Investing in marketing for your dental practice is important and a big decision. To make sure you’re ready and choose the right marketing company, ask these questions…
Questions to Ask Yourself:
1 – Who are my ideal new patients?
- Are you targeting specific treatments or patient types (e.g., families)?
2 – Is my office able to cater to new patients from start to finish?
- Is your process smooth from the initial phone call to patient experience, treatment acceptance, and do you have follow-up systems for no-shows or declined treatments?
3 – Who is my local demographic?
- Are they older or younger? Who are the people that live nearby?
- If you accept Insurance, What insurance plans are common in the area?
4 – What happens when potential patients look me up online?
- Are your reviews positive?
- Is your website and Google Maps profile strong?
Very important. Take it step by step. Ensure your online presence is strong before investing in advertising. People research online before reaching out, and a poor first impression can hurt your results.
5 – What do I need most?
- Do you need any type of new patients immediately, or are you focusing on high-value treatments like implants, cosmetics, or clear aligners? For example, if you are already busy with general dentistry, it might make sense to invest more in marketing higher-value treatments to current patients and new patients.
6 – Have I focused enough on internal marketing?
- Are you encouraging referrals from your best patients? Internal marketing is often overlooked but is the most effective marketing.
Questions to Ask Marketing Companies
1 – Do they lock me into a contract?
- Understand the agreement terms, do they lock you in a yearly agreement or any auto renewals.
2 – What do they do monthly?
- Get a detailed, itemized list of their services. Is their work transparent?
3 – Will they adjust my campaigns quarterly?
- Can they adapt strategies for better results every few months?
4 – Do they personalize and update my website?
- Can they customize and keep your website current?
5 – How long have they been in business?
- Dental experience matters.
6 – Running Ads? Do they allow the Ad platforms like Google to charge directly?
- A common issue we see is that some agencies lump sum the ad cost and their fees. This doesn’t help dental offices discern how much of the money goes towards the actual ad spend. Make sure they structure their ads so you are charged directly by the platform and directly by the agency for the management fee.
7 – What do other doctors say about them?
- Look for reviews and testimonials from other dentists.
8 – Are their sales tactics pushy?
- Avoid high-pressure sales tactics.
9 – Is it easy to contact them?
- Check their customer service responsiveness. Do they make themselves available via meetings.
Choosing the right marketing company is crucial for your dental practice’s success. Define your ideal patients, ensure your practice is ready, and understand your local demographic. Taking these steps will help you maximize your marketing investment, leading to a thriving dental practice.
The DocSites provides affordable and effective Websites & Online Marketing with no long term contracts, transparent pricing and great customer service for dentists. Reach out to us today to request a free, no-obligation demo!
