Pediatric dental practice marketing

Pediatric dentists market to parents, not to patients. Parents choose a practice for years, they talk to other parents constantly, and they are very protective. Everything in your marketing should answer one question for them: will my child be safe, comfortable and well cared for here?

Write for nervous parents

• A first-visit page that explains what happens, how long it takes, whether parents can come back with their child, what to bring and how to talk to a child about it beforehand. Have a dentist review it.
• Your approach to anxious children and to children with special needs, in plain language, if that is something you are set up to do well.
• Insurance and Medicaid participation, stated clearly and kept current. For many parents it is the first filter, and a wrong answer wastes their time and yours.
• Practical details: parking for strollers, early and after-school appointment times, siblings seen together.

Word of mouth among parents

Recommendations from other parents carry enormous weight. Make the visit something parents want to talk about, and ask every parent for a review the same way, as the reviews guide describes. Replies must never confirm that the child is a patient.

Schools and community

School visits, health fairs, sports sponsorships and events for young families build familiarity and earn local mentions, which the local SEO guide explains. A few cautions:

• Work through the school or organization and follow its rules. Many have policies on what businesses may hand out.
• Any screening or care at a school needs the consent process the school and your state require.
• Keep it educational. A visit that turns into a sales pitch is a quick way to stop being invited.

Photos, children and privacy

Photos of smiling children are the most tempting content a pediatric practice has, and the most sensitive. Never post a child’s photo, name or story without written authorization from a parent or guardian, kept on file. Avoid anything that shows where a child goes to school or when they visit.

Online, aim forms, newsletters, contests and social media at parents. Federal law (COPPA) places strict requirements on collecting personal information from children under 13 online, so don’t ask children to enter contests or sign up themselves. If your patients include Medicaid families, be careful with giveaways and promotions, since rules on inducements for government program beneficiaries can apply; ask a healthcare attorney. More in the compliance guides.