Young female patients smiles in dental chair with head tilted to the side

Keeping Good Dental Patients Is Just As Important As Getting New Ones

4 dental marketing retention strategies for you to remain successful

Keeping good dental patients is just as vital to your practice or group as acquiring new ones. But you can’t just cross your fingers and hope for the best. Retention takes a solid action plan, consistency, commitment from your team, and proven dental marketing strategies.

“Our newsletters are beautiful and patients have responded to them well.” – 3V Dental

Dr. Jason Monroe covers every phase of the patient journey with a comprehensive marketing campaign.

It takes work to foster patient loyalty

Loyal patients don’t magically appear. Dental practices have to work on getting them in the door – and keeping their business. Future practice success and security is reliant on retention tactics in a marketing plan. While it usually takes more effort to gain a new patient than keep an existing one, both are equally valuable.

Closeup of doctor shaking hands with a patient

Keep in touch with patients and show your practice values them

The patient journey consists of five key phases, each of which must be nurtured and understood to create a patient experience that is second to none. Along the way, one of these critical phases is the patient experience. Do you know just how vital it is to the livelihood of your practice?

Woman smiles as she reads a piece of mail from a dental marketing company

Patient newsletters will help you break through the digital noise and reach patients in their homes – 100% of the time. This piece of direct mail from Patient NEWS works, not only because of its eye-catching design and large stand-out format, but because of its quality content. With it, dental practices can effectively communicate the value of maintaining one’s oral health and highlight the mouth-body connection. Patients appreciate this value-added information, which reminds them…

  • to look after their smiles
  • keep their dental appointments
  • your practice truly cares about their wellbeing and is a partner in their oral health success.

We use research – like the findings of extensive neuroscience studies – plus our own expertise and proven methods to craft patient newsletters that improve patient retention, increase revenue, and strengthen patient-doctor relationships.

Hip male millennial dental patient gives thumbs up gesture in the dental chair

Include email in your patient retention mix

Yes, we are constantly inundated with digital messages – on television, our smartphones, and social media. But that doesn’t mean email communication has lost its value. No, not all. Email communication remains one of the most effective ways to keep dental patients informed about their oral health and keep your practice fresh in their minds.

Over-the-shoulder view of a dental patient holding a coffee while opening emails on her computer

Today, patients still look forward to – and open – emails from their dentist. It’s well-received by all age groups. And here are some stats to back up that statement…

  • 73% of millennials prefer to hear from brands via email.
  • 50% of email recipients want to receive information.
  • About 60% of people say email marketing influences their buying decisions.
  • Email subscribers are three times more likely to share your content on social media

Now, you might be wondering how you can invest time into crafting emails, sorting through lists, and sending these vital messages to your patients. We can take care of that – with an automated solution that does all the heavy lifting. Sound too good to be true? Believe it or not, it exists!

Our automated dental email service is included with Practice ZEBRA, the #1 dental marketing software solution to increase production and practice value. We’ll set it up, and from then on, your patients will automatically receive monthly eNewsletters featuring high-quality content developed by the experienced team of writers and editors Patient NEWS is known for. This easy set it and forget it solution will help you keep patients informed about their dental health and how you can help. Plus you’ll also have access to ZEBRA’s Anytime Email module. Whenever you like, you can send out need-to-know information to your patients with the click of a button. An easy-to-use template simplifies this process for you and your team!

Closeup of half a zebra's face
Sending your patients a value-added monthly email newsletter, as well as anytime emails when necessary, makes complete sense for your practice. Give it a try today!

Automated Solutions from ZEBRA also include:

Three graphics in circles that highlight Practice ZEBRA's automated dental marketing solutions
Three graphics in circles that highlight Practice ZEBRA's automated dental marketing solutions
Three graphics in circles that highlight Practice ZEBRA's automated dental marketing solutions

Increase referrals and new dental patients with practice brochures

A dental practice brochure will elevate your practice in the eyes of patients. Even in today’s digital world, this tangible piece of marketing can distinguish your office or offices from the competition.

African American female dental patients reads a dental brochure from the comfort of her home

There are a few different scenarios in which having a high-quality practice brochure on-hand will help make a solid first impression. When a new patient walks into the practice, they’ll pick one up while they wait for their appointment. Another great place to feature them is at a community event. Your team can hand them out as they make introductions and raise awareness of your office.

Dental office team member hands out a dental practice brochure to a patient

Practice brochures from Patient NEWS will help your practice shine a spotlight on itself, earning you more new patients and referrals from happy patients down the road. For brochures that tell your story and boost your authority in your community, contact our team today.

Referrals & reactivation programs that drive practice growth

As a reputable dental marketing company that has worked closely with thousands of dentists, we know that about half of a practice’s new-patient growth should come from referrals. And that includes referrals from patients and staff. How are you doing?

If you’re finding that referrals are few and far between or that more patients than you’d prefer are in lapsed status, Patient NEWS can help. Our tried-and-tested dental patient referral and reactivation programs include:

  • Referral content for patient newsletters
  • Email newsletters
  • Referral cards
  • Reactivation postcards & letters
Illustration of dental patients around a giant megaphone

Patient NEWS was founded in 1993, when we launched our first patient newsletter for leading dentist, Dr. Paul Piccinni. We can help you too. Schedule a FREE consulation now!

Your Questions Answered

Open FAQs To Read Frequently Asked Questions About Improving Patient Retention
Or better yet, call us at 888-377-2404 & talk to a real person!

FAQ

Why should I try a customized patient newsletter to connect with my patients of record?

By trusting a reputable dental marketing agency with decades of experience, you know you’re going to get a product that triggers a response. Also, we research the demographics in your area and determine who will respond best to your carefully crafted dental marketing campaigns. The average practice that works with us sees a 6:1 ROI.

Can you give me some more details on what a typical email patient newsletter contains?

Firstly, it will contain superior dental content written by our team of experienced editorial wizards. They live and breathe dentistry and are in the know on treatments and the language needed to generate a favorable response and convert potential patients into patients-of-record.

Besides marketing, do you have any other tips I can implement to increase patient retention rates?

Communication is key. We encourage dental teams to create rapport with patients through active communication and heartfelt energy. These efforts will increase the goodwill patients feel toward your team and the overall practice. Another good idea is to review the patient experience. Ask members of your team or friends and family to go through a “typical day” at the office as if they were a patient. Ask for their honest feedback, as this can help you pinpoint areas in need of improvement and confirm what’s working well and what’s not.

What it comes to the financial impact of newsletters, how much can my practice gain?

Even with digital devices all around us, printed patient newsletters remain the number-one way to connect with patients when they’re not in your chair. Optimal results can yield a 300-400% ROI. What would it mean to you if you could cut attrition by 1%, up referrals by eight each year, and reactivate eight lapsed patients? About $30,000 more per year, based on the average practice. If you’re looking at lifetime value, then that’s potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.

What does an ideal dental patient look like?

The ideal patient finds value in the services you and your team provide. They always make their regularly scheduled appointment, accept treatment recommendations, and make informed decisions for their smile. They also refer friends and family and always have great things to say about your practice. They are, without a doubt, your biggest practice advocates.