Launching a Dental Practice in BC: A 12-Week Marketing Timeline

Opening a new dental practice in British Columbia is a tight runway: lease, build-out, equipment, College of Dental Surgeons of BC registration, hiring, software setup — and somewhere in there, marketing.

Here's the timeline we run with every new practice client.

Week 12 — Brand foundation

• Practice naming + positioning workshop with the founding dentist.
• Logo, color, typography, and brand book complete.
• Domain and core social handles secured.

Weeks 9–10 — Website & booking

• Website live in soft-launch mode (services, team, location).
• Online booking integrated with your PMS.
• Google Business Profile created and verified — this can take 2–3 weeks.

Weeks 6–8 — Pre-open campaign

• Geo-targeted Meta ads to a 3km radius around the clinic.
• Direct mail to the immediate neighbourhood (we still see strong returns on this in Vancouver, Surrey, and the Okanagan).
• Email + SMS waitlist campaign for friends, family, and referral partners.

Weeks 3–4 — Soft launch

• Friends-and-family appointments to test the flow.
• Review automation goes live — every soft-launch patient is asked for a Google review.
• Press outreach to local community publications.

Opening week — Grand opening

• Launch ads on Google & Meta with a first-visit offer.
• Open house event for the neighbourhood.
• First weekly email broadcast.

What happens next

Most new practices roll into a Tier 2 program around month two and graduate to Tier 1 once their schedule starts hitting 75% capacity. The marketing engine never stops — it just changes shape as the practice matures.