Importance Patient Referrals

Word-of-mouth marketing is the most effective way to grow your practice. Here’s how you can use the trust your patients have in you to build a fruitful refer-a-friend loyalty program

Word-of-mouth marketing has always been the most effective for consumer-driven businesses, and in the age of social media, it’s importance has skyrocketed. For enterprising dental practices keen to grow their patient rosters, dental referral cards essentially play the same vital role: they make it easy for your patients to refer their friends to your practice.

Think of dental referral cards as a simple “refer-a-friend” loyalty rewards program for your existing clientele. They’re an affordable way to expand your business. They keep your patients of roster engaged, and can help you avoid a lull in bookings. Moreover, referrals from friends and family work. According to research firm Nielsen, 84% of consumers trust referrals from the people they know.

After all, a successful dental practice doesn’t merely happen. It’s the result of a commitment to oral health excellence, community involvement, a smart and flexible marketing plan, and building lasting relationships with your patients. Dental referral cards are a necessary element in cultivating those relationships.

How Your Dental Referral Card Should Read

You need to entice your existing patients to participate in your referral program. With printed dental referral cards at the ready, have your office staff pass them to every patient who visits and kindly ask them to participate. Include those referring patients in a monthly random draw to win a prize. The prize doesn’t have to be expensive. Offer simple promotional products, or a free teeth-cleaning appointment with your hygienist. Better yet, make it clear to your referring patients when anyone they refer to you books an appointment, they’ll both receive a discount in the future.

Keep the messaging on your dental referral card straightforward, the design simple and clean, and ask only for the information you need:

• The referring patient’s name, email address, their relationship to the person they’re referring, and the date of the referral
• The name of the person they’re referring, their email address and phone number

We do live in a digital world, so don’t rely solely on printed cards for your office’s refer-a-friend program. Set up a referral webpage on your website and make it easy for patients to make a referral online, and one they can easily share by email and on social networks.

Thanking Your Referring Patients

Above all, an effective referral program is built on the language you use, both verbally and written, and how you use it. In other words, express your gratitude in an appreciative way, and in a timely fashion.

After one of your patients has referred a new patient to your practice, show your gratitude to them by mailing them a signed letter with your thanks, and close that letter without mentioning the referral. Instead, write a sentence that expresses your best wishes to them and their families. And be sure to acknowledge them for the referral the next time they visit your office. Oftentimes, a smile, handshake, and a sincere ‘thank you’ can go a long way to delighting your patients and growing your practice.

Need professional assistance marketing for your dental practice? We can help. Call us now at 1-888-377-2404 or request a callback. We’ll do the legwork to get your practice growing, help your team delight your patients, and increase their lifetime value.