How To Find New Patients For Your Orthodontic Practice

• Short-term patients: a regular dentist will see his or her patients on a routine basis, with oral cleanings, examinations, and general treatments being a necessity for the average visitor. An orthodontist, in contrast, will oversee the treatment of patients and after doing so, said patients will not be returning. Orthodontics offers a unique solution and patients are likely to need it just the one time, so your marketing has to reach them during that limited window of opportunity.
• Younger patients: orthodontic patients are generally made up of children or adolescents. Although certain adults might be in need of orthodontic treatment, you will, for the most part, encounter patients in the pre-teen and teenager range of age. Like the marketing having to be seen at the ideal time when patients are seeking orthodontic care, so too must it come into contact with the proper group of patients.
• Marketing standards: certain guidelines, whether that is a limitation on words, phrases, or imagery that is utilized, are implemented to protect online consumers. For instance, Meta has made it abundantly clear that they will not allow advertisers to display ads that suggest or look to generate a negative self-perception in the promotion of diet, weight loss, and other health-related products.

On that platform, advertisers are prevented from running ads that: state or imply a perfect body type or appearance for users to long for; promote or reinforce negative or unhealthy body images; take advantage of insecurities so that consumers feel the need to conform to particular beauty standards; feature distasteful messaging that could produce feelings of negativity about one's appearance; sell an unhealthy relationship between food and exercise; show detailed imagery on the health condition of a patient; and include body shaming of any sort. Because orthodontic treatment handles facial and oral health improvements, these dental professionals have to be careful that their marketing efforts do not cross a line in how they send out a message.

Where to Start: Marketing for your Orthodontic Practice

• Create a website: first and foremost, you have to design a website that is simple to navigate, has all of the relevant information that orthodontic patients might be after, and relays what type of treatment solutions you can provide. Online, you can think of the website as your practice's identity, so ensure that all of the details, in both the design, videos, and written text, provide visitors with a smooth, informative browsing experience.
• Set a budget: you have to finalize a marketing budget that accounts for various elements, such as website development and maintenance, search engine optimization (SEO) tactics, design of branding, printing of promotional material (flyers, brochures, business cards, signs), advertising, donation and sponsorship opportunities, and the general employment of a marketing staff.
• Establish marketing goals: one major factor of your budget will be the ultimate marketing aspirations that your orthodontic practice has. Instead of highlighting all orthodontic services available in your establishment, a write-up that could overwhelm potential patients due to all of the information being shown in a single ad, concentrate on a specific treatment. Each marketing resource should be demonstrating one particular procedure.



Proven Marketing Methods to Help Orthodontic Practices Find New Patients

Google Ads for Marketing Your Orthodontic Practice

Google's advertising assistance gives your orthodontic practice precious exposure on their main website, partner sites, and applications. You can essentially use Google Ads so that your own ads are recognized by potential consumers as they are searching up products or services that your dental office offers the public. This is an all-in-one answer to how you can promote your business, increase sales of products or services, spark more awareness, and add to your online traffic statistics.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC) to Grow Your Orthodontic Practice

An extension of Google Ads, PPC advertising lets you pay a fee and, in return, your website will appear on the search engine results page (SERP) any time an online user types in specific keywords or phrases. SERP will then work to have your customized ads seen by the right consumers (patients) and inform them of how they can access your website. The fees are determined by whether or not online users click on your ad.

Meta Ads that Find You New Orthodontic Patients on Social Media

These ads stretch across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or the Meta Audience Network, presented as paid messages by businesses. Written in the company's tone and language, they are intended to reach the people, or patients, who are most valuable to their establishment. Advertising objectives are at the root of these campaigns, which, in this case, would be the procurement of more dental patients for your orthodontic practice.

Print Marketing Strategies to Connect with New Local Patients

Within the office's waiting area, you might opt to have brochures, booklets, and flyers that your patients and visitors can scan. Also, at the nearby hotels, restaurants, and apartment buildings, you can drop off some of these printed marketing materials for the general public to see. Take it a step further by sending out mailers and postcards to prospective consumers, packing them with personalized messages that show your appreciation and concern for their time. All of these printed options serve two purposes: getting your dental practice's name into the public realm and establishing an immediate connection with patients.

Additional Marketing Strategies that Get New Patients for Orthodontic Offices



• Share flyers & ads elsewhere: local schools, churches, and sports venues are a terrific way of introducing your orthodontic practice to parents and their children. Parents can get an idea of what is it to be gained by visiting your office, elect to become a patient later, and trust you to help their children's oral health as well.
• Reveal genuine transformations on social media: you can demonstrate your practice's capabilities through visual transformations, showing online visitors the before and after images of a patient's orthodontic procedure. Sometimes, words cannot sufficiently do justice to what a dental office promises patients, and a visual representation of the oral alterations can quickly prove your qualifications.
• Underline additional benefits of treatment: the aesthetic appeal of an orthodontic procedure is evident, but you can distinguish your dental office from others by demonstrating other qualities, like customer service skills, friendly staff, a welcoming office environment, and meticulous attention to detail.

Your orthodontic practice needs to be recognized by specific members of the public and, crucially, at the perfect time. Should you require assistance with your establishment's marketing strategies, please contact our team at Dr. Marketing and discover how our extensive experience can point you in the right direction.



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