Recession-Proofing Your Dental Marketing Strategy
Between a global pandemic, rising inflation, and the impact of looming tariffs, to say the last five years have been economically challenging is an understatement. Patients may be forestalling necessary treatment and dental practices are feeling the pinch in a variety of areas. It may feel impossible to “recession-proof” your business in the current financial climate, but there are cost-effective steps to take with your budget in mind.
Once you’ve reviewed the situation and established goals, some basic proactive measures might include:
- Identify and reduce any unnecessary expenses or supplies.
- Increase certain fees to remain competitive.
- Expand offerings such as sedation or aligners.
- Invest in technology to save on outside lab costs or automate scheduling.
- Improve patient retention – which costs less than acquiring new patients.
- Invest in employee training for increased skills and personal development.
While it may be tempting to look at your marketing budget for places to cut, don’t forget that marketing is an investment, not an expense. The key to saving money is to integrate tools and methods that generate practice growth and patient acquisition.
Results-Driven Strategies
Fortunately, today’s dental marketing gives us access to numerous platforms, services, and solutions that include both digital and traditional. Determine the goals for your practice’s bottom line and acknowledge your priorities.
Here are some of RAMP’s most cost-effective strategies:
Search Engine Optimization: Considered one of the simplest and most affordable digital methods for driving organic traffic to your website and new patients to your door. SEO factors in keywords, images, and links to help your search ranking. This is but one viable marketing tool and be sure to stay apprised on the impact Google and AI has already had on rankings.
Digital Ads and Website Retargeting: The cornerstone of any dental marketing strategy, website retargeting tags visitors to your website and serves them ads targeted to their needs. Because this tool reaches out to patients already interested in your practice, it saves time and money.
Social Media: It’s hard to increase visibility and engage with patients these days without some kind of online presence – beyond the website. Determine which platform will provide the best social media ROI for your practice.
Online Review Generation: Word-of-mouth referrals are significantly beneficial to any business, offering no-cost advertising and testimonials. However, it’s important to request reviews, respond promptly, and manage any online negative feedback.
Email Marketing: If you’re looking to save money, email marketing boasts an ROI of $38 on each dollar spent. Keep patients engaged with educational or fun content, a monthly newsletter, or the announcement of new services offered.
Facebook and Google Ads: Purchasing pay-per-click ads through the two major platforms can seem pricey until you consider the value of a single lead converted into a patient. Google is designed to pull your target audience to you while Facebook pushes your message out to potential patients.
Local and Organic: Leveraging content for local SEO can improve your searches, but creating authentic community connections is great marketing. Benefits include increased trust, providing critical oral health information, and sustaining growth in tough times.
Staying the Course
One final suggestion for staying competitive that’s both free and priceless, is to create and maintain an outstanding patient experience. Happy patients will find a way to receive necessary oral healthcare and are sure to tell others.
If you’re looking for marketing tools that work and a team that understands dentistry through decades of experience, call RAMP for a free strategy session. We’re ready to help you weather any potential storms.
