensive periodontal management, Invisalign braces, tooth replacing dental implants, cosmetic dentistry veneers, and life, health rejuvenating smile makeovers should make sure they are the ones these patients will know of, already 'trust', see as providing deep value, when they start looking.

For example: Sedation dental marketing is also a way to move consumers who have put off dental treatment because of fear to get the care they need now. Presenting multiple smile makeover transformations of people from various life circumstances, perspectives and situations is beneficial to making the point that better care is not just for celebrities and TV newscasters.

While specific ideas of approaching marketing is important (like above) too many dentists start out with specifics and get caught up in the details before they understand the overall picture. To that end, below find three ways dentists should know about dental marketing before jumping off.

Being a Profitable Dental Practice ELEMENTS in 2012... Beyond

The Best Dental Marketing Plan has THREE Elements

ONE: Be A Publicly, Proactive, Persistent Dental Practice

• One of the biggest areas of new dental patient development

• Also Prepares the 'attention' of patients, consumers not considering dentistry right now 

• Includes a traditional marketing element like dental postcards not just an online presence 

• People need to be made aware of the dentist's cosmetic, restorative expertise and services

• While public marketing maybe more expensive to begin, done right, dentists improve things more broadly, faster, geographically targeted

• Waiting for referrals, or consumers to think about or searchers is risky at any time, let alone a downturn

TWO: Completely Cover Each Current Dental Patient's Angle

• Patients want others to know about their dentist if they do things well

• This is hardly ever done well - it is often generic, impersonal, and infrequent

• Referrals and smile makeover case acceptance result from effectively communicating value

• Find more ways to connect with dental patients and more formats to ask for referrals

• Add elements that say something 'new/advanced' about the dentist, office

• While standard referrals still make great patients, the new landscape requires enhanced methods

• Use dental technology to better inform patient of the value dentistry services provide and the dentist's expertise

THREE: Network Your Internet Connection: Dental Website, Social Media

• Websites, Social Media (Facebook, Twitter) is where current dental patients, and consumers are, and will be looking for dentists, offices

• Thousands of ways to attract new dental care patients online

• When Online evasion is practiced, dentists shrink their community influence, referral power, expertise value

• The real 'competition' dentist's have is when they do one thing, if anything, and often haphazardly 

• Dentists must keep adding online dental marketing repertoire, weaving in your highest value services

Downturn Dental Marketing Conclusion

Comprehensive (yet affordable) assertive and persistent public and internal communication is essential for dentists, dental offices to be viable today and long term. Dental marketing is not only a good thing it is the only thing that consistently gets consumers and patients enough information in the quantity, quality, and the right time of day for them to absorb it effectively.

To achieve the success dentists want this year, or any year, requires getting the marketing they need to reach out to the community of those just waiting for someone to speak up, and say, 'Dental care value is RIGHT HERE!"

Dental Marketing Commentary by
Dick Chwalek
NicheDental.com

Niche Dental Consulting, coaching to comprehensive, is for guiding dentists (like you) to better, faster, and fit-your-needs solutions.

Original Published Version

Dental, Dentists Websites: How They Improve Dentistry, Dental Care Acceptance

"No one wants to go to the dentist, to 'get' dentistry, people only need dental care." 

Of course, this is true, right?

Well, it might be, it can be, it must be, it will be... if one would look at a lot of dental websites today, or yesterday, and probably tomorrow. Sadly. 

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1st Website DEVELOPED CONCEPTS, CONTENT

Randall Palmore, DMD, FAGD 

"I wanted to personally write you and tell you what a fantastic job you did in developing my Dental practice logo and website. You provided me a great service at a very reasonable cost. I am having tremendous feedback from my website and it is definitely attracting new patients to my office as well as providing an excellent source of information for new and existing patients. 

Since this was my first experience in developing a website I was unsure about putting everything together. I appreciate your attention to details and patience with me as we progressed through the whole process. I will highly recommend Niche Dental (Agency) and Dick Chwalek to all dentists looking to take their practice to a higher level of marketing." 

The Dental Health Center

Designer The Peripheral Vision

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Continued from oh so Sadly...

To be more positive, okay that would be someone else writing, but as for this dental marketing consultant of curmudgeon county, the world of dentists websites is bleak, dire and often dystopian.

(Just heard that last word, and learned its meaning, so had to use it. Just kidding; what does it mean?)

The picture of dental websites is not really that bad, but to be depressive is fashionable in this downturn of a sagging economy verging on desperate times.  So let's get into the mire of this gummy bear of teeth stressing mess of website development regress.

NOTE: My view is not taken by all or most likely anyone, as far as I have been able to keep my head in the sand, but it sheds some murky light on the subjectiveness of my contrarian view.

Get on with it, or mark my words, I will drag, this slog of dental blog, out!

Then here goes dentists...

