BECOMING INDISPENSABLE… SUE KARRAN EXPLAINS A FEW EASY TIPS TO HELP MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS Leave a comment

I´ve worked in dental marketing for the past 35 years and over this time I’ve seen many changes but the fundamentals of getting and keeping clients remain the same. Consistency and communication are the keys to long-term success and in this article, I will explain a few tips on how to get the most from the precious time you dedicate to ‘marketing’.
Most dental labs think they don’t need ‘marketing’ as they’re offering a service that dentists will choose to buy or not buy usually based on price and obviously this is correct if the only thing you are offering is a transactional relationship… Why wouldn’t a dentist go the cheapest supplier for their lab work?
How do you move past price and make yourself and your business indispensable to the dentists you work with or want to work with?

Here are a few tips that are worth a try:
#1 Decide what your selling In these days of ever-changing technology being ‘all things to all dentists’ is a very tough place to be and it might be better to focus in on a particular type of work or restoration. For example, you might become experts in e.max restorations and market these services to dentist across a large geographical area, especially if you except digital impression files. Focusing on one type of restoration would also streamline production and lead to increased profits. You could decide to brand your e.max services to attract attention and give you a marketing edge, for example giving the service a name like ‘Simply e.max’ which makes it clear what you are selling, your unique proposition and why a dentist should choose you for these types of restorations. Think about your business and the type of work you like to do and then hone down your options to get to the products and services you want to market and produce… you really don’t need to offer everything!
This kind of niche service offering minimises the chance of competitors overtaking you whilst ensuring there are customers out there interested in your service. By finding your niche market, you can identify potential clients and partners to work with, not to mention the fact that you’ll present yourself as an authority in your niche.
It’s likely that, through niche marketing, you will also build trust and credibility for your business within the industry and your visibility will grow to the point where your lab can no longer be overlooked. Also, you can clearly drive for a better price, after all, you are the ‘experts’ for this type of work in the market place.
#2 Be Client-Centric This doesn’t mean saying yes to all the demands a dentist can throw at you, it simply means understanding the needs of your customers and helping them to understand how you can help them be more effective in some very simple ways.
Think about what your client wants; what issues affect them on a day-to-day basis? How are they currently dealing with these issues? This could be helping them to understand more about digital dentistry by either offering to go to see them to discuss the latest advances in technology or creating a simple prep and bonding guide which would give them a better understanding of your needs when it comes to margins. Being helpful and knowledgeable with your clients can really pay dividends as you become the ‘expert’ (a drip under pressure as my husband likes to say!) and start to develop long-lasting valuable relationships that are worth much more than the price of a crown.
#3 Use social media So this is the tip you don’t think you can do, but you can! Now you’ve got your service sorted and you’ve started communicating with your regular clients about the products you are ‘selling’ you need to consider the outside world! You don’t need a fancy website and SEO; you just need a Facebook account and a little imagination. Facebook has a massive reach; you can join closed groups and start to chat about the things you do each day… you might not think that anyone’s interested but you’ll be surprised. Most dentists don’t have a clue how to make a crown and they are fascinated by the process’s technicians use to create their work. You might feel uncomfortable with the written word, not a problem as video content now makes up over 80% of all traffic on the internet. Simply get your smartphone out and make little short videos of your daily activities and post them out… Bang you’ve got an audience lapping up your content and the next time they’re thinking about trying a new lab you’re top of the list. The only downside is that you do need to post content regularly – 2 or 3 times a week is a good frequency. And don’t forget to use popular hashtags as a dentist will use these to search out topics, they are interested in. If you really struggle to get your head around social media enlist the help of a younger member of the team or even your children!
From a marketing perspective, these few simple tips could revolutionise your lab, leading to a more profitable and enjoyable working life.