The United States is home to nearly a million dental professionals, a group of dentists, hygienists, technicians and other healthcare professionals. Although only a quarter of these professionals are dentists, a staggering 1 in 3 report not feeling busy enough. This has led many to lose confidence in not only individual practices but also the industry as a whole over time.
Experts report that it is becoming harder for dental professionals to find and keep patients due to the evolving economic landscape across the United States. Many patients today are facing unemployment and a subsequent loss of benefits, lowering dental care on the list of personal priorities for many. Aside from layoffs cutting employer-sponsored benefits, many people are facing overall financial hardship that is making dental care more of a luxury. These trends have decreased loyalty to a certain practice, decreased referrals and slowed the overall growth of practices across the country, leaving many searching for a way to combat this problem.
As practices everywhere continue to experience what experts are coining a “fiscal squeeze,” precipitated by a lower demand for care and higher prices, many practices are turning to dental marketing to improve customer experience. Not only can marketing improve overall patient experience, but it can also help to improve competitive advantage, underscore the value of receiving dental work, offer a more memorable experience and create a dominant brand.
Focusing on these outcomes has driven many top dentists to put time and effort into their digital presence, meeting new and existing patients where they are. Studies have shown that proactively planning marketing makes practices over 300% more likely to report success than those who don’t, underscoring the need for tactics that differentiate each practice from competitors. Not only can dental marketing help to boost these qualitative markers of success, but they can also boost revenue, as providers focused on customer experience first have seen their revenue increase by 20% over the past five years.
There are many specific, digital-first tactics that marketers are now using to set dental practices apart from competitors. Many of these are driven by artificial intelligence, which is quickly continuing to take the country by storm and reinvent the inner workings of industries everywhere. Dentistry is no exception, and has already helped practitioners to detect more diseases, reduce claim denials and reduce appointment errors.
From a marketing standpoint, search engine optimization (SEO) is important for rising above the noise and standing out. Especially because most internet users are seldom scrolling past the first page of search results or even past the AI overview, it is important for practices to populate these results. Well designed SEO ensures this, keeping practices top of mind for new and existing patients. Once the user navigates to the practice website, professional and mobile-friendly interface is key. This will keep people using the site and drive actual bookings rather than simple browsing. Studies have found that 75% of internet users say that a company’s website is a reflection of their level of professionalism. This means that digital presence is just as important as physical presence, and can be the deciding factor when it comes to driving traffic to the clinic. Overall, practices that leverage AI to bolster their digital presence will remain in front of new patients and be better equipped to survive changes in the economic landscape.
Source: Dental Marketing Guy