• Build value rather than follow the leader of the hack.

• Pile up your dentistry expertise CV & bio profile.

• Seeing is believing so find a way to show off what you do:

• Testimonials, before or after smile makeover photos

• Add reality to your great dental care personality, post, blog, tweet, facebook regularly

There is so much more, but I have a day job...

Blog post by,

Dick Chwalek

NicheDental.com

Follow NicheDental on Twitter.com

Developer of Connective Communication©

Talking Value: Dental Coaching, Consulting, Marketing, Advertising...

Consistent, connective dentistry communication can improve how consumers understand your brand. Whether it is a downturn or a boom, targeted visual, written, or verbal presentations of your value will raise the priority status for your services or products.

People sit on their hands in a tough economy until value has been redefined for them. They have become wary, which slows their reaction time to marketing messages. Refocus them on the complete dental health and confidence building value you offer.

As a dental coach and consultant for practices who focus on oral health and aesthetic smile makeovers, I avoid putting the emphasis on cost (even if some pricing element is somewhere in the design or message). This is because devaluing professional services leaves little room to promote the higher level elements, which are the life blood of many dental practices.

Using the right photo with a synergistic message can effectively refocus the consumer on value without creating conflicts with costs. Since most of us have a lot less money (on paper and otherwise) than we did 18 months ago, a lower price - especially with higher level treatments like dental implants - would make very little difference in most cases.

For restorative and cosmetic dentists in this environment, value trumps price.

Sincerely,
Dick Chwalek
Visit Niche Dental - Connective Communication Strategies, Marketing, Advertising, Websites

Visit Niche Dental on Twitter.

Value and Advanced Dentistry

Working with dentists and dental laboratories since 1996, I have actually learned something that might be helpful. Most dentists know these things, but few consumers get the depth of what is going on in today's dentistry.

Most consumers see a cool new dentistry technology promoted on some TV news segment and that is all they get: 3 minutes of glitz with nothing to sink their teeth into. Unless they need it or pursue it within a few months of the broadcast - the concept evaporates from their knowledge base. Extreme makeover shows are a boost to the cosmetic possibilities of advanced dentistry; porcelain veneers got their 15 minutes of fame.

Yet even these 'popular' hits are seen by a small portion of the population and the depth bottoms out very quickly. While the value of a 'Hollywood smile' is greatly enhanced, the true value of advanced dentistry is almost non-existent. Of the 100 million people in the U.S. that need more dental treatment than they are getting, maybe 1 million people are going to get, or ask for anything, cosmetic. Many might want cosmetic dentistry changes - but few come in for that and say, "I want to look beautiful".

But if consumers knew all the things that are possible and how much more healthy they could be - even reducing their chance for a heart attack or stroke - the tide might turn. Right now the tide is mostly on the cosmetic WOW rather than on restorative and renewing VALUE. As a marketer, I know the value of WOW - but as a father and someone who focuses specifically on dentistry as a marketer, I also know that WOW can get in the way of what is really important.

Consumers not overtly interested in the "cosmetic" too often see this WOW as a reason to discount the value of what is underneath. When it comes right down to it, WOW is not what they will value. Getting in between this dichotomy (of the WOW that excites us and the lasting value we really need/want) and making headway is not easy.

What dentists should do to improve the value gap...
Start communicating in a wider sphere. It is not one mailing sent in vacuum of value ignorance. It is not a dental website consumers see before the their value base is improved. It is getting out in front of the consumer and pro-actively, consistently stating your position; whether it is a series of postcard mailings or walking back and forth with a sandwich board in front of your dental practice.

Otherwise, sit back and watch things happen the way they will without you doing anything. Of course, each choice has a cost.

What consumers should do to increase the value of their dentistry...
Ask for more than what you got yesterday. Do not assume your dentist is doing everything they can do or that is possible. Even ask how they work with their dental lab to make sure your treatment is how it should be. Let cost and insurance be a guide - but make sure these 'guides' do not entrap you in a valueless experience.

What I will do...
Be more concerned about dental care than dental marketing. Explain real value better and be more creative than simply hitting the superficial WOW button. Think beyond the status quo even though upsetting this applecart is fraught with difficulty as well.

While advanced dentistry provides many great obvious benefits, most people need its basic health improvement components. To get your attention, dental marketing will often 'suggest' it is all about whiter, beautiful smiles.

Yet just as beauty is skin deep, realize it is the next level of what we are doing that is more important. The higher value of dental marketing is when it gets you to visit a dentist or your dentist sooner than later. Thinking beauty rather than cavities can put people in a better mood to move forward and throwing in some health reality is effective for others.

While dental marketing is a small piece of the solution - it can help tip the balance in favor of action over inaction. This faster action can save teeth, smiles and maybe even lives.

Posted by Dick Chwalek of Niche Dental