behind the brand:
From Zero Visibility to 7,500+ Conversions
Jerome Dental's Digital Ad Strategy
Client insights
- Industry: General & Cosmetic Dentistry
- Engagement Type: Digital Ad Strategy for Startup Practice
- Timeframe: March 1st, 2025 - March 1st, 2026
- Platforms Utilized: PMAX (Google Search + Meta Ads)
Primary Goals:
Jerome Dental’s goals were simple: become the most visible practice in the Columbus metropolitan area by hitting the market aggressively with a dialed-in ad campaign.
The Context
Dr. Pappas and Studio EightyEight had already become a dream team, working together to market his first start-up, Grove City Smiles (which you might recognize as the $3M Startup). With his second startup, Dr. Pappas wanted to recreate, or even surpass, that level of success. With Jerome Dental set to open in a heavily saturated area, Dr. Pappas was determined to dominate the general and cosmetic market.
When it came to building out the strategy, the question wasn't, “What should the budget be?” but instead, “How much visibility do we need to grow?” Luckily, we had the existing data and metrics to answer that.
The Strategy
Instead of going into this project riding high on the coattails of success, we took a measured approach, taking stock of the situation and how the market had changed since we launched Grove City Smiles's campaign in 2022. We were up against quite a few challenges, including:
- No brand awareness (because this was a startup)
- A competitive local search area that had grown by magnitudes in a few years
- Existing practices already owning top ad placements
- Immediate need for patient acquisition
But we couldn't let these odds become a deterrent. We came up with a strategy that would give Jerome Dental the best chance at success — and fast growth. We decided that multiple Google campaigns would maximize his reach and visibility. The first campaign targeted individuals seeking a new dental home, and the second captured emergency cases. Soon after the Google campaigns went live, we set up a Meta ad campaign to “recapture” leads who may have visited Jerome Dental’s website but didn’t act right away.
Measurement & Growth
The benefits of running these dual campaigns are extraordinary. For one, doing this helps optimize for scalability and generates a consistent lead flow. Between individuals looking for a new dental home and those seeking a quick appointment, opportunities essentially doubled, turning first-timers into life-timers. Below are the results after a full year:
New Patient Campaign - Google
Goal: Capture consistent, high-volume demand
impressions
clicks
conversions
conversion rate
cost per conversion
Emergency Campaign - Google
Goal: Convert high-urgency searches quickly
impressions
clicks
conversions
conversion rate
cost per conversion
For Jerome Dental to succeed, we had to own attention on multiple fronts. This strategy worked because it maintained strong visibility, consistently dominating impression share across both campaigns. But we know you're wondering: With these results, what was the budget?
It's no secret that Dr. Pappas invests far more than most on his ads marketing (he reveals all in our $3M Startup project for Grove City Smiles). A monthly budget of around $70K per month is hefty, but it consistently yielded the results every practice owner is looking for.
Engagement & Lead Outcomes
While the numbers look extraordinary on paper, it’s important to highlight how this was obtainable behind the scenes. Collaboration was a huge part of this strategy's success, not just the budget. At Studio 8E8, we're in for the same amount of collaboration and teamwork whether your budget is $5K or 50K. Like any client, we took Dr. Pappas's goals seriously and came up with a strategy to help him get there. Taking what we all learned from his previous practice, from a storytelling and data-driven perspective, we were able to turn a small, ambitious start-up into a well-established, trusted dental practice.
The Most Important Metrics
When we launch an ad campaign we track dozens of metrics, but the ones we follow most closely are Click-Through Rate (CTR), Cost Per Click (CPC), Conversion Rate, and Cost Per Lead (CPL). These metrics provide a perfect snapshot that gives us a high-level view of whether our ads are hitting or missing the mark.
Industry Benchmarks
- Click through Rate: 5.44%
- Cost per Click: $7.85
- Conversion Rate: 9.08%
- Cost per Lead: $83.93
The Final Results
Website Launch: February 2nd, 2024
Total Impressions: 738,265
Total Conversions: 7,993
Conversion Rate (New Patient): 24%
Conversion Rate (Emergency): 28%
These results provide us with tangible information; not only are people seeing the ads, they are also resonating with the messaging, the website, and the full digital experience. Jerome Dental’s ads are reaching their ideal patients.
It Takes a Village
Dr. Pappas understood that breaking into a saturated market wouldn’t come from playing it safe. It required alignment, trust, and a willingness to invest in doing things the right way. And more importantly, it required a true partnership.
He leaned into the process, brought clarity to his vision, and trusted the strategy. Together we turned that vision into a system that didn’t just generate attention, but attracted the right patients, at the right time, with the right message.
If you’re interested in knowing more about our ad campaigns and marketing strategies, and how Studio 8E8 can help you reach your ideal patients, click below to reach out! We love helping dentists reach their goals and grow their practices.
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