Dental magazines carry a lot of articles promoting the importance of marketing, but for many dental professionals, marketing can seem like an alien concept and fear of this ‘unknown’ can manifest itself in complete inactivity. Yet when times are hard, marketing can keep a practice moving forward and increase its success. Indeed, research consistently shows that those companies who continue to market and engage with their customers during difficult times are the ones that not only survive, but emerge stronger in the long run.
To debunk the myths and cut to the value, we have distilled the importance of marketing your practice and your patient membership plan into four pieces of advice that are easy to understand, easy to implement and ultimately will generate a real financial return.
1. It will help attract more patients
There are not many practices in the UK, if any, that would turn away the chance to attract more patients. After all, many of these patients will become members of your dental plan.
A higher number of patients on plan will increase turnover and profit by taking up weekly slack in chair time. In fact, once you have enough plan members to cover any overheads and expenses you have, any additional income from these patients goes straight to your bottom line – an extra bonus!
2. It will build loyalty amongst your existing patients
Patients that sign up to your plan will become members of your practice, giving them a sense of belonging as though they are part of your exclusive, member-only club! Because of this, they are much less likely to shop around for alternative practices and providers.
What’s more, this now opens the opportunity to develop relationships with these people, enabling you to communicate with them more often and on a more personal level, encouraging them to become advocates for your practice. You never underestimate the power of ‘word of mouth’.
3. It will make it easier for your patients to say ‘YES’
Affordability, not cost, is one of the key considerations for consumers in today’s economic climate.
More often than not, hearing the full cost of something can be a turn off, regardless of whether it is a dental treatment, a new sofa or a car. However, if you can offer your patients the option of paying in reasonable monthly repayments, then it becomes eminently more affordable.
Which offer below sounds the most attractive to you?…
You can receive high-quality dental care for as little as £14 per month”.
We can carry out your annual dental health checks for £168 a year”.
Even though both options work out at the same price, the first option feels much more affordable, which is why offering a plan to potential new members is an easier opt-in.
Moreover, by offering affordable options to patients, it helps to make the issue of discussing ‘money’ easier, almost as though you’re providing them with an offer that is tailored to their needs.
4. Not doing so will be a false economy
A healthy and growing membership base is essential to the sustainability and profitability of your practice. Just like anything else that you want to grow, your plan needs feeding, nourishing and attention. Of course, if finances are tight, the need to cut costs becomes bigger, and a cost cutting of the non-essentials is always a good move. However, recruiting new patients is the lifeblood of your practice and cutting this out can only result in a negative outcome down the line.
