When a doctor retires or sells his practice, it can be a challenging time for patients who have relied on that doctor for their dental needs. As a dentist or marketer, you may see an opportunity to offer your services to those patients. However, buying the retiring doctor’s practice or patient list may not be feasible or appropriate for various reasons. In this article, we will discuss some alternative marketing strategies that can help you reach out to the patients of a retiring or selling doctor without buying their practice or patient list.
Create a webpage welcoming the patients of the retiring doctor
One of the most effective ways to market to the patients of a retiring or selling doctor is to create a webpage on your website specifically welcoming those patients. This page should provide information about your practice, including the services you offer, the qualifications of your healthcare providers, and any other information that may be relevant to those patients. Additionally, it is essential to make it clear that you understand the unique needs of those patients and are committed to providing them with the same level of care and attention they received from the retiring doctor.
To ensure that your webpage reaches the intended audience, you can use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. This involves optimizing your website content with relevant keywords and phrases that potential patients may use to search for healthcare services. By doing so, you can improve your website’s ranking on search engine results pages and increase the chances of being discovered by patients who are looking for a new healthcare provider.
Leverage Google Ads Retargeting Options
Most marketers do not leverage all that Google has to offer. One of the least utilized options involves showing display ads to people who have visited the websites of competitors. That’s right, even without the ability to drop a pixel or retargeting code on a website, you can target the viewers of a competitor’s site. This means you can create a visual ad welcoming the patients of this practice. By placing your photo, highlighting your 5-star reviews and pairing that ad with a headline such as “We welcome the patients of Dr. Grace Rizza to our practice,” you can effectively pick up patients from the retiring doctor. Of course, it’s far better to purchase the patient list, but if you feel it’s over priced, this is an alternative way to attract these patients.
Amp Up Your Social Media Presence
Although Facebook and Instagram do not allow you to target competitors’ traffic as easily as Google, you can still increase your exposure by running a paid ad and blanketing your community with a statement informing them that you welcome new patients. Methods such as appropriate audience targeting, re-marketing visitors from your website, and making sure your message is compelling and true to your brand will enhance the effectiveness of this ad.
There’s no free way to market to these patients, besides knocking on doors or simply posting unsponsored content on your website or social media pages. Non-funded content will not get as much exposure, but it’s certainly helpful if you’re on a shoestring budget.
Press Release Marketing
By having the Identity Dental Marketing team write and distribute a custom press release welcoming the patients of the retiring doctor, you can immediately become affiliated with the retiring / selling doctor.
Important Considerations
It would be inappropriate and unprofessional to announce a doctor’s retirement or practice sale. If this information is not common knowledge, we don’t recommend announcing it on his behalf. If the doctor has already closed his doors or left the practice, it may be less intrusive to publish content welcoming his patients. If you can purchase the patient list, we’ve seen this as a way to massively increase a business and we do recommend considering it.
Next Steps
If you’re new to Identity Dental Marketing, set up a complimentary marketing planning session here: identitydental.com/grace and learn what how we may be able to assist you in accelerating practice growth.