Take Advantage of Your Existing Patient Base

How to Add Profitability — Without Adding Patients!
Special Marketing Feature
By Melinda Spitek, Hycomb Marketing

We all love to get new patients, but a lot of the dentists I consult with aren't aware of the gold mine they're sitting on: high value current patients!

My office is located in California's Wine Country, where the marketing of wine is a Great Big Deal. Did you know that less than 10% of the population purchases more than 80% of all wine sold? That's a critical core consumer group. You find it mirrored again and again in other industries and enterprises.

And dentistry is no exception! There are five basic components of a successful internal dental marketing strategy:

• Information value (keeping your patients up-to-date on what you offer),


• Educational value (teaching your patients about important health issues),


• Repetition value (reminding your patients that you are their dentist and that they might be past due for recare),


• Consistency, and


• Consistency.

We are so inundated with information these days that people forget faster than ever. That's why it's never been more important to have an ongoing internal marketing program— and a realistic idea of what it can accomplish.

As an example, consider sending a regular newsletter to your entire patient base. Such a strategy provides:

• Information and educational value,


• Repeated name recognition,


• A tangible link to your practice,


• Flexibility of involvement (your office can be closely tied to development of the materials, or not involved at all), and


• Cost-effective promotion to high-value current patients.

I'm often asked, "Do patients read newsletters?" I'll be honest. Chances are a quarter of them will toss it without reading a word. But, even so, they will recall your name and know it came from you. Maybe half will read some of the newsletter with your name reminding them that you are their dentist. Maybe a quarter will read it cover to cover and be stimulated!

I'd compare this strategy to a political campaign. How could signs reading ROSS FOR GOVERNOR — absent any information about ROSS — motivate a vote? It's the accumulative effect of these reminders on an individual’s memory that stimulates action.

That is the effect a sustained internal marketing effort can have on growing the productivity of your existing patient base.

Melinda Spitek is CEO of Hycomb Marketing Inc. Hycomb was founded in 1980 for the purpose of helping dentists market their practices. Melinda has had plenty of hands-on experience as well, having worked 23 years in dental offices. For help with marketing, just call Hycomb at (800) 523-6961 or visit www.hycomb.com.