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The Top 4 Patient Personas for Orthodontic Practices

One of the first things any marketer needs to consider when trying to grow a business is their buyer personas. This will be true for many medical professions, when compared to dental offices, orthodontic practices have much more specific patient personas. Here are the four most important buyer personas to zero in on. 

Moms with Kids Who Need Braces

The most common period of life for people to get braces is in their pre-teen to early teen years, so it only makes sense that your largest volume of patients will fit this demographic. Of course, these kids aren’t the ones calling your office to book a slot on your calendar. The people deciding to get treatment and making the payments will ultimately be the parents, with moms typically taking charge. 

For this buyer persona, marketing needs to be geared toward parents and should highlight how your practice plans to make kids excited about getting braces, such as offering Mascot Braces or colored bands. Be sure to also clarify if your office accepts insurance and advertise convenient payment plans since most parents are also budget-conscious. 

Young Adults

Whether entering college or venturing into the workforce, some young adults just never got around to getting orthodontic treatment. While you should highlight both the cosmetic and health benefits of having a straight smile for all of your potential patients, you should prioritize these factors for this buyer persona. Many young adults think the “ship has sailed” on their opportunity to get braces, but your marketing should help convince them otherwise. 

Slightly Older Adults

When people reach their 30s, 40s, and onward, there’s some potential for their teeth to regress, whether due to injury, extractions, or failing to wear a retainer. This is another group that may think they wouldn’t benefit from getting braces or may be hesitant to redo treatment. For this buyer persona, emphasize quick treatment options like Invisalign Express and Invisalign Lite. Focus your marketing on convincing people of this demographic that it’s worth it to gain an ideal smile both for self-confidence and better health. 

Teens

While the parents will still be the ones making decisions here, teens play more of a role than younger kids  in choosing their treatment and which orthodontist they may want to go to. The language for your marketing materials should be voiced towards the patient instead of towards the parent in this case and should prioritize getting a better-looking smile more than health benefits, although you shouldn’t neglect the latter.

Products like WildSmiles or color braces may be a bit too “kiddish” for older teens, but you should definitely highlight Mascot Braces. When it comes to social media ads and content marketing, be sure you talk about how teens can still play sports with an orthodontic mouthguard and emphasize clear options like Invisalign. 

Be sure to keep in mind that each patient persona will be affected by your market location and other factors. While your patient personas aren’t limited to these four, focusing your marketing on your most important patient personas will help you get the best ROI from your marketing.

Ortho Sales Engine specializes in marketing solutions for orthodontists, combines more than 20 in-house services to create customized, repeatable marketing systems, and serves as a trusted partner to doctors and their teams. To learn more or schedule a free consultation, visit orthosalesengine.com.