Orthotown June 2017 - 41

by Ann Marie Gorczyca, DMD, MPH, MS

REACH

Marketing funnel strategies begin
by building awareness, consideration
and intent, all of which lead to the
only metric that matters: purchase.
Marketers claim that it takes seven to
13 interactions before a new purchase
is made. Your first marketing goal is to
keep your practice name and products
center stage in your local community,
through content and consistency, for
new customers to see and act upon.

Orthotown board member
Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca is
author of the book It All
Starts with Marketing-201
Marketing Tips for Growing
a Dental Practice. She is a
diplomate of the American
Board of Orthodontics and
the Angle Society of Orthodontists. Her practice,
Gorczyca Orthodontics, is in Antioch, California.

1. Start at ground zero and give
insignia items to your current patients.
Never forget that your current patients are your No. 1
marketing source for new patients. Give them the materials
they need to recommend you to others. Whether the items
are gift cards, business cards, lip balms or pens and pencils
with your office name, logo, and phone number, they'll be
passed on to family and friends of your practice advocates
with a recommendation of your orthodontic services.

2. Patient gift idea: A cap.
The red baseball cap was a demonstration of brilliant
campaign marketing during the 2016 presidential election,
and a similar program could buoy your orthodontic office.
Start your own "neighborhood orthodontist" campaign:
Get a few hundred insignia caps and give them out to your
patients and their parents. Imagine your practice moms and
dads wearing your cap at their children's soccer and baseball
games. What could be better than that for word-of-mouth
marketing and awareness?

3. Prepare your new patient
experience and welcome folder.
Once new patients have left your office after an initial
exams, the welcome folder will carry on. Let your total
package lead to the treatment answer, "Yes." A welcome
folder represents your brand to the purchaser; be sure it
is colorful and professional, and that it contains patient
photos, testimonials and all the information patients need
for your office to be their top choice. Include personalized
items, such as an individualized questionnaire or a welcome
sign, to make your patients feel like your office is where
they belong.

4. Update your team, patient
and doctor "Walls of Fame."
New patients who are entering your office for the first
time want to see photos of happy, smiling, successful
patients, team members and doctors on the walls. These
displays denote pride in your office and your work.
And patients want to see a doctor who is credentialed
and human. Be sure to include a family photo on your
doctor Wall of Fame. Give your patients a confident,
friendly feeling!

5. Use broadcast media
to advertise specialty services
that make you unique.
Raising awareness of services beyond the average scope of
orthodontics will have a far reach. The ability to deliver
orthognathic surgery, sleep apnea treatments or closure of
open bites will have patients driving hours to see you. Today's
consumers are internet savvy, researching all possibilities.
Be sure to clearly describe services that make you and your
office worth the extra drive.
orthotown.com \\ JUNE 2017

41
http://www.orthotown.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown June 2017
