Dentists Need New Dental Advertising Solutions to Attract More Patients

Medical professionals, as well as small business owners feel thwarted because of the high cost of industrial, health and dental advertising that yield minimal return in their efforts to get new patients for their practices.

Whether it is buying time for area radio and television campaigns, putting ads in newspapers or investing in full-page ads in the yellow pages, numerous dentists, physicians and sole business proprieters are becoming annoyed by the high cost of utilizing conventional marketing and advertising campaigns that render small outcomes. As the recent economic recession proceeds on its gradual fade into the past, fiscal recovery, even so, still seems to be far away as medical professionals have lost their unemployed patients who can no longer maintain their healthcare or dental insurance plans and, as a result, have very little choice but to cut back on their regular healthcare appointments. Some physicians and dental specialists are becoming more assertive with their marketing endeavors in order to obtain patients so that they can keep their practices going.

The fact is, the medical and dental advertising ideas and strategies that most medical professionals use are nearly similar and do minimal to distinguish one doctor from another. On top of that, many physicians, especially general dentists, are leery of utilizing such heavy-handed medical and dentist advertising methods simply because they think such overt self-promotion in a field as serious as medicine might impact the dentist’s standing for being a professional and legitimate authority. Many dentists have claimed, by means of past experience, that employing such advertising has essentially turned potential patients away.

"People often steer clear from the sorts of organizations who are seen as aggressively tooting their own horn," says Helmut G. Flasch, a medical and dental practice management consultant and CEO of Doctor Relations, Inc., a medical and dental consulting establishment located within California’s San Fernando Valley. "Frankly, there's really no need for anyone to invest a bunch of money on marketing to toot their own horns when another person can do it for them, and it costs virtually nothing," reasons Mr. Flasch.

Mr. Flasch feels that the most potent credibility endorsements originate from good word-of-mouth through a dentist or a doctor’s local district. He emphasizes that it is not the same thing as trying to secure referrals from a medical peer. "Referrals can't be counted on to solely build a practice. A physician might get two or three referrals within the span of six months. That’s certainly not sustaining," he states. He goes on to say that dentists need to use different methods to get their information across to prospective patients rather than using the general dentist advertising and referral procedures.

"Doctors need to get involved in their neighborhood events if they want to get new patients. It's the best way," says Mr. Flasch. He feels that whenever a dental office or a physician takes part in a community event for example, an essay challenge for local kids or perhaps a walk-a-thon, it provides him the opportunity to connect with potential patients as a person and a humanitarian. This method is known as Un-advertising, which involves a person giving back to his regional community by making a positive change in the lives of other people and receiving good press in exchange. "By taking part in a residential area event, individuals will recall the dentist not only as the backer of a successful food drive or an composition contest for school-age children, they are going to remember him as a reputable dental practitioner," says Mr. Flasch. "It works to enhance the standing and awareness of a dentist when he interacts with people face-to-face in a civic environment, and he is now on the radar for future patients who'll want his services for future medical needs," he concludes.