Using Promotions to Increase Orthodontic Patient Leads

For orthodontic practices looking to grow their current client base, not many other marketing efforts are as effective as an active promotional strategy. Promotions are a great way to pique new interest with local prospects and increase awareness of orthodontic services and pricing.

Here are five ways you can capitalize on the benefits of promotional campaigns and how you can continue to develop new leads by offering promotional giveaways.

Email Subscriber Lists

Taking the time to develop your email subscriber list now can be a significant investment towards the ability to run future promotional offerings and content marketing campaigns. Typically, a business website is the perfect place to give new and potential customers the ability to opt-in to receive regular company updates, discounts on services, and other notifications. Hubspot is a great way business owners can organize their customer information and send promotional details all in one easy-to-use solution. As subscribers are collected, it’s essential to keep the database regularly updated to ensure your promotions receive the attention they deserve. It is also essential to keep any email updates relevant and exciting to subscribers, lest your emails clutter up a potential patient’s spam folder. 

Postcards and Mailers

For individuals who prefer not to receive marketing emails or digital correspondence, postcards and mailers are a great alternative to providing customers with relevant information about your business and promotions for your services. Postcards offer the personal touch to correspondence that emails just don’t provide, and by combining a mailer campaign with incentives such as free consultations or screenings, you’ll be able to reach a wider audience. You can also tap directly into specific communities and neighborhoods by utilizing general mailers, which is essential to get new clients into your practice from your backyard.

Social Media Advertisements

Social media plays a vital role in brand awareness and reputability. Not only does an active social presence help customers better connect with your services, it also gives you an opportunity to benefit from effective advertising solutions. Social media advertisements through Facebook and Twitter are a great outlet to share promotions and discounts for your services without needing email lists or customer information. By utilizing intelligent prospect targeting ad systems, you’ll be able to identify the target markets most applicable to your practice and increase the return on your investment. While advertising options are paramount to getting the word out about your practice, it is also important to make sure your social media presence stands out on its own. Social media is an important tool for capturing new patients, it is also important to think about which social media platform would be the best tool for a particular ad or promotional strategy. 

Deal Sites

Deal sites are an excellent investment for local orthodontic practices looking to gain momentum in their lead generation campaigns while guaranteeing revenue associated with promotional initiatives. Groupon is by far one of the most popular outlets for local companies wanting to promote specific services, and it can bring in a significant amount of business overnight.  

Referral Programs

Word of mouth can be an influential contributor to your lead generation efforts. By encouraging your current clientele to refer friends and family members to your practice, and offering incentives for their support, you can quickly start to build an extensive network of local clients. Printed referral cards are a great way to track both new client information and the referrer. This will allow you to identify and apply promotional discounts to the referring party while maintaining an accurate database of your leads.

How to Utilize Promotional Programs

You can utilize these promotional methods to advertise promotional incentives to your potential patients. Pair your promotional materials with new patient give-aways and incentives for booking an appointment to increase business with new clients. Utilizing tools like social media or mailer promos helps to spread the word about your giveaway or promotional deals.

Your promotional items should directly communicate the service you are trying to sell. Using one-of-a-kind items or stand-out deals keeps your practice’s name in the forefront of your potential patient’s mind. It’s more beneficial to keep the give-away and promotional deals orthodontic related. This way, any leads you may have can convert to actual appointments. 

Discount Programs

Your potential patients probably have enough free pens and are looking for something a little more enticing than a free toothbrush. You can offer discounts that will excite new patients without negatively affecting your practice’s overhead. To get new patients in your door, offer discounts on treatment, and lower monthly or down payments. This can be offered to incentivize patients to come in for an appointment during a certain time frame or can be used as part of a referral program. For these discounts, it is best to advertise them as a limited-time offering as a way to get potential patients to act soon.

Free Services or Give-aways

Another promotional possibility is to provide free teeth whitening services with treatment. By offering this free and in-demand service, you are capturing new patients who are already concerned and thinking about the look and health of their smiles. Offering teeth whitening service or free teeth whitening take-home products keeps your practice relevant to new customers. 

Another possibility is to promote post-treatment retainers as either free or included in the price. Offering a subscription program for retainers or bite guards encourages patients to return to your office after their treatment is complete and continue to use your services longer. 

Promotional incentives are an effective way for orthodontic practices to build a list of prospects and secure new business. However, managing this form of marketing outreach over time can be a challenging venture for busy practitioners.

Ortho Sales Engine provides a customized marketing solution exclusively targeted toward orthodontic practices looking to grow their business. Ortho Sales Engine can help practices manage their social media ads, email marketing campaigns, promotional workflows, and automation. Call today for your free 15-minute consultation.