You diversify your portfolio. You never have too many eggs in a single basket. As a savvy practice owner or manager, you have likely taken a page from the investment handbook when diversifying your clinic’s services. In our fast-paced environment, this approach is imperative to remain modern and on the cutting-edge; to attract new patients; and to build resilience as economic conditions evolve and demand for services ebbs and flows. However, is your marketing keeping pace? Does it accurately reflect the diversity of those services and your current priorities or ambitions? Here are some suggestions to bring newer or evolving services from the sidelines to the front lines, driving a whole new community of patients and profitability in the face of seasonal and market fluctuations.
Out of the shadows, into the spotlight
Perhaps your website has not changed much in a while. Maybe you have long highlighted only those offerings that are traditionally considered fundamental to dental practices. However, we know you offer more than the “standard” exams, cleanings, and fillings. It is important to regularly assess the content on your website to ensure it aligns with your current services, capabilities, and professionals’ interests and training. You may be leaving money on the table by not properly communicating the variety of up-to-date services available to your patients.
The public still tends to think of dentists’ services as limited to the obvious check-ups, cavity repair, and so on. Modern dentistry is about much more than that — so often, growing “non-traditional” services is just a matter of patient awareness and education that dentists are indeed equipped to provide such services in the first place. In order to understand what you should promote or better communicate to your patients, use your website as a guide, since, as the “digital entrance” to your practice, you have probably mentioned all of the services that you offer in some way there. Focus your attention on those services that are not deemed your “core.” See how you have treated those non-core offerings on your website. Also, see this effort as an opportunity to consider any other areas for expansion. There may be missed opportunities to grow your practice through new products and procedures. We have highlighted some of these strategic growth possibilities and areas for optimization below.
Complementary aesthetic treatments
Products like Botox® and dermal fillers are seemingly designed for dental professionals, as they play to your strengths and expertise in oral anatomy and physiology. They also provide a steady source of patient visits and revenue, because they produce temporary results and require maintenance injections. If you have dipped your toes in these services but are not pleased by their impact on your bottom line thus far, do not become discouraged. Remember, the public often does not naturally associate dentists with these aesthetic procedures. This fact makes it all the more important to ensure you are properly leveraging your website to promote such products.
Action steps
- Do not limit yourself to one article on your website about these services. Set aside a full section on your website for such products.
- Since these products are particularly visual in nature, be sure to include video and images of real patients, their results, and the treatment process.
- If you have special expertise, such as off-label uses of the product or you use it to treat oral conditions like TMJDs, be sure to mention those differentiators. They can give your practice a real competitive edge.
- Cross-reference Botox® or other injectables on other pages as appropriate; for instance, include them on your bruxism and TMJD treatment pages. Since nonsurgical aesthetic treatments are a terrific complement to smile makeover services, be sure to include them on cosmetic dentistry-oriented pages too. This approach to content also helps to keep other pages fresh.
Sleep apnea and snoring
Here is yet another service that the layperson often does not associate with dentistry. Ensure you have properly and accurately described any services that you offer, and how you work with other disciplines (such as sleep specialists) to develop treatment plans for patients diagnosed with conditions like Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Action steps
- Highlight any technologies that differentiate you from other dentists who offer oral appliance therapy; for example, advanced technologies and special training to aid in the screening and evaluation of sleep apnea.
- If you have not done so already, create a section that features articles on sleep apnea and snoring, as well as on how you manage these conditions as a dentist.
- Develop dynamic content that incorporates graphics, images, and videos to illustrate how sleep apnea occurs, common symptoms and complications, and how oral appliances support healthy breathing and overall health.
Orthodontics
When a layperson has crowded or crooked teeth, they are more likely to turn to an orthodontist than to any other professional. After all, they may have worn braces as children and remember those many visits to the orthodontist’s office. Now, their teeth have shifted again, or their children need braces. They need to be aware that their general dentist in the neighbourhood has the technology and expertise to treat their family’s teeth. The popularity of clear aligner systems is opening up a new revenue stream for practices. This is an area that may require a great deal of thoughtful and clear communication and education.
Action steps
- Make sure that your website goes beyond an ad about Invisalign® or a short article or post on your website or blog.
- Carve out a section titled “orthodontics” or “braces alternatives.”
- Within this section, you should include an article that includes a summary about Invisalign® or answers to frequently asked questions that you or your team have personally identified among your patients.
- The articles that accompany this key service page should delve into other important topics at greater length; notably, how clear aligners are the same as braces and how they differ; the benefits of clear aligners; the differences between Invisalign® and other systems (as appropriate or relevant to the products that you offer); and tips for patients on how to ensure their treatment stays on track and their results are maintained, so their teeth do not shift back to where they were before therapy.
Best practices for all services
It certainly does not hurt to occasionally run banners that highlight these side services in the prominent areas of your home page. This keeps them at the forefront of your patients’ and visitors’ minds. Periodically run promotions or tie these services to membership and loyalty programs. For example, promote how annual memberships also include discounts on Botox® or how any loyalty rewards may be applied toward aesthetic treatments with injectables or clear aligners. Create limited-time only special offers to create a sense of urgency. It may also be time to consider a full re-launch of any services that were not properly promoted when you first offered them. This re-launch could include mentions in your newsletter, direct mail, special events, and even press releases distributed to niche influencers and local media. You do not need to start from scratch. Simply take the best of your initial launch and build upon that to grow these services in a way that befits their distinctiveness and value.
About the author
Naren Arulrajah, President and CEO of Ekwa Marketing, has been a leader in medical marketing for over a decade. Ekwa provides comprehensive marketing solutions for busy dentists, with a team of more than 180 full time professionals, providing web design, hosting, content creation, social media, reputation management, SEO, and more.