3 Ways to Score in Q4 – Dental Marketing Playbook

It’s getting down to the wire. The third quarter is here, and you need to score. Here’s the good news, we have the playbook. Dental PPC (Google) Ads, Social Ads, and Mailers (also known as Postcards) are the answer. Implement these three dental marketing plays together this quarter and see significant new patient growth by the end of the year. They are proactive tactics that get you in front of potential patients now. Then when Q4 hits, patients looking to use their benefits before the end of the year find you at the top of the roster!

PPC Ads and Social Ads offer a proactive digital approach to force impressions and drive up traffic. It’s essential to use a more aggressive technique during a passive marketing time period (end of August through September) when there may not be as much activity. Adding dental postcards will help cover what your digital reach cannot while doing the same thing…forcing impressions and driving up your traffic. All in time for you to end the year with that touchdown you’ve been working for. Let’s get going with the first play.

30 YARD LINE – Dental PPC Ads (Google Ads)

PPC or Google Ads are great at getting traction anytime, specifically if you want a quick turnaround. If done correctly, you can start getting clicks and calls moments after you post the ad. Statistics also show that with PPC, your visitors are 50% more likely to purchase than organic visitors. Currently, 104,988 Google searches occur per second (Internet Live Stats, 2022). That’s 6 MILLION searches in ONE MINUTE. Digital ads have proven time and time again that they are extremely valuable, giving access to billions of people online. With over 84% of the search market share, it’s a no-brainer to utilize Google as a tool for your dental marketing playbook.

If you don’t know much about PPC Ads, here are the basics: advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked. You’re buying website visitors. The ads are displayed based on keywords used in search queries. And the fee is determined by the cost of the bid for that particular keyword (or a series of keywords). The price is then charged when someone clicks the ad and visits your website. The cost of keyword bids is driven by how competitive the keyword term may be. If you want to dive deeper, we have the essentials of PPC for you here. With research and the right team managing your dental PPC Ads, so you get the best ROI, you’re already one play into scoring your winning fourth-quarter touchdown.

20 YARD LINE – Dental Social Ads

Just like PPC, Social Ads are a great way to drive traffic and gain new leads. If you want something that tracks your ROI, is budget-friendly, and increases your conversion rates, start dental Social Ads. More and more people continue to turn to social media for information, validation, and news. Currently, 4.58 billion people use some form of social media (Statista). That’s half of the world’s population. Once again, digital ads give you access to billions of people. Those people are your potential patients.

The importance of utilizing Social Ads now is to get in front of patients when they’re most active on social media platforms. It’s well known that the holidays contain a considerable spike in social media activity. People are more likely to post during the holidays, engage with others (especially businesses), and spend money! Luckily for you, October, November, and December are three holiday-filled months, one right after the other. Starting in September, gaining traction with Social Ads will lead you into the next three months.

With everyone in the spending mood, you also have more holiday deals. These holiday deals help improve the performance of ads; because everyone online is more inclined to spend money, your click-through rates and engagement rates are highly likely to boost. Gain your yardage now, so you’re showing up in your patient’s feed when it counts—time for the next play.

10 YARD LINE – Dental Postcards

Postcards/Mailers cover what digital can’t. They’re more personable and force impressions to drive your traffic. You can even target Social Ads to the same people that are getting your postcards. Dental Marketing– our favorite experts in dental mailers, have the reasons why dental postcards are so successful:

• Recovery rates for direct mail marketing campaigns average $2,095.

• Direct mail attracts 70% of customers due to its personal approach.

• Customers prefer getting direct mail from the companies they trust the most, according to 54% of respondents.

• Direct mail has a 62% chance of encouraging a customer make a purchase.

Why should you start dental postcards in September? It takes about 10-20 days to finalize your postcards (graphics, copy, etc.), so with enough lead time, you’ll have them prepped for October, November, and December. Yet another proactive strategy to get in front of your potential patients to end the year with that touchdown.

TOUCHDOWN!

These plays combined will create a proactive dental marketing strategy, so patients know who to go to in the fourth quarter. The most significant point about dental marketing is that everything you do throughout your year adds up. The more time and effort you put into understanding which strategies are right for which time of the quarter, you’ll be better off. It’s time to get active. Learn more about what you need to be successful the rest of the year!

Originally published in August of 2022. Written by Keslie Ta’afua.