I’ve been a member of 1-800-DENTIST’s Patient Activator for several years. I’d love to be a part of the regular referral too but it is so popular in our area that there’s a waiting list years long. What motivated me to join Patient Activator is the ability to keep in constant contact with our patients without tying up our own time. I had done some simple newsletters in the past but frankly the newsletters were terrible. I designed them myself on a home computer, but the results were poor and the appearance was unprofessional. With Patient Activator, we have professional looking newsletters that go out without any effort on our part, and because we also get recall cards and email blasts as part of the service, it provides a consistent marketing theme. It’s been a great investment for our office.
Case in point
It’s funny that people need to hear the same message multiple times before the message sinks in. I teach and lecture on cosmetic dentistry and we display cases in our office. But it wasnt until my patient got one of the Patient Activator email blasts that the light bulb went off in his head. He asked me about cosmetic dentistry and we ended up doing a large veneer case on him. This is just one example of how consistently blasting your patients with a cohesive message works very well.
ROI
I have done the math. We don’t have a hygiene opening for about 6 weeks. We are having to block out slots for new patients and for quads in our practice. The result of the marketing campaign is that we have been able to retain an extremely large patient base to return regularly for their cleaning appointments. This results in patients who are loyal to the practice, and eventually when something breaks or they need some work done, then it fills our appointment books. In this economy, we are blessed to have a great patient base. More importantly we are able to nurture our base by keeping in constant contact with them and letting them know that when they need us, we are here for them.
Meeting the challenge
I think when the going gets tough, you have to increase your communication with your patient base. Patients are losing their jobs and their benefits and while they have eligible benefits left, why not get the necessary work completed. To me, marketing is essential in good times and bad and with Patient Activator, we are able to be in constant contact with our patients and let them know of the services we provide that they may need. Consistent professional marketing is a must.
Review Synopsis
Product
1-800-DENTIST Patient Activator
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line