When we discuss marketing, we need to remember that internal marketing and retention are as important as external marketing. Internal marketing is what you do in your office that will make your patients talk to friends and family about how different and wonderful your office is compared to other dental offices. Once you get a patient in the door, how do you keep them happy and wanting to stay and refer others?
We have talked about the New Patient experience, from the phone call to treatment presentation and check out. Now let’s look at what other things can you do to pump up your practice.
Gift Bags – Instead of handing the new or recall patient a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss in one of the little plastic bags that everyone else uses, get a nice gift bag with some tissue paper to put the goodies in, including a thank you card. Dollar stores and www.bagsandbows.com are a great place to get these at a nominal price, Bags and bows will also put your logo on the front of the bag, or you can print a nice label to add to the bag. You can also add pens or other giveaways for new patients as a nice extra touch.
Referrals – When a patient says how much they enjoyed their visit, it’s the perfect time to hand them a few cards and say “We’d love to have more patients/families like you in our practice…..please tell your friends about us”. This reminds them to spread the word.
Extra Touches- Hot towels, warm blankets, and warm patient pillows – This attention to patient comfort makes patients want to stay and also gets them talking about you to their friends.
Think Outside of the Box – Your staff can help with ideas and suggestions….it doesn’t have to cost a great deal to make you office different from the one down the street.
