If you’re a dentist, orthodontist, periodontist, or other type of dental professional, it’s important to have a steady roster of customers coming in. To do so, you need techniques to get the word out on your business. Dental marketing is a proven way to boost your client base and fill your appointment spots with ease.
What is Dental Marketing?
Dental marketing is a marketing strategy specifically proven to provide the best results for dental offices of all types. From orthodontists to general dentistry, dental practice marketing will help you gain new clients and keep the ones you have. Promote your dental business by using dental marketing.
Dentist marketing is a way to attract new local customers to your dental office and ensure the return of current patients. Dental marketing ranges from Google Business Profile strategies for attracting new dental patients to sending appointment reminders to current ones. They can be social media marketing or other types of digital marketing techniques.
The best part about dental marketing is that you can grow your practice with a variety of dental marketing techniques. In fact, the more dental marketing you use, the more likely you’ll have a full roster of patients.
How to Promote Your Dental Office Effectively
There are many ways to promote your office with dental marketing at your fingertips. Dental marketing, including social media branding and digital marketing, is important to use and easy to put into motion once you know how to do so.
When you’re ready to put dental marketing to work for your business, take a look at the following ideas for 30 proven creative dental marketing strategies. Start with one dental marketing idea or a few ideas, but be sure to use as many as possible.
This will up your game and increase appointments at your dental office.
1. Facebook Ads Targeting Your Geographic Area
So many people use social media such as Facebook these days. Some use social media for personal connections while others use it to find providers for products and services.
You can put social media to good use as a social media marketing idea by using Facebook advertisements that target your geographic area via local SEO tactics. These local SEO ads focus on social media users in your area and show your business page to individuals in your geographic area. It provides you with a good online presence.
Here are dental marketing steps to follow for this type of Facebook social media ad:
- Visit the Facebook Business Page to start setting up your geographic area Facebook ad
- Refine your business audience and choose the most relevant option (everyone in this location; people living in this location; people who were recently in this location; or, people who are traveling in this location)
- Select your location by specifying city, designated market area, and business address
- Consider the business locations targeting option, if applicable
With social media profiles, you can take advantage of social media marketing and search engine optimization, which makes a future dental appointment scheduling more likely.
2. Appointment Reminders
For dental marketing ideas that target existing patients, appointment reminders are an excellent strategy to use. Setting up a future visit or sending out visit reminders to schedule a cleaning appointment or follow-up dental appliance visit will help ensure they return to your dental office.
These reminders are easy for dentists to send out and keep the name of your dental practice fresh in the minds of existing patients.
Here’s how to handle reminders:
- Keep a schedule of upcoming patient visits
- Notify patients within a specific amount of time prior to their visit
- Send out appointment reminders via the method chosen by the patient, i.e., text, email, etc.
- Require patients to confirm the upcoming visit
3. Click-to-Call Ads
When prospective dental patients are looking for new dentists, they often use online methods, such as Google and Facebook. In their search, they’re bound to come across click-to-call ads.
Click-to-call ads are online marketing advertisements showcasing dental practice providers. On these click-to-call ads, interested individuals can click on the advertisement to call the dentists right away for more information and to make an appointment.
Click-to-call ads make it easy to reach dentists without having to go to other websites or links. They can contact the dentist directly through the advertisement. Click-to-call ads often have a higher conversion rate than if the person had to go to a different website or pick up the phone to call without being directly connected.
Also, when you just use a basic website design to attract new patients, they might visit your website but forget about how to contact you.
4. Facebook Local Awareness Ads
Facebook Local Awareness ads enable you to market your dental services to a certain group online. These Local Awareness ads help you reach a local audience on social media and highlight information about your dental practice for one of your marketing strategies.
Local Awareness Facebook ads will display the local address of the dentists, hours of operation, “get directions” link, and even a call button to contact dentists.
With Local Awareness Facebook ads, your local SEO dental marketing is reaching the right search audience. You’re not wasting your time marketing your dentist services to social media users who won’t be interested in becoming a new patient. Local Awareness Facebook ads get the information to the social media user through local SEO and get the social media user connected with your practice.
5. Mobile Call-Only Ads
Mobile call-only ads are available through Google Ads. Since one in twenty Google searches on smartphones is for a health-related purpose, you want to target this audience by creating mobile call-only ads as this is a good dental marketing idea.
