Marketing Stays Paramount for Express Dental Care
TAMPA —
Express
Dental Care LLC has increased its revenue 68.7 percent from 2006
to 2008, and the company continues its growth going into 2010.
Stacey Whidden, CEO, launched the company in 2002 with four
employees. Focusing on the workers’ compensation, automobile and liability
claims industries, Express Dental has a nationwide network of about 60,000
providers.
“It was a new product, but nobody had ever identified it, and
nobody at the corporate level had captured it,” said Whidden.
Twenty-five percent of its providers is based in Florida.
The company started on a “shoestring” budget, costing about
$100,000 in its first few months of operation, Whidden said.
One of the biggest difficulties in getting the company going was
putting systems in place to handle operations, including the creation of a
software system.
“When you have a unique business, there’s no protocol, no history
of how other companies did it or how it’s traditionally done in a market,” said
Whidden. “You have no map to follow so we kind of had to create our own map.”
Because the company’s employees require expertise in both the
workers’ compensation and dental industries, Express Dental had to develop its
own training program so that individuals from either industry could be
cross-trained in the other.
In 2007, the company began to expand its work force, including
additions to its clerical and clinical staffs and three new executives. From
that point on, Express Dental grew by about 15 employees each quarter, Whidden
said.
Today, the company has 105 employees at its 13,000-square-foot
space.
Getting the word out
When the company started, Whidden sought meeting after meeting
with potential customers and attended trade shows to develop the company’s brand
name. She also introduced a guerrilla marketing campaign featuring a shark and
the slogan “Bite Me,” which helped build brand recognition for Express Dental.
Another technique involved distributing questionnaires to
potential customers, which served the dual purpose of educating them about the
company and helping to shape its services.
Stephanie Steele, principal of
Steele
Strategic in Clearwater, said that such grassroots efforts are
becoming more common in today’s market, where technology and social media allow
for more user-specific — and often free — marketing techniques.
Ginger Reichl, president of
Pinstripe Marketing in St. Petersburg, concurs that the marketing
landscape has been revolutionized. “We can no longer market ‘at’ a client,
Reichl said. “Marketing is now about the conversation.”
Another popular approach, Steele said, is the use of
cross-promotional events, in which two businesses collaborate to reach a shared
market.
“People are becoming much more amenable to it,” she said,
“especially since there’s not much money available up front right now for
marketing.”
Don’t let marketing slide
However, Suzie Boland, president of
RFB
Communications Group in Tampa, said that companies should
maintain their marketing efforts despite the economy to retain a competitive
edge.
“Often, difficult times winnow out the weakest competitors, and
the wise business owners should want to be front and center as consumers
evaluate their options,” Boland said.
Although many companies have scaled back their advertising in the
last year, Express Dental has tripled its ad spending.
“That’s the first impression of your company,” said Whidden. “You
have to put money in because it’s the only way your company is going to get to
the next level.”
Express Dental has a nationwide marketing team of 14 people who
visit third party administrators, insurance carriers, self-insurers,
occupational medical clinics and dental groups.
The company receives referrals from 22,000 individuals
nationwide. Its top 10 clients make up about 30 percent of its business.
Express Dental expects to finish 2009 with a year-over-year
revenue growth of 38 percent, and Whidden said the company is looking to hire at
least four more salespeople.
About Express Dental Care
Express Dental Care is the first and only national, dental referral Management
Company established to address the special needs of the Workers’ Compensation &
Auto/Liability claims industries. Express Dental Care coordinates superior
dental services for self-insured employers, insurance carriers, managed care
organizations, TPAs, and other claims professionals nationwide.