And a happy new year?
And breathe. What a year that was! Whatever its origins, the phrase ‘may you live in interesting times’ has always been determined as something one might say to an enemy. Nobody wants to live through turmoil, and 3 prime ministers later, that’s what 2022 has been. Tumultuous. This Christmas break is no doubt well-earned and affords us the luxury of a few moments to reflect whilst we let the turkey digest.
Inflation. Economic crisis. Spiralling energy prices. Government in uproar. These aren’t usually the watchwords of a successful year, and yet once again dentistry has proven itself one of the most resilient industries. The problems within the NHS have led to record numbers of people signing up to private dentists and whilst that might not be the ideal circumstance to grow ones business the fact of the matter is that those practices that have taken advantage of the situation this year have flourished. (Does this come across as if we have only deal with private dentists?
So, what’s in store for 2023. I might hear a few groans from the audience if I say, ‘more of the same’. The sad truth is that more of the same is very likely to be on the agenda though, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all doom and gloom. People are still flocking to private dentistry in record numbers and dental healthcare is still a necessity. That’s a huge pool of opportunity that an enterprising practice can tap into with the right tools and the right focus.
Utilise these precious few days grace to consider the shape of your marketing for the coming year. Does the practice have capacity for more patients? If so, how do you plan to fill those diaries? More than ever before the patients are out there and it’s up to you to go out and find them. That means no slacking off with SEO work, because you’re going to need visibility to reach these prospective patients. PPC campaigns are seeing excellent conversion rates, so start considering what treatments you really want to focus on. What kind of offering do you have? Are you offering free consultations on big ticket cases like Invisalign and Implants? Is your price point in line or better than your competitions? What are your USPs? It’s good practice to spend a bit of time checking out what the dentist next door is offering and get some competitor analysis done – we can do this for you. Whilst patients are looking for a new practice, they are also looking for value for money.
It’s hard not to get worn down by the near constant stream of bad economic news that currently pollutes our airwaves and broadsheets. Dentistry, as I’ve already said, is resilient though and the canny practice will focus on the opportunities rather than wallow in the miseries. With careful planning and sensible investment 2023 can be a bumper year. So here’s to a very Merry Christmas and, well, you know the rest.
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