The mobile call-only ads will help with marketing and direct the prospective patient to your dental practice through search engines.
Mobile call-only online marketing ads make it easy for the potential patient to call your office and have an online presence. They will be directly connected to your practice with ease.
6. Google Maps Ads
Google Maps help individuals get from point A to point B. They also help people find out what dentists are located nearby. When your office uses Google Maps for marketing to attract new clients, you’ll have solid results.
When a term like “dentists” is entered into the Google search bar, your business will pop up on the Google map. Your practice will show up on the search results list along with directions to your dental practice and a call-to-action.
Google Maps is a really easy to use app and website. And many individuals use it to help them find dentists. For something this important, they don’t want to be searching aimlessly online. Google Maps connects the prospective patient to your dental office quickly and that’s why it’s a foolproof marketing strategy to use.
7. Emergency Appointment Ads
When a dental emergency arises, those facing this immediate crisis don’t want to take time performing an exhaustive search for an emergency dentist. They want to find one ASAP.
By placing an emergency advertisement for SEO marketing purposes, your name and office information will be put front and center. Those who see it can call you right away to schedule an emergency visit.
When posting the advertisement, just be sure to put in search engine optimization keywords related to emergency dental practices and emergency dental treatment. This should be done for your dental website, too.
Highlight all emergency dental treatments your practice offers, from abscess issues to broken tooth repair services for your patients. Also, make sure you’re able to see your emergency patients quickly and state this in your emergency appointment ad.
8. Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is a local SEO marketing strategy businesses use to attract local customers. This practice is especially important for local service providers as targeting local customers is how they build a customer base.
Local offices don’t want to offer their services to potential patients across the country. They want to target their ads to individuals in the local vicinity.
When you use Google Business Profile for digital marketing, you can get a step ahead of the competition. Just make sure your profile information is accurate and complete, including business category, phone number, business description, hours of operation, and physical address.
9. Geotargeted Google Ads
Geotargeted Google Ads is a way to get patients to your door with ease. A geotargeted Google Ad allows you to determine what advertising message is seen by your target audience and where it’s seen. This pay per click dental marketing plan is one not to pass up.
When you use geotargeted pay per click CTA Google ads, you want to make sure your local SEO advertisements do the following:
- Use the best dental marketing keywords
- Use advertisement scheduling
- Take advantage of pay per click call-only ads
- Use SEO content on your ads and landing pages
- Include something the competition doesn’t
10. Create Keyword-Specific Content
When Internet users put keywords into search engines, you want those search engines to bring the service seekers to your website which will greet them with an eye-catching web design. This is why you have to create SEO content on your site as a marketing tactic to get them there.
Your website pages should include specific dentist practice keywords that will drive traffic from the search engine right to your site with this digital marketing technique. Once website visitors make it to your site, you can entice them with your full roster of services and promise of excellent customer service with this type of content marketing.
Keyword-specific content is an excellent option for dental practices to use.
11. Create and Promote a Dental Blog
In keeping with the dental marketing ideas above related to SEO content on your site, you should also have a dental blog included on your website for marketing purposes and a greater online presence. This SEO blog on your site will feature brand blog post topics that will draw the potential patient in and provide them with interesting, factual information.
The SEO site content for your blog posts should include dentist practice keywords that will bring Internet users over to the blog on your website and provide them with the information they seek. Dental blog posts with SEO-based topics on the site can cover a wide array of subject matter including:
- Routine examinations you need
- How to take your dental hygiene and health to a whole new level
- Teeth whitening and why you should have this procedure completed
- Why dental health is important
- General dental tips
- Why you need dental implants
- How your dental health affects your overall health
- Getting on the right treatment schedule
By providing potential customers with helpful, insightful SEO blog site articles, you are impressing them with your expertise through this type of advertising and making it more likely they’ll choose you as their new dentist.
And it’s really easy to add a blog tab to your web design to get started.
12. Content Marketing
In addition to being found online through a variety of marketing ideas listed above and making use of a blog, you want to use other SEO techniques as a method to get your practice identity out there and draw in new clients through search engines. Content marketing is a strategy to do so.
Content marketing consists of publishing helpful SEO content online and using this SEO content to market your services. You can do this marketing yourself or use a marketing company.
