Excitement. Just pure, unbridled excitement. That’s what I remember feeling as – after years of planning and anticipation – I finally got to watch my dream of “LA Dental Clinic” come true. It had always been my goal to own and operate a thriving clinic in the heart of California, and at that moment, I was filled with a sense of personal triumph.
However, as someone with a background in dentistry, rather than business management I felt a bit overwhelmed with where to start. I was unsure about the best ways to attract clients. With high rent and high competition locally, I needed a way to set myself apart from other clinics. Upon reflection, I wish I had known about these tips when I was just starting out, and that’s why I want to share, from my experience, how to grow your dental practice in Los Angeles.
Define Your Niche
The dental industry in Los Angeles is thriving, the city is home to thousands of dental professionals, all with different specialties. There are clinics that focus purely on cosmetic procedures such as veneers and whitening, clinics that attract repeat customers and families as well as those that practise restorative treatments such as implants.
The first step to success in this city is to determine what makes your clinic unique and double down on presenting that to the public. In return, once you have defined your niche, you will be able to focus on attracting the clients you want who also fit your niche.
Establish Your Core Values
Every owner has a reason for going into business. I found it really useful to connect with my core values and clearly define my mission statement for my dental clinic.
I decided that, at the core, I wanted to change my patients’ lives and help to transform their smiles while preventing future dental problems. I wanted to provide friendly, high-quality services and focus on family dental patients.
After defining the values for my clinic, I found it much easier to take the next steps in marketing my company, hiring staff and taking on new clients. I made sure that everything I did going forward tied back to my goal and my reason for being in business.
Stay Present Online
One of the first things I did as a dental clinic owner in Los Angeles was to hire a digital marketing agency. I knew that in this modern world, digital advertising was the way to go. It took some trial and error, but I was finally able to find a marketing agency that worked well for me and my clinic. My marketing agency valued and understood my business and they sought out to create a digital presence that reflected my companies core values online.
They created my website, ran targeted ads to attract leads, monitored reviews, my online reputation and managed my social media accounts. As a dental professional, I was extremely busy working with clients to do all of this on my own, and I was very thankful to have an agency that was aligned with my values to help promote my clinic online.
Measure Key Metrics
One of the key ways to measure the success of your clinic is to dive into the numbers. Programs such as Google Analytics and Facebook analytics can help give you insight into important marketing metrics. Whether you are working with a marketing agency or running your own marketing, make a habit of tracking the success of your campaigns and report on the results monthly.
Reporting is an excellent way to determine what is and isn’t working for your company. For those of you who aren’t sure where to start, the key metrics you want to track are your conversions. These are clients who have visited your clinic and paid for a service. Conversions are directly related to your revenue and are thus, the best way to measure your return on marketing investment.
Join a Support Group
When I first opened my dental clinic, I felt like I was on my own. I worked with many people who claimed to help, such as life coaches, growth experts and various marketing agencies. I found that initially, many of these experts did not see my vision and did not have my best interests in mind. When finally, my sister joined my practice and became a co-owner, I felt such a sense of clarity.
I finally had someone who could understand my problems on a more personal level. Both as a business owner as a friend and as a mother. Together with my sister Azy we grew the business into a six-figure company. We hired an incredible team and finally were able to attract the clients we were looking for in Los Angeles.
I founded EPIC – Empower Practice Inner Circle so that every female dentist can feel like she has the help of a sister. I know what it’s like to feel alone and overwhelmed in this industry, EPIC is a support group that offers guidance and mentorship through sisterhood. Learn more and join our Facebook group to become a part of our community.
Download The Ebook for More Tips
My sister and I have written a comprehensive e-book that documents our journey and some of the keys to success we encountered when growing our dental clinic in Los Angeles. The e-book is completely free to download and is meant as a way to get started and triple your profits for your dental practice. Find the link on our website and download the e-book today.
