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Practice Marketing: Measure Your Results

Posted July 12, 2016 by Danielle H

With so manPractice Marketingy marketing opportunities available to dental practices, it’s important to know which campaigns are effective. Many practices fail to follow through on this key component of marketing: Tracking Patient Referrals!

If you’re not sure what to track or how to measure success, read on for some great tips to get you started.

What to Measure

New Patients by Referral Source vs. Total New Patients

Compare the number of new patients that came from a specific referral source or marketing campaign to the total number of new patients over a given time frame. This information helps you determine what percentage of your new patients came to the office from each referral source.

Cost Per Patient Acquisition

To determine the cost per patient acquisition use this formula: Ad Cost/# New Patients. Compare the Cost Per Patient Acquisition of each marketing campaign to see where you get the greatest ROI.

Production Value by Referral Source

Examine each Referral Source or Marketing Campaign and determine the total production value you’ve generated. This comparison provides the greatest value when the report is run over longer periods of time (6-12 months or longer). In doing so, you will gain insight into whether or not patients visited your practice more than once. If your campaign offered a discounted rate for the patient’s first visit, use this information to determine if your strategy paid off.

Ready to get started? Here’s How…

Step 1:

Create a list of the most common ways patients are referred to your practice. Include things like paid advertising campaigns, referring providers, website, google ads and insurance listings.

Step 2:

Add each of these referral sources to XLDent or your dental software.

Step 3:

Ask every new patient who they were referred by or where they heard about your practice. Enter this into the referral tracking area of your software. Create a script to help team members use consistent language and make sure that everyone has an understanding of the referral sources that pertain to your practice.

Step 4:

Establish an office policy for generating reports. Determine what information will be gathered and how you will measure your results.

Step 5:

Use this information to make marketing decisions that generate the greatest ROI.

Want to learn more about how XLDent Dental Management Software tracks referral information? Get in touch with us today!

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Building Patient Relationships with Email Marketing

Posted June 7, 2016 by Danielle H

Email Marketing, XLDent Dental Software, Lighthouse 360 EmailsBuilding patient relationships, and I mean good, solid, trusting relationships, isn’t always as easy as you may think. You often get just a few minutes a couple times a year to actually talk with patients, making it challenging to build that connection that is so desired. And that connection is what is often needed to get a yes to that much needed crown or to keep them coming back for those routine recare visits.

Take a look at these three ways email marketing can reduce your practice’s attrition rate and increase your base of loyal patients.

  • Personalize your messages. Craft your emails so that they build on the personality of your practice. Your patients will keep coming back to your practice because they like you (and your team)!

Consider a great concert your dental hygienist recently attended. I bet your patients would love to see a picture from it! Share milestones like staff birthdays, anniversaries, and special achievements too.

Pro tip: Incorporate humor. Showing your lighter side will keep your reader engaged and wanting more.

  • Promote Your Practice. Use your emails to tell your patients about what’s going on in your office. If you’ve recently invested in new technology, share some information on the benefits your patients will see. Don’t forget to include any product promotions you’re offering. When it comes to elective treatments, like Whitening, educate the reader about what you have to offer and why it’s best for the patient.
  • Email Appointment Reminders give your patients a reason to connect with you electronically. With the ability to confirm their appointment by email, patients will be able to interact with your practice when it’s convenient for them. In addition, readers will be familiar with your branding and more engaged in other messages you send out.

With a multitude of scheduling and automated options, sending personalized emails to your patients is an easy and effective way to market your business. XLDent teams up with Lighthouse 360 give clients a robust email marketing and patient communication system that will help nourish patient relationships for generations.

Posted in: Dental Practice Management Software, Dental Technology, Dental Web-based Solutions, Email Marketing, Recare System, XLDent Patient Experience, Leave a comment/ No Comments »
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