Whether you’re starting a new practice or increasing your client base, it’s important to remember digital marketing and dentistry go hand in hand. Find out why.
Trying to find more patients for your dental practice?
Are you struggling to get the results you need?
Whether you realize it or not, digital marketing and dentistry make for a powerful pair that can help your practice succeed. Digital marketing can help you grow your client base and is absolutely essential in the modern age if you want to improve your practice.
Below we’ll look at the important link between digital marketing and dentistry and tell you exactly how you can make your practice shine.
Why Digital Marketing and Dentistry Go Hand in Hand
There’s no denying that the digital age has changed marketing. Compared to traditional marketing methods, digital marketing is a completely different animal.
So how can digital marketing help your practice? Why is digital marketing so important? Here are just a few reasons digital marketing is so important.
Enhanced Targeting
While traditional marketing methods can have a huge reach, they can also be very untargeted. How many people who see your billboard ad or television commercial are looking for a dentist at that exact moment? Probably not as many as you would hope.
Digital marketing, on the other hand, takes a more targeted approach. It can allow you to reach the right people and gain the interest of potential clients at exactly the right time.
Affordability
Traditional marketing tactics can also be very expensive and may not be suitable for a small business. Digital marketing, on the other hand, can give you a lot more return on your investment.
Because it is so targeted, many of the people you reach will follow through and contact you for services. When using digital marketing you will often be spending less while also gaining more results at the same time.
Stronger Relationships
In addition to gaining new customers, digital marketing also gives you the right platform for retaining existing customers and strengthening relationships between appointments.
Using and automating social media, email marketing, active blog tactics can allow you to easily stay on their radar. You can ensure that they remain a repeat client for years to come.
Social media and digital channels are also an excellent place for offering increased customer support. You can begin by answering questions through social media or email rather than over the phone.
Higher Visibility For Your Brand
Digital marketing can help you build higher business visibility in your community and create a memorable brand.
Social media and blog content can be a huge help with this. Continually creating strong relationships can do wonders for your reputation.
Additionally, blog posts and other types of content can help you to provide value to clients and patients between visits while increasing interest in your services. This can lead to many more clients finding you in the long run.
How to Improve Your Digital Marketing Strategy
By now you should understand the importance of digital marketing for your dental practice. Below we’ll look at the top ways you can begin to take hold of your own digital marketing and online presence.
1. Mobile Matters
When it comes to digital marketing and dentistry, mobile has become more important than ever. Many people browse the internet and look for local services on their phones. Many patients will never even view the desktop version of your website.
Because of this, it is important that your website, as well as your marketing strategy, is designed while having mobile users in mind.
Make sure you use a responsive design for your website and that it is optimized for mobile viewers. Your website should also be designed to load as quickly and effortlessly as possible.
In addition to improving the responsiveness of your website, you may even want to try some mobile marketing strategies such as an SMS marketing campaign.
2. Reviews are Everything
If no reviews show up when people search for your practice on Google you’re probably missing out on a lot of business.
Positive online reviews on websites such as Facebook, Google+, Yelp, and CitySearch can help to give credibility to your practice. They can and will help you attract new clients. Good reviews also encourage Google to place your website higher in search rankings.
Place a sign on your reception desk reminding patients to review your practice online. Also, start asking patients to review your practice online if they’ve been pleased with their visit.
Once you have some great reviews for your practice, make sure that prospective patients can see them!
Consider linking to Google+ and other review sites from your own website. The small section on the Verde Pointe practice website is a great example of this.
3. Keep the Content Coming
While you may already have a blog on your website, are you making the most of it? If you simply threw a few articles up when you started your practice and haven’t touched your blog since you’re making a mistake.
Those 3 articles you have on your blog that are dated 2011 aren’t enough. You need to be releasing content on your blog regularly, preferably several times a week. Make sure that your blog is a resource that clients can come back to time after time and always expect new information, insights, and tips.
Additionally, post your new content on social media to expand the reach of your posts and get more people interested in your content.
By doing these things you’ll build be able to give value to patients and prospects and build strong relationships. You’ll ensure people remain interested in your practice even when they’re not scheduled for a visit.
4. Be Social
Social media is much more than just a place to keep up with family members and friends. It is an essential small business marketing tool.
Being active on social media is a crucial part of the connection between digital marketing and dentistry. Social media can help you ensure the success of your dental practice.
Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter allows you to speak directly to “your crowd” and build relationships. It can help you keep patients interested in what you’re doing even if it has been weeks or months since their last visit.
For any small business or practice, building relationships are key. An active social media presence allows patients to feel like they are a part of your brand. Social media can help them get to know you better while building a lasting personal connection.
5. Invest in Video
In our digital world, video content is also becoming more important than ever before. Youtube is among the most visited sites on the web.
Even scrolling through a Facebook feed, most users come across many videos that start playing automatically. That’s not even to mention all of the other platforms such as Instagram, Vine, and Snapchat that are becoming popular across the world.
Video has never been accessible and, as a result, some great opportunities to market your business comes along with it. In addition to blog content, it’s important that you find ways to create engaging videos. These videos will help to attract clients and interest your current patients.
Make sure that you invest in video and understand its effectiveness. If you do, you’ll be able to soar above competitors while building more and more interest in your unique brand.
Final Thoughts
Digital marketing is only becoming more important for the healthcare industry. If you truly want your practice to grow and succeed it’s important to follow the latest trends. You need to recognize the importance of the winning combination of digital marketing and dentistry.
By following the tips above, you’ll be well on your way to succeeding in the digital world and creating a client base that never runs dry.
Looking for more tips on running a thriving dental practice? Check out our Small Business Ideas Forum to learn more about how to achieve small business success.
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