Do you have a marketing plan for your dental office? A dental marketing plan, a guide for the next year, is vital to your success. If your plan is not in place, now is a good time to start.
“Start with clear goals,” says Dr. Jacqueline Allen, from her Phoenix endodontic practice. “I like the SMART goal idea goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely,” she says. “A vague marketing plan, one that isn’t targeted to your specific skills and patients is one that can’t be realized,” Dr. Allen adds.
Specific means short and clear. Not “I want more patients,” but “I want to attract 20 new patients in the next three months.”
Measurable means you can figure out a simple, clear way to see if you are meeting your goals. A good method is one that measures change over time in quantitative (rather than qualitative) ways. There is nothing wrong with thinking, “I want to be a better dentist,” but if you don’t have a way to measure it, you don’t know if you are succeeding.
Achievable means you know you can reach your goal, even if you are not sure how you will do it just yet. Achievable also means the goal is right for your practice and achievable within a realistic time frame.
Relevant means the goal contributes to the overall well-being of your office and life. You might always have wanted to have a 100-gallon salt-water aquarium, but that doesn’t mean it will be a satisfying addition to the bottom line of your office.
Timely means setting a deadline, and taking action to meet it. All parts of your plan are focused on meeting that deadline.
Choosing goals means letting go of some ideas and focusing on others. The right ones will make the difference to your dental marketing plan and your future.