Dos and don'ts for practice marketing: Save money -- cease phone book advertising

I see phone books as one of the least cost-effective advertising investments dentists can make. How many new patients do you really get from your Yellow Pages ad? For the most part, phone book ads require significant amounts of money and fail to differentiate practices or attract desirable patients.

Look for less expensive and more effective alternatives. Most practices would be far better off placing ads in local community newspapers than in the phone book. In addition, social media (such as Facebook and Twitter) is beginning to be a viable and cost-effective way to complement a doctor's website and increase search engine optimization for the practice.

Don't stick with "old media." With the Internet and social media, most Americans really don't need a phone book to find a dentist. Since half of all Americans visit a dentist once a year, it is easy to get a word-of-mouth referral. On top of that, the phone book often leads to practices getting contacted by patients who are simply searching for the best price and will not keep an appointment if they make one. It's advisable to use newer media to achieve better results.

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