Simple Ways to Promote Your Orthodontist Practice

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In today’s world, word of mouth just doesn’t cut it anymore if you want to grow and expand your business beyond its current size. Marketing can seem pretty overwhelming and complicated, but fortunately, it is pretty straightforward and simple once you get down some basics and break down your plan into steps.

Here are some tips to help you promote and market your orthodontic practice to families in your area.

Know Your Target Demographics

Knowing your target demographic is the most crucial piece of the marketing puzzle. This is the first step in starting any marketing plan and will make sure all of your efforts are geared towards the right direction. For instance, if you want to sell more braces services, then who is most likely to need braces?

In the United States, there are four million people wearing braces at any given time. Of those four million people, 75% are under the age of 18. That means your target demographic will likely be people under the age of 18. However, keep in mind that minors aren’t the decision-makers. So, another piece of the demographic puzzle is the parents of teens, not just teens themselves.

Remember to keep in mind that adults seek braces, too. So, ensure your marketing strategies are geared toward parents and adults at the same time.

Trust the Market Research and Know Thy Customer

When it comes to braces, it can be a touchy subject for teens because many perceive them as an “ugly” accessory. However, market research shows that 47% of Invisalign users feel a boost in self-confidence as opposed to just 22% for metal braces.

This means your marketing strategy should incorporate what the market research suggests and how that aligns with what your customers want. In this case, it’s pretty clear that teens feel better about getting Invisalign compared to metal braces, so market that particular part of your service as well. You never know how many adults and teens would be more interested in a less-invasive option!

Maintain an Online Presence

When someone visits your website or Facebook page, their first impression must be positive. They must see that you’re active on your website and on social media. It’s important to make sure you update your page or website with new information, consider adding helpful articles, discounts, or even news relating to your practice. This will not only give a better impression to visitors but will also help your website stay higher up on Google search results and therefore bring more traffic and hopefully business to your practice.

SEO and Social Media Marketing

To really improve your Google rankings, you need to enhance your organic traffic. You can do this by engaging a digital marketing service to optimize your website and write blog and website copy that’ll get you more orthodontic customers.

As mentioned, it’s also important to keep your website and social media pages up-to-date. It can also be a great idea to hire a social media marketing guru. Just keep in mind that you need a straightforward and simple approach to marketing. Most marketing leaders have 10 times the amount of work to complete compared to 10 years ago, so keep your strategy clear and concise to ensure the impact is effective.

Creating a Marketing Plan

Once you know your target demographic, what kind of service they prefer, and the basics of keeping an online presence it will be important to create a tangible marketing strategy. Be sure to keep it simple. For example, start off with a realistic goal. Let’s say you want to increase overall revenue by 5-10% within three months. Give yourself a budget to work with for those three months, and look into trackable metrics like newsletters, ad campaigns (Facebook is fantastic for this), and other paid metrics.

After the first month, you can then clearly see what kind of effect your efforts are having. For instance, if you just put out an ad campaign to reach 10,000 people in your city via Facebook and your overall revenue for that month is 3% higher than normal, then it seems something might be working. You can also gather metrics from Facebook itself, which will show you how many people clicked on the ad and how many people actually went to your website.

Be sure to keep an eye on the metrics. Don’t be afraid of changing things up or trying something new so you can gain more orthodontic customers and expand your business in time.

Devin is a writer and an avid reader. When she isn’t lost in a book or writing, she’s busy in the kitchen trying to perfect her slow cooker recipes. You can find her poetry published in The Adirondack Review and Cartridge Lit.