Dental ads! For many they can be a necessary after-thought. But the best dental ads and why they work are the result of intentional creativity.

It’s not to say that all effective ads are merely creative. In fact, overdone creativity can actually work against ad success.

Here’s what we know about the best ads – generally speaking.

In the dental industry, like other industries, you’re aware that a well-crafted ad can be leveraged to attract new patients and retain current ones.

Here’s why:

”Businesses make an average of $2 in income for every $1 they spend in AdWords. Display advertising has proven to increase traffic to websites by 300 percent.”

But don’t be biased that it’s all about the use of AdWords or display ads. Generally speaking, the best ads contain:

• Compelling imagery
• Benefit-focused copy/content
  
  
  

SOME OF THE BEST DENTAL ADS AND WHY THEY WORK FOR PATIENT ATTRACTION

1. A serving of the unexpected with a side of benefits.

An Instagram post by Grand Street Dental was created to promote their Invisalign® services. It focused on the emotional decision associated with getting metal braces.

The ad’s image featured a fork with crooked tines. The unexpected symbolism: crooked teeth.

An Instagram timeline scroll on their feed would naturally compel a comment like, “there’s a fork!” Strategically, the copy/content that follows makes no mention of the obvious “fork-in-the-road.”

It does, however, create a compelling case for the benefits of straight teeth over crooked (aka the fork) teeth.

The ad works because:

• It uses an unexpected, though compelling, image
• It doesn’t overplay the image but instead directs attention to the solution and benefits
• It places emphasis on how the practice’s services can solve the problem
  
  
  

2. Keepin’ it local.

Targeted marketing with a local emphasis works for a variety of reasons. This type of promotion is crystal clear about the audience.

You could fill-in-the-blank with any city (yours), add an emotionally compelling image relevant to what you’re promoting, and include a few lines of equally compelling copy.

This type of ad works because:

• You can use the effective resources of search engines like Google and social media channels such as Facebook.
• Geo-tagging narrows your ad’s reach to a specific city, region, and/or demographic.
• Proximity and convenience work in your favor.
  
  
  

3. “Can’t-unsee-that” before & after images.

This isn’t about grossing-out your audience. It’s more about the “shock-and-awe” unveiling.

People often feel their condition is beyond repair. And that’s the power of this type of promotion. You can’t look away! But then you realize there can be a positive outcome.

Here’s why this is effective:

• The imagery stops people in their tracks but stops short of being grotesque.
• It creates a second look appeal by presenting an obvious solution to the problem.
  
  
  

4. Pop-culture memes.

Promotions that follow the same “before & after” theme can also take a humorous track. The popular ad featuring Lord of the Rings, Gollum, uses humor to send a message.

The normal “before” image of Gollum compared with the off-the-grid “after” image of him has a powerful impact. You laugh then you go “hmmm!”

This promotion works because:

• Pop-culture references from movies, TV, and books deliver an unexpected “jolt” of reality but still feel relatable helping your audience to feel in on the joke.
• Dental issues create feelings of dread and/or a sense of seriousness. A humorous approach lightens the mood while presenting benefits and solutions.
  
  
  

5. Print-ad with an old-school vibe.

Dental direct mail doesn’t have to always include a “happy, smiling” stock image. In fact, many direct mail promotions or print ads have a numbing effect because we’ve all seen the same images over and over.

Revive an old-school feel with a humorous twist like the ad copy featuring a woman wearing a crown:

“My Dentist told me I needed a crown. I was like, ‘I KNOW, RIGHT?!’”

A crown on her head creates a “duh” response. In reality, a cap or crown required on a tooth is less invasive when you sprinkle in some humor (like the Gollum ad).

The ad is effective because it:

• Creates incentive for a second-opinion, a necessary treatment, or an examination.
• Creates urgency about a recommended treatment.
• Creates a connection from something funny to something that’s beneficial to your patient’s health.
  
  
  

6. “Didn’t see that coming!” storytelling.

An attractive woman, a party, working-the-room, and then she smiles. But that’s where the positive attention comes to a grinding halt. You feel the tension in the room.