Some SEO content marketing ideas you can try include:
- Create YouTube how-to videos on dental-related topics or other types of health videos
- Write about frequently asked questions and provide answers to these topics
- Discuss procedures and other topics in lead generation campaigns
- Write SEO blog posts and articles
The purpose is to create SEO content that will attract customers and build new relationships based on commonly asked questions and important information that many people seek out.
13. Increase Your Social Media Following with Engaging Posts
Social media is a foolproof method to reach current customers and attract new ones. It’s easy to use, offers quick results, and has far-reaching capabilities for dental practices. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms should be one of your go-to ideas.
You can use social media posts ideas as such as to show before/after photos, offer treatment discounts, provide an inside look into your practice, and highlight your office team.
Social media ads are also available if you want to boost your social media results and attract more patients to your dentist practice.
14. Use Email Marketing
Email is a frequently used mode of communication these days so it makes sense that email marketing is a good option to consider. Email marketing provides a method to stay in touch with patients and enable them to make their appointments with ease.
Remember, it’s not just new patients that need to be wooed by your dentist practice through email marketing. You need to take the steps to tailor your email marketing techniques towards current patients, too.
15. Offer Live Chat
Live chat is an easy option for your patients to reach your office, ask questions, and stay in touch with your practice representatives. Provide a live chat section on your website and help your customers reach you with ease.
This is a great option for multi-tasking people who may be working at the time and can’t hop on a phone call with your practice to schedule an appointment or inquire about a procedure. They can communicate with your office team via the Live Chat function and continue on with their workday at the same time.
16. New Facebook Messaging Ad
In addition to the Facebook social media advertising capabilities listed previously, your practice can use the new Facebook social media messaging ad for those with social media profiles.
This technique makes it possible for interested potential patients to click on a “Send Message” button and be directed to Facebook Messenger on social media to contact your business. When you make
17. Google Ads with Income Targeting
Google Ads can also be created in a way that they target specific income levels. This is a wise idea for a dental practice that offers more expensive elective services, such as teeth whitening. It’s also a good idea for dentist offices that may not accept too many types of insurance and patients will have to pay out-of-pocket for the services they receive.
You can create an SEO Google Ad for your practice that offers teeth whitening promotions or specials on veneers. The advertisements will then be seen by Internet users who fall within a certain income level bracket and would be most likely to make an appointment for these services.
Google Ads that work with search engine optimization income targeting capabilities ensure that the possible patients you reach are ones who can afford your services. Otherwise you’re just advertising to everyone and not everybody will be able to visit your dentist practice for certain treatments if they’re not covered by insurance or too high in price.
18. Remarketing Ads
Remarketing advertisements are ones that target people who have visited your website in the past. This dental marketing plan can also be useful for being seen by prior patients who have already visited your practice.
The purpose of remarketing advertisements is to remind past website visitors or prior patients that you’re still there waiting for them to contact you. It’s also a good opportunity to remind them of your services and how your team is ready, willing, and able to treat all their health needs.
If you already have email addresses from prior patients, you can use them to reach these people when putting your remarketing ad campaign into motion. Use the Customer Match option on Facebook and Google Ads and have your dental practice advertisements seen by people who have visited your dentist office previously.
It’s a great way to say, “Contact us” and schedule an upcoming visit.
19. Waze Ads
Waze is a popular map and driving directions app that’s similar to Google Maps. You can advertise your practice on Waze as you would with Google Maps.
On Waze, the advertisements pop up like digital billboards and also appear in the search results. Waze users can then get directions to your office or save the name of your business and contact information for use at a later time.
Waze will not only direct people to your dental practice but also show them how close your dentistry office is to where they’re located.
20. ZocDoc
ZocDoc is a mobile app and one of the latest trends that enables people to connect with local health providers. Future patients can check out your information, such as specialty, location, health insurance accepted, and availability, and then book an appointment with you online.
This is a really popular app with the millennial crowd. The ZocDoc app targets those individuals who are tech-savvy and don’t want to pick up a phone, call the office, and speak to a live individual. They’d rather just set up everything online and do so with ease.
When your business is included on ZocDoc, you can market your office without having to do too much at all on your part. Simply put your information out there and let prospective patients come to you for their dental care.
ZocDoc is relatively new but gaining greatly in popularity so you want to be sure you use this mobile app as a dental marketing strategy.
21. Yelp
Online reviews provide a way to get potential patients to learn more about dental offices, so you want to be sure your current patients are getting the word out on your services with reviews. Yelp is a top website for reviews. People leave reviews on this website since it has such a loyal following and an impressive number of categories, including dental offices.
