How to Grow Your Dental Practice in 2022

The new year is here and it’s an exciting time to build upon your success. Most entrepreneurs hit a motivational spike as the calendar year flips, signaling an opportunity for incremental improvements. If you’re planning on growing your dental practice, you need to make lasting changes. Businesses that make strategic decisions are the ones that thrive and outperform the competition.

Fortunately, you don’t have to make significant changes to see meaningful results. It’s about the little things that add up over time that will make an impact on your dental practice. Read on to learn how to grow your dental practice in 2022!

1. Make sure your website is clean and optimized

Your website is the digital front of your dental practice. Thus, it must load quickly and smoothly to ensure a positive user experience. Gone are the days where websites are simply an information center. Nowadays, clients turn to websites to determine the credibility of a business. If you can make a solid first impression, you can expect patients to trust your practice and avail of your services.

Clients should be able to access everything they need in a few clicks. By this, we mean your website should be mobile-friendly and straightforward to navigate. It would be best if you had a call-to-action (CTA) button on your landing page to encourage business, and the UI design should mirror that of your dental practice.

Setting up a good website costs money. But remember, your website tells a lot about your dental practice, and if it looks terrible, then clients will start to look elsewhere. Make sure to invest in proper website development so that you can convey a professional and trustworthy image to your site visitors.

2. Offer unique dental services

Competition in the dental industry is stiff, and practices are vying for the attention of their clients 24/7. Attracting new patients can be challenging if you don’t have a reason for them to choose you. You need to stand out from the competition and offer a compelling option to draw in new business.

This is where a unique selling proposition comes in. When you offer a service that your competitors don’t, you’re giving customers a reason to choose you. From providing emergency dentistry to specialties like veneers and implants, differentiating yourself is a sure-fire way to attract new patients.

Upgrading your office also helps in generating patient interest. How do your customers feel when they walk into your practice? Do they feel relaxed and comfortable? It’s not just about offering unique services; it’s about creating a personal experience that stands out. Amenities like Wi-Fi and television can help curb the boredom of your young patients as they wait for their treatment. Put yourself in your patient’s shoes and think of ways to elevate their experience in your dental practice.

3. Get involved in your local community

If you haven’t participated in any local events in your community, now is the perfect time to do so. Sponsoring a community program or charity event is a great way to get your dental practice’s name out there. Not only do you benefit from increased brand awareness, but you also get to expand your networking circle, opening up business opportunities along the way.

By giving back to your community, you build strong relationships with the locals, thus reinforcing the credibility of your practice. If a trade fair or exhibit is happening in your area, you can send one of your employees to hand over flyers and business cards. Be active in your community, and you’ll find that more and more people will become increasingly aware of your dental practice.

4. Obtain positive reviews from patients

Online reviews hold a lot of weight when determining a brand’s reputation. Because actual patient experiences are the basis for online reviews, you want to obtain as much positive feedback for your practice as possible. Now, that doesn’t mean you should ask each of your patients for a 5-star rating on Google reviews. It would be best to enhance the client experience and provide excellent customer service.

When you take care of your patients, they will care for your business. Your primary goal should be to satisfy the needs and expectations of your target audience. When you meet (or exceed) those needs, your patients will be more than happy to give you positive feedback. The 5-star ratings will come as long as you meet your core audience’s needs.

5. Offer New-Year discounts

Your patients have their own New Year’s resolutions to follow, and improved oral health is likely a part of the list. According to Statista, 83% of surveyed people listed oral health as their main health-related priority. But the one thing holding these people back from visiting the dentist is the cost. With a timely opportunity in your hands, why not offer a New Year’s discount and encourage them to visit your practice?

You can approach this tactic in many different ways. You can offer a complimentary oral health check or a bundled package that includes X-rays and oral cleaning. It’s a great way to introduce new patients to your practice and potentially nurture them as returning patients.

6. Write high-quality blogs on your website

Blogging is one of the best ways to attract new patients to your practice. Patients associate your website with professionalism and expertise when you write high-quality content. Not only that but producing fresh content helps maintain your visibility across search engines. Improving a website’s visibility is key to generating traffic, and the more site visitors you attract, the more potential clients you will land.

In addition to that, writing blogs is the perfect opportunity to explain the dental procedures you offer. When patients are knowledgeable about your practice, they’ll feel more confident in visiting you.

7. Offer multiple payment options

Cost isn’t the only thing holding patients back from visiting your dental practice. Often, the lack of flexible payment options hinders their ability to avail of your services. To attract more patients at the door, offering multiple payment options gives patients easy access to your treatments.

You can offer in-house financing where patients can make an initial deposit and have them pay their remaining balance monthly. Other options include accepting credit card payments and partnering with third-party financing companies. Not only will these encourage business, but they will also make your patients feel more valued and protected.

8. Seek business referrals

Developing connections and relationships with neighboring businesses is an excellent way to land referrals for your dental practice. If you’ve participated in any local event, chances are other businesses are aware of your brand. You can leverage this newfound familiarity by connecting with those businesses and exchanging client referrals. Even better if you collaborate with other dental practices that require specialized services.

If your practice is located in a busy area, consider offering dental services to nearby firms and offices. Convenience is a huge factor when attracting new patients, and accessible dental practice is sure to generate plenty of foot traffic.

9. Implement SEO practices

Search engine optimization (SEO) is vital to any business looking to reach more customers. As we’ve previously mentioned, online visibility is key to generating traffic. You can rank in search engine results pages and direct relevant users to your website with SEO.

SEO covers a broad aspect of your business. From your social media page to your article blogs, having a solid understanding of search engine optimization will get you the results you need. You can avail the services of an SEO professional to help you generate more traffic and reach the right people for your dental practice.

10. Do social media marketing (SMM)

Millions of active users on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are looking for products/services they’re interested in. Knowing this, you want to use social media to reach your target market. The good news is that social media platforms equip businesses with the right tools to promote their business.

You can target your ads based on demographics, age, interest, and more with social media marketing. The highly customized approach allows businesses to improve their online visibility further and cater to a broader audience. Of course, you also want to engage with your customers to understand further what makes them tick.

Once you’ve accumulated enough followers on social media, be sure to engage with them regularly. Ask your patients how you can improve your services and what other things you can offer them. A business that listens to its audience will foster customer loyalty and benefit from repeat sales.

Conclusion

With proper planning and preparation, you can take advantage of the opportunities presented to you and attract new patients to your practice. Remember that it’s not just about the new patient count; it’s about retaining your existing patient base and developing customer loyalty. When you implement these ten value-based tips, you’ll be able to scale your dental practice and follow up on the success you previously had.

Having good dental practice is crucial to the profitability of your business. If you’re interested in sorting out the financial health of your practice, we are here to help. Fill out the form below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.