Marketing solutions

There is no doubt financial times have got tougher, with fewer people spending on non-essential treatments, existing patients leaving their dental examination until they have a problem, and hygienist appointments harder to fill.

It has been shown in a recession that the businesses that not only survive but come out stronger are those who invest in marketing their business.

This is not about just sending out a standard reminder card or letter; it's about being proactive, using varied media and being highly focused to maintain patient numbers by using a systematic approach to marketing.

If you have a system in place, and a member of staff whose responsibility it is to follow the system you can expect existing patients to return at a greater frequency, and new patients coming in to replace the natural wastage.

I am often asked by business owners what is the one thing they can do to market their business that would turn revenues around; sadly there is not one golden bullet. Thankfully there are a whole host of tools that can be deployed on a monthly basis to bring back existing patients and generate new ones.