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When it comes to dental marketing, we’ve seen it all in our 30+ years of working exclusively with dentists. Check out today’s article for 25+ best dental marketing strategies for 2025 to help you grow your clinic, increase awareness and visibility, and make 2025 your most triumphant year yet! Schedule a free consultation The best growth marketing strategies for dentists are data-driven, consistent, and highly focused on local marketing. A successful multichannel strategy includes the best tactics to acquire and retain quality patients, expands your practice, and increases production in both digital and traditional marketing. No dental marketing strategy will have a 100% response, but every campaign can be optimized to improve results. In no particular order … 1. Examine your current website . User experience should align with practice goals. Want more new patients? Conversion needs to be easy, with quick access to contact information via multiple methods, which improves the experience. 2. Like audiences. When launching any new patient acquisition program, use analytics to create like audiences to geofence and precisely target those primed to respond. 3. Competitors. Understand the level of competition you’re facing and level up your investment in staying visible in market and top of mind in search. 4. New photography. We’re all guilty of leaving that picture up from five years ago. We looked pretty good, but fresh, current photography in your materials will give your brand an up-to-date feel and appeal. 5. Encourage reviews . Reviews are a key factor in building trust. Patients read reviews. Thoughtfully manage reviews with positive responses to every review. Consumers appreciate it when a business responds. Never engage or be defensive in negative feedback; instead, politely redirect those back to the practice. That’s your opportunity to show professionalism, honesty, and integrity. 6. Promote reviews on Facebook. The importance of reviews can’t be overstated for dental clinics. Social proof shows patients the quality of care they can expect from your practice. Create a standard template and cut and paste the actual review to use as a post. This adds valuable information that patients want to see to your feed. 7. Local SEO. Almost half of all searches have local intent. Your website and relevant keywords should be fully optimized, all listings accurate, and your Google profile connected. 8. Google Business Profile. Optimize your profile with relevant keywords and consistently add service posts linking back to your website for brand consistency and authority. Keep your information updated – especially contact information. 9. Build your social media presence. These are free opportunities for your practice to increase brand awareness and stay connected with existing and potential patients. Have fun sharing what your practice is all about, and get some ♥ ! 10. Digital ads. To truly stand out online, digital and retargeting ads can help get you to the top of search for your relevant keywords while building your SEO foundation. They also help ensure you reach potential patients at the right time. 11. Google Ads. Thousands of consumer search studies prove that more than 90% of people choose results that are featured on the first page of SERPs. Get fast, transparent results and accelerate your website traffic through highly targeted campaigns for your ideal demographic. 12. META (Facebook/Instagram) Ads. Unlike Google Ads, which catch people while they’re searching, META campaigns build top-of-funnel awareness by getting into people’s feeds. You’ll want a comprehensive awareness campaign that includes authority-building, lead generation, and conversion elements and optimizations. 13. Direct mail. No other marketing tactic will build more awareness for your practice in your target area – when done well. This is not a hit-and-miss campaign. Dentists who mail consistently to their target audience, month over month, while their practice intends to stay in its current location, reap the best rewards. 14. Stay with the plan. Remember: People may overlook or ignore marketing messages for various reasons. Some may not be in the market for a new dentist at the moment, some may miss a message or be unable to differentiate from other dentists, and some may be busy with other priorities but keeping your name back of mind for the future. Others may simply need education! It’s like brushing and flossing to keep teeth and gums healthy. Flossing every once in a while – or for a couple of days in a row – and expecting great results will not work. Stick with the plan. 15. Track and score inbound calls. Critical to maximize results from your new patient marketing campaigns. Not only does this help track campaign activity, but more importantly, it reveals the percentage of inbound calls that are answered live and what percentage move on to an appointment for the practice. This informs decision-making around staff training, job assignments, business decisions, and operations. Top tip: Just answer more inbound calls live, and you will onboard more new patients … regardless of source! 16. Email marketing. This is a very powerful tool, especially when you can automate an ongoing series of touchpoints. These keep your name top of mind with active patients and leads. 