That’s how the Crest 3D White Whitestrips ad used video to tell a story. The surprise ending popped up when you least expected it like a jack-in-the-box.

You’re shocked. You feel her pain. And you don’t want to ever feel what she felt.

The ad is powerful because:

• It sells without being salesy.
• It promotes white healthy teeth without being pushy.
• It uses an everyday scenario to reveal an unseen reality.
• It releases you from the need to use a heavy promotional approach and instead directly appeal to emotion.
• It captivates as it compels.

Trust the results and strategy of the best dental ads and improve your dental marketing.

Effective marketing starts at the idea level. Then turning those ideas into a promotion that compels your audience to take action.

Check out these related resources to generate dental marketing ideas and create a more sustainable recall system:

5 Dental Marketing Ideas (and Strategies) for Increased Patient Recall

The 3 Social Media Sites You Should Be Promoting Your Business On and Why

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

What’s the most strategic thing you do in your dental practice (besides patient treatment)? Dental marketing! But what is the best dental marketing tactic and approach?

Before you answer and take the next step, your success could rely on a shift in thinking about your overall approach to dental marketing.

Is It Really About “Tactics?”

That’s an even more important question to this discussion. Thinking tactically about your marketing is an advantage with one caveat:

Assuring that your marketing tactics still create a connection with your audience rather than a feeling of being “conquered.”

Perhaps that’s the deeper issue with a marketing narrative that borrows from battle-worn language (e.g tactics, strategy, etc).

But not to overthink the language you use (another common misstep in marketing). You could probably use a kick-start however you approach finding the best dental marketing strategy to acquire (and keep) dental patients.

Lifetime Patient Value

The best start to any marketing effort is understanding what Phil Bressler discovered. Bressler was a top Domino’s Pizza franchisee in Baltimore, Maryland.

He calculated that a loyal pizza customer was worth approximately $4,000 to his franchise. Those figures were based on the math that the average pizza customer would purchase 50 $8 pizzas on average annually.

That’s $4,000 over a ten-year span!

Consider how that insight could transform your patient experience – beginning with your dental marketing. Thinking in terms of lifetime patient value (LPV) could change much about how you approach not just marketing but every aspect of your practice.

• Front-desk conversations
• Treatment planning, scheduling, and clinical conversations
• Your marketing initiatives

An LPV (Lifetime Patient Value) perspective sees your dental marketing strategies not as an isolated, one-time encounter…but as a series of encounters that creates ongoing engagement for “life!”

• Compel more inquiries
• Build your patient list
• Solve problems with informative, useful content
  
  

USE CONTENT AS THE BEST DENTAL MARKETING TACTIC FOR CREATING LOYAL, LIFETIME PATIENTS

Solve Problems with Solution-focused Content

Patients value services that ultimately solve their problems. The path to a specific solution often involves creating awareness of a problem or highlighting a desired result.

Pain is a common problem-solution motivator. Another could be perceptions about being healthy or achieving a certain appearance.

Your dental services provide solutions to those and more. And the best dental marketing helps highlight the core motivation for your services as solutions.

Answer Questions with Informative, Useful Content

Marketing often defaults to a “selling” narrative. And that understanding is what sets content apart as a best dental marketing strategy.

Ultimately, the value of content is that it answers the questions the public and your patients are asking. Dental content marketing creates a bond that leads to trust between you and your “audience.”

In essence, their questions allow you to educate/inform them via intentional content with answers to their questions about a particular issue or service.

• Use your blog content to answer specific questions being asked by your patients/families.
• Create and deliver email content containing links to your informative blog content or other on-topic content.
• Curate and share content on your social media “channels” that answers patient/family questions.
  
  
  

Listen to Patient Interactions and Reviews to Create Patient-centric Content

Every patient conversation – face-to-face or online – contains something of value. The more intuitively you and your team listen the more patient-focused your content will become.

• Listen beneath the surface and between-the-lines of what a patient/family is saying or asking.
• Mine patient reviews (positive and negative) for nuggets of insight that can improve your dental marketing via a content-based strategy.
• Get to know your patient’s/families’ emotional connections to dentistry.

