Creating Strategic Partnerships for Your Practice

With all of the growing emphasis on digital marketing strategies for orthodontic offices, it can be easy to forget how important it is to continue building and strengthening business partnerships. As an orthodontist with your own practice, there are certain kinds of partnerships that have the potential to be especially beneficial for business.

Dentists

As far as referrals go, this will be your go-to for generating long-term success. When potential patients decide it’s time to get braces, Invisalign, or other forms of orthodontic treatment, they will most likely start their search for an orthodontist by checking with their dentist. Getting your orthodontic office on the referral lists of local dentists will allow you to get a steady stream of new patients without any extra work.

To get your orthodontic office to stand out, there are several strategies you can implement. Set up meetings with local dentists and prepare a brief presentation with a professionally-made brochure you can leave. Be sure to emphasize the ways your practice stands out when you meet with new dentist offices. They likely already have orthodontist lists, but your office might have a specialty other offices don’t have. You should also leave referral pads behind to make it easier for dentists to refer patients to your office.

Pediatric Offices

While dentist offices will be your bread and butter as far as referrals go, you can also target other business partnerships for specific types of patients. If you offer early orthodontics, you should meet with pediatricians in your area to discuss the treatments you offer with a specialized brochure to promote those treatments. This way, if the patient’s pediatrician catches one of the issues that requires early orthodontic treatment before their dentist does, you’ll be likely to get the referral.

Cosmetic Surgery Centers

One of the reasons people may need braces, even after already having braces, is due to injuries. If someone gets a facial injury, they are likely to need orthopedic surgery or orthodontic treatment with braces to get a straight and healthy smile again. People who decide to get plastic surgery for purely cosmetic reasons may also be looking to get orthodontic treatment to improve their smile as well. By presenting your orthodontic treatments to local cosmetic surgery centers, you’ll gain another stream of business to your practice.

Schools

Having a good relationship with schools in your area is another fantastic way to promote your orthodontic practice through strategic partnerships. One great way to get powerful promotion is to sponsor school events, such as sporting events, holiday festivals, or other events hosted by local schools.

You can also ask to visit a health class to talk about the importance of orthodontic treatment and keeping up with proper oral hygiene. Since kids may start getting braces as early as their pre-teen years, you should visit schools at every level in your area, even colleges.

As you look for new business partnerships around you and take the necessary steps to build and nurture those relationships, you can expect to get new patients on a regular basis.