One of the most common mistakes that local businesses make is letting their leads slip through the cracks by not taking timely action. Narrowing down your target audience isn’t enough – need to find out where your ideal prospects are engaging and meet them halfway.
If you’re not willing to move through the sales funnel with a prospect, they may never reach the end. Lead generation is a process of nurturing that takes time and energy from both the prospect and the business.
Here are a few ways you can effectively follow up with your dental leads to get more conversions.
Invest in Autoresponders
If someone wants more information about your practice or the services you offer, make sure you respond immediately. Consider using an autoresponder to get in touch with a lead as soon as they express an interest in your business. That way, if it’s outside of working hours or if you’ve left for the weekend, you’re still acknowledging that you’ve received their message. Take our advice on this: your leads will move on the next-best dental practice much sooner than you think if you don’t invest in a solid online marketing strategy.
Use a Personalized Approach
If you’ve chosen to automate your emails, you shouldn’t lose your sense of humanity. Leads want to feel like they’re valued – not like they’re another name on a list. Make sure you use first name fields and messaging that is specific to the action they are taking. You shouldn’t be advertising your cosmetic services to someone who is simply asking about a free consultation. If you’re getting in touch with your leads, you’ll want to have a clear reason why. As an example: “Hello, I see that you’re interested in learning more about our dental veneers, are there any questions I can answer for you?”
Know When the Time is Right
Not all of your leads will be ready to make a buying decision when you reach out to them, and that’s okay. Perhaps you just caught them a bad time either personally or financially. You should have a system in place to follow-up with these leads without being too aggressive. Similarly, you shouldn’t be marketing to dental patients who have just gone through a costly procedure. Give them some space and consider sending a thank you note with more information on more services you provide. The key is to strike a balance – be considerate of their time and needs but don’t let leave your sight.
Let the Database Do the Work
One of the biggest reasons dental practices don’t follow up with their leads is because of limited bandwidth. It’s hard to keep track of everyone who may be interested in your business and take exceptional care of your current patients at the same time. Make sure you have a system in place to do all the heavy lifting, like our database reactivation campaign. That way, whenever you get off a phone call or schedule a consultation with someone, you can refer back to these “touch points”. Sending marketing materials to someone who has already booked an appointment can come across as unprofessional.
Learn to Let Go
Sometimes a bad lead can do more harm than good for your local business. If you’re dealing with someone who is overly aggressive or disinterested in the services you offer, it’s best to walk away. Marketing to the wrong person multiple times can lead to unwanted consequences, like negative feedback (commonly public) and a damaged business reputation. Not to mention, it’s unwise to invest your time and resources into someone who is clearly a “dead end.”
Follow Up on Social Media
Not all generations will respond to traditional methods of communicating like cold calling. If you really want to meet your leads where they are, try following up on your social media platforms. Send a direct message or engage with one of their posts. Even if you’re not directly responding to a specific request, you’re still planting a seed for them to think on. If someone has been “cold” for previously expressed an interest in dental work, keep an eye out for special occasions that could make them reconsider (anniversaries, birthdays, vacations, etc.).
The digital community is thriving, and traditional marketing by itself won’t cut it anymore. If you want to grow your dental practice, you need to learn to connect with your leads quickly and effectively. There are several online tools that local businesses can use to improve their strategy at all stages in the customer journey. Consider outsourcing your dental marketing today to increase your conversions and avoid missing out on new opportunities.