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 dental marketing strategy is a commitment to creating lifetime patient value: loyal patients who trust you for solutions to problems and answers to questions.

Maximize the best dental marketing strategy and create lifetime patient loyalty.

An effective dental marketing strategy starts with the patient-persona. And getting acquainted with each patient’s persona can improve your marketing success.

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

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

5 Dental Marketing Ideas (and Strategies) for Increased Patient Recall

Key Strategies to Jump-Start Your Dental Marketing

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

Want more tips for marketing your office? Download the free guide to learn about branding basics, social media tips, ways to improve your online efforts, plus event and promotional ideas.

Marketing is more than a one-and-done activity. In fact, as it relates to dental marketing ideas for increased patient recall it requires a more strategic, ongoing approach.

Why specifically recall?

Mastering the recall process keeps dentistry front-of-mind for your patients. That’s important because it creates a lifetime care focus in their mind rather than a reactive, problem-centric approach.

It’s Time to Move Beyond “Problem-centric” Dentistry.

Perhaps you’re not consistently guilty. But on occasion you might be tempted to say something to a patient such as,

“Well, everything looks good today…didn’t see any problems…”

While well intentioned, that narrative communicates something that could be harming your recall success.

Hearing “no problems” (although a good result) takes away from the lifetime value of dental care. And the lifetime perspective can make a huge difference in your recall success and overall dental marketing strategy.

WHAT PATIENT RECALL SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE AS DENTAL MARKETING STRATEGY

Recall Success Maintains an “Audience” (Patient) Connection

Much of your dental marketing and recall effectiveness comes down to communication. But keep in mind that how your patients communicate is ever evolving. It helps to “think” like they do. One recall strategy might not be effective for every demographic of your patient base.

Mailing a postcard to a patient in their 20’s or 30’s will likely be ignored. In the same way a text or email might be overlooked by a senior aged patient.

There are exceptions as technology and mail strategies are concerned. But a more patient-sensitive recall strategy will allow you to tailor it to each segment of your database.

It’s particularly useful to ask your patients what mode of communication they prefer.

Recall Success is a Well-timed Process

Timing can vary from patient to patient. Yet generally speaking there are better days and times to assure you’re getting their attention.

For example, a Monday phone call, voice message, email, or text message is likely to be a wasted effort. Most return from a weekend of less related interaction to a full inbox or media stream.

The following are recommended communication “sweet-spots.”

• Phone calls: studies reveal greater success on Wednesday or Thursday afternoons.
• Emails: send midweek around 10 a.m. according to email marketing strategists.
• Text (SMS) messages: send daily between morning and evening “rush” hours.
  
  
  
  

Recall Success is a “Rinse-and-Repeat” Process

Repetition, repetition, repetition! Repeating your message is key to compelling your patients to reschedule.

It’s important that you vary your message and take a scatter approach to how you communicate with your patient base.

And speaking of “how” you communicate…innovate around these five dental marketing ideas for recalls.

FIVE DENTAL MARKETING IDEAS FOR INCREASED PATIENT RECALL SUCCESS

1. Revive Direct Mail

Again, a specific demographic within your patient base will respond to a compelling direct mail strategy. But the key to reviving its effectiveness is assuring it’s compelling – whomever the recipient is!

• Send useful content via newsletters, postcard appointment reminders, and engaging (on-topic) brochures.
• Build relational momentum on a well-timed delivery schedule. Recall mailers work best on an every three months timeline and postcard reminders three weeks before an appointment.
  
  
  

2. Revolutionize Email

You can keep your dental marketing costs lower by utilizing email. But that’s not the only reason to use it as a recall strategy.

Email is perceived as less invasive. Even so, it’s vital that you respect your patient’s time and inbox by making sure your email strategy delivers value.

• Deliver routine (monthly or quarterly) e-newsletters, personalized promotions, and ongoing appointment reminders.
• Stay connected with your patients via useful newsletter content and timely recall reminders (every six months).
• Follow delivery frequencies that align with appointment follow-up and scheduling timelines.
  