17. Retention campaigns. Nothing loses a patient more than perceived indifference. Invest a small portion of your budget in activities outside of transactions or emails. A quarterly mailed patient newsletter that hits homes has a significant impact on retention and referrals, and keeps patients connected to your practice in a way that many clinics simply don’t. Important statistics: Just 40% of working adults visited a dentist last year. 25% of patients are in “danger status” with no visit in over nine months. 75% of working adults PLAN to visit a dentist in the coming year. How will you capture some of the 75% planning to see a dentist? Schedule a free consultation 18. Loyalty programs that reward patients for commitment. This improves engagement and satisfaction. Every practice loses 20% of its patients annually due to naturally occurring attrition. Subscription models, contests, VIP gifts, referral games, and events are all worth consideration. That patient newsletter is a loyalty play, too, helping promote referral programs, membership opportunities, elective services, and more. 19. Reactivations matter. As noted above, on average, a dental practice hasn’t seen around 25% of their patients in over nine months. What happens when your reminder system peters out? Most patients just fall off the radar. Reactivate lapsing and inactive patients with a dedicated win-back campaign. These people know and (hopefully) love you and your team! 20. Become a local sponsor. Or focus volunteer efforts on one major cause that the practice can get behind to build community awareness and engagement. 21. Encourage word-of-mouth referrals. Outstanding customer service will always hit the mark, so don’t forget to ask every patient if there is anyone else in their household who needs an appointment. Make it easy for them to get one! If allowable in your area, offer referral incentives and contests. 22. Use attractive promotions . Don’t discount the discount! Most consumers want a quality dental experience, and new patient value proves that offering initial discounts, free consultations, bonus items, etc., to initiate that first visit does not impact the revenue contribution to the practice. In 2025, the average new patient will spend $2,000 versus $1,000 from an active patient, plus the referrals of other friends and family members. 23. If available in your area, invest in a membership program. These prove especially effective for practices working to reduce insurance participation, and they give front-office team members a way to convert patients looking for an in-network provider. Often, the annual membership to your practice will be less expensive than insurance coverage with more benefits to the patient. Patients and prospective patients should be consistently educated on this offer. 24. Train your office team on call conversion. The average practice misses 25% of new patient inbound calls and converts around 50% of those answered. The team answering the telephone needs to be “on” for all calls. Their job as the practice’s representative is to WOW all new patients and wipe out their need or desire to interview other competitive practices. To a new patient caller, your front-line team IS your practice. Clarity and enthusiasm give motivation to the call handler and others. It’s not always easy; it’s a skill, and it’s critical for marketing success. 25. Say thank you. As a company that has scored almost three million dental patient calls, it’s incredible how seldom call handlers thank the patient for calling or booking an appointment. Say thank you on the phone, in texts, in emails, and in person. Gratitude research has found that not only does saying thank you feel good to the giver, but it also helps build trust and closer bonds. 26. Bonus tip! Pay for the right advertising and stick with the plan. We look at strategies on an annual basis because it takes work and effort to increase practice visibility and gain the attention of very busy consumers in competitive markets. It takes time to coach teams to answer and convert calls, as well as establish practice authority with prospective patients … but repetition builds recognition and results. For a marketing plan to be successful, it needs to get your practice in front of your target audience – consistently. Of course, you want to ensure individual campaigns are performing so you can make educated decisions about future ad spend, but don’t be too quick to cut when trajectories look good. Tracking and attribution are difficult for all businesses, and this is only going to get more challenging as we move into 2025. A prospective patient receives direct mail, visits your website, drives by your location, talks to a friend, gets more direct mail, sees an ad in their social feed, and then calls from your billboard. Which touch gets attribution? First touch or last? It’s hard to say, but follow the patient journey and consider that if you’ve added one new initiative to your marketing campaign, and “coincidentally,” new patients increase…. 27. Bonus tip #2! Start your year off right with a complete market share, competitor, and demographic analysis. You can get your own 24-page detailed report from the team at Patient NEWS at no cost to you – a $795 value! Book a time to speak with one of our experts today and find out more. Schedule a free consultation

