15 Marketing Veterinary Dentistry
When you have completed this chapter, you will be able to:
• Describe strategies for marketing veterinary dental services.
• Describe the “smile book” and explain how this is used in marketing veterinary dental services.
• List possible topics for the dentistry section of a practice newsletter.
• Explain how estimates and consent forms can be used as tools for marketing veterinary dental services.
• State examples of veterinary dental marketing materials.
• Discuss methods of internet marketing.
• Describe methods that can be used to market dental services during regular patient examinations and list suggested topics for client education in the examination room.
Marketing is a system of activities designed to identify and satisfy consumer needs and desires. During the patient examination the veterinarian must determine the patient’s medical needs and then inform the clients in such a manner that they want the services. The first step in effectively marketing a product or service is to determine the patient’s needs. In veterinary medicine, practitioners must first educate themselves and become familiar with all aspects of the anticipated service. However, despite what many practitioners assume, marketing is more than merely presenting this information to the client. In reality, marketing begins with developing your product through education.
Another way to look at marketing is that it is really “doctoring.” It entails examining the patient, advising the client on the needs of the patient, and advising the client on the capability of the practice to deliver the recommended services. A variety of methods reinforce the importance of veterinary dentistry in maintaining overall health.
Between the writing of the first edition and this text and the current time, the internet revolution has widened the opportunities for marketing veterinary dentistry. Some things stay the same and a practice still must market their services when clients are in the facility, but there are many new opportunities for getting them into the facility and having them return.
Marketing Strategies
Gathering Client Information
Along with patient information, client information, such as e-mail addresses and permission to contact by e-mail, are essential to marketing.
Practice Brochures
The investment of time, effort, and money in the creation of a practice brochure can be extremely rewarding. The practice brochure should cover all aspects of service, including, of course, dental procedures. The brochure may provide information on practice policies, equipment, and commonly performed procedures; with the addition of illustrations, it can also be a pictorial guide to the practice. The brochure should be handed out in the practice as well as be available online.
Smile Book
A “smile book” is a pictorial description of procedures performed in the practice. One effective strategy is to include “before and after” photographs of dental procedures. This type of visual aid can be used to educate the client with regard to expected outcomes. It also can be used to describe the various steps of a recommended procedure or alternative procedure. Professional books can be made relatively easily through programs such as iphoto for Macintosh or online through websites such as www.Blurb.com, www.shutterfly.com, www.kodakgallery.com, and many others.
Posters and Transparencies
A variety of posters and transparencies are available that graphically illustrate dental disease. Some posters can be framed and hung in the reception area or examination room. Others can be backlit in the examination room on x-ray view boxes.
Newsletters
The practice newsletter should include a section on dentistry. Potential topics include the cause of periodontal disease, treatment techniques for the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease, fractured teeth, dietary considerations in dentistry, veterinary dental orthodontics, tooth resorption, and dental home-care products. Clip art, which is available from several commercial sources, can be used to enliven the textual content. With the advent of the internet, mailing lists can be collected and newsletters can be sent out through companies such as www.constantcontact.com.
Messages on Hold
Rather than listening to music (or, worse yet, silence) while they are on hold, clients can hear informative messages about veterinary medicine and veterinary dentistry. Subjects may include the need to take care of teeth, periodontal disease, fractured teeth, home care, and other important information.
Handouts
Handouts give the client additional information on the procedure or procedures that must be performed. Several pharmaceutical companies distribute helpful handouts and transparencies that may mention the company’s products on the back page but focus primarily on delivering objective information. Handouts are also available for purchase through commercial companies. Figure 15-1 is an example of a handout produced by Hills.
FIGURE 15-1 Example of a handout produced by Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
(Courtesy Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Topeka, KS.)
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