Every practice hits a “meh” moment. The phone’s not ringing like it used to. New patient numbers are flat. High-value services like implants or Invisalign just aren’t getting any bites. When that happens, it’s tempting to look inward—your team, your pricing, your competition. But often, the real culprit is your marketing.

Marketing that worked when you opened your doors won’t always carry you into your next growth phase. If your goals have evolved, your strategy needs to evolve with them. That’s where the Start, Stop, or Adjust framework comes in. It’s a simple (but powerful) way to see what’s helping, what’s hurting, and where a little tweak might make all the difference.

Let’s take a walk through it—step by step—and make sure your dental marketing is working just as hard as you are.

Step One: Reconnect with Your Goals

“Get more patients” is not a goal. It’s a wish.

Clear, measurable goals are what guide great marketing. Want to boost cosmetic cases by 20%? Great. Looking to earn 50 new Google reviews this quarter? Perfect. Shifting toward more fee-for-service patients and less PPO dependence? Now we’re talking.

Once you define exactly what you want to achieve, everything else becomes clearer. You can look at every campaign and ask, “Is this moving us toward our goal?” If not, it might be time for a change.

START: What to Kick Off Now to Fuel Growth

If your current efforts feel stale or incomplete, it might be time to start something new.

Let’s talk about paid social. Facebook and Instagram ads let you target your dream patients—people in your area, in the right age group, with the right income level, and even the right interests. And when you pair smart targeting with scroll-stopping visuals and a strong offer? That’s when the phone starts ringing.

Google Ads are another winner, especially for intent-driven searches like “emergency dentist near me” or “veneers in [your city].” People are already looking—you just need to show up.

Need a no-cost win? Reactivate the patients already in your system. An email reminder about hygiene, a special offer, or a friendly “we miss you” note can bring folks back who just needed a little nudge.

And if your Google reviews are… so-so? It’s time to fix that. Patients trust other patients more than they trust your website. Make it easy to leave reviews and watch how that credibility pays off.

STOP: What’s Holding You Back?

Now for the hard truth: some things just aren’t worth your time or money anymore.

Direct mail still hanging around in your budget? If it’s not producing results (and if you can’t even track what it’s bringing in), it’s probably time to move on.

Got a website that loads like it’s still 2008? If it’s slow, bland, or doesn’t reflect the heart of your brand, you’re losing people before they ever call you. Your site should feel like you, not a stock template every other dentist is using.

Also, worth a gut-check: your agency or in-house team. If you’re shelling out money and can’t see what’s being done or what results it’s driving? That’s a no-go. You deserve transparency.

And finally, be honest about how much DIY marketing you’re doing. If you’re spending hours on Instagram captions or blogs that aren’t getting traction, it might be time to outsource. Your time’s better spent chairside.

ADJUST: What Needs a Tune-Up?

Not everything needs to be scrapped. Sometimes, a few small adjustments can turn “okay” into “wow.”

Start with your website. Maybe traffic is solid, but leads are slow. That could mean your calls to action aren’t clear, your message isn’t resonating, or your online scheduling isn’t user-friendly. Tweak the language. Add a better headline. Make it ridiculously easy to contact you.

SEO falling behind? If your site content hasn’t been touched in six months, that’s a red flag. Google wants fresh, relevant content. Update your service pages. Refresh your Google Business Profile. Keep your citations consistent. Small moves, big results.

Running ads that aren’t delivering? Don’t panic. Check your targeting, your offer, your creative, and your landing pages. Often, a small shift in one of those areas can unlock performance.

And don’t forget your promotions. Sometimes, it’s not the offer—it’s how you’re saying it. Try a new headline. Swap out the image. Run it on a different platform. A little testing goes a long way.

Make This a Habit, NOT a Hail Mary

You don’t need to wait for a crisis to evaluate your marketing. In fact, please don’t. Make this part of your routine—quarterly, ideally. Pull your team or agency together. Review your KPIs. Revisit your goals. And run through Start, Stop, or Adjust.

Ask the good questions: What’s really working? What’s feeling flat? What’s something new we haven’t tried yet? What are our competitors doing that we’re not?

Staying curious is the secret to staying competitive.