Keeping Good Dental Patients Is Just As Important As Attracting New Ones
Four dental marketing retention strategies that will help you stay successful
Keeping existing dental patients returning to your team is just as vital to your practice or group as acquiring new ones. But you can’t just cross your fingers and hope for the best. Retention takes a solid action plan, commitment from your team, consistent communications, and proven dental marketing strategies.
It takes work to foster patient loyalty because, let’s face it: loyal patients don’t just magically appear. Practices must work on getting existing patients through the door – and on keeping them coming back. Future practice success and security depend on strategic and ongoing retention tactics.
One of the best ways to retain patients is by regularly connecting with them. Doing so shows not only that you care but also that because patient experience is a critical component of the all-important five-phase patient journey, it’s paramount that you prioritize connection and communication to create experiences that are second to none. It’s literally vital to the livelihood of your practice.
80% of consumers will stop doing business with a company if they feel dissatisfied with the level of customer service they receive.
Patient newsletters are a great way to reach patients in their homes – 100% of the time. This piece of direct mail from Patient NEWS® works not only because of its eye-catching design and large, standout format but also because of its impactful educational content. While it enables your team to effectively communicate the importance of prioritizing and protecting oral health, it also shines a light on the deep connections between the mouth and body and highlights your services and UVPs. Patients appreciate this value-added information that reminds them:
- To prioritize their smiles
- To keep their dental appointments
- That your practice truly cares about their well-being and is their partner in oral health success.
Our team uses leading research – insights gleaned from in-depth neuroscience studies – and our own 30+ years of expertise and proven methods to craft patient newsletters that improve retention, increase revenue, and strengthen patient-doctor relationships.
Email communications are another must for retaining existing patients. There’s no question that we are constantly inundated with digital messages – on television, smartphones, and social media – but that doesn’t mean this marketing medium has lost its value. No, not at all! Emails remain one of the most effective ways to keep dental patients informed about their oral health and to keep your practice fresh in their minds.
Today’s patients welcome regular educational content that demonstrates your commitment to them and, in turn, strengthens their loyalty to you. Here are some statistics to back that statement up:
- 74% of Boomers, 72% of Gen X, 64% of Millennials, and 60% of Gen Z consider email to be their preferred channel for brand communications
- About 60% of people say email marketing influences their buying decisions
- Email subscribers are three times more likely to share your content on social media!
You might be wondering how to find time to craft digital communications, sort through lists, and send regular messages to your patients. We can take care of that with an automated solution that does all the heavy lifting. Sound too good to be true? Trust us – it’s not! Our automated dental email service is part of Practice ZEBRA, the #1 dental marketing software solution dentists use to increase production and practice value. We’ll set it up, walk you through how to use it, and from then on, your patients will automatically receive monthly eNewsletters featuring high-quality content developed by Patient NEWS’ experienced editorial team! This easy set-it-and-forget-it solution will help keep your patients informed and thinking about their dental health while reminding them that you’re there to help. Plus, you’ll also have access to ZEBRA’s Anytime Email module, meaning you can send out need-to-know information to your patients with the click of a button – any time you like. Our easy-to-use template and instructions simplify this process for you and your team!
Sending your patients a value-added monthly email newsletter and any time emails when necessary makes good business sense for your practice. Give it a try today!
Referrals and activation programs are also proven to help a practice maintain their current patients while simultaneously driving practice growth. About half of a practice’s new patient growth should come from patient and staff referrals. How are you doing on that front?
As a reputable dental marketing company with over 30 years of experience, Patient NEWS has proven referral and reactivation programs that reach your target patients with:
- Referral content featured in patient newsletters
- Customized email newsletters
- Reactivation postcards & letters
- And more!
Patient NEWS was founded in 1993, when we launched our first patient newsletter for leading dentist Dr. Paul Piccininni.
We’ve helped thousands of successful dentists retain their valuable existing patients, attract production-boosting new patients, and transform their practices with strategic and impactful marketing strategies and campaigns. We’d love to help you, too!
Have questions about our process? Call us at 888-377-2404 and talk to a real person!