15 Proven Dental Marketing Strategies to Attract New Patients (2024 Data-Backed Guide)

Do you want more new patients in your dental office? Let me help you! This guide has easy ways to get new patients. These ideas work for real dentists!

What You Will Learn

• 15 ways to get new patients
• Real numbers that show these ideas work
• Simple steps you can use today

Why Dental Marketing Matters

Many dentists have a hard time getting new patients. Your office might be the best, but if people don’t know about you, they can’t come to you!

Good marketing helps people find you when they need a dentist. It makes them pick your office instead of other dentists.

7 Top Dental Marketing Strategies to Attract New Patients

1. Make Google Love Your Dental Practice

People use Google to find dentists. If they can’t find you on Google, they can’t come to you!

What to do:

• Fix your Google My Business listing
• Add all your services
• Put your office hours
• Add good photos of your office

Why it works: Practices with good Google listings get 2x more calls from new patients.

2. Make Your Website Work Better

Your website needs to be easy to use on phones. 60% of patients look for dentists on their phones.

What to do:

• Make sure your site works on phones
• Add a big “Call Now” button
• Show before/after photos of real patients
• Add a map to your office

Need help with your website? Check out these dental website design tips for better results.

3. Create Helpful Blog Posts

People have questions about teeth. If you answer their questions, they will trust you!

What to do:

• Write about things people ask you
• Use words people search for
• Add photos or videos to help explain
• Post new blogs every month

Why it works: Dental blogs about topics like “cost of veneers” get 3x more leads than general pages.

4. Get More Google Reviews

Practices with 50+ reviews grow 30% faster than those with fewer than 10.

What to do:

• Ask happy patients for reviews
• Send a text after their visit with a link
• Thank patients who leave reviews
• Fix problems from bad reviews fast

5. Use Facebook and Instagram Ads

You can show ads just to people near your office!

What to do:

• Make ads for people within 5 miles
• Show before/after photos (with permission)
• Offer a new patient special
• Add a clear “Book Now” button

Why it works: Dentists using local Facebook ads pay 45% less per new patient than with broad ads.

6. Start a Patient Referral Program

Happy patients can bring you more patients!

What to do:

• Give $50 gift cards when patients refer friends
• Thank patients who refer others
• Make it easy for patients to tell friends
• Give cards patients can hand out

Why it works: Referred patients are worth 25% more over time and stay with you longer.

7. Use Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Ads

When people search “emergency dentist” or “dentist near me,” your ad can show up first!

What to do:

• Use Google Local Service Ads (LSAs)
• Pick words people search for
• Show ads to people near your office
• Track which ads work best

Why it works: Google LSAs get 5x more calls than regular ads for emergency dental searches.

Real Results: Texas Dental Practice Case Study

A dental office in Texas had no new patients for 3 months. Then they:

1. Fixed their Google listing
2. Started Google Local Service Ads for “same-day dentures”
3. Asked for reviews after each visit

The result: 22 new patients in just 30 days, worth $12,000!

4 Ways to Keep Your Current Patients Coming Back

Getting new patients is good. Keeping your current patients is even better!

1. Send Text Reminders

What to do:

• Send texts to remind of appointments
• Make it easy to confirm by text
• Send happy birthday texts
• Thank patients after visits

Why it works: Dental offices using text reminders have 30% fewer no-shows.

2. Start a Loyalty Program

What to do:

• Give discounts after a certain number of visits
• Offer free whitening for loyal patients
• Send special offers to long-time patients
• Thank patients for their loyalty

3. Send Email Newsletters

What to do:

• Send helpful tips about dental care
• Share news about your office
• Offer special deals to email subscribers
• Keep emails short and fun

Why it works: Regular emails to patients boost retention by 22%.

4. Make Visits Fun and Easy

What to do:

• Have a friendly team
• Explain things clearly
• Minimize wait times
• Follow up after big procedures

Tools You Can Use Today

You don’t need to spend a lot to get started. Here are some tools for any budget:

Free or Low-Cost Tools

• Google Business Profile (free)
• Canva for making social posts (free version)
• Facebook and Instagram pages (free)

Medium-Cost Tools

• PatientPop ($300/month)
• Mailchimp ($20/month)
• BirdEye for reviews ($200/month)

Higher-Investment Tools

• Google Local Service Ads ($1,000+/month)
• Professional website redesign
• Facebook ad campaigns

Easy Dental Marketing Ideas by Budget

If You Have $500 or Less

• Update your Google listing (free)
• Ask for 5 reviews each week (free)
• Post on Facebook 3 times per week (free)
• Add a “Book Now” button to your website
• Send monthly emails to patients

If You Have $500-$2,000

• Start a simple referral program
• Run Facebook ads in your zip code
• Use a review management tool
• Make 2 educational videos
• Update your website photos

If You Have $2,000+

• Try Google Local Service Ads
• Redesign your website for phones
• Start a blog with new posts each month
• Run targeted ad campaigns
• Use a patient communication system

Dental Marketing FAQ

Conclusion

You don’t need to do all these ideas at once. Pick 2-3 that seem easy for you, and start there!

The most important things are:

• Make sure people can find you on Google
• Get more good reviews
• Make it easy for people to call you

Need help with custom dental restorations for your new patients? Our lab can help make your new patients happy with beautiful work!