It’s not easy being in the dental practice. Let’s face it, most people who even dream to become a dentist want to have their very own clinic, but it’s not easy to get clients to trust you especially if you’re fairly new to the trade.
The good news is that there are actually ways to earn their trust—and get new clients in the process— even if you’re just a new establishment on the block. And this is thanks to marketing, particularly digital marketing, using such techniques as SEO practices for dental clinics. Take a look at these tips below.
Recognize Your SWOT
Before you take the step of investing in every marketing strategy offered to you, you first have to recognize your SWOT—your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities. This is a rather more structured way to recognize where you excel at, where you need more improvement, the opportunities based on these two, and the threats to your business.
Under strength, you need to highlight the differences that set your dental services apart from those in the area. List them down so you know which features you can leverage later. For weaknesses, do the same. Create an honest list of these so you know which obstacles you need to deal with.
Meanwhile, take note of where your clinic’s growth will come from and list them as opportunities. Finally, list problems that may arise and how you can prepare for them or how you can prevent or avoid these threats.
Use a Referral System
If you’ve already established your business, chances are you have at least a few clients, probably from people you know. Now the best marketing strategy is to get your clients to refer people to you.
Some tactics you can do include encouraging them to help you by giving them a discount if they manage to refer a new client to your clinic. You can offer either a one-time percent off on their next visit or offer some sample products. You can also offer the promotional deal to your new clients so the referrals keep coming.
Have a Web Presence
There are a lot of people who want your service but don’t know that you exist. This is where web presence comes in because people tend to use online resources to find things near them. After all, close to half of all Google searches are looking for local information, and 3 in 4 of those visit a store in five minutes.
A good way to start a web presence is to have a reliable website, allowing you to control what you want to share. Using social media is also a great way to start if you don’t have the time or the inclination to start and maintain your own corner on the web.
Once you get a website up and running, it’s also a good idea to use local SEO practices so people know your website exists. It doesn’t matter if you have a site if people don’t know where you are and how you can be reached, after all.
Getting new clients, whether for a dental clinic or otherwise, can be a drag. With the right techniques, however, it can be easy and even fun.