Dental Marketing Platform: How to Improve Patient Management Efforts

‍Invest in dental marketing software to attract new patients, nurture existing patients, and streamline multi-channel communication to improve your overall patient relationship management efforts.

With over 80% of Americans searching for a new dentist and researching dental services online, dental practices with a robust online presence are much more likely to capture a prospective patient’s attention. The key to accelerating practice growth is maximizing your digital presence, and dental marketing software is a vital element in augmenting your patient engagement and retention strategies.

Think we’re overstating our case? Consider the numbers:

• 73% of consumers use search engines seeking treatment information.
• 61% of mobile searchers are more likely to contact a local business if it has a mobile-friendly dental website design with patients in mind.
• 71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to their friends and family.
• Prioritizing a dental blog makes marketers 13 times more likely to see a positive return on investment (ROI).

The use of dental marketing software will not only help boost your search engine rankings with dental SEO best practices but will also improve the all-around efficiency of your practice's operation—such as sending out consult reminders and confirming appointments online. In addition to minimizing paperwork and keeping work processes running smoothly, it saves you time and frees up your front office staff to focus on your number one priority—your patients.

Here we discuss the top reasons to invest in dental marketing software—attract new patients, nurture existing patients, and streamline multi-channel communication.

Attract New Dental Patients

There’s a direct correlation between maintaining an impeccable online presence and attracting new patients to your dental practice.

Digital marketing for dental practices provides a next-level, word-of-mouth strategy to reach out to new patients. And with dentistry projected to grow globally to over $60 billion by 2024, what you should be looking for are the best strategies to up your marketing game and grow your patient base.

Essential elements include local search engine optimization (SEO), relevant dental website design and content, a user-friendly online experience, and clever link-building. The aim is to improve your site’s ranking in local searches, making it quicker and easier for prospective patients to find you. A local online directory link is another trusted route to raise your visibility in geo-targeted searches.

Reputation Management

Online reviews constitute one of Google’s three most significant metrics in determining where your website ranks in local searches. The word is out – 79% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends or family, and the dental industry is no exception. Reviews are great lead generators and can also act as excellent patient service platforms. They establish trust, build highly desirable natural links to your dental website, and improve your local SEO.

But how should you handle criticism of your practice? Dental reputation management is key. Think of a less-than-stellar review as an opportunity in disguise. Firstly, find out what the issue is and contact the reviewer promptly. Then do what you can to resolve their grievance, aiming for a resolution that’s mutually beneficial. Remember to correct false information where necessary, and apologize if it’s warranted. Regardless of the final outcome, you’ll have demonstrated that you’re approachable, caring, and professional.

Social Media

Social media is where people go to get advice and recommendations. Channels such as Facebook and Instagram offer extremely responsive, interactive platforms for you to communicate with patients, boost your online reputation, and build relationships. Establish a dental social media profile to post updates on current industry developments, render your expertise, and offer insights into your dental practice’s services. Create an informative video clip, be proactive in responding to patient questions and concerns, and share enlightening articles by dental industry experts. The more compelling the content, the more likely it is to be shared by other social media users.

Nurture Relationships With Existing Dental Patients

Existing patients form the foundation of your dental practice, so keeping them happy should be your primary goal. Superior patient care leads to better patient retention and engagement. Patient relationships are superbly important and communication doesn’t need to be limited to those times a patient comes into the dental practice.

Remind patients that you’re not just their dentist twice a year; they’re part of your dental family!

Dental marketing software can help you keep the conversation going and stay in touch with patients through a variety of communication channels. This is central to patient retention and greater case acceptance. Electronic appointment reminders via text, email, or mobile apps, e-newsletters, post-appointment surveys, social media profiles, frequent blogging on your dental practice website are just some of the opportunities you could leverage to strengthen the patient-practitioner connection.

Personalizing your messages is very important. Address your patient by name and make them feel you’re speaking directly to them. Some 84% of consumers say being treated like a person, not a number, is crucial to winning their hearts and minds (and dollars). Leverage demographics to provide content that’s tailored for their specific treatment needs and ensure it's delivered via the most appropriate platform.

With cutting-edge dental marketing software, you can segment your patient base according to different criteria. For instance, their age, whether they’re a new or established patient, the date of their last appointment, where they live, if they live alone or in a family group, their type of insurance coverage, etc.

With RevenueWell's dental marketing platform, office managers can even target email campaigns based on ADA codes, thanks to the system's integration dental practice management software.

Streamline Multi-Channel Communication Through Different Patient Touchpoints

Dental practices can leverage multi-channel communication to reach patients through a combination of routes. These include websites, social networks, emails, video calls, online chats, telephone conversations—depending on the patient’s particular preferences, of course. And the more options you provide, the happier (and more engaged) the patient is likely to be. Given the multitude of possible interactions across multiple channels, devices, and applications—it’s vital to streamline communication to ensure a consistent patient experience, particularly relevant for multi-practice management.

For a multi-channel approach to be effective, it must first analyze the ways in which a patient interacts with the practice, be it in-person, online, or over the phone. These patient touchpoints define the patient’s experience with the practice over time. You can track these communication touchpoints to create a patient journey map. This is a great tool for determining the optimal way to deliver information; where, when, and how your patient needs it. Software that supports the multi-channel approach brings together a range of communication channels and devices, creating the best-possible and most-harmonious user experience.

Optimizing Digital Marketing for Dental Practices

It’s the small touches that keep patients coming back. By offering patients a seamless yet personalized experience—extending the personal touch, adding a little convenience here and there, committed and compassionate care that makes every patient feel like family—you’ll be guaranteed to reap the rewards of increased patient engagement and retention.

Sending custom emails with post-treatment instructions, sending birthday and holiday greetings, or knowing a patient’s information before answering the phone. These are just some of the ways to nurture more meaningful engagements.

Today's best dental marketing software can automate all of these tactics.

RevenueWell Dental Marketing Software Platform: Your Secret Advantage

Dental marketing software provides the high-tech tools needed to build sustainable patient relationships.

RevenueWell’s dental marketing software has the power to revolutionize the way you interact with your patients through a multi-channel communication approach—keeping patients engaged by communicating the way they want to communicate, making it easy for them to book and confirm appointments, pay bills, and complete paperless forms.

Schedule a demo today and discover why RevenueWell is the highest-rated marketing and patient relationship solution among dentists and dental office managers.