Make sure to claim your business on the Yelp website and ensure that the information highlighted on the reviews website is accurate as it pertains to your dental office. Once you claim your business, you can sit back, relax, and let the patients come to you as they read the helpful and positive reviews other people post on Yelp.
When your patients complete their treatments at your office, ask them to leave reviews on the Yelp website about their experience. The more positive reviews you have on the Yelp website, the more likely you are to gain new patients along the way.
Reviews on the Yelp website and other websites that gather reviews should never be overlooked. Websites offering these types of reviews are great ways to get new patients.
22. Direct Mail
You might think that direct mail is a thing of the past, but this isn’t the case. Although many people use social media and a website for their dental clinic questions and guidance, some people don’t use social media at all, or even email.
This is where direct marketing of this type enters the picture for one of your dental marketing ideas. Don’t forget to spend some time and money on direct mail marketing. Even individuals who use social media, email, and the Internet, in general, will be able to be reached through direct mail marketing methods.
When you send out direct mail, you have a few different options. You can use postcard mailers to send out general information or you can use letter format if the content is directly focused on the patient and their dental care. You can also notify patients about your new blog. Some dental professionals even use colorful cardstock mailers to draw in new patients and do so with flair and unforgettable marketing methods.
23. Video Advertising
Some people are visual people and they like to see the advertising you offer come to life before their very own eyes with videos. Video advertising content takes care of this by providing your dentist practice with a way to promote your services in motion.
Video advertising is a dental marketing strategy that creates trust and a personal connection through content videos between your dentist office team members and future patients. Don’t neglect to consider your video advertising options.
Many prospective patients are interested to see what the office interior looks like and if the dentistry team looks professional and kind-mannered and videos do this. With video advertising, you can connect with your patients and future patients by speaking to them directly through videos.
24. Offer Referral Bonuses
Word of mouth is always a good way to market your business, if it consists of good comments, that is. For patients who want to spread the good word to friends and acquaintances about your dentist office, you can reward them with referral bonuses.
Using referral bonuses is an extremely popular and successful dental marketing idea for healthcare professionals. Not only do they get new clients from offering referral bonuses, but they make their current patients happy as well.
There are many different examples of referral bonus ideas you can use. You can choose the ideas on how you reward your patients for their referrals to friends. An example includes offering a bonus service treatment to your patient or giving them a discount off their next dental service. Whichever one of the ideas you choose, you’re sure to have a happy patient and new patient to treat.
25. Attend Local Events and Hand Out Logoed Items
Since you want to attract a local crowd to your dental office, attend local events in your area and hand out logoed items. When you show up to local events as an event information vendor, you’re lending a hand to the local community by taking part in a town event. This will be noticed and appreciated by the event host and all the attendees.
Local events might be fall festivals or holiday gatherings in the city where your office is located. They might even be fundraising events held by local charity organizations that are looking for information vendors to take part in the event. Seeking out information on search engines can help you find the right event.
When you attend these local events, it’s a great place to hand out giveaway gifts with your dental office brand logo and contact information on it, such as your dental website. For example, some ideas for custom logo items include pens, magnets, phone cases, travel mugs, or any other item that will be used often and put your company name front and center. Put your name on these items and say, “Contact us for all your dental needs!”
By attending these events, you are a friendly face individuals can get to know in this type of place. And when you hand out custom logoed products with your dental office logo and contact information on it, these individuals know where they can reach you if they need dental treatments in the future.
26. Host Free Lectures
Another marketing strategy that your dental office can use to attract new patients is hosting free lectures. Contact your local library, senior center, or town hall to see if they would be interested in having your dental office visit and host a free lecture for individuals to attend.
This will provide helpful information to the community and also get your name and website out there to the public. You may find that you get a few new patients from each of these events that you host and that they wouldn’t have found their way to your office otherwise.
Your lectures can contain information about the services your dental office offers or general information as to what dental treatments are necessary on an annual basis. You can also provide details on elective treatments that some may be interested in obtaining in addition to their annual exams and cleanings.
27. Networking Events
Networking events puts groups of professionals in the same room together, either in the same physical location or in the same Zoom video conference room. By networking with others in the local community, you can get the word out on your business, be an authority in your field, and learn about other local businesses, too.
