You just never know how patients will find you.
Certainly, there’s word of mouth. But, have you ever had a patient say, “Someone recommended you, but I can’t remember his name?” Nonetheless, I’m always glad to get the referral!
A great majority of my new patients come via my online marketing efforts.
As Seen on TV!
I’ve done a number of appearances on TV over the years. Nearly all of them have been related to dentistry. But, about this time last year, I appeared on a CNBC special that wasn’t at all related to dentistry. 
It was about a rather controversial subject, and I initially debated whether to do it. But, I knew I’d regret not doing it. Honestly, I was concerned about possibly offending some of my existing patients, given the controversial nature of the program.
Today, I actually got a new patient that gave referral credit to the CNBC program! (See registration form on right.) His porcelain veneer came out a few days ago. But, he didn’t want to go back to his previous dentist. Nearly a year later, and CNBC is apparently still running the show. This new patient saw a re-run of the program last night and told his wife, “I’m going to see that guy!” Not surprisingly, we hit it off. We talked about guns, flying (he’s a pilot), and eventually his tooth and past dental experiences. We rebonded his veneer, but he’s got a lot of other things going on.
“That dentist is cool!” (Click image to watch my interview on CNBC!)
All Roads Lead to Your Website
The patient did tell me that he also visited my website. Patients may hear about you from any number of sources. And, these days, they’re likely to Google you. Your website should resonate with visitors. It should speak to them, figuratively and literally.
You just never know how or where you may get your next referral!