It’s that time of year again! Time to reflect on last year’s goals, pinpoint areas for improvement, and create some New Year’s ortho marketing resolutions to propel us toward this year’s goals.

Did you meet your practice’s goals last year? If so, congratulations! If not, that’s okay too! Studies show that 43% of people expect to give up their New Year’s resolutions by February… after only one month of creating them.

Your determination in meeting yearly goals depends largely on how well you prioritize those goals. Life is always going to be busy. It’s always going to feel like there’s a better time to work toward your goals. If you want to see the results you’ve always dreamed of, whether they’re measured by the number of new patient starts or your success in expanding to new locations, now is the time to start.

Here are 3 critical New Year’s Resolutions that could make all the difference in your practice’s success in 2022!

1. Commit to Patient Lead Follow-Up

Did you know that the optimal time for your practice to follow up with a lead is a mere 5 minutes or less? After 5 minutes, your chances of securing that prospect as a new patient drop significantly.

That being said, the average response time for businesses in the healthcare industry is around 2 hours and 5 minutes (HubSpot). By reducing your practice’s lead response time after a prospective patient fills out a website form or contacts your office, you stay ahead of your competition and increase the probability of gaining a new patient.

Following up with leads in a timely, professional manner is an essential part of growing your practice. That’s not to say that lead follow-up isn’t a challenging undertaking—because it certainly can be if you haven’t prioritized it.

If your practice has a lean front desk team, it can sound overwhelming to allocate resources to lead follow up. You don’t necessarily have to adopt an extravagant system or take on new team members to perform efficient lead follow up. (But if those changes work for your practice, then put them in place, by all means!)

Otherwise, consider allocating one hour each morning for a team member to follow up with prospective patients who reached out to your practice after hours. Call them to schedule their exam and give them a taste of your welcoming patient experience.

Perform more efficient lead follow up by creating a template script for team members to use on phone calls and emails. Personalize the message when engaging with the prospective patient and address any concerns they may have that are blocking them from starting treatment. After calling the prospect, send a warm follow-up email to continue familiarizing him or her with your practice.

Some days will be busier than others, so it’s important that you really commit to prioritizing your daily lead follow-up. You could be missing out on multiple new patients a week if not. Check out these 4 Best Practices to Turn a Lead Into a Patient.

2. Spring Cleaning: Pending Patients Edition

Have you cleaned out your pending patients spreadsheet lately? Whether you use a spreadsheet to track pending patients, a software or system, it’s a good idea to clean out your patient inquiry archives. Reach out to any pending patients who may be ready to start treatment

Oftentimes, pending patients who are interested in your services but haven’t booked their exam yet are in need of a gentle push that says, “Hey, we have what you’re looking for and we care enough to reach out and check in with you to see if you have any apprehensions we can address.” (You’ll want to refine your script quite a bit, of course.)

Maybe these patients submitted a form through your Facebook ad or Google ads landing page, but didn’t pick up the phone when you reached out, so you added their information to the pending patients spreadsheet. Or maybe there were patients who visited you for a complimentary exam, but weren’t ready to sign the treatment contract in the end.

Either way, it certainly doesn’t hurt to reach out to pending patients and discuss any promotions you may be running or simply spark a conversation to better understand each patients’ needs. You can leverage these insights to drive the conversation and give the prospective patient any information they may need in order for them to move forward with treatment.

If your goal is to gain new patients this year, commit to following up with your prospective patients. They’ve already expressed interest in your services and they’re further in their buying journey than a prospect who isn’t aware of your practice yet, which means they’re more likely to convert (or become a new patient).

Once you review your pending patients spreadsheet and reach out to patients who may be ready to start treatment, clean out your list and prepare to fill it with more patients this year.

3. Ask for Google Reviews

We know it’s not the most enjoyable task, but if you’re aiming to meet your goals this year, someone has to do it! Google reviews are fundamental to boosting your practice’s online presence in a few ways:

• Google reviews can increase your organic search rankings on Google and bump your business listing up to the local map pack that appears when a prospective patient searches for an “orthodontist near me”.
• Google reviews help build trust in your brand, by providing genuine testimonials that speak to your patient experience. Google is the most popular channel people turn to for reviews and about 59% of consumers will assess a business’s Google reviews before choosing the business (Bizrate Insights).
• Google reviews provide an opportunity for your practice to connect with your existing patients. Encourage your patients to leave feedback on your Google listing. It shows that your team cares about your patients’ satisfaction, and makes them feel heard.

When prospective patients search for your business and see hundreds of positive reviews about the patient experience you offer, they’ll feel more comfortable choosing your practice.

It’s important that your team commits to responding to Google reviews too! Responding to reviews also helps to boost your business listing’s rankings, because it indicates that your listing is up-to-date and being reviewed/updated regularly—and Google loves that.

Oftentimes, people don’t think to leave a Google review unless they had a negative experience. “Customers who have a bad experience are twice to three times more likely to write an angry review than customers who had a great experience are to post a happy review” (Online Reputation Management). Your happy patients may not think to leave a Google review, so it’s important that your front desk team reminds them as they leave their appointment!

The more Google reviews your business listing acquires, the more credible your business appears online—and when the majority of your new patients are finding you online, gaining more credibility in your online presence is extremely valuable.

Set your practice up for success in 2022.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, we’re here to help you! We are an award-winning orthodontist marketing agency that helps orthodontists reach their marketing goals.

Looking for a new website for 2022? We provide custom websites and template websites.

Looking to boost your rankings this year to attract new patients? We’re your partner.

Whatever your needs are, we’re here to help you fulfill them. Reach out to us or book a complimentary discovery session today to discuss your current standing.