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Spring Reset. Get More New Patients Now!

By Joanne Bishop • March 24, 2025

The first day of spring has sprung, and it’s not just about spring cleaning and welcoming warmer weather – it’s a pivotal time for dental practices to refresh their patient acquisition strategies. Why is it especially crucial to ramp up your marketing efforts to attract new patients right now? Let's dive into the key insights. Today's dental marketplace is fierce. Group dental practices and emerging DSOs are expanding, and independent practices are sharpening their dental marketing strategies to compete effectively. Patients have more choices – and higher expectations – than ever before. Online research is non-negotiable, convenience is king, trust building is essential, and social proof matters more. Elective treatments are rebounding, and preventative care is slowly trending up, but perceived costs and insurance confusion have made decision-making slower. The list goes on and on. Practices that fail to focus on reputation, visibility, and differentiation risk getting lost in the noise. Those that act will benefit significantly. FREE CONSULTATION The good news? It’s the perfect time to “spring into action” and improve 2025 results. Oh, I know, that was a groan, but spring timing is, in fact, good timing! Spring Into Action: Patient Mindsets Shift Seasonal trends reveal that patients become more proactive about their health, wellness, and personal appearance in spring. With warmer weather ahead, people begin to plan social events, vacations, and family gatherings. They’re thinking about how they look and feel. This mindset shift presents an ideal opportunity for dental practices to market elective services, orthodontics, and hygiene appointments. In fact, our client production always increases in April and May compared to the previous year. Act with alacrity! By the way, unlike a lot of agencies, we answer the phone! Why not give us a call now to speed up the process: 1-888-377-2404 ! Our team is always happy to answer any questions you may have. Stay Competitive: Practices Are Accelerating Their Marketing To remain competitive, actively enhance your visibility and engagement right now. Dental practices nationwide have significantly increased their investments in digital and direct mail marketing strategies, including SEO, paid ads, and targeted campaigns. Data shows that practices that increase their marketing spend in Q1 (and stay consistent) see an average 125% boost in new patient inquiries compared to those with inconsistent or reduced budgets. Early-Year Momentum Fuels Year-Round Growth Attracting new patients early in the year creates a foundation for sustained growth. Patients acquired now will accept new treatments, schedule follow-ups, refer family and friends, and remain loyal throughout the year – and beyond. This builds financial momentum and drives practice production and valuation without a lot of overhead. New patient value is often more than 2X that of an existing active patient, not accounting for referrals. This drives more bottom-line profit. Investing in patient acquisition marketing right now isn't just smart short-term planning – it’s essential for long-term success. Your Website Is One Of Your Most Powerful Practice Advocates (Or Detractors) Your website and online presence have never mattered more. According to recent surveys, nearly 90% of new dental patients research practices online first. If there isn’t a practice awareness campaign in market, that digital impression could be their first impression of your practice – long before they step into your office. With consumer expectations for seamless online interactions at their peak, having a visually appealing, mobile-optimized, and user-friendly website isn't optional – it’s essential. Practices with outdated or slow-loading sites risk losing up to 40% of potential new patients within the first few seconds. Additionally, Google’s regular core updates to search (with the latest one rolling out now) have amplified the importance of site performance, user experience, and content quality. (That means content that’s deemed helpful to your clients and not just created to rank for search engines.) Now is the perfect time to refresh your online presence. Prioritize modern, engaging design, clear and effective messaging, online appointment scheduling, strong SEO, and patient-friendly content to ensure your website converts visitors into loyal patients. Would you like more from your website and online presence? Are you ignoring taking that step because it feels like it would be too much work and disruption to change providers? Hey, we get it. Change can be hard, but our team makes migration or even a new website build super easy. We don’t want to disrupt your flow; we just want to help you have the best presence possible so you attract the new patients you deserve. We’ll take care of it all, including organizing your custom photo shoot – you don’t have to worry about any hassle. Our website clients generate an average 40X ROI within one year! Don’t dread a move. Find out how easy an update would be for your practice. Go for a free consultation now to find out how we help dentists have a more powerful online presence. FREE CONSULTATION Direct Mail Still Wins For Dentists I just mentioned that “often,” a patient’s first impression of your practice could be online. That’s “if” they find your practice in a random search. This is a critical element that digital-only agencies don’t emphasize – the patient journey does not start at search. It starts with AWARENESS. Rather than wait for that first digital impression to happen, successful dentists take a proactive approach to building practice awareness with direct mail. Direct mail ensures that your target audience’s first impression of your practice is controlled by your practice. Your message, your story, your solutions. Direct mail is also hyper-targeted, easily tracked, and gets noticed and kept. (Ninety percent of mail is opened, and it lives in homes for an average of 17 days.) It's also the only advertising method that will reach 100% of the audience you want to attract to your practice. In an increasingly digital world, dental offices can gain a competitive edge because a lot of clinics overlook the remarkable power of direct mail marketing. Dental decision-makers want quality information to make good decisions for their families, and adults of all ages prefer direct mail over digital at the decision-making stage. Direct mail stands out. Patients now receive less physical mail, making a well-designed, targeted direct mail piece memorable and engaging. It builds trust and credibility. While digital gets all the chatter, direct mail provides a uniquely personal, tactile power – something you can’t replicate digitally. It’s your practice delivered to the patient’s home, sparking conversation and brand recall at the kitchen counter. And, when you consider the competition factor – everyone’s inbox is jammed, and their social feeds are saturated – with fewer dentists hitting mailboxes directly, you can tap into this space. IMPORTANT: With Patient NEWS, only ONE dental practice gets the mailing territory. You alone can secure and own your backyard now. Find out if your area is available. Schedule a consultation appointment ASAP to find out more. FREE CONSULTATION Takeaway For Your Practice: Now is the time to review and possibly refresh your dental marketing strategy. Leverage seasonal motivation, maintain competitive visibility, embrace emerging technologies, and capitalize on your opportunities. By acting decisively right now, your practice can attract new patients, ensure sustained growth, and build lasting patient relationships. Marketing efforts today must highlight practice uniqueness, exceptional patient experiences, and the distinct benefits patients receive by choosing your practice over competitors. Most dentists join Patient NEWS because of our proven reputation to help attract more high-quality new patients, drive reliable revenue growth, enhance operational efficiency, improve the patient experience and reputation, and support practice growth with smart marketing support. Trust our 30+ years of exclusively helping dentists and DSOs STAND OUT and GROW. Call today!