Attracting more patients to your dental practice is an overwhelming challenge. After all, you are running a dental practice full-time, managing a lot of other responsibilities and may not have the time to plan and execute a full-throttle online marketing campaign that attracts new patients month after month. So, what do you plan to do?
The answer is simple: Plan and execute online marketing strategies that will increase your visibility and attract more patients. Here are the seven most effective ways of growing your dental practice and attracting new patients:
- Blogging: Creating high-quality blog posts for your practice website is one of the proven strategies to drive more traffic, which will result in more leads and new patients. Blogs provide your online marketing campaign with a solid pillar to attract more patients. By posting informative and detailed blogs, you can show off your expertise and become a thought leader in your area or specialty and stand out from competitors. Always remember, your potential patients are not necessarily looking for discounts or freebies. Most of the time, they are looking for a knowledgeable and reliable dentist who can cure their problems. Your blog posts will help you establish your reputation as a knowledgeable dentist.
- Paid advertisements: Facebook, the most popular social media platform in the world, is a gold mine for dental practices looking to attract more patients. Facebook allows users to run local ads that will appear in the newsfeed of their target audience. You can plan a series of ads targeting a particular segment and create a message that resonates with your target audience.
- Google Adwords: In the current search engine environment, most searchers end up clicking one of the top four search results, which are occupied by Google Adwords ads. Google Adwords is Google’s primary advertising platform that allows users to market their businesses in front of a highly-targeted audience based on keyword search. With the relevant Adwords knowledge, you can reach hundreds of potential new patients every day.
- Customer reviews: When it comes to attracting new patients for your dental practice, you are as good as your online reviews. Regardless of how fancy your office is or how modern your equipment, if your competitor has better online reviews, he or she will be more successful in attracting new patients. Online reviews are one of the important factors potential patients consider before scheduling an appointment or choosing to visit a local doctor. If your practice is getting a handful of five-star reviews from happy patients, you will soon become the most trusted dentist in your area.
- Responsive website: In 2017, your potential patients expect your practice website to load quickly and display flawlessly regardless of the user’s browser, device or operating system. If you do not have a responsive website yet, you must do something to improve the speed and performance of your website. This is because website speed and user-friendliness are a significant part of the ranking algorithm of popular search engines. If your website is not patient-friendly, potential new patients will simply go somewhere else.
- Social media presence: There is a huge opportunity to grow your dental practice with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. However, it is important to have an active and engaging presence. It is important to have someone monitor your social media profiles for negative reviews. Even the best doctors get an occasional negative review online. While it is possible to prevent or minimize negative reviews with outstanding patient care, the way you handle negative reviews will tell your potential patients that you are taking their concerns seriously.
- Online directories: In order to show up in local searches for your area, it is important to get your dental practice listed in online directories. Online directories can improve the health of your dental practice. Joining an online directory can take your practice to the next level. The majority of potential patients will find your dental practice through online directories such as Vitals and HealthGrades. The primary feature in an online directory is a profile page where information about your practice, such as name, contact information and a link to your practice, is displayed. This profile page appears in the newsfeed and other pages throughout the directory’s website. The more places your practice link appears, the greater the chances a potential patient will contact you.
These online dental marketing strategies will not only help you expand your customer base but will also help you get the word out on your dental practice. These strategies will help you maintain a positive relationship with your patients and ensure sustained growth of your dental practice. Make sure you consider the evolution of the Internet, social media and SEO tactics as you plan an online marketing strategy for your dental practice.