The ultimate goal for many practice owners is to develop a reputation that earns patient referrals. If you’ve wondered how to get more patient referrals, here are four actionable steps to employ at your practice.
How important are referrals? Most people agree that word-of-mouth recommendations from a known individual are more reliable than testimonials.
Dentistry is an experiential service that often generates positive feelings. Existing patients who are satisfied with your services and happy with the outcomes of their visits can multiply your revenue stream simply by talking with their families and friends.
Although your patients are probably already speaking about their experiences, intentional requests will increase the impact. However, you’ll need to keep a few things in mind if you choose to start a dental patient referral program.
So, the first and most obvious step is to ask your patients..
Referral programs outside dentistry usually rely on referral incentives, but this is an area where you need to tread lightly due to legal restrictions and the ramifications of offering referral gifts.
According to the American Dental Association (ADA), you may be prohibited from giving gifts depending on the state in which you practice and whether you provide services under Medicare or Medicaid.
While these prohibitions and ethical considerations may limit your ability to offer gifts or discounts, you may use cleverly designed items as reminders of your brand. Useful items like toothbrushes and keychains can prompt patients to keep the next appointment, while T-shirts or tote bags double as marketing pieces on their own.
Regardless of whether you leverage referral incentives, it is a best practice to handwrite a thank you note. Investing a few minutes to share your appreciation will go far in encouraging patients to keep making referrals and continue their relationship with you.
In addition to valuable word-of-mouth recommendations, online reviews can provide a steady stream of referral patients.
It’s well known that personal recommendations from friends and family are usually trusted; what you may not know is that people also trust reviews as much. By including both personal recommendations and online reviews in a referral program for your patients, you provide ways for them to recommend you in the way they prefer.
As a form of user-generated content (UGC), reviews let your patients share honest insights about their experiences. Whether you choose to use Yelp, your Google Business listing, or another review service, your marketing practices should include asking and making it easy for your patients to leave an online review.
Appearing at public events lets people get to know you, humanizes your brand, positions you as a community-oriented practice, and attracts new patients to your practice.
You can choose the types of events that best fit your personality and interests or identify members of your team who could represent you.
Giving presentations at schools, community events, and health fairs positions you as a trusted expert. You can also sponsor local sports teams, take part in community clean-up days, participate in holiday events, and more to increase your reach, build brand awareness, and create relationships with the individuals and families in your area.
One marketing mistake you don’t want to make is to avoid social media. Referrals can come from individuals who find you on social media or through tags from existing patients or community members.
To reach potential patients of different generations, use more than one social media platform. Connect with the Millennial and Gen Z populations on Instagram and Reddit, and turn to Facebook for Gen X and Baby Boomers.
Using appropriate content for each platform lets you convey a sense of leadership, knowledge, and friendliness that will build trust with prospective patients who discover your accounts.
These strategies for increasing patient referrals are only one element of a new patient marketing campaign.
To grow your patient list, you need to build a comprehensive strategy that ranges from ideal patient identification to how to combine marketing, promotion, and advertising.
Our “Growing Your Dental Practice Patient List” is a complimentary ebook we put together to help you build a successful practice. Download your copy today!
Treloar & Heisel, an EPIC Company, is a financial services provider to dental and medical professionals across the country. Our insurance and wealth management divisions assist thousands of clients from residency through retirement. We strive to deliver the highest level of service with custom-tailored advice and a strong national network.