A Unique Take on Dental Marketing from Niche Dental

When it comes to designing an effective advertising and marketing campaign tho attract new patients and keep existing patients coming back, getting the marketing message across is an essential step to ensure success. When Richard Chwalek designed Connective Communication, a unique marketing approach offered by Niche Dental, that type of clear communication strategy was his end goal.

Chwalek says the Connective Communication program helps dentists identify strategies targeted both to their markets and to the results they’re seeking by consistently providing a platform of open communication between the dentist and the marketing representative.  Lack of communication and trust between these two integral parties, says Chwalek, causes many dentists to forego external marketing efforts entirely.

“In a recent survey I did for a dental laboratory to which about 50 of their 100 or so dentists responded, over 90 percent of them did no external marketing,” Chwalek says. “Of the less than 10 percent that did perform external marketing, insurance, team and patient referrals were the top three marketing choices given, and only one dentist of that 10 percent did something besides placing an ad in the phone book.

“I believe the reason for this low rate of external advertising participation is a lack of understanding the value of a well-rounded strategy, and that’s something we really address in the Connective Communication program,” he adds. “This program offers the dentist a way to structure a marketing plan without being overtaken by the marketing apparatus, which can seem overwhelming to a non-marketer. As communication between the dentist and the marketer is improved, trust increases because the dentist is in control. As a result, the dentist can see results and become more confident in the entire marketing process.”

Unlike many marketing specialists today, Chwalek advises his clients not to plow all of their marketing efforts into the Internet, but to carefully consider whether an online campaign will benefit their practice and target the patients they’re seeking.

“Many do-it-yourself types may wrongly believe that the Internet has reduced or eliminated many of the tasks essential to developing and maintaining a successful marketing campaign. Because much of the activity and details are viewable and accessible 24/7, a belief is generated that you can do it yourself, or that it can be nearly free to make lots of money. In fact, with the addition of the Internet in many marketing programs today, even more time is required to assess and design an effective strategy,” he notes.

Chwalek says he developed his Connective Communication program to help dentists design marketing strategies that address many of the most prevalent problems facing dental professionals today, and to help them focus their advertising dollars on campaigns that solve current issues facing their specific practices, rather than adding components based solely on the fact that they are new or “hot.”

As an example, Chwalek points to the difficulty many dental professionals have to effectively present treatment programs not covered by insurance.

“One of the most common concerns expressed by dental professionals today is the need to attract patients and perform services, even when dental insurance is not an option,” Chwalek says.  “Although the current economy has made an obvious impact on this market share, the reality is that the previous good economy was simply covering up a real lack of effective marketing where these patients are concerned. When it comes to promoting services not covered by insurance, dental professionals need to start from square one to develop an overall strategy to improve their outcomes.

“Statistics show that despite advances in dental care, many patients avoid undergoing treatments because they are concerned about pain or because of other factors,” Chwalek notes. “In fact, studies have indicated that as many as 50 percent of people are not accessing dental care on a regular basis, despite the fact that 40 percent of that group is considered to have high income. What’s more, it’s estimated that 22 percent of individuals will lose all their teeth by the time they’re 65 years old. The point is, dentists’ messages are clearly not getting across to patients, and that has to change. Clear and effective communication is key.”

Recognizing that marketing is often unfamiliar territory to most dental practitioners, Chwalek says the Connective Communication program and Niche Dental consultants take extra effort to describe each component of the program and allow flexibility to determine which advertising elements will work best with each dentist. The program is billed on a sliding scale, allowing dentists to start slowly and build their program as they become more comfortable with the concepts.

“The Connective Communication formula provides a platform to allocate funds and overcome the complexities all of us struggle with to determine the value of a specific concept,” Chwalek says. “While it will challenge the dentist to do more than they are most likely doing at this point, the formula is nearly failsafe from a budget standpoint. Whether the dentist uses one consultant to manage everything or employs multiple subcontractors or do-it-yourself services, the program avoids allocating more money for less-valuable marketing elements.

“That does not mean the program is not flexible,” he notes. “We don’t automatically exclude any marketing concepts. The program is designed to weight each concept for its current value within the practice.”

No matter what marketing solutions might be right for a specific practice, Chwalek says the first step to developing an effective campaign is to construct a map that helps the dentist and the marketing consultant understand the direction they want to take and the goals they hope to accomplish along the way.

“In just a single Internet search, dentists can discover literally dozens of solutions for dental marketing on the Web, but knowing which ones will take you where you want to be is never as clear cut,” Chwalek says. “Connective Communication constructs the map, builds the bridge, provides the context and puts the most appropriate solution in the hands of the dentist. It accomplishes what every dentist needs to help build a robust patient base that will continue to grow over time: clear communication of the realities of today’s dental care. Communicating effectively isn’t always easy, and usually, there is no other solution except to do more of it and do it better.”