Whether you have already hired a marketing firm for your practice or you’re currently looking for one, you’ve probably wondered what makes a marketing company good. Dr. David Pearce, retired dental practice owner turned dental success coach and a trusted member of the MDA Clinical Advisory Board, shared his advice on the subject in a thought-provoking video.
Qualities of a Good Marketing Company
Dr. Pearce has a lot of experience as a highly successful owner-practitioner and knows that a good marketing company is a partner to your practice. The marketing company should see your practice as unique, taking the time to get to know you and learn about your goals. Then, they should tailor all their marketing efforts to your practice and do everything in their power to attract the types of patients you’re seeking.
The key phrase is “everything in their power”, because a marketing company doesn’t have a crystal ball to tell them that Mr. Jones 2 blocks away needs your services. They can only target patients broadly based on the information they’re able to gather about your practice and the demographics in your area. That’s still a lot of work. And, when you have a partner who understands your practice and your market, their efforts should bring in more higher quality patients.
Great Expectations
A good marketing partner will work hard to help you grow your practice. However, as Dr. Pearce points out, there is only so much the marketing company can do before you and your team have to take over. In other words, the marketing company can lead people to you, but once they’re in your office, it’s up to you to turn them into patients.
The marketing company’s job is to find the right people and get them interested in your practice enough to contact you by building trust and engagement through the various advertising channels your practice uses. Your job is then to get those people to commit to treatment. But how? The answer is TIME. Dr. Pearce explains that you should expect to take time with every patient who contacts your practice.
Dental work is a scary thought for many people, plus it’s often a big investment. Most patients need time to process what their treatment plan entails. Add that to the fact that they don’t know you yet and are probably nervous to boot. So, it’s in your best interest to spend as much time as they need you to, helping them feel comfortable with what you’re proposing.
What about so-called “bad” leads?
Think about a time when you went to a business with the intention of making a large purchase but ended up not doing it. What about a time when you visited a company’s website and put a big-ticket item in your cart only to delete or abandon it? Since you didn’t make a purchase, were you a bad lead for that business? Not necessarily. You probably found the business because of their marketing, but it does not mean their marketing failed because you didn’t buy. There could have been any number of reasons for not going through with the purchase, perhaps marketing related, but most likely not. Maybe you second-guessed yourself or thought better of spending the money. Maybe you just weren’t ready or the company didn’t build enough trust with you yet. Now, apply that logic to a patient who doesn’t commit to dental treatment, and you’ll understand that there really isn’t such a thing as a “bad” lead, maybe just a missed opportunity. Maybe that patient isn’t ready today but will come back when they’re more mentally or financially prepared.
A good marketing company will help your practice attract quality patients and prospects more consistently than you can on your own, giving you the opportunity to shine each time one comes through the doors. If you understand the marketing company’s role and you’re prepared to take over where your marketing partner leaves off, you’ll have a recipe for success.