  
  

3. Reconnect with Text (SMS) Messages

SMS (text) messaging can be used as an effective dental marketing tool. The reason has a lot to do with how we’ve come to use texting as a fluid communication channel.

That said, it’s essential that you respect the medium as you use it for recalls and other marketing strategies.

• Text appointment reminders, available/last-minute schedule openings, and limited time promotions.
• Compel a response by using a clear call-to-action that provides useful and/or immediate value.
• Keep promotional content to a minimum via SMS. You don’t want to be, or sound, “spammy”.
  
  
  

4. Re-engage with Social Media Content

Social media channels enable you to stay connected to your patients via a wide variety of content. And you can engage them without direct communication by appearing in their newsfeed(s).

• Curate and share useful dental themed content to stay front-of-mind and prompt a scheduling reminder.
• Share your own blog content (linked to your practice website) to provide oral health tips.
• Post patient testimonials (with permission), reminders about essential dental care (e.g. teeth cleanings, etc), promotions, team and practice photos, and targeted (paid) ads with a clear CTA (call-to-action)..
• Share content on an appropriate schedule and maintain a balance of useful (themed) content to promotional (reminder) based content.
  
  
  

5. Restore Face-to-Face Connections

It’s fundamental to your dental marketing strategy that you relate personally to your patients. Access to technology and content delivery channels should align with and support good old-fashioned face-to-face communication.

• Maintain a “marketing-mindset” that maximizes every patient conversation as an opportunity to encourage consistent oral health care.
• Remind patients personally (as they depart each appointment) to engage with you on social media, to refer your practice to family, friends, and co-workers, and to leave a review about their experience.
• Get out into your community. Be a recognized authority for general and oral health through community events and promotional opportunities.
  
  
  

Maximize your dental marketing ideas and increase your patient recall success!

Effective systems start at the idea level. And turning those ideas into a system for increasing your recall success can lead to healthier patients and more production.

Check out these related resources to generate dental marketing ideas and create a more sustainable recall system:

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

Key Strategies to Jump-Start Your Dental Marketing

The 3 Social Media Sites You Should Be Promoting Your Business On and Why

Download Our White Paper: Alleviating Patient Anxiety Through Office Theming

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

Want more tips for marketing your office? Download the free guide.

If you don’t have a blog on your website, you’re missing out. You’re missing out on improving keyword rankings on search engines. You’re missing out on increasing organic visits to your website. Most importantly, you’re missing out on opportunities to get new patients. According to Hubspot, businesses that blog receive 67% more leads than those that do not!

There are 2 main reasons why you should have a blog: it helps with your search engine rankings, and it helps potential clients see you as an expert in your area. Let’s dive deeper into what that means.

1. SEARCH ENGINES LIKE BLOGS

Search engines like original content, sites with a high volume of content, and content that is updated on a regular basis. You’re not going to be updating your homepage every month so how do you achieve this? The easiest way to create content is with a regularly updated blog.

But wait, don’t just start spamming your website with whatever topic comes to mind. You also need to create GOOD content to get people to click on your blog. Focusing on educating readers, not just selling services or talking about your business, is key. People want information that will help them personally. You won’t be able to get anyone to read your blog if your posts don’t appeal to your target audience.

Here are some interesting and educational ideas you could write about that might interest parents:

The Top 5 Children’s Toothpastes Ranked by a Dentist.

The Best Halloween Candy for Your Children’s Teeth.

How to Prepare for Your Child’s First Trip to the Dentist.

Are Dental X-Rays Safe for Children?

How to Keep Your Child Calm During a Dental Appointment.

Coming up with additional topics is easy. What questions are the parents visiting your office asking? What are their concerns? Answer the questions that they are asking in person and searching for online. 

You can also talk about new treatment techniques and the benefits to your patients. Announce any new equipment or technology being added to your practice – patients will feel confident about going to a dentist that is using up-to-date equipment. Talk about seasonal events, like getting kids ready for back to school.

