The $0 Marketing Strategy That Still Works

In partnership with

Hey Doc,

There’s one marketing strategy that’s been around longer than dentistry itself.
It costs $0.
It builds the strongest trust.
And it still outperforms most paid campaigns today.

Word-of-mouth.

In the digital era, it hasn’t disappeared—
it’s evolved.

Here’s what matters:

🧠 People trust people, not ads.
A patient is far more likely to book when they hear:
“My dentist is fantastic, you should go,”
than when they see a boosted post, a billboard, or a promo.

And in a world flooded with content, real human endorsement cuts through noise instantly.

💬 Word-of-mouth now spreads online first.
Patients talk about you in group chats, Instagram DMs, local Facebook groups, WhatsApp threads, college forums, Reddit boards—you name it.

The conversation is happening with or without you.
Your job is to shape what they say.

📅 The practices that grow fastest today create shareable experiences, not just clinical results.
People don’t rave about “a perfect filling.”
They rave about:

• how your team made them feel
• how painless and smooth the visit was
• how they were treated like a human, not a number
• how easy it was to book, park, check out, understand the plan
• how you remembered the small details

These moments turn into stories.
And stories travel.

📱 Here’s how to amplify word-of-mouth starting today:

Deliver one “brag-worthy” moment in every visit (comfort, kindness, or convenience)

Send follow-up texts that feel personal, not automated

Create Instagram-ready moments (a smile wall, a thank-you card, a branded mirror, a post-treatment snapshot)

Ask happy patients for reviews at the right moment—not randomly

Give people something they want to share (a tip, a fact, a funny moment, a tiny win)

✨ The truth:
Great word-of-mouth isn’t luck.
It’s engineered through patient experience.

When you focus on making people feel understood, appreciated, and cared for, they naturally become your marketing team—free of charge.

Because the most powerful promotion in dentistry has never changed:

Real people talking about real experiences.

Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.