Dental Marketing Strategies for PPO vs Fee-for-service Practices.

A lot of dentists (and some marketers) think that “dental marketing is just marketing” and that “if a dental Marketing strategy works for one practice, it should work for most”…

That is absolutely not true.

Any effective dental marketing strategy will need to vary heavily based on:

• the type of dentistry, 
• the location, 
• the personality of the dentists and, 
• the type of patients they are looking for.

High-end and/or fee-for-service practice:

This kind of practice will need to rely heavily on patient testimonials, video content, and case studies. It is important that you can demonstrate, beyond some words on a page, that you are offering something above & beyond…

What makes you different?

What makes you worth the extra $$$?

For this kind of practice, SEO will be a key driver. PPC campaigns have a place but should be more focused [than normal] on the brand.

General dentistry and/or PPO practice:

This is the most common type of dental practice. High-quality content will always be a great thing to have but, in this case, not as critical.

PPC campaigns will have a good impact, especially if specials are available.

It is important to have transparency around which insurances you take – but also communicate that you can still see patients that are not in-network.

The front desk has a role more important than just scheduling patients – Those who are answering the phone need to be able to communicate the value the practice brings to the table.

Medicaid driven and/or lower-income areas:
Patients in said areas are the easiest to influence via traditional and digital marketing such as PPC Ads. PPC ads prove quite effective to this bracket in that less-[dental]-educated shoppers are inclined to do less research and just call the first practice available.

While still considering and respecting the Medicaid/Medicare/Dentical type of guidelines, incentives such as giveaways and offers can have a great impact.

Highlighting the personality of the practice and the brand is still important. It is important to keep in mind that, just because there is a focus on serving the less fortunate, it does not mean said patients deserve a lesser experience – a message to be conveyed in the marketing strategy.

But no matter which type of practice, any effective dental marketing strategy should include a few things…

…Starting with:

• Having a good website that is mobile friendly.
• Having a high number of great Google Reviews. Think 50+.
• Having good photography that highlights the practice, the staff, and the personality of the team. (This is the most important one.)

While there isn’t one end-all-be-all marketing plan that is applicable to every dental practice, the above three things are fundamentals. Every dental practice needs these qualities in order for any marketing campaign to be as effective as it can be.

Is your practice doing at least the minimum?

If you have any follow up questions, feel free to reach out! As a top rated dental marketing agency, we are always happy to help.