Marketing Your Practice

• Patient Expectation
• Essentials
• Promotion

Marketing is promoting your dental practice in today's highly competitive world. As a new dentist, you need to attract patients. If you have been in business for some time, you need to prove that you are constantly adapting to new conditions and hence are able to provide the best service for the fees charged.

What is marketing in dental practice?
It is a management discipline, an assimilated continuous process and is entirely consumer oriented. The dental practice involves a dentist marketing his dental treatment, price, office environment, staff and consistency of his service.

Patient Expectations

The patient's experience in the dental clinic forms the reputation of the dentist. The patient expect punctuality, caring attitude, empathy, friendly environment, respect and courteous communication. They also expect the dental team to remain consistent in the quality of services provided.

Essentials

Fees
There is no fixed fee charged by the dentist. Some change less fee to attract more patients, while the rest charge for the cost of facilities offered. Charge your patients reasonably. Highlight the benefits and the salient features of your services.

Sometimes patients complain of the charges being higher than a general physician. You can explain that your charges are for the specialised professional services and facilities provided.

Office Environment
Impressions are created as soon as a patient walks in for the first time. The cleanliness, the set up, the décor, the response of your assistants all create an image of both your clinic and services.

Insignificant things placed in the visitors area create an impression of inefficiency. Next visualize a serene environment with well ventilated rooms, light music playing in the background, neat and polite receptionist to answer your queries --- spells success, money, organisation and utimately a skilled dentist at the helm. This will draw more pateints to the clinic.

Promotion

For some doctors, promoting self-practice is unethical. But it is important to attract maximum number of patients to run a clinic cost -effectively. Visibility is crucial at least in the initial period of starting the clinic.

Today there are many ways of promoting practice. You can advertise through a local channel, newspaper, newsletter, brochures, business cards and possibly a website highlighting the salient features of your services. Once patients visit your clinic, make sure you create a lasting relationship through your service and communication. A satisfied patient is brand ambassador for promoting the service you give.

You can create a brand for your clinic by taking the following measures:

• Create simple and distinct business cards. Always carry them with you and distribute them to the people you interact with.
• Brochures or newsletters can be circulated to the patients with treatment details, significance and salient features.
• Stock recent magazines and newspapers highlighting importance of dental treatments and oral care.
• After completion of treatments present a kit to patients consisting of toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, brochure with information on dental care, etc.
• Update yourself with the latest news on nutritional aspects and offer tidbits to patients on improving their eating habits.
• Make arrangements to give advise to patients on emergency visit.
• Train your staff in communication skills to deal with the patients effectively.
• Be creative in motivating them.
• Make your web site more patient friendly and interactive in nature.

Create a close relationship with patients even if you are successful, skilled and offer affordable services. Satisfied patient will speak about you and your quality of service, that too free-of-cost. This word-of- mouth promotion results in branding. Building and sustaining a permanent relationship with patients requires communication skills and creativity. We help you with some tips to take the first steps:

• Patients in the waiting area can be provided tea, coffee or beverages.
• Reach the clinic on time. Don’t make the patients wait for you. In case of unavoidable circumstances convey a message to the concerned patient through appropriate staff.
• Every time you interact with patients call them by their names.
• Explain to each patient the specific need for personal dental care and the ill effects of poor oral hygiene.
• Different people respond differently to extensive oral treatments. Call them personally or through your staff to enquire about their health.