Attracting more new patients has a direct impact on clinical success, and one of the most efficient means of building greater awareness of your presence and gaining more new patients from your neighborhood is direct mail marketing. With email inboxes and social media feeds overflowing into an unmemorable blur, direct mail stands out and can provide instant credibility. Given today’s highly competitive dental market, dentists who recognize the advantages that this powerful weapon can provide will experience a differential advantage. Find out more Potential patients need a basic awareness of your practice before they can do business with you. Direct mail is the only way to reach 100% of a target audience and provide an extended shelf-life of the brand in homes. But not all direct mail is the same. Readers trust publications they read, and that gives your message instant credibility. Readers also regard newsletters as the most trusted format when it comes time to make a decision, offering a 17-day shelf life versus 3 days for a postcard. Newsletters tell them who you are, where to find you, and what services you offer. The format also provides a positive first impression – that you are the expert they require. Newsletters enable you to cultivate how your practice is viewed, your professionalism, your technology, your services, and your quality. There is a required formula to ensure that a direct mail campaign is effective. Be data-driven. Precisely target the households most likely to respond to your services. At Patient NEWS, we help our clients do that with advanced demographic analysis and patient mapping to create like audiences for list development. Great content. Newsletters are powerful! Newsletters are non-threatening because they contain additional helpful and interesting information that people want to receive, read, and respond to. Newsletters are valuable because they enable you to promote specific goals. Track results. Be sure you’re able to track results using address matching and call scoring. New patients who receive your direct mail piece may initiate their first contact with your practice via a website, form fill, or social site. Monitoring the full patient journey allows you to make good long-term decisions for practice growth. Are you persistent? This will lead to a more profitable practice. There are always obstacles to overcome. Encourage your team to focus on improving call handling and conversion. Stick with your marketing plan. Follow through on all aspects of it. Provide the necessary budget and adhere to the timelines you’ve identified. Direct mail has many benefits for your dental practice. Neighborhood newsletters help you keep in touch with current, lapsing, and new patients. They educate patients about new or additional services, establish credibility of the doctor and team, reinforce the capabilities of the practice, motivate word-of-mouth referrals, and bring in more new patients. Users experience a 6x ROI within one year . BONUS: For a short time, you can add 2,000 extra households to your neighborhood newsletter direct mail campaign with Patient NEWS at the lowest price ever! Schedule a time to chat with one of our experts and find out more. You’ll also get EXCLUSIVE USE of our newsletter solution for your area. No other dentist will be able to access the program. Grab your territory today! Sound interesting? Look at the number of new patients you saw in 2024. Was that an increase or decrease compared to 2023? It’s important to remember that the competition for new patients is intense! Patient NEWS clients attracted 25% more new patients than industry average, with average production at $2 million for 2024. Ready for growth in 2025? Get our proven program working for your office. Sign up here!

Dental offices have a lot in common. Most want better community awareness, more quality new patients, and stronger patient loyalty and trust. According to Precedence Research, the North American dental market is set to grow by 12% in 2025. This growth is being fueled by the rising prevalence of oral illness, increasing demand for cosmetic treatments and clear aligners, and complex procedures like dental implants. In addition, less than 40% of working adults visited a dentist last year, and 75% of adults “plan” to visit a dentist inthe coming year. Considering this data, timing couldn’t be better for dental offices to invest in brand awareness and growth to gain market share, build momentum and increase practice production. Plan for growth The modern dental patient journey is complex. Awareness. Consideration & Research. Buying Decision & Conversion. Experience. Advocacy. Successful dental clinics have discovered that brand awareness doesn’t start at search. Businesses must be proactive in making their audiences aware of them. It’s the first and most important step in the patient journey – especially when you consider that consumers will not generally consider purchasing from a brand they’re not familiar with. Without brand awareness, local businesses, like dental offices, remain invisible to the vast majority of their target audience. Brand awareness is considered the foundation for overall success. Tactics winning dentists employ to build visibility include strong branding, signage, targeted direct mail, Google and Meta ads, community participation, and more. When effectively executed, these tactics will work in tandem, helping dental offices become and stay top-of-mind with potential patients