How to choose a dental marketing agency for a UK practice

Two agency proposals can promise the same thing and still describe very different services. One may include advertising spend, another may quote only the management fee. One may count every form submission as a lead, while another reports booked consultations.

Before comparing the headline prices, ask each agency to answer the same questions. A consistent brief makes the differences easier to see.

Start with the practice, not the package

Write down which services you want to grow, the area you serve and the consultation capacity you actually have. Include any constraints: reception cover, appointment availability, opening hours or a website that needs work before a campaign can launch.

A proposal should explain how its recommendations fit those circumstances. If every practice receives the same plan, ask what research or decisions will make yours different.

Ask what the price includes

Request separate figures for agency fees, advertising spend, website work and software. Ask about setup costs, minimum terms, cancellation arrangements and the VAT treatment stated in the proposal. Use pounds throughout the comparison.

Also ask what happens when the scope changes. A lower monthly fee may be less useful if necessary work sits outside it and the extra charges are unclear.

Know what you will own and access

Discuss the domain, website, advertising accounts, creative assets and reporting access before work begins. Ask what can be transferred if the relationship ends and whether there are separate transfer charges.

These questions are practical. Your team needs to know where its information lives, who can make changes and how to keep essential services running.

Examine the evidence behind the pitch

When an agency presents a result, ask which period it covers, what changed and which costs are included. An anonymised example may still be useful, but its limits should be clear. An illustrative calculation should be labelled as an illustration.

A rise in enquiries does not automatically establish a rise in attended consultations or profitable treatment. Ask which stages the agency can measure and which depend on information supplied by your practice.

Check how patient-facing information is reviewed

Agree who at the practice signs off treatment descriptions and promotional claims. The GDC's advertising guidance requires accurate, non-misleading information and clarity about whether a practice provides NHS, mixed or wholly private services. Your marketing process should make that review easy to carry out.

Ask how the agency handles changes to availability and who removes information that is no longer accurate. Publishing is the start of maintaining a page, not the end.

Make the enquiry handover explicit

Decide who handles calls and forms, what happens outside opening hours and when automated conversations pass to a person. Clinical questions belong with the practice team. A useful plan connects the campaign to the people who will respond.

Finally, agree a review date and a small set of measures. The best proposal for your practice is one you can understand, deliver operationally and assess using evidence.

Disclosure: DentalMastery provides marketing services and has a commercial interest in this subject. It is a brand of ADENERGY SP. Z O.O., Poland.

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Source for the advertising guidance: General Dental Council. The remaining questions are DentalMastery's proposed evaluation checklist, not a claimed regulator-approved framework.