Has Dental Marketing Gone To The Dogs?

Gone are the days of treating consumers like targets. Businesses are beginning to realize that it’s better to build trust first and sell second.  So, what does this mean for traditional dental marketing?

The most important thing to consider is the commodity of dental care available on the market today. It’s become easy to replicate digital x-rays, a modern reception room, flexible hours or cool staff uniforms—what’s impossible to replicate is your genuine self.  Showing a bit of your personality can go a long way in building trust and relationships.  The added bonus is you’ll give patients something easy to remember (and fun to talk about) when they refer to you.  

Some of the most successful dentists I know have learned it’s okay to share a bit of their personality with patients.  They may love dogs, fishing, golf, music, travel, volunteering, etc.  Whatever their passion, they confidently show a part of their authentic self. This in turn comes across to patients as genuine, real and trustworthy.

What better way to easily connect with someone than through shared interests?  For example, over 3 billion dollars are expected to be spent on pet services in the United States alone this year––we Americans love our pets.  The love of dogs is just one example of a personal interest you might share with your patients.

Share your personality, interests, and authentic self with patients via newsletter tidbits, Facebook posts or tweets ... weave it into your marketing communication.  Allow your truly unique traits to shine through.  By doing so, you’ll likely attract more ideal patients.  Remember, patients that find you genuine and personable are more apt to quickly build trust with you––which in turn affects case acceptance and referrals.  What does your marketing communication say about you?

Rita Zamora is a relationship-focused dental marketer, specializing in referral marketing, patient relations, case acceptance and social media for general and specialty practices.  Rita developed her referral marketing expertise working hands-on in specialty and general dentistry practices.