Times change, and so you’ve purchased new equipment, adapted your chairside procedures and techniques, and discarded some traditional practices in favor of newer, more streamlined ones. Do your prospective patients know how your practice, and even dentistry itself, has changed? If not, you may be missing an excellent marketing opportunity.
If your marketing strategy doesn’t showcase the changes you’ve made to ensure their experience is as pleasant and efficient as possible, you may be ignoring a key segment of the market. There are many patients out there who haven’t been to a dentist in years simply because their last visit was a complex and perhaps even painful experience and they don’t know how much things have changed since then. Some patients out there are highly tuned into the latest and greatest technology in everything and don’t want a dentist who hasn’t adapted to the times. Others simply want an easy, fast interaction with their dentist that is as painless as possible.
Of course, as a dentist, you absolutely understand that technology you bought or changed or adapted to in order to keep up to date also greatly improves the patient experience, but are you letting your people know this? Focusing on how the patient can benefit casts the upgrades you’ve made in an entirely new light and captures prospective patients’ attention. If patients believe you’ve made these changes for the primary reason of improving their experience, they may look at your practice differently.
To a dentist, digital X-rays may seem like old news, but to a patient who hasn’t seen a dentist in decades, highlighting their speed and improved resolution, minimal radiation exposure, along with the ability to view them on a computer could be huge. Likewise, ultrasonic drills, intraoral cameras, and other cutting-edge tools that you’ve become accustomed to using offer tremendous benefits to patients they may not even be aware of because the last time they saw a dentist was years ago. In other words, it’s easy to take for granted that the technology in your office improves the overall experience (for you as well as the patient), but unless you are making an effort to communicate that message, the quality patients you are seeking to attract may not know it.
If you’ve purchased equipment designed to capture aerosolized particles or implemented other procedures that reduce the risk of transmission of communicable diseases, including COVID-19, your patients and prospective patients need to hear how you’ve invested in keeping them safe and healthy in all instances. Advertising this type of technology can make all the difference when a patient is searching for a dentist near them. And let’s face it, discerning patients who are concerned about safety and technology are typically more willing to accept and understand the benefits of technologically advanced treatment plans and purchase additional services, including cosmetic treatments.
While you may not even consciously think about all the things you’ve done to improve your practice, you shouldn’t be afraid to make a big deal about what you’ve done, for your patients’ sake. Your patients and prospective patients will value hearing how these changes will make maintaining their dental health easier, streamline their visits in consideration of their busy lives, and improve their entire experience at your practice.
