One of the most basic human instincts is to hunt.  We do it every day.  We hunt for the next meal by looking around, grabbing coupons, or reading reviews online.  We hunt for items during holiday shopping.

 

Search engines have figured this out, and they’ve prospered to the tune of many billions of dollars.  If you can deliver the right result to dental implant searchers, you’ll prosper, as well.

 

It’s out of a survival instinct that we find what we’re hunting for.  A patient looking for a dentist in their neighborhood who is competent in offering dental implants is a hunt.  In order to provide the meat your dental implant patients need to feel comfortable they’ve found their next meal. You have to provide a “scent” that indicates the prospective patient is on the right track.

 

But how do you provide the right “scent” to dental implant patients?

 

Here are 8 ideas to help you score that next dental implant case:

 

1. Show Patients Your Office. While no dental implant patient will be able to examine your clinical skills, they will assess you in other ways.  Do you have your office tour on your website?  Dentistry is an anxiety inducing idea for many people.  The kinds of people who end up needing dental implants often have decay from years of avoiding dental treatment.  Understand that they may feel helpless or overwhelmed in selecting a dentist who they can trust.   For example, Dr. Stephan Kuzmak of Towson, Maryland is an artist and is passionate about clinical dentistry.  He is meticulous when it comes to cosmetic dentistry and dental implant services in Towson.  Kuzmak takes so much pride in delivering world-class dentistry, and while his patients may feel it chairside, few of them probably realize just how skilled and precise Dr. Kuzmak really is.  What his prospective patients can tell is that he looks like a normal guy, through photography.  Allow your patients to get a feel for your office, your current patients, and your team members.  This can go a long way in making what is – let’s face it – a large financial investment for most people.

 

2. Discuss Payment Plans. Whether you’re buying a car or a washing machine, larger purchases come with financing.  One of the reasons financing works well persuading people to choose your dental office is due to one basic principle: if you’re not talking about something, that’s probably not your “thing.”  While you might be a great dentist, people intuitively assume that you’re only competent at something if you mention it to them.  If you don’t mention something, you must be unable to teach about it.  If you don’t teach about something, you must not be quite as good as the dentist who does teach about that topic.  Only those dentists or other team members who talk about Care Credit or other financing options are viewed as competent enough to earn their trust.  In this interview with Chris Moriarty of Productive Dentist Academy, we discussed how dentists can learn from the automobile industry when it comes to education and content marketing.  People have the ability to drive nice cars, despite being paid $10/hour.  It’s because the financing officer wasn’t shy about getting the customer into the right payment plan.

 

3. Collaborate With Other Dentists. If a competing dentist isn’t offering dental implants, try building a referral relationship.  Be personable and take them out to lunch.  Make sure you highlight the key benefits of sending dental implant patients your way.  If you can, try to define why you’re the best choice for them, and perhaps what makes you different from other dentists.  The best advice when trying to build a bridge to this dentist is to listen.  Ask questions and genuinely show interest in trying to help them solve their problems.  Offer to do things to help them.  This process might not happen in a single day.  People tend to prefer doing business with others that they know, like, and trust.  If you can leave this dentist with good vibes, you’ve made progress.

 

4. Laser-Target. Shooting out postcards EDDM style might seem like a great idea to get more dental patients, but dental implant patients make up a different demographic.  Targeting those of the 50+ years old is generally a safer bet.  Using data gleaned from public sources, Vlad Kostovski found a more personal letter towards those of a certain generation was more effective than blanketing the whole town.  In the letter, the dentist is approaches the prospective patient with a more personal touch.  Targeting the ideal patient in a way they prefer will pay dividends.

5. Be Consistent in Your Brand. Mailing letters about dental implants might be one way to get the phone to ring, but it won’t make them feel good about their choice if your office shows zero evidence of your implant experience level.  You need to make it obvious that you’re the dental implant expert in your area.  Photography and other types of content which position yourself as the go-to dentist for dental implants, such as being mentioned in an article by the AAID, proves useful.  A magazine featuring you on the cover, with your article being specifically about dental implants, is a great confidence booster.  The content of the article needs to be consistent with what you say chairside.  Your staff needs to be drinking the same Kool-Aid so to speak.  If you’re a CEREC doc, everyone in your office needs to be on board.  If you’re into Invisalign over Six Month Smiles, your company culture needs to reflect that.  For instance, Rylan Hansen of Apex, NC tells us on his website that he’s really passionate about CEREC, and that his team loves kids.  From the website to the dental office, the message is consistent.  Be consistent in your message and you’ll be viewed as an authority by your patients – and everyone they refer.

 

6. Public Speaking. Seminars in certain high-scale senior living centers can position you as the expert.  Education is the new sales, and if you’re willing to help people understand what’s involved in implant dentistry, you’ll likely be the only one they call when they’re ready.  For example, Eric Jones appeared on my show to discuss how he wasn’t sure if these seminars were profitable or not for a few weeks after the first speaking gig.  He goes on to explain that leads trickled in upwards of 8 months after his appearance at an assisted living facility.  Dr. Jones goes on to say that it’s really not that big a deal.  Once you’ve done your first speaking gig, they invite you back for more.

7. They’re Hunting (online) for Dental Implants! Search engine optimization has proven to be hugely useful for dentists who offer dental implants.  While the number of searches in your neighborhood will be far less than those looking for general or family dentistry, the searches tend to be with intent and seriousness about dental implant operation.  One of the easiest ways to have Google fall in love with your dental implant services is to offer a unique page about dental implants.  Provide education that matches searcher intent, and take them even further with an email drip campaign revolving around only dental implant needs and wants.  FAQs are the low hanging fruit when it comes to content creation.  Once you’ve built your dental implants page, earn links from credible, relevant sources in your community, such as your local chamber of commerce blog, your oral surgeon or endodontist’s blog or even a com blog.  Those links and mentions around the web will eventually position you to the top of Google.

 

8. Use Social Media Ads. Speaking of content that Google loves, social signals can help legitimize your content.  Use social media ads to measure the reaction you’ll get from content ideas.  While you need your dental implant page to be spot-on (in order to attract links and social shares), your social media ads can allow you to “test the waters,” so to speak.  Anissa Holmes of DeliveringWOW.com talks about how FB ads have brought in thousands of patients in her dental office in Jamaica.  Some of the content went viral, and some of it was a learning lesson.  Social media is a great place to learn what kind of content people want to see from you, because you get real world feedback at a fast rate.

 

Dental implant marketing ideas should be based on placing that “scent” for the hunter to find what they’re looking for.  Confidence is contagious, so make sure you’re confident in your implant dentistry abilities.  Your future dental implant patients will likely be exposed to dozens of advertisements for dental implants by the time they call your office.  Make sure they sense once they find you, they’re on the right track.