Dos and don'ts for patient marketing: Make patients feel special

Nobody wants to visit the dentist. That's why it's imperative that you and your team make the patient experience a uniquely positive one for both returning and new patients.

Provide great customer service. When your practice goes the extra mile for patients, they will tell other people about your office. They will walk out of your office and tell their friends and family how great you are. They might tell someone, "Oh, they are so nice," or, "They do all these extra things to work with my schedule." That kind of word-of-mouth advertising is the hallmark of a practice that's growing thanks to great customer service.

Don't ignore patient complaints. Even practices with excellent customer service sometimes have an unhappy patient. Many practices may consider the complaint an anomaly. This is a mistake. Every complaint should be reviewed and addressed as promptly as possible. When you can turn a negative situation into a positive one, this person will be a patient for life.