Tips To Increase Patient Walk-Ins In A Dental Or Ophthalmology Practice With
Effective Marketing
By: Stephanie Maglis, MarketHATCH
Akron, OH -Doctors starting their first dental or ophthalmology practice are faced with a
variety of challenges. With a daunting list of duties that include balancing staff schedules,
practice financing, patient appointments, marketing materials such as dental posters,
ophthalmology posters and newsletters, physicians often have little assistance growing
their practice from the beginning.
In today’s fast paced, business-minded environment, practices increasingly recognize the
importance of focused marketing efforts. However, most ophthalmologists do not have
time to manage their own marketing plan.
Marketing your practice is vitally important to its success. Choose a reputable marketing
company that will work with you to create and deliver quality marketing materials in a
timely manner. We encourage you to keep the following ideas in mind.
Communication and education are key. Hire strong, teamwork-oriented staff members,
who will help you relay messages to your patients about available services, special
promotions or office events. Hold regular meetings with your staff to educate them about
the specific services you are marketing. The more you inform your staff, the more excited
they will be to take your practice’s message to your patient base.
Remind staff members to ask patients how they heard about your practice. Were they
referred by a friend? Or, did they see your marketing materials? Did they see your dental
poster, orthodontic poster or your practice newsletter? This helps you determine the most
successful modes of advertising for your dental or ophthalmology practice.
Setup all your practice marketing materials in central, high traffic areas such as the front
desk or exam rooms. Posters should be placed at eye level and newsletters and flyers
should be within reach. Let your marketing and promotional material stand out and
garner attention. Place them in areas where they are not drowned out by waiting room
literature, magazines or toys.
Set aside a percentage of your projected annual billing toward practice marketing efforts.
Develop a campaign strategy to maximize the effectiveness of your materials.
Compliment direct mail pieces like postcards and billing inserts with posters, flyers and
counter cards within the office. This method allows your patient base to see your
marketing materials at home and at your location, and keeps your message fresh in their
mind.
As your practice marketing efforts continue, it is important to have sincere and
informative conversations with your patients. Avoid blatantly pushing your services, but
keep an open dialogue that creates conversation and action.

Sending your direct mail pieces to the right people is just as important as the marketing
campaign itself. Purchased or rented mailing lists are effective, but only when they are
utilized properly and fit a very specific and targeted demographic. There are myriad of
different mail list options available, including target specific zip codes, income levels,
number of family members and more. When building your practice’s mailing list, it is
important to be as specific as possible.
Remember, positive experiences are contagious. If the initial marketing referrals are
happy with their visit to your office, they are likely to tell their friends and family about
their positive experience. This is powerful! As these referrals continue to build, so will
your practice.
Gather testimonials of happy patients and display them in a way for other prospective and
current patients to see them. Doing this builds trust and acts as a further reminder of the
services you offer. The main goal is to keep your name and services fresh in the minds of
your current and future patients.
Marketing your practice is an ongoing task. Your practice marketing efforts may not have
immediate effects on every patient, but they will over time. An informed patient, who
understands risk factors and the services you offer, will recognize symptoms early and
seek your expertise.
About the author
The author, Stephanie Maglis, is the Director of Market Development for
MarketHATCH, a leading provider for marketing solutions and products, specializing in
ophthalmic and dental marketing products and services. To learn more about developing
your practice, contact us at 1.800.858.9395 ext 15. or by e-mail at
info@markethatch.com. Please visit us on the Web at www.markethatch.com.
Media Contact
Stephanie Maglis
Market Development
MarketHATCH
759 South Broadway Street
Akron, Ohio (OH) 44311
Phone Number: 800.858.9395
Email: info@markethatch.com
Website: http://www.markethatch.com/
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