Attached you will find some great dental marketing ideas to generate patient leads. These tips, tactics and examples for generating leads and referrals come from real small businesses. They have been compiled from a number of my colleagues in the Duct Tape Marketing network and adapted to the dental industry.
(1) During the exam and treatment discussions, use testimonial letters from satisfied patients
to build credibility and help the patient accept treatment. Then ask the patients if they would be willing to provide a similar letter if everything works out as promised. The patients and dentist agree on the treatment and price, the dentist completes the work, and then before collecting payment, offers an additional fifty-dollar referral fee if the patients write a letter on the spot.
(2) The goal is to attract more ideal patients to convert into long term patients. Offer your current patients a special volume gift giving gift 
certificate rate for the special people in their lives during the holidays; for example; buy five whitening sessions at the price of three. It makes a perfect gift for teachers, coaches, babysitters, neighborhood parties, networking, and secret Santa etc. The gift certificate could be used by new patients only and after the first of the year. Once the “giftee” redeemed the gift certificate, they are then offered a free whiten program to encourage a return appointment. At the returned visit they were introduced to a package deal. This results in more exposure for your practice, creates instant credibility through the giver’s “referral” of a gift certificate and establishes a nurturing process to the patient prospect, enticing them to return and remain as a patient.
(3) Dentist, wanting to reach into surrounding community for potential patients, print and mail out postcards with a promise of a $50 gift certificate to a restaurant just around the corner, if
a new prospect made an appointment to tour the dental practice, meet the staff and the dentist. You need to work out a deal with the restaurant owner to only pay $25 for the $50 face value gift certificate. The program should generate new patient leads and long term potential patients. Meanwhile, the restaurant owner should be thrilled with the new families who tried their restaurant. The $25 cost of each gift certificate is cheaper than any other form of advertising.
(4) Develop your very own referral and lead network 
by sending out letters to ten other professionals who you have worked with and feel comfortable referring business to. The letter informs them that you are creating a unique referral network of one hundred of the area’s top professional service providers and you are being invited to become a member, but you need them to recommend ten others who should belong to this exclusive group. You then create a resource directory and website that features all one hundred professionals. The entire group promotes the directory and website and promotes business to each other. You will have other professionals begging to be in the group.
(5) Create compliment cards. Every time a patient gives a compliment, like “I never have to wait at your office” or “That didn’t hurt as all”, someone on the staff is ready with a referral card. The staff member also emphasizes that the only way they work is by referral.
(6) Install an oven in the break room in the practice and bake chocolate chip cookies every day. Every patient leaves with a little 
gift bag of cookies. A couple of things that make this work so well. Instead of smelling like a dental office, the office smells wonderful. The cookies are really good, so people appreciate getting them, and the practice is so unique that people naturally talk about it to friends and associates.
I hope these dental marketing ideas inspire you and give you some great ideas to implement in your practice. If you like these ideals you might also like to 
read a very popular blog I previously wrote “5 Out of the Box Dental Marketing Ideas”: http://www.redstarmarketing.com/dental-marketing-blog/Dental-marketing-ideas/bid/268059/5-out-of-the-box-dental-marketing-ideas
