Posted on December 23, 2020
Having an orthodontics practice is much like having any other business, but a bit more personal. While other service providers are cutting lawns or providing wedding services, you are focused on helping people achieve their best smiles (aesthetics) or correcting overbites and malocclusion (health). You must literally know your customers inside and out to achieve their desired results and marketing your orthodontic practice is a part of that.
When it comes to managing an orthodontics practice, marketing strategies for orthodontics can be different than other businesses. From improving your social media strategy to accepting different insurance plans, there is no set avenue to success. But if you try to provide the best service day in and day out, you’re off to a good start.
As such, many orthodontists consider hiring a orthodontic practice consultant in the future to grow their business. Here are some marketing strategies for orthodontists that are worth knowing:
Any competent orthodontic practice consultant will tell you to get your online game in order. This is because 77% of prospective patients do their research through search engines online. When somebody in the marketplace needs a good or service, search engines are one of the first places they go. It can, therefore, be helpful to hire SEO writers to write an article for your practice, or buy advertisements with major search engines to show up in your local area.
An orthodontic practice consultant might also recommend that you engage with your patients via social media in some way. Whether they are existing patients or new ones, it can be helpful to post orthodontic tips, dental hygiene reminders, or other information about your practice and services online.
In a free marketplace, consumers are always going to price out goods and services before they decide to purchase something. While you may think that it’s a great strategy to be the orthodontist with “rock bottom prices,” this can end up backfiring if competitors decide to further outcompete you.
At a certain point, you need to make money in order to provide the quality service that patients have come to expect. Any orthodontic practice consultant worth their salt will advise you to pick a healthy revenue model and stick to it in order to stay consistent.
However, it may surprise you that when it comes to orthodontic billing, many practices do not accept all insurance providers or other forms of payments. This means that they exclude patients who rely on subsidized care or must go through an insurance plan. By accepting insurance plans from a variety of carriers, you reduce the costs for your patients while also taking in a healthy profit. You can offer further discounts to special groups of people (teachers, firefighters, nurses) in order to give back to your community and persuade these groups to try your services.
Sometimes, the little comforts that you imbue your office with can make all the difference. From installing a coffee maker to offering free toothbrushes and mouth wash, the little comforts of having an office that patients feel comfortable waiting and being serviced in can make all this difference. These do not have to be large things, and can even be as simple as taking a poll of what magazines patients would like to read in the waiting room. Remember: when your patients are happy, so are you!
