From Click to Call

So your dental practice launched a digital ad campaign… now what?

The result of any great Google campaign is new patients scheduling and receiving treatment at your practice, but that’s the end of a long funnel. And every step of that funnel is important, from the moment someone first sees your ad to the moment they call your office.

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The Learning Phase

If you’re working with Studio 8E8 to manage your campaign, a significant amount of time is spent on strategic setup. By the time it launches, your campaign will have a strong foundation for a consistent, trustworthy experience for your potential patients.

But even with the strongest foundation, the first 30 days are a data-gathering period, what we call the Learning Phase.

Google’s learning phase

In the first 30 days, Google’s algorithm starts to understand who your ideal patients are, how they behave online, and which dynamic ads are converting (and which aren’t).

Studio 8E8’s learning phase

On our end, ads strategists are watching the data, collecting information to make informed, meaningful optimizations at the end of the learning phase.

Your learning phase

Even with Google’s algorithm and a marketing team at your side, when a campaign is in motion you are a vital part of the process. You’re our eyewitness. You can hear what patients are saying and report back on any patterns. Front office insight is the final piece that ensures success.

We’re all in this together, and to help you help us help you (😉) we’ve set you up with some tools, tips, and tricks.

Tracking Your Contacts

While running a digital ad campaign, every call and form submission is important information. Each one represents a real person taking action after seeing your ad, and most of them have questions. A good starting point is to simply categorize them as people who need your services, or people who might be looking for something else.

As your campaign managers, Studio 8E8 will work with you to track these contacts through systems like Call Tracking and a Leads Dashboard to measure campaign performance and patient conversions.

Converting Contacts: Tips for Every Call

Tracking behind the scenes is easy, but being on the phone with a new lead can be a challenge (even if you’re not a millennial and afraid of the phone 🫣).

The good news for everyone behind the desk is that you don’t have to be a salesperson to convert leads. It’s all about being authentic, prepared, and confident as you guide someone through their questions and concerns. Here’s how to do that!

1. Own Your Leads

When the phone rings, think of that caller as your lead. Even if they found you by accident, every call is an opportunity. The most important thing is to meet them where they are and help them figure out if your practice can help.

As the practice’s first (human) impression, you have the chance to:

• Set the tone for their experience
• Answer their questions
• Ask discovery questions
• Guide them toward scheduling

Keep in mind, they might not have even seen your website yet! Call tracking can help you know how the caller found you, so you can have some idea of how well they already know your practice.

2. Ask Discovery Questions

Discovery questions are what help you determine if the caller is a good fit. They’re the questions that you might already ask on any call with a new patient:

• “How did you hear about us today?”
• “What kind of treatment are you interested in?”
• “When are you hoping to come in?”
• “Have you been to our website yet?”

While a campaign is running, answers to these questions will help you notice trends, which are valuable information to pass along to your marketing team. They’ll help us know what’s working (and what might not be working) and make adjustments.

3. Create Call Scripts

Even if you’ve been doing this for years, when embarking on a new marketing campaign a simple script might be all you need for an extra boost of confidence. Scripts also lend some structure to navigate a potential patient through the last step of their journey. Having a few ready for common scenarios and different types of callers will help the call feel more catered to their specific needs. Here are a few scenarios:

• Insurance Questions: Everyone wants to know what they can expect when it comes to payment. This is especially important if your practice is fee-for-service.
• New Patient Inquiries: What you want them to know if they’re just exploring. What are the practice’s highlights? Think of a few things to mention that patients love about your practice.
• Treatment-Specific Calls: If the practice is doing a campaign focused on a specific service, like implants, Invisalign, or whitening, a script focused on that is a great idea.

Pro tip: Keep a list of FAQs handy with your call scripts. Where to park, payment and insurance policies, appointment types, anything that comes up frequently with current and new patients.

4. Encourage Next Steps

The number one rule of phone conversions: Don’t let a good lead hang up without taking the next step. All the other tips lead up to this moment! If they’re ready to schedule their first appointment, get them on the calendar right away. If they’re not ready, ask permission to follow up or send more information. The goal is always to move the conversation forward.

Wrapping Up

Your digital ad campaign and marketing strategy team do the hard work of getting people to notice you. But you, our wonderful front desk friends, are the bridge between marketing efforts and real appointments. When you own your leads, prepare your scripts, and confidently guide callers, you become one of the most valuable parts of your practice’s marketing success.

As marketing specialists over here, we know you deserve so much credit (and give you permission to gloat). If digital ads are a relay race, you’re the ones crossing the finish line, and we applaud you! To cheer you on, we’ve put together this free resource for you to download below.

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