The more relevant your topics are to your readers, the clicks and engagement you gets, the more search engines view you as an authority on the topic that you write about, boosting your ranking in search results.

As a bonus, your blogs can be shared as a social media post, making your feed a useful source of information, and getting more clicks back to your website.

2. POTENTIAL CLIENTS LIKE BLOGS

Patients like hearing ‘inside’ knowledge about a topic. It helps to build trust and in their mind it will cement you as an expert in your field. Clients will see you as an authority on dental health when you provide answers to their questions. Ultimately, they will seek you out in person to help care for their children’s teeth.

If they really relate to the content, the may share your articles amongst their friend and families, further increasing your potential client base. Be sure to make your blog easy to share through social media and email to encourage this activity!

Not a write? Not a problem!

Not a writer or just too busy? Leave writing to the experts. You can hire copywriters who specialize in dental related topics to create content for your website.

Here are a few good places to start your search for a professional copywriter:

• Upwork.com
• Copywriters.com
• Scripted.com

Here are a few example blogs to inspire you:

There are plenty of dentists out there already who are setting the standard for dental blogs. Check out a few of them to see how you can incorporate a blog into your own website and marketing plan.

A pediatric dental practice blog: Polka Dot Dental Blog

A blog from a DSO: Word of Mouth Blog

A general dentistry blog: 123 Dentists

Check out these related resources for improving your marketing efforts:

The Importance of a Website for Promoting Your Dental Practice

How to Get Online Reviews for Your Dental Office

The Best Dental Marketing Tactics and Strategy

Key Strategies to Jump-Start Your Dental Marketing

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

Want more tips for marketing your office? Download the free guide to learn more tips for helping with your online presence.

From our artists to our engineers, we pride ourselves on the level of expertise each team member brings to the projects we create. Our experts want to offer some insight into their work and offer professional advice to help your dental office reach its full potential.

Victoria

Senior Designer
Bachelor of Applied Arts in Visual Communications
Joined IDS in 2010

The yellow pages are a thing of the past. Having a website is an important, if not the most important, part of your marketing plan. Today, the majority of your potential clients are using the internet to find the services and products that they need. When someone is looking for a dentist, they are most likely to search online and pick from the results they find there.

Businesses that have a website are often ruled to be more professional or legitimate than those that don’t. Moreover, a website is an additional opportunity to market your services to a wide audience and provide answers to questions and information about your practice.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A WEBSITE FOR PROMOTING YOUR DENTAL PRACTICE

Having an Ineffective Website is Just as Bad as Not Having One at All

However, worse than not having a website is having a bad website. According to a study in 2015 by Adobe, 38% of people stop engaging with content if it is unattractive and 39% will stop engaging if your content takes too long to load. These are just two reasons why it is important to ensure that your website not only exists, but is also attractive and provides a positive user experience.

Options for Building Your Website

For many, the cost of hiring a web professional has been noted as an obstacle to having a website. An online presence is becoming increasingly important for reaching your patients, regardless of the monetary investment. The expense is quite small compared to the potential amount of lost business, so remember to make room in your marketing budget.

While having a professional web developer gives you more control over your online presence, there are different alternatives to building a website from scratch.

It is worth looking into a website template builder, and there are many out there to choose from like:

• Wix
• Squarespace
• WordPress
• Weebly

That’s just to name a few. They provide templates to get you started and have developers on staff who can build a website for you using their platform.

So what do you need to include in your dental website? Check out our infographic for a breakdown of what you should make sure your developer includes on your site:

Check out these related resources for improving your marketing efforts:

Why You Should Have a Blog on Your Dental Website

How to Get Online Reviews for Your Dental Office

Key Strategies to Jump-Start Your Dental Marketing

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

Want more tips for marketing your office? Download the free guide to learn more tips for helping with your online presence.

From our artists to our engineers, we pride ourselves on the level of expertise each team member brings to the projects we create. Our experts want to offer some insight into their work and offer professional advice to help your dental office reach its full potential.

Laura
Web Developer
Joined IDS in 2009