New Dental Practice Marketing Checklist: First 90 Days

Launching a new dental practice? Your first 90 days of marketing will set the trajectory for years to come. Here's your complete checklist.

Pre-Launch Essentials

Branding

• ☐ Practice name finalized and domain secured
• ☐ Logo designed (professional quality)
• ☐ Brand colors and fonts defined
• ☐ Business cards and signage ordered

Legal Foundation

• ☐ NPI number obtained
• ☐ Insurance credentialing started (takes 60-90 days)
• ☐ HIPAA compliance systems in place

Weeks 1-4: Foundation

Online Presence Setup

• ☐ Google Business Profile: Claim and fully optimize
• ☐ Website: Launch with core pages (home, about, services, contact)
• ☐ Facebook page: Create and complete profile
• ☐ Instagram: Set up business account

NAP Consistency

Ensure your Name, Address, and Phone are identical everywhere:

• ☐ Google Business Profile
• ☐ Website
• ☐ Facebook
• ☐ Yelp
• ☐ Healthgrades
• ☐ Insurance directories

Weeks 5-8: Visibility

Directory Listings

• ☐ Yelp (claim and optimize)
• ☐ Healthgrades
• ☐ Apple Maps
• ☐ Bing Places
• ☐ Local dental directories

Paid Advertising

• ☐ Google Ads campaign (target "dentist near me" keywords)
• ☐ Facebook/Instagram awareness ads
• ☐ Budget: Plan for $1,500-3,000/month initially

Review Foundation

• ☐ Review collection process defined
• ☐ Team trained on asking for reviews
• ☐ Goal: 10+ Google reviews in first 60 days

Weeks 9-12: Growth

Content Marketing

• ☐ Blog established with 3-5 initial posts
• ☐ Social media posting schedule (2-3x/week)
• ☐ Email newsletter setup

Referral Program

• ☐ Referral incentives defined
• ☐ Tracking system in place
• ☐ Team trained on asking for referrals

Analytics Setup

• ☐ Google Analytics installed on website
• ☐ Call tracking implemented
• ☐ Monthly reporting process defined

Metric Benchmarks

By day 90, target:

• 15-30 new patients/month (varies by market)
• 20+ Google reviews with 4.5+ stars
• 500+ website visits/month
• Patient acquisition cost under $300

The Bottom Line

Your first 90 days set the foundation for years of growth. Focus on the fundamentals: online presence, NAP consistency, reviews, and paid visibility. Track everything, adjust based on data, and don't underestimate the power of simply asking patients for reviews and referrals.