Why Your Dental Practice Needs a Media Specialist
The Past and Future of Dental Marketing
Marketing a dental practice has undoubtedly changed over the years. Early in the twentieth century, dentists built their practices with door signs and satisfied patients. Referrals were the primary practice builders back then, so growth happened slowly, over many years. Then, as print media grew, dentists could reach new patients through ads in newspapers, local publications, the Yellow Pages, and bulk mailings (postcards). Print advertising allowed dentists to expand their reach, but the high cost meant that most dentists had to significantly limit their marketing efforts. When the internet arrived, websites and Google suddenly gave dental practices an inexpensive way to reach their prospective patients. Today, with a website and social media accounts, dentists can bond with their communities using the most effective form of digital marketing: engaging, high-quality video content.
Easier to Gain and Lose New Patients
It’s never been easier for dentists to move into a community and establish a practice. Despite a surplus of dentists, a web-savvy practice, focused on engaging, high-quality video content, can digitally reach out to the surrounding areas and attract new patients at little cost. That said, it’s also never been easier to lose existing patients. Years ago, leaving a practice meant flipping through the Yellow Pages and rolling the dice on a new practice. There were no reviews to guide your decision, no pictures of the office, and no way to really know the doctor and staff. Today, however, patients review dentists online, and virtually every practice has a website and social media accounts. The public can easily get a “virtual” sense of the office. As a result, patients are only a few clicks away from having their records sent to your competition down the street. Whereas years ago most patients stayed with an office (even if they were less than completely satisfied), today patients have many more options. They are constantly on the lookout for a better experience and value.
How Dentists Attract and KEEP Patients Today
Probably the best way to keep your dental practice relevant is to be seen regularly by the surrounding community, to be in mind at all times. Eventually, most people will need a dentist, and you want them to call your office first. Thankfully, dental practices today can use social media to introduce and maintain their brand. By leveraging organic reach and paid advertising, dental practices can build brand recognition and trust. Yet, with so many dental practices using social media these days, how can your practice stand out? Answer: Hire a media specialist who knows how to create videos that stand out from other dentists in town. The future of dental marketing is about engaging, high-quality video content. In our modern culture, people actually judge content and ultimately see it as a reflection of the product or service (In a nutshell: engaging, high-quality video content = engaging, high-quality dentist.).
How Your Practice Can Dominate the Market with Video Content
One glance around today, and you’ll see that everyone is tethered to a smartphone. They are scrolling, liking, and commenting, moving from one application to another. Looking at a phone is almost the default position for most people. Maybe they are checking email or posting to social media while they have a few minutes in line at Target. The point is that people are congregating around their phones these days, and this is why advertising has shifted from network television to social media apps and online ads.
This new reality means dental practices must produce a steady stream of engaging, high-quality video content that attracts new patients to the office. Obviously, creating video content takes considerable time, creativity, and skill. Into the future, however, it won’t be enough to post a picture of your dental team doing the flossy dance or share an article about proper dental hygiene. As soon as one office in town takes video marketing seriously, the others will be left behind. This is why I suggest every practice hire a media specialist skilled in video production, social media, and SEO. This team member would focus on building up the practice’s digital footprint by weaving its brand into the surrounding community, 7-10 miles from the office.
Video content, especially short-form video, is powerful because it helps brands communicate clearly and connect emotionally. Videos also perform better across digital platforms. Video is powerful because it matches how people prefer to consume content today—quickly, visually, and interactively.
The main reasons why video should be a central part of your digital marketing strategy:
Grab attention quickly: People scroll fast. Video content combines visuals, sound, and motion, making it more likely to stop users and hold their attention than text or images alone.
Improve understanding and retention: Videos explain products, services, or ideas more effectively than plain text. Viewers tend to remember information better when it’s presented in a video.
Boost engagement and sharing: Videos get more likes, comments, and shares on social media. This helps content reach a wider audience organically.
Build trust and emotional connection: Seeing real people, demonstrations, or stories makes a brand feel more human and credible. This emotional connection can influence buying decisions.
Increase conversion rates: Product videos, testimonials, and explainer videos can directly impact sales by helping customers feel more confident before making a purchase.
Support SEO and visibility: Websites with video content rank better in search results because video content keeps visitors on a page longer—a signal that prompts search engines to improve page rank.
Work across multiple platforms: Video content can be reused on websites, social media, email campaigns, and ads, making it a versatile and cost-effective marketing tool. It can also be repurposed into shorter forms (for example, a webinar can be broken into segments for reels, stories, and shorts.
What Would a Media Specialist Do?
In today’s hyper-competitive market, your brand must be consistently present in the community. The job of a media specialist is to make sure that your office is the first dental practice that comes to mind when people need dental care. They think of your office because they saw your posts on Facebook and Instagram. They noticed how nice your building looked, decorated for the holidays. They read an article about you in a local publication. They saw that your dental team sponsored high school athletics. They heard that your hygienists were teaching elementary students about maintaining proper oral hygiene. They received a postcard in the mail. Basically, your brand has been part of their life, and they trust it. This is what a media specialist works on every day, incorporating your trusted brand into the lives of the community.
Brand Your Dental Practice, or the Internet Will
How a Dental Practice Brand Safeguards Your Online Reputation First I Spoke, Then I Wrote, Now iPhone There’s one main reason why you really need to brand your dental practice today: the modern smartphone. This single piece of modern technology is an information fire hose, and your prospective patients are
Is It Worth the Money?
In today’s insurance-based dental model, practices must manage overhead costs. Between insurance discounts, payroll, equipment, and other expenses, it can be difficult to allocate funds for advertising and branding. That said, digital marketing is the only way that practices stay relevant in the growing online marketplace. Like never before, it’s easy for one practice to dominate an area and draw the vast majority of new patients. With an effective online strategy, even a relatively new practice can seem like the best option for a population that is bound to smartphones and social media. So the bottom line is that if you plan to stay competitive, your team needs a media specialist who understands web design, SEO, and social media. Most importantly, your practice needs someone who specializes in creating engaging, high-quality video content that captivates an online audience inundated with distractions.
Excellent material! Assuredly a “must do” to remain competitive in today’s dental marketplace.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Donna–I appreciate the support:)!