when they begin to consider purchase decisions. More importantly, a well-run dental brand awareness campaign can educate the audience on the benefits of dental treatment and the solutions that solve their problems or pain points, proactively gaining visibility and driving activity to the phone, website, and door. The dental landscape is constantly evolving. From advancements in technology to changes in competitive levels, shifts in consumer behavior, and the emergence of new platforms and tools, there's never a dull moment in dental marketing. At Patient NEWS, we are dedicated to staying ahead of the curve by continuously monitoring the latest advancements and emerging trends. This commitment ensures we can help our clients maintain a competitive edge and achieve long-term success in an ever-changing landscape. Getting your practice in front of your primary target audience will not only capture those already considering a dental service, but also prompt consumers to act sooner rather than later. Dentistry has always been resilient. You know that people need dental care. You know that the market is projected to grow , and you know that the majority of adults are planning to see a dentist . But who will they choose in your neighborhood? The average practice will also lose around 20% of their active patient base in 2025, and they have another 25% that’s already lapsing. That’s not a bad thing. It gives you the opportunity to pick up market share and new treatment. Some attrition gives you space in your schedule so that you can onboard more high-value new patients in their place. Remember, new patients are often 2X more valuable than existing ones. Plan for growth With shifting patient expectations, the demand for more convenience, better customer service, fast responsiveness, and knowing that consumers are looking for more cosmetic and complex procedures, you have an opportunity to shape your awareness and new-patient acquisition campaigns to hit the target right where they need it. Addressing their needs and wants in your communication strategies. One thing is in your back pocket, and that’s how you look at marketing to women. While women remain key decision-makers in over 85% of all spending decisions, studies show that the healthcare industry flops in connecting with them. We find that dentists get this, and that makes a significant variance in results. When looking at the marketing strategies you have in place now, could you do something more to attract these important eyeballs, these super consumers who have the balance of purchasing power and very strong influence? The answer is yes. And it lies in content marketing. Relationship marketing. Women want credible information to make good decisions for their families. Today, consumers are aware that looking up information online can lead to misinformation, so hearing from the healthcare professional directly is preferred. Awareness campaigns do just this. When your practice lands in mailboxes with quality information, in prospects' Facebook feeds with quality content, you become recognized as an authority in your field – a provider that is trusted in your community. You can share more details on oral health, details on the cosmetic solutions you offer, and the amazing experience you and your team provide with conveniences that resonate with your target audience. Dentists who implemented strategic, content-rich marketing programs like neighborhood newsletters, SEO, and paid media with our company have experienced 37% practice production growth over the past three years. These clients attracted 25% more new patients than industry average. You can leverage this market opportunity by leveraging your existing reputation and current success in a strategic, data-driven marketing plan. You’ll want to make sure that your plan is proactive and designed to have patients looking you up by name – not waiting for someone to search ‘dentist-near-me.' You’ll want to ensure that your plan is precisely targeted to the core areas and demographics of your ideal patients. You want your plan to build such strong awareness and desire with your audience that they prioritize a buying decision with you over the other purchases on their wish list. Is the dental implant more important than the all-inclusive vacation? Clear aligners or new car? Wait. Where do they find clear aligner treatments in your area? Who will they choose? How do you stand out and win when the opportunity is there, but other dentists are out there competing for the market? We want to help you STAND OUT and GROW production. We can help you win. Start a conversation with our team today. Learn more about the extensive preparation we invest in your success before you invest in us. This free session will outline how our solutions can propel your practice forward, and you can also find out how rich insights in our Reveal Report will empower you to make great decisions for your practice. Regularly $795, this incredible report is provided at no charge, with data a practice owner could only dream of seeing in full color. Schedule your initial call here! P.S. Get exclusive use of your neighborhood for our direct mail system. No other dentist can use this program when you have it secured for your practice. NOTE: There may be some juggling of available meeting times over the holiday season, so book as soon as possible to get into the queue.

