Marketing has always been essential for dental practices. The coronavirus pandemic may leave you wondering if you should eliminate or cut back on your marketing budget. While certain marketing efforts may not be the most beneficial use of your money right now, there are many other ways that you can still keep your practice name in the forefront of everyone’s mind. Bryant Consultants is here to share with you reasons why marketing is still necessary, and the 10 must-do marketing tips for dental practices during the coronavirus pandemic.
-
Pause Digital Marketing
If you are spending money on radio advertisements, commercials, direct mail or the like, that probably is not the best use of your marketing money at the moment. Consider placing a hold on these types of advertisements if you need to free up some cash to keep your practice going. But, SEO marketing is still essential. It takes weeks to months to build an SEO footprint, so you don’t want to undo all of the hard work that has been done to attract viewers to your site. Plus, patients still need emergency care. By using the right SEO words and phrases, you could end up staying busy during this time just by treating emergency cases. You don’t want to lose your patients to another practice. If you’re not treating your patient’s emergencies, someone else will!
-
Reschedule, Don’t Cancel, Patient Appointments
Since you’re probably only treating patients in need of emergent care, have your front office manager reschedule non-emergent patient appointments. Don’t just cancel them. Plan on rescheduling non-emergent treatments for a couple of months out, and make adjustments accordingly as news develops regarding COVID-19. Be prepared to expand your practice hours when you return, because you’re probably going to be busy with patients wanting to catch up on much-needed cosmetic dental care, implants, denture remakes, and more.
-
Provide Patients an Emergency Number to Call
Consider giving patients the dentist’s cell phone number or set up call forwarding on the practice’s main phone line, if possible. This gives patients reassurance that they are valued. Be sure to answer or respond to inquiries in a timely manner to address your patient’s needs.
-
Communicate to Patients That You Are Open for Emergencies
Now is not the time to close your practice. Remain available for emergency dental care, and make sure that your patients understand you are available to them. In a usual week, you may only have one or two root canal appointments, but you could end up with a handful or more root canals a day by continuing to provide emergent dental care.
-
Provide Video Updates to Patients
Social media is one of the best ways to remain connected with your patients. Send them videos to check in and let them know that you are open for emergency care. Provide patients with “how-to” videos, such as flossing or brushing correctly, cleaning their removable prosthesis, or caring for a dental implant. The list goes on! Facebook and Instagram also can be used to send patients happy birthday wishes, which would be appreciated since most people are not able to get out and celebrate right now. It’s a thoughtful way to let patients know you still are thinking about them.
-
Update Your Online Presence
Have you had recent changes to your team, updated technology, or got new before and after photos to add to your website? Now is the perfect opportunity to work with your website designer on updating information. Once the pandemic is behind us, you will be too busy to think about these updates, so get them done now.
-
Utilize Teledentistry
Government officials have made it possible to provide teledentistry to patients while remaining HIPPA compliant. Utilize this technology to triage patients and determine what cases qualify as emergent care. You also could use teledentistry to provide consultations to patients that have been thinking about cosmetic dentistry but have yet taken the step to explore their options. It allows patients to think about their options and plan for the cost now so that they are ready to move forward with treatment when the pandemic is over.
-
Continue Morning Huddles Virtually
This is essential if your practice has rotating shifts right now (to help with social distancing), or certain team members are unable to be at work due to being self-quarantined or caring for their children that are out of school. Virtual morning huddles should happen as a way to keep the team connected. You could use FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, or another online platform that everyone can access.
-
Don’t Fire the Practice Coach
The pandemic is but a bump in the road. While you might be thinking of firing your dental practice coach to save money, their insight and support are needed now more than ever. Experienced practice consultants are well-equipped to help you navigate through this uncertain time. Don’t try to get through this alone. Bryant Consultants is here to help you.
-
Get Trained to Offer New Services
Most dentists tell us that they dream about offering new services but just don’t have the time to get trained. If there is a dental service you’ve wanted to learn, such as becoming an Invisalign provider or learning about airway dentistry, now is the time to get trained. If you aren’t sure where to start, contact Bryant Consultants. Our dental practice experts can recommend training to fit your needs.
The world is experiencing a pandemic, but that doesn’t mean you get to take an extended vacation. There is plenty of work to be done right now. Kicking back and relaxing now will mean that in six months, you will see another slow down because you stopped working your business during the pandemic. Stick to our practice marketing tips to keep your business booming both during and after COVID-19.
Bryant Consultants provides consulting services to small businesses and dental practices. We understand first hand how the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have taken a toll on small businesses and dental practices across the nation. Our professional business coaches are here to help you navigate through this most difficult time, figure out how to pay your employees and keep the wheels turning so that you can hit the ground running once you reopen your doors and restore normalcy. To find out more, please call (877) 768-4799 or connect directly with a consultant.
