State of the Industry: Room for growth

The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Scientific Session kicks off this week. Cosmetic dentists will come from all over the world to meet in Toronto and learn about the latest in aesthetic and restorative dentistry. It’s also a time to look at new technology and evaluate your marketing strategies.
Earlier this year, the AACD released the Cosmetic Dentistry State of the Industry Survey with great insight into how dentists are managing their practices and what drivers motivate patients. We noticed some key trends that impact a dentist’s digital marketing campaign.

2/3 of patients come from within 10 miles of the practice

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It’s great that most cosmetic dentists are dominating their local markets – that’s important. It also indicates that there’s plenty of opportunity. For a cosmetic dentist to be successful he or she must have the right mix.
Digital marketing can help cosmetic dentists reach beyond the borders of their zip code and attract patients from 25 or more miles away. At Dental Revenue we craft multi-pronged dental marketing strategies to increase a dental practice’s reach including search engine optimization, pay per click advertising and social media marketing.
Pay per click (PPC) is especially effective for dentists who want to reach a broader demographic. It can be difficult to rank organically in searches outside of your local area. Patients are generally willing to travel a greater distance for high value services such as cosmetic dentistry, dental implants and TMJ therapy. With a strategic PPC campaign, you can effectively reach new audiences.

It’s all about appearances

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In the State of the Industry Survey, respondents said that cosmetic dentistry patients were most concerned about appearance. For this reason, it’s important that your website have a Smile Gallery with before and after photos. If you can, invest in professional photography. Hire a photographer who will come to your office and take portraits of your patients — this will stand out compared to other practices who typically only show the before and after of the smile.
Video is growing more and more every day. We encourage our clients to also consider adding video to their website. Patient testimonial videos serve two key purposes: show and tell. Potential patients can see the results of your work and hear the patient tell the story of working with you.

Word of mouth advertising

Dr. Scott Finlay
We weren’t surprised to see that cosmetic dentists said “word of mouth” was the number one driver for new business. Keep in mind though, that when someone receives a suggestion from family and friends, they’ll go online to verify that recommendation. Your website needs to communicate the same message that your patients are spreading about you. Highlight your staff, your expertise and your work — the things that your patients value most.

Opportunity for growth

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The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry concludes that cosmetic dentists, “overwhelmingly believe that revenues generated from all procedure types have either increased or stayed the same year over year.” Dental implants are seeing the most positive change. That’s good news for dentists.
Dental Revenue offers a way for dentists to not just market themselves better online — but see how well their marketing is doing.
This year, we released the latest version of our Reporting Dashboard, a highly visual platform that integrates web performance data and new patient metrics. Capability exists to integrate the Dashboard with Patient Management Software to close the marketing loop. Our dentists can calculate actual return on investment which is on average, 10 times or greater.
Visit us at AACD in Toronto or give us a call to find out how we can help grow your program.