“Carrie, I don’t think I ever passed along the number of [positive] messages we received from our patients for the last newsletter. The “thanks” focused on what we’re doing to provide a high level of dental care and for the staff introductions. Of course, the messaging would fall flat if the presentation and quality weren’t also top-notch, so it’s obviously the whole package. I hope you pass along the pat on the back from all of us.” Do your patients know your value proposition? Ask yourself: have we done everything we can to show our patients how important they are to us in a tangible way? Now is the perfect time to send a holiday newsletter to remind patients why they chose your practice, that they made the right decision, and that they should stay with you for 2025. Let’s discuss content for your New Year’s special edition! A major misconception that causes dental offices to experience attrition, miss out on attracting new patients, and lose out on elective service sales is thinking people just don’t read their mail anymore. The fact is, direct mail is statistically proven to improve repeat business. Given the competitive dental advertising ecosystem, how do you keep your patients connected to your practice – outside of transactional exchanges? With a holiday patient newsletter that hits doorsteps , that’s how! Wouldn’t you love to hear accolades from your patients like Carrie’s client did? With a 90% open rate, consumers of all ages actually prefer direct mail, and 70% feel it’s more personal than a digital transaction. It is the most trusted advertising format at decision-making. It is the only way to reach 100% of your audience. It is tactile and sparks curiosity and interest. It’s proven to drive more action than any other marketing medium. You may be amazed at how a little thing like a New Year’s newsletter can help you stand out from the crowd in your own patient households. Some dental clinics give lip service on how much they value their patients but then rarely take any measurable action. With little effort, you can reinforce the value your patients get from your dental practice. Stand out while highlighting: Key initiatives and achievements in a Letter from the Dentist. Your industry leadership and technology. Innovations you’re providing to offer more convenience and comfort. Enhanced patient services and special offers. Your commitment to supporting and empowering patients into 2025! This one small step will remind patients that you’re their trusted partner. It will also show patients that they’re important and that you care. Worth the investment? Another yes! Here’s why: An active patient contributes $1,200 per year on average. The average practice has 1.6 patients per household – room for growth. A household represents a minimum of $2,000 per year (we only mail one newsletter per household). The cost of one newsletter is usually less than or around $2 per household, including envelopes AND postage ... and we’ll give you a no-obligation quote. The average practice has around 2,000 active patients, but … On average, 25% of active patients haven’t had a visit in 9 months. This also gives insight into OPPORTUNITY! To reactivate lapsing and inactive patients To increase referrals of family and friends To introduce and generate more elective service sales To improve retention and support practice security To improve patient satisfaction and loyalty! For most dentists, sending educational content to patients aligns with the core values of the practice. Plus, you can include a special recipe or a holiday game for kids – you name it, and we’ll do it! This small initiative is a good thing on so many levels. You’ll be giving something back to your patients and investing in the future of your practice. Have ideas for content you’d like to include in your holiday New Year’s special edition ? We’re here to make it come alive! If you haven’t mailed a patient newsletter in some time, just think of the surprise and delight patients will feel and the wonderful appreciation you’ll receive. Mailings available for January 15 th and 31 st are booking now. Don’t miss out – contact us today!

You’re already a successful business owner, so you know that growing production requires a strategic approach blending prep, implementation, and follow through. Drawing on our 30+ years of helping dental practices increase production and looking at the proven processes that have helped our clients consistently grow production year over year, we’ve drilled it down to these essential elements: Identify current trends & benchmarks. Set realistic goals & expectations. Identify areas for improvement/focus. Utilize a comprehensive & competitive marketing plan. Execute with regular review of results for continuous improvement. If you’re a Practice ZEBRA® subscriber, you can immediately pull your Benchmark Report to capture your current trends and metrics, patient and new patient values, and net gain/loss results. You can also dig into the Predictive Analytics module to see which levers you can quickly focus on to increase production. Better yet, schedule a call with your Account Manager, who will pull this all together for you and ensure you are set for success as we hit the year-end! If you’re not a Practice ZEBRA user yet, find out more with an initial session to discuss your 2025 goals, and get access to our Reveal Report, a custom 24-page document that provides a clear visual on everything you want to know to strategically plan for growth in 2025. Schedule a session now Getting an honest assessment of current results helps us identify the wins, the not-quite-theres, and which areas of focus will deliver the results we want. My CEO always says we can’t continue doing the same thing and expect a different result. So, if you want a different or better result as we head into 2025, the question is, is your practice focusing on the right metrics? Are you onboarding a sufficient flow of new patients while controlling attrition? Do you know what might happen if you added more high-value new patients versus focusing on retaining active patients? Do you know how many new patients get scheduled for subsequent visits? Do you know how many of your active patients are actually lapsing? What is the magic mix that will increase your production to the level you want? Predictive Analytics is an excellent tool for determining this. The following graph is of a real, successful solo practice currently achieving $1.6M in annual production. When you utilize Predictive Analytics, it gives you a clear visual of where to find growth. In this case, you’ll see the practice doesn’t have to move mountains to have a substantial revenue increase. Using the calculator we just looked at, what would happen if they added 10 more new patients per month, increasing from 32 to 42 new patients? That’s 2-3 more new patients a week. Most offices have at least capacity to add this number. In fact, the last ADA HPI survey revealed that 93% of dental offices are accepting new patients. If the office in the graph hits this target, it adds up to $162,240 in additional production in the first year, and by year two, it adds over $500,000 to the topline! Just by prioritizing a couple more new patients each week.