Worth knowing
Worth knowing before you market a dental practice
General dentistry and high-value treatments are marketed differently. A cleaning and exam brings a family that stays for years, and it sells on location, insurance and convenience. An implant case, a full set of aligners or a cosmetic makeover sells on the dentist, the consult and the financing conversation, and the person searching is often willing to drive across town. Your plan needs both, with a clear idea of which chairs you want to fill first.
Insurance, offers and what ads may say
A practice that is in-network with several plans and a fee-for-service practice attract different patients, and the ads have to say what is true for you. A new patient special is fine when the front desk honors it exactly as advertised, including for patients who then ask about their plan. Before-and-after photos need written consent from the patient, and anything that sounds like a promise of a clinical outcome stays out of the copy.
HIPAA and marketing tools
HIPAA shapes marketing more than most owners expect. Ad platforms never receive patient information, tracking pixels stay off pages where a patient enters health details, and review replies never confirm that someone is a patient. Any tool that touches your patient list, from an email platform to a text messaging service, needs a business associate agreement in place before the first message goes out. The specialist works within these rules rather than around them.
Seasonality and the front desk
The dental calendar has its own rhythm: back to school brings families in for checkups, the end of the year fills the schedule with patients using remaining benefits, and January is quiet while deductibles reset. Campaigns are timed to that rhythm. And every lead ends at the phone, so the team listens to call recordings with you: a caller who asks about implants and is told to call back later is a lost lead, not a marketing failure.