Brad Thornton took over Ivory Dental in 2009. The practice was over 70 years old and was stuck in its old school ways. In the early 2000s, the practice had started accepting both NHS and private patients. Brad was looking to modernise the practice and bring in high-value private patients.
“I quickly realised it was really an NHS practice with a bit of makeup on to make itself look private.”
Brad was ambitious, and he knew he wanted to provide a great, relevant dental practice for patients while also tapping into the lucrative private side of the business.
The challenge
Having been around for so long, the practice needed a fresh new marketing strategy to try and reach those high-value patients. Brad had a reasonably good grasp of marketing and understood the art of storytelling and the message he wanted to send out. True to form, he decided to be proactive by implementing marketing more consistently and with greater intent.
But over the years, he’d always struggled to implement it.
“Trying to work out ways that we could execute the things in my head has always been an obstacle.”
Like many practice principles, Brad Thornton at Ivory Dental was faced with trying to come out of the covid lockdown period in the strongest way possible.
He would find snippets of time on his lunch break or after work to try his hand at marketing his business, but he admitted he struggled.
‘’I didn’t know enough to be able to get the results that I wanted, but I also didn’t have the time to be able to implement it – even if I did!’’
He realised he needed to hire experts who specialise in dental healthcare marketing; the issue was that he couldn’t find a marketing company that truly understood his needs and his vision. He knew what he wanted to do; he just needed help implementing his ideas.
Teaming up with Ignite
After numerous recommendations from other dentists, Brad got in touch with Ignite Growth. We teamed up to develop a marketing strategy that could fulfil his vision.
One thing that Brad loved about Ignite Growth was our openness to understanding what he wanted to gain from working together. We have our marketing strategies, but we want our clients to be on board, and we want to work as a team to get them the best possible results.
After our initial conversations, Brad felt comfortable enough to allow us to continue with our plan freeing up time for him to focus his energy on other areas of his business. We built the relationship on trust, and the results didn’t disappoint.
The new marketing strategy
Brad Thornton understood the importance of using marketing in order to bring in new patients. He felt confident with Ignite and allowed us to work our magic.
‘’ When I first spoke with Ignite, based on what the other colleagues were saying and their recommendations, I thought there was very little risk. Everybody knows this is quite an easy company to work with.’’
The team organised Invisalign open days for Ivory Dental, and later we held a campaign for a composite bonding open day. This is because it is Brad’s preferred treatment over others, such as Invisalign. The demographic is the same, and as it is an expensive treatment, it has the potential to bring in high-value patients.
Results after implementing the new marketing strategy
When Brad bought the practice, the turnover was a few hundred thousand pounds but having strengthened his team and by using effective marketing, the turnover is now around £2 million – there’s been tremendous growth!
‘’The biggest jump in our revenue has happened since we started working with Ignite.’’
Using Invisalign to get patients through the door allowed these same patients to find out what other treatments the practice has to offer.
Thanks to the huge increase in treatments, Brad has three new associates working with him in the practice. He can stick to what he loves doing best, implants and surgery, while the other associates can take on the new Invisalign patients.
With the composite bonding open day, they had a 100% conversion rate. Every single person who attended followed through with treatment. That’s some £50,000 worth of treatment in just one day!
‘’ We know that the Ignite open days work for other treatments – not just Invisalign.’’
With this increase in patients and taking on new associates, Brad is able to start to take a step back and focus on what he wants to do.
Future goals
With this increase in patients and taking on new associates, Brad is able to start to take a step back and focus on what he wants to do.
‘’If the practice isn’t relying on me from a financial point of view at all, then that’s the ultimate goal because in the end, I can do what I want – it’s all about having choices.’’
Brad Thornton explains why some sit on the fence when it comes to marketing
Brad explains some people might be on the fence about hiring a growth agency as they fear a lack of return on the investment. Although signing up with Ignite is low-risk, clients still have their doubts. Brad understood that he had to invest money in order to see results, and now he vows that it was well worth the investment.
‘’If you’re looking for somebody to generate leads, increase the number of enquiries that come in, get consultation sessions booked in the diary and for high revenue treatments then Ignite know what they’re doing.
They’re easy to work with, they’re very honest, they’re transparent, they’re effective.’’
A rundown of the practice’s transformation
- Started with an Invisalign open day
- Now running monthly Invisalign campaigns
- Exponential growth
- Three new associates
- Invisalign patients flowing into other treatments
- Working with Ignite saw the biggest leap in revenue
- More time for working on growing the business
The Ignite Growth team has helped hundreds of healthcare businesses achieve growth and we’d love to help you too. We know that running Facebook Advertising can be confusing, so let us show you how it works without the headache!
Book a call with our experts today and see what we can do for your healthcare business. You can do this by clicking here or below on the big orange strip.
Don’t forget to watch the video below to hear Brad talk about the success he has had.
“If you’re looking for somebody to generate leads and bookings in the diary for high revenue treatments then Ignite know what they’re doing.”
“They’re easy to work with, very honest, transparent and they’re effective.”
“I wouldn’t see a reason why you should be sitting on the fence.”
“Just go for it!”
Brad Thornton, Ivory Dental
