10 THE ADA PRACTICAL GUIDE TO INTERNET MARKETING in patients, helping to build the strong patient relationships crucial to long-term practice success. The entire team needs to be properly prepared to address patient questions and concerns, especially when it comes to patients who are new to the practice. 5. Appointing New Patients. If the goal of marketing is to bring new patients into the practice, be sure that new patient calls are the front desk’s top priority. Aim to schedule new patients within one to three days of the initial phone call. 6. Designated Point Person. Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. While the dentist may help develop the marketing vision and make budgetary and creative decisions, there needs to be someone else in the practice overseeing the daily marketing duties. Designate someone who has the time to manage, implement and track the day-to-day marketing tasks, and to report back to the doctor on a regular basis. There is no success without momentum, and marketing momentum can’t be created without someone being in charge of the day-to-day tasks. 7. Tracking Mechanisms. It is impossible to tell whether a marketing activity is successful if no one is tracking the return on investment, or ROI, for each and every marketing campaign. The front desk team plays an important role in tracking: for every new patient phone call, whether they actually make an appointment or not, the front desk team should be asking each caller how he or she learned about the practice. This information will give a clear indication of which marketing efforts are resulting in both new patient inquiries and first appointments. 8. Modern Website. Inevitably, today’s dental patients will research the dentist online before they make their first appointment, and the dental practice website is likely their first stop. Make sure that the website is professionally designed and easy to use from both traditional computers and mobile devices. 9. Online Presence: Social Media and Patient Review Sites. In addition to the practice website, patients are looking for “social proof,” or third-party validation about the practice apart from the practice’s own website. This includes social media profiles and online patient review sites. Make sure all online profiles are complete with current contact and practice information. Social media profiles should be updated on a regular basis, and patients should be encouraged to post their positive experiences on online patient review sites. 10. Trusted Vendors. Practicing dentistry while operating a successful practice is a full-time job, and leaves little room for other responsibilities. Outsourcing technical and creative marketing tasks such as brand development, website design and SEO (search engine optimization) is a smart way to be sure that your marketing budget is being spent most effectively while giving you the time and energy to better focus on patient care.