Networking events are a great way to reach out to others beyond the usual marketing tactics and join forces with other local businesses. You can talk about their business with others and they can do the same with your business which can yield new patients.
Make sure you hand out some type of flyer or business card in person with a “contact us” type of message or provide an online document or videos with the same message.
28. Text Messaging on Google
Google Click-to-Message is another marketing tactic that you can use with the help of Google. When prospective clients find your dental office information on Google, this function allows them to text message your company phone number right from the Google site.
Here’s how to set it up:
- Log in to your Google Business Profile page
- Select the messaging function and add your phone number
- Enter the verification code sent by Google
- Now you’re all set to receive text messages from potential patients who find you on
This is one of the best dental marketing ideas to try. The easier you make it for individuals to reach you, the more likely you are to have new patients visit your office.
29. 24-Hour Appointment Setting with Answering Service
Not everyone is able to book an appointment during the 9-to-5 workday hours. And when future or current patients want to book an appointment with your dental clinic, you want to make sure they can do so whenever they want to.
With a 24-hour appointment setting answering service, your customer can reserve their appointment, mark it on their calendar, and you can rest easy knowing your new patient or current patient is choosing you for their dental services in the most efficient way.
Even though you have a 24-hour appointment setting answering service, you should follow up the next business day with a call from one of your team members. This will let your patients know that you received their appointment and that you have them on the schedule for the time and day they requested. It’s also good to follow up to see if they have any questions regarding their treatment plan and specific appointment treatment.
30. Local Sponsorships
As a local business, you want to attract individuals in your community through dental marketing and turn potential patients into definite ones. One of the best ways to get your company logo seen and individuals asking for more information about your services is to advertise your company through local sponsorships.
Some example ideas for local sponsorship opportunities include:
- Sponsor a local sports team and have your dentist brand name on their jerseys
- Buy a partial or full page advertisement in an event booklet or website
- Sponsor or co-sponsor a local charity’s fundraising event
- Publish a guest post on a local organization website
When you get your business offerings out to the public through these dental marketing ideas, you are not only marketing your company but you’re also supporting the local community and this will be acknowledged.
Use a Variety of Dental Marketing Techniques
Now’s the perfect time to get started and market your dental practice. Don’t just rely on one or two dental marketing ideas for your dental marketing strategy. Use many different marketing methods to attract new patients to your dental office. After all, potential patients aren’t just using one method to find you, so why should you utilize just one of the dental marketing ideas to find them?
And be sure to use multiple marketing techniques for the benefit of attracting prior patients in the future, too. You don’t want current patients to go looking elsewhere for dental treatments. You want your dental marketing strategy to remind them that you’re there for them and all of their dental needs.
A dental marketing strategy can help to keep your name fresh in their minds and ensure that they’ll continue to make appointments with your dentist office which enables you to grow your practice.
For example, when considering the various dental marketing ideas and finding the best marketing strategy, answer the following questions:
- What area should I target most?
- Do I offer specialized services?
- What social media platforms does the dental office use most?
- What SEO keywords relate to my business?
- Do I want to use pay per click options?
- What search engines are most lucrative for my brand?
- What local organizations are most often looking for sponsors?
- Where can I offer free lectures?
- What dentistry videos can I offer?
- Do most of my patients have email addresses filed with us?
- What is the budget for my marketing plan?
- Do I want to handle content and SEO duties or hire a dental marketing company to lead my small business web hosting, design and marketing efforts?
- What is my new patient goal per month with the marketing plan?
- Does my website design need to be updated with Live Chat, a blog, or any other tech-savvy and content-focused website features?
- What topics can I include on my blog and how often should I update my website?
By considering the previously mentioned marketing ideas and taking the process step-by-step in the most efficient way, you can pinpoint what dental marketing strategies you want to start with and get ready to surpass the competition.
Once you realize what marketing ideas and dental marketing strategy most works for your practice and which ones are less than optimal, you can tailor your dental marketing campaign to focus on the techniques which attract the most new patients and retain your current patients in the best possible way.
Individuals have a choice when it comes to choosing a dentist, and you want to make sure they choose you!
It’s a great idea on leveraging a Google Click-to-Message for direct communication. Prospective clients can easily reach out via text when they discover your dental office on Google, streamlining the communication process and improving accessibility. This feature enhances the patient experience and fosters convenience, making it a valuable addition to your dental marketing strategy.