20 Strategies for Orthodontist Marketing

Want to attract more patients and grow your orthodontic practice? Your competitors are already using digital marketing strategies to increase brand awareness and convert new patients. With these 20 orthodontist marketing strategies, you can outpace the competition and bring more ortho patients to your practice than ever before.

The right tools and orthodontic software make marketing easier and more effective. Explore the 20 best marketing strategies for orthodontists below, then learn how Weave can aid your marketing efforts.

1. Know who you’re talking to

Before you can market your practice to your ideal audience, you need to know who that audience is. Start by defining your perfect patient group: kids, teens, adults, or a mix of the three. You’ll also want to determine whether your messaging will be targeting the patient or their guardian.

With audience information in mind, you can effectively tailor your messaging to the right potential patients.

2. Build a brand people remember

How does your orthodontic practice stand out from competitors? You need a memorable brand with a high-quality logo, a catchy tagline, and eye-catching visuals. Keep these branding details consistent across your website, social media pages, and in-office experience to help prospective patients remember your brand.

3. Redesign your website if needed

Your orthodontic website is the first impression potential patients see of your practice. It should be mobile-friendly, fast, and easy to navigate. Redesign your site if needed to better attract patients and show off your practice’s best qualities. Adding clear calls to action, like “Book Now” or “Request a Free Consult,” also helps you convert visitors into patients.

4. Invest in local SEO

Local search engine optimization (SEO) increases your visibility among prospective patients in your geographical area. This is a multi-faceted process that involves optimizing your website and Google Business Profile and including location-specific keywords in your content, among many other steps. Orthodontic practices often turn to professional marketing agencies to implement this strategy.

5. Collect more 5-star reviews from current patients

Positive reviews go a long way toward shaping your business’s reputation and image. Ask current patients for reviews at the right time, such as a day or two after their appointments. You can also use tools to automate patient review requests and monitor feedback.

CTA: Simplify requesting reviews with Weave.

6. Offer free consultations and smile previews

Lower the barrier for first-time visits by providing free consultations or “smile previews” to potential patients. This helps patients visualize the results of their orthodontic treatments before committing and brings them one step closer to being long-term patients.

7. Launch a referral program

Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the best orthodontist marketing strategies you can implement. Reward satisfied patients for sending others your way through a simple referral program. You can invite patients to refer their friends through text or social media platforms.

8. Stay active on social media

An effective orthodontic marketing strategy also requires an active social media presence. Use Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to showcase your team and results. You can share behind-the-scenes content, host giveaways and contests, and highlight patient stories. This helps you reach a wider audience and keep your practice top of mind for patients.

9. Create content that answers real questions

Some potential patients might have anxiety about your dental practice or feel unsure about what to expect. You can reduce this hesitancy by creating content that answers commonly asked questions. Blog posts, videos, and FAQ sections on your website are all good locations to explain common treatments and address concerns. This online marketing content improves your dental SEO and builds trust with new patients.

10. Run paid ads that work

An effective paid advertising strategy helps you instantly reach prospective patients who are ready to book with your practice. Create Google Ads and Facebook Ads that target users based on location, age, and treatment interests.

11. Set up retargeting campaigns

Retargeting involves connecting with the people who visited your site but didn’t convert. You can set up virtual consult funnels or time-limited offers to grab the attention of these prospective patients and bring them closer to converting into actual patients.

12. Highlight what makes you different

What sets your orthodontic practice apart from other dental professionals and local orthodontists in your area? Highlighting what makes your orthodontic services unique helps potential patients make informed decisions about choosing your practice.

Maybe you have the latest technology, flexible hours, or comfortable amenities that you want to highlight in your marketing strategies. Showing your staff’s personality in photos and videos can also help distinguish your practice online.

13. Use real patient photos and testimonials

If your practice still uses stock photos in your orthodontic marketing strategy, consider replacing them with real images of existing patients. This adds authenticity to your marketing materials and makes it easier for potential patients to envision working with your practice. You can show them the real results you achieved for happy patients and instill confidence that they can enjoy the same results.

14. Make scheduling simple

Your practice should make it as easy as possible for new orthodontic patients to schedule an appointment. Sometimes, new patients are more likely to book consultations when they can easily do so through an online form. Offering online scheduling with instant confirmations removes barriers and portrays a modern image of your practice.

Weave’s online scheduling features let patients book appointments anytime, anywhere.

15. Add live chat or two-way texting

Adding a live chat feature on your website or adding two-way texting to your communication methods also removes barriers to scheduling. Patients can ask questions in real time and avoid calling your practice if they prefer an easier communication method.

Weave’s two-way texting features automatically follow up with patients after missed calls and make engaging patients easier.

16. Automate your follow-ups

Remind patients about upcoming consults with automatic appointment reminders. You can also improve engagement with personalized texts and emails that keep leads warm. These strategies help prevent no-shows and strengthen connections with new patients.

17. Show transparent pricing

New patients will want to know about your pricing structure as soon as possible to make an informed decision about scheduling services. Including pricing information on your website helps them make this decision faster. Many orthodontic practices include “Starting at” pricing on their sites and explain financing options or other discounts that may be available.

Remove the awkwardness from patient financing conversations. By connecting your CareCredit account to Weave, your team will instantly see which patients are pre-approved before they even walk through the door. Stop jumping between different screens and process CareCredit payments directly within Weave. Log in to your Weave Payment Settings today to validate your Merchant ID and simplify your front desk workflow.

18. Offer virtual consults with new patients

If you want to remove even more barriers to patient acquisition, offer virtual consultations that interested parties can participate in from home. This makes it easier for busy families to take the first step. You can use digital forms to collect information and pre-qualify leads prior to the consult.

Weave’s digital forms instantly upload patient data into your electronic health records system for seamless front-office workflows.

19. Track what’s working

After implementing any new orthodontist marketing strategies, monitor their performance with in-depth analytics. This enables you to improve your approach over time and offload strategies that aren’t working.

Weave Analytics makes tracking practice data seamless.

20. Use Weave to bring it all together

With Weave’s patient engagement and marketing features, attracting more patients to your practice is easier than ever. You can automate appointment reminders and review requests, simplify scheduling, offer two-way texting, collect payments through patients’ preferred methods, and much more.

Orthodontist marketing strategies: Key takeaways

These powerful orthodontist marketing strategies help your practice connect with new and existing patients, gain a competitive advantage, manage your online reputation, and convert more leads. Consistently updating your marketing tactics and setting new goals keeps your strategy fresh and allows you to adapt to new trends in the marketing world.

Start by choosing one of these strategies to implement in your practice, then build upon it over time. With Weave, you can simplify patient engagement, communication, and more; request a demo today to learn how.

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