Why you should reward your best dental patients

It started in a major way with frequent flyer miles. Now, patient reward programs are everywhere.??For dentists, there’s good reason to jump on the bandwagon. The proof is in: Rewarding your best patients will increase your sales and open the door to those coveted referrals.??It’s well-known that repeat customers are a doctor's best customers. So it makes sense to reward them for their loyalty. But before you spend thousands of dollars sending gifts and other rewards to your high-value patients, be aware that research also shows that customer loyalty cannot be bought.

In fact, building and maintaining customer loyalty (a.k.a. repeat customers) is a long-term multi-faceted strategy whose aim is to keep the customer happy. Rewarding your best patients is just one part — albeit important — of your loyalty-building campaign. Other key ingredients are excellent customer service, treating patients like a friend and regular communication.

EMAIL MARKETING IS THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE WAY TO COMMIUNICATE WITH YOUR PATIENTS

When it comes to patient rewards, you don’t have to spend a lot of money. Emailing your patient a special discount with a personal online greeting — such as a birthday card — will increase the value of the reward tenfold.

Here are other great marketing incentives you can use for your best dental patients:

• Send the patient a monthly newsletter with dental practice news and tips and special marketing and promotional offers.?• Invite the patient to an office party where food and door prizes will be available.?• Send a festive treat — such as a yuletide log cake — to the patient’s home.?• Email a thank-you note for “being such a great patient” and include a discount coupon.?• Order a gift card and send the patient an email telling him that a special gift is on its way.?• Email a personalized thank-you for referring a patient and include a gift.

To determine whom you should spend money on, it is best to review your patients’ files to determine who are the biggest spenders. It’s also important to know what they’re spending most of their money on. For example, if the bulk of a patient’s money is spent on cosmetic dentistry, you could tailor your email marketing to include educational information and special offers related to cosmetic services.

A happy patient will then reward you with increased sales and referrals, the lifeblood of a growing and successful practice.