The word “free” is undoubtedly one of the most persuasive in the English language. When it comes to marketing or advertising, promoting anything free is sure to get the attention of your audience. Everyone loves free! Free means no risk and an automatic win for them. Studies show that far more consumers respond to free offers versus even heavily discounted products, even when discounted product offers more value.

Incorporating free offers into your marketing can be a great way to really catch the eye of your target audience and give them an extra incentive to make the call, set the appointment, or come in for their first visit. Here are some ideas for freebie offers you can work into your marketing materials like direct mail postcards, online ads, your website, print advertisements, and more.

Free Exam

Offering a free exam for new patients is a great way to get them in the office to interact with the doctor and staff as well as educate them one-on-one about the status of their oral health. Because exams don’t involve extensive time or too many office resources, they’re a fairly low-risk/low cost offer to attract new patients.

Free Cleaning

While cleanings require more office resources and time, when marketed to the right audience, offering free cleanings can be the trick to converting new patients who may have been on the fence about scheduling an appointment. Think of this as giving the new patient a sample of what they’d be receiving as a regular patient. Free cleanings give your hygienists the chance to befriend new patients, show them the benefits of a cleaning, and offers a unique setting to provide these new visitors the chance to schedule their next cleaning in six months.

Free X-Rays

Offering free X-rays for new patients helps overcome two of the biggest marketing hurdles: getting the patient into your office and showing them in an up close and personal way the value that your services can offer for their smile. X-rays come at a relatively low cost for your practice and give the new patient physical evidence (compared to verbal opinion) of the work that their smile may need.

Free Cosmetic Consultations

If your practice has a strong emphasis on cosmetic dentistry, offering free cosmetic consultations is a win-win for you and the patients and really only requires time on your part. It gives you the chance to showcase your expertise and available technologies as a cosmetic dentist, as well as the opportunity to start pushing the value of those cosmetic services for an easier sale.

Free Whitening kit

It’s safe to say that almost everyone would prefer a whiter smile. Most people just haven’t taken action to get a whiter smile because they don’t want to pay for it. Promoting free whitening kits for new patients can attract this type of target audience and comes at a relatively low cost to your practice.

Remember that when it comes to offering freebies for your dental marketing, you should be careful about only offering products or services that will attract the audience you want in the way you want. Offering free products or services unrelated to what you do (i.e. movie tickets, gift cards, etc.) as a marketing tactic might just attract those who are only interested in the freebie and not what your business offers.

Have you experienced the power of freebies in your dental marketing yet? We hope these few ideas might help give your marketing materials an extra edge and, of course, help you attract more new patients!

Photo via The Huffington Post