How can you build influence and trust amongst your patients when they only come in once or twice a year for a cleaning? By utilizing email marketing that includes your valuable expertise, of course!

Staying front of mind via a dental newsletter will help nurture your relationships with your current patients. By providing valuable content, their trust in you as a provider will deepen.

INVEST IN YOUR CURRENT PATIENTS

While the majority of your marketing spend list probably includes new patient acquisition, don’t overlook your current patient base!

Your patients have already given you their consent to contact them because:

• You’ve already treated them.
• You’ve established trust.
• You’ve answered their questions about dentistry.
• You’ve provided a solution to their dental issues.
• You’ve formed an emotional connection with their oral health goals.

Your current patient base is full of opportunities to encourage lifelong dental health, not just dental appointments for emergencies.

HOW A DENTAL NEWSLETTER BUILDS AND SUSTAINS PATIENT TRUST

You rely on patient trust for referrals and ongoing loyalty to your practice. Patients trust your expertise as a source of useful information about their oral health and related lifestyle.

Consider these examples:

A Dental Newsletter Provides Consistent Marketing

Content marketing works because it creates a long-term connection. It beats an often costly, one-and-done marketing campaign.

Again, patients have given you permission to communicate with them. You can use that permission to create and deliver useful content to maintain the relationship outside of appointments.

A Dental Newsletter Preserves Inbox Trust

They’ve said it’s okay to communicate with them, but NOT spam them. Preserve your patients’ trust by emailing valuable content, like:

• Tips for good at-home oral hygiene
• Blogs about popular/interesting topics, like teeth whitening or the value of braces
• Brushing calendars for kids
• Good food for oral health
• Appointment reminders or follow up
• Patient loyalty rewards
• and more!
  
  

A Dental Newsletter Creates an Influential Connection with Your Patients

Face-to-face communication is preferred during appointments and consultations, but what about those weeks or months between appointments? Your dental newsletter keeps them connected with your expertise (and practice) until their next visit.

HOW TO CREATE A DENTAL NEWSLETTER THAT KEEPS YOU CONNECTED WITH YOUR PATIENTS

1. Theme It!

Brainstorm all the themes that come to mind about dentistry. Include those “seasonal” or monthly themes that occur annually.

For example, since we’re on the subject of “seasons” and “months”, you could build your publishing themes on a quarterly timeline.

• January to March “New Year…New Goals” themes: Promote annual examinations and check-ups. Encourage consideration of treatment that has a longer timeline such as orthodontics or dental implants.
• April to June “Spring” themes: Build on the “new beginnings” vibe. Direct attention to cosmetic dentistry for feeling more confident at weddings, reunions, and vacations.
• July to August “Summer” themes: Encourage relaxation and good oral health habits. Cover back to school preparations with general dentistry, ortho follow-ups, dental examinations, fluoride, sealants, etc.
• September to December “Fall” themes Focus on the holiday season and end-of-year. Share tips for taking advantage of unused insurance benefits. Promote cosmetic dentistry for holiday parties. Remind them to complete unscheduled treatment.
  
  

2. Curate It!

Topic ideas can be a challenge, so curation is a good place to start.

Curating content is about scanning relevant sources for useful information. It’s information you can turn into a topic or theme for your dental newsletter.

• Search content around dental topics your patients ask questions about. Provide answers via your dental newsletter.
• Scan social media feeds for what’s trending – especially on topics or questions that involve health, wellness, oral health trends, or controversial topics (you can provide helpful insight about).

Curation is about being socially aware. Use your dental newsletter as a platform to build your influence among your patients and subscribers.

3. Promote It! (Without Being Salesy)

First and foremost – a dental newsletter is content based. Sure, you can promote your services or a current offer but lead with valuable content first!

Remember to keep any promotional emphasis natural, conversational, and somewhat connected to your newsletter theme. You want to maintain the integrity of your dental newsletter and not make it a deal-of-the-month promotional tool.

• Lead with a theme. Stay in context if you want to promote a specific treatment or procedure. For example, if you’re on a cosmetic dentistry theme close the newsletter with a compelling teeth whitening promotion, etc.
• Give readers an opportunity to respond. A strategically placed CTA (call to action) like “Click Here” or “Read More” will compel a response if the reader chooses.

Above all, your dental newsletter is about consistent communication. It’s a strategic way to stay front-of-mind while building patient relationships around your expertise.

BUILD YOUR INFLUENCE AND CREATE LIFETIME PATIENT LOYALTY

Content that connects will ultimately be the result of leveraging your patient conversations and communication.

And remember – it’s not about a one-and-done tactical approach. The best strategies (like a dental newsletter) create lifetime patient value: loyal patients who trust you for solutions to problems and answers to questions.

Check out these related resources to generate ideas and create a dental marketing strategy for your practice:

Why You Should Have a Blog on Your Dental Website

3 Reasons Why Your Dental Practice Should Pivot to Digital Marketing

How to Get More Patients in Your Dental Office (And Create Long-Term Loyalty)

Contact Imagination Design Studios (IDS) to get started transforming your dental patient experience from a mundane to magical.