The Smarter Way to Market Your Dental Practice in 2026

In this episode of the Raving Patients Podcast, Dr. Len Tau sits down with Barrett Cox, Director of Performance Marketing at Net32, to discuss what dental marketing actually looks like in 2026. From online reputation and Google reviews to AI, paid advertising, and patient retention, Barrett shares practical strategies that help practices grow without wasting their marketing budget.

Rather than chasing every new marketing trend, Barrett explains why the strongest practices focus on building trust first. A great patient experience, consistent educational content, and a solid online presence create the foundation that makes every marketing dollar work harder. He also shares how practices can better evaluate marketing agencies, avoid misleading performance metrics, and measure success using simple business numbers instead of complicated dashboards.

Whether you're investing heavily in marketing or just getting started, this conversation offers practical advice to help you attract more patients, retain the ones you already have, and build sustainable growth for your practice.

What You'll Learn Why reputation and trust are still the biggest drivers of new patient growth

How to maximize a small dental marketing budget

Common Google Ads mistakes that waste money

The importance of patient retention before patient acquisition

Simple ways to measure marketing ROI without complex dashboards

How AI is changing dental marketing and SEO

Why consistency matters more than posting constantly

How to evaluate whether your marketing agency is actually delivering results

The front desk's role in converting marketing leads into patients