PRESS RELEASE

Dorset Dentist wins National Award for Marketing

December 2013: A Dorset-based dental practice, Winning Smiles, has received a national award for Best Marketing at this year's National Dentistry Awards held at The Athena, Leicester on 6 December.

Marketing has become crucial for any dental practice operating in the 21^st century. Gaining patients naturally has become extremely difficult and dental practices across the UK were invited to demonstrate how they differentiate themselves against other practices in their area.

Winning Smiles may be based in a small Dorset town (Gillingham) but the owner, Murray Hawkins, has always devised innovative and creative marketing strategies to ensure that the practice punches well above its weight and attracts new patients from well beyond its local catchment area.

As well as using traditional marketing channels like newsletters, editorial and advertorial in local newspapers and magazines, plus a comprehensive website, Winning Smiles also has before and after pictures of orthodontics or "Smile Makeovers" in practice newspaper, on website, on FB, Twitter and Pinterest, and in a moving picture frame in the dental waiting room together with vibrant engaging posters on walls outside the practice.

Payment plans are promoted by positioning point-of-sale Toblerone style material in the Waiting Room with the call to action: "If you prefer not to pay for your check up, please let our receptionist know".

The practice recognises that entering for awards is a very cost effective way of marketing and this year Winning Smiles has won no less than 10 different awards both in the dental and business sector, nationally, locally and regionally.

Winning Smiles has also stripped away some of the more clinical language to make it more user friendly, for example chrome cobalt dentures have become light weight skeleton dentures and soft denture linings become comfort cushions; nylon flexible dentures become invisible clasp dentures and valve retained dentures become suction dentures. Alongside this, the practice always finds creative ways to explain the technology, for example in the newsletter the concept of suction dentures is likened to the way ladybirds cling to windows.

Sponsorship also plays an important role in the marketing strategy. Roundabout sponsorship has helped raise awareness as has Winning Smiles Science Cups for all local junior and senior schools, sponsorship of local football and hockey teams as well as Scouts and Guides plus the local Imperial Silver Band.

Winning Smiles also employs a social media programme as part of its overall PR mix, using social media channels including Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest to engage with its client base and reach out to new patients.

Social media helps to boost community engagement and the practice sponsors a Winning Smiles silver plate which is awarded to the runners-up in the North Dorset Rugby Sevens. This year a picture of the plate being awarded to the Runners Up was tweeted and Winning Smiles Twitter "mentioned" the successful team and the North Dorset Sevens. The tweet was re-tweeted by many supporters and will have raised awareness of the brand across a wider section of the local population.

The practice also holds Winning Smiles Tooth Whitening Evenings to raise money for local charities making sure it creates opportunities to Tweet and post before and after pictures on Facebook and Pinterest (with the participants' permission) which raises the profile and demonstrates a popular dental service.

Murray Hawkins said he was delighted to receive the award, and "I am confident our marketing works and our proactive marketing strategy has been very effective. In the last two years turnover has increased by 34.9% from £516K to £697K and profit from £111K to £192K, a 72.2% increase. Also we are currently attracting over 67 new patients a month."

For information on cosmetic dentistry or any other dental treatments, contact Winning Smiles Dental Care, T/: 01747 826222 or E/: dentist@winningsmilesgillingham.com or check out: www.winningsmilesgillingham.com

Further press information and images from: Jane Adkins, T/: 01935 813114 or M/: 07960698089 or E/: jane@aheadforpr.co.uk

Dec 2013 (WS 14)