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Dental Marketing Moving Away from the Phone Book?

September 8, 2009 By Julie Frey 6 Comments

Dental marketing through the phone book is no longer what it once was, with a third of dentists dropping their ads and another third reducing them. In the Internet Age, a dentist advertising in the Yellow Pages appears to be optional.

"What a waste!" said one dentist. "At one point I spent approximately $24,000 in one year in yellow pages advertising and got $3,000 in revenue. How's that for ROI? It's all on the net now."

Only 7% of respondents said they have never used dental advertising in the yellow pages. Of those who use those listings as part of their overall dental practice marketing:

5% are increasing dentist ad size or listings
27% have made no change
36% are reducing ad size or listings
32% are dropping yellow pages marketing completely

Here are some dentists' thoughts on the subject:

“My ads direct readers to my dental practice websites.” (Texas dentist)
“I will drop it altogether next year. It's an internet world!” (Illinois dentist)
“Great ROI for our area!!!” (New Jersey dentist)
“It attracts less desirable patients. Since dropping phone book ads, my drug-seeking patients are almost nonexistent.” (Utah dentist)
"Most patients are finding us through word-of-mouth from current patients and our website which costs us much less than any display ad in the Yellow Pages!” (Ohio prosthodontist)
“There are too many yellow books to list in everyone.” (California periodontist)
"It does not work as well as in the past." (California dentist)
“The Yellow Pages is one part of my comprehensive external marketing program. With all of the pieces working together, we have maintained a very busy schedule.” (Tennessee dentist)

Dentists Still Marketing Via the Yellow Pages (VIDEO)

July 13, 2009 By Julie Frey 2 Comments

There are many different avenues for dentists seeking to actively market their dental practices.

In this video, we discuss a poll that revealed that most dentists and dental practices advertise in the Yellow Pages as part of their dental marketing.

Dental Marketing on Broadcast Media

January 5, 2009 By Julie Frey 2 Comments

In this survey, we asked dentists about advertising on TV or radio. We found that the slight majority of dentists aren’t currently advertising on broadcast media, but 41% are utilizing those dental marketing avenues.

Of those dental practices that do, half say they get excellent results.

"Even when radio seems to be failing for some, we have continued our success," boasted one dentist.

Notably, dentists in rural areas are far more likely than their urban counterparts to advertise on radio and/or TV. Rural dentists often find that radio and TV allow them to reach patients in a large geographical area. Rural patients are far more likely than city folk to travel long distances for dental care.

Here are a few more dentist comments:

"Talk radio – it’s the only way to go!" (South Carolina dentist)
"It works best if I do two weeks, then switch to another station. Continual repetition on the same channel seems to make you invisible." (Illinois dentist)
"If I could afford broadcast media ads in Southern California, I really wouldn’t need to use them anyway." (California dentist)

Dentists’ Marketing Efforts Frustrated by Dental Boards (Video)

December 19, 2008 By Julie Frey Leave a Comment

This Wealthy Dentist survey asked dentists if they feel that state dental boards unfairly restrict dental practice marketing.

Two out of three dentists said no – dental boards are just protecting the public’s best interest. But one out of three dentists was frustrated by the limitations dental boards put on advertising and other dental marketing efforts.

Dental Marketing More Important During a Recession

October 28, 2008 By Julie Frey 2 Comments

When we asked if their dental practices had yet taken any actions as a result of the current economy, 38% of dentists reported they had increased dental marketing, while 33% said they had cut spending and were tightening their belts. Only 8% said they weren’t doing anything, and 21% said they hadn’t done anything yet but were considering it.

Specialists were far more likely than general dentists to have cut spending across the board. General dental practitioners, on the other hand, are more likely to have increased their dental practice marketing efforts.

“I don’t want to get behind, so I will increase spending so that I don’t lose market share,” said one dentist.

Here's a sample of what else dentists had to say:

“I am doing more crowns from people breaking their teeth due to stress! It compensates for the decrease in patient numbers.” (Indiana dentist)
“I have been through a few of these downturns in 40 years, but never like this. I am afraid it's going to be a real nasty one this time.” (California dentist)
“No dental practice is recession-proof.” (Michigan dentist)
“We know that marketing is more important in economic downtimes, so we will be increasing marketing budget on our website, print advertising, and direct mail." (California periodontist)
“We have a pretty big expense at present on advertising. We don't really want to spend more, but we need to keep the flow of patients. Damned if we do, and damned if we don't!” (Florida dentist)
"Dentistry is mostly elective in nature. People will still buy, but based on their perceived need, not our need to sell them treatments.” (Virginia dentist)
"The economy is scary! I have not taken a paycheck for two months, and I have a newborn and 3-year-old. Though I have kids to feed, it is all is going into external and Internal marketing!” (Illinois dentist)
“I expect my practice will end the year about 12% down from last year.” (California dentist)