Is Your Dental Practice Marketing to the New Generation?

Posted by HJT Design

Having an established patient base is extremely important in the dental industry. Your patients are what keep you in business, and patient retention can be a difficult thing to master. Dental patients can come and go for any number of reasons and getting them to become regular patients who receive regularly scheduled preventative care is always the goal.

But the truth is, your dental practice won’t experience lasting growth unless you’re connecting with the next generation. Using the same-old, same-old when it comes to marketing strategies won’t help your practice reach the next generation any quicker.

Marketing to Your Parent’s Generation

It used to be that the best dental marketing strategies involved radio and television commercials, newspaper and print ads, and mass mailers that were delivered to entire zip codes. With today’s generation, Millennials are constantly connected. The old marketing strategies just aren’t reaching today’s young adults and families the way they did two decades ago. Instead, dental practice marketing must take a digital approach.

To reach the next generation of patients, your dental marketing strategy should include:

· Text to confirm dental appointments.

· Offer new patients online forms to fill out to minimize wait time in the office.

· Email monthly newsletters vs. mailing paper copies to customers. This saves you money, too! This is a great way to spread the word about special promos or savings you may be offering.

· Feature patient reviews online that direct people to your website.

· Actively use social media outlets to engage your patient base and encourage them to spread the word.

· Produce regular blogs to connect with new and existing patients about dental-related topics of interest.

Use Your Dental Office Interior Design to Connect with the Next Generation

Design trends typically change about every decade. Everything from furniture to wall color reflects the most desired design elements of the time. Be sure that you’re designing your dental office appropriately. This does not mean that you need to invest in a floor-to-ceiling renovation every decade. That can be costly and unnecessary. What it does mean is that you should consider:

· Replacing closed treatment rooms with open treatment areas. We live in open concepts, and providing that kind of space at your office will make it more comfortable for your patients.

· Look at the furniture in the waiting room; how is it holding up? Replacing furniture is an inexpensive way to make a visible change that people will definitely notice.

· Look at your flooring. Your walkways bear heavy foot traffic and have to be able to keep up. It’s time for a change. Consider a high quality, durable laminate flooring or commercial carpet when planning your dental office renovation.

Incorporate More Technology into Your Daily Operations

It would seem that preschoolers today use more technology than some dental offices do. Look for ways to improve your services and more closely connect with the next generation by utilizing technology throughout your office. Digital x-rays can provide a more efficient, cost effective, and safer way treat

patients than traditional x-rays. Digital record keeping allows doctors and hygienists to access patient files almost instantaneously. This also reduces your carbon footprint. And, waiting rooms equipped with a TV, gaming system, or other interactive features can provide engagement and reduce boredom when children and families wait to be seen.

Whatever efforts you make, be sure to do them well and partner with a construction consultant. Don’t settle for an office that looks just like every other dental office out there. Leave a lasting impression that will keep your patients coming back.

HJT Dental Design Consultants team of experts understands the changing interests of today’s patients. Their expertise in dentistry and design can help you create a workplace environment that everyone will enjoy generation after generation. Contact us today for a budget analysis on your upcoming dental office redesign project today.