Sometimes low-tech works best
A full day of continuing education is underway at the 27th New Dentist Conference. The Conference offers fresh perspectives from emerging speakers. This morning Dr. Tanner McKenna will present a course on coaching the dental team, and this afternoon Dr. Joshua Austin presents a course on social media and the dental practice.
Earlier this year ADA New Dentist News spoke with Dr. Austin about his experiences opening his solo practice during the recession. Even more challenging, he built his practice in San Antonio, a community that already had many dental offices.
One big surprise? Sometimes low-tech works best. Here’s how it appeared in ADA New Dentist News:
Dr. Austin targets younger patients and he doesn’t advertise in the Yellow Pages, assuming that his patients won’t search the phone book when looking for a dentist. But some older approaches have been effective — for instance, using direct mail to attract new patients. “I’m a technology guy, so I was skeptical that a mail campaign was for me,” he explains. “It’s not cheap when you consider the cost of a high quality mailing list and top-notch printed materials. But the investment paid off — I have a lot of families, a lot of good patients who found me as a result of that tactic.”
What about you? How have you helped new patients find you? Leave your answer in the comments. Don’t forget to follow the conference at #NDC2013.