Be honest with me for a minute.  Are you actually marketing your dental practice?  Or are you operating under more of a wait and hope type of approach?

If you are marketing, what you doing?  Social Media?  Referral Campaigns?

How are those going?  

I market to small businesses every single day, and you guys are the best clients a girl can ask for.  So I am going to share why and how you should market your dental practice to small businesses. 

Most dentists follow a B2C approach when it comes to their marketing.  B2C means, business to consumer.  And it is an excellent approach, as your patients are usually individuals or family’s.  

You might target these consumers, through email campaigns, mailers, social media and referrals and 1000% do not stop that!  But let’s look at an untapped market for you.  Small businesses. 

Why should I market my dental practice to small businesses?

#1 Their employees are conveniently located

I get mailers to my home for various dentists in the area.  But unfortunately, they are a waste, because I am going to visit a dentist that is close to my office.  I simply take an extended lunch break, and I’m in and out and back to my office in no time.  And most people follow that process.  So making sure local businesses know your practice is near, increases their employees convenience factor when going to the dentist. 

#2 Most small businesses don’t offer dental insurance

Which is great for you!  But can be great for them if you offer a nice little discount to their employees.  You can use a membership plan or you can offer a blanketed discount across all services for their employees.  Make sure to also tell them about your in-house financing options. 

#3 Talk to the masses through 1 person

With Covid you can’t really go out cold call businesses.  So I recommend calling the office and getting in touch with the HR person.  Make them your friend and they will make sure to spread the word about your office to their team members.  

How do I market my dental practice to small businesses?

#1 Look around and make a list

Next time your are driving into your office, take a note of the small businesses that surround your practice.  Make a list of them.

#2 Work out your plan of action

Start with what are you going to offer the employees of these businesses?  Here are some ideas:

• A discount- Percentage is up to you, but try to make it worth while.
• New Patients Package – Xrays, Exam and Cleaning for $59 (or whatever price you feel comfortable with)
• Access to your membership plan – You can partner with a company or make your own in-house plan. 
• Free whitening or free night guard
• Throw an event for them – April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, you can throw a lunch and have their employees come in for free Oral Cancer screenings.

#3 Make it pretty

Once you have your plan of action in place, make it presentable.  This could be in the form of flyer, a fun little goody package or simply an email.  

If it were me, I would make a gorgeous little drip campaign on Constant Contact or whatever email service you use that would be sent to my main point of contact.  My drip campaign would look like this.

Email #1: Include a thank you for their interest in working with your practice and lay out what you are offering to their employees. 

Email #2: Include a flyer for your main point of contact to print and email out to their staff. 

Email #3: A quick follow up email thanking them again and asking for feedback. 

And make sure they get added to your monthly newsletter list. 

#4 Make contact

Now that all the heavy lifting is complete, all you have to do is simply call the business and ask for their HR department.  In small businesses, everyone is usually super friendly and helpful (especially if you are looking out for their employees’ health).  Over the phone, explain the discount/goodies you want to offer their employees and ask if you can email them a flyer to print and post in their break room.  You can also offer to drop some off, if their office is currently allowing that.  

Once COVID is better under control, I recommend popping in with some goodies to really seal the deal.  

Now that you have their email, put them into your drip campaign and track your success. 

#5 Other ways to market to small businesses

• Post a flyer on the community wall in a business park.
• Send mailers directly to your local businesses.
• Join a local networking group.
• Find and hire a consultant on DirectDental to help you with your marketing efforts.

This method definitely forces you out of your comfort zone, but it gets you out of the SEO and Social Media rat race and put your dental practice right in front of some fabulous new patients.  So go get em!

Smiles,

Holli Perez
DirectDental

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