Marketing. Every dentist’s favorite word. Not really, but it should be something that you do in order to attract new patients and help retain your current ones. Dental practice marketing used to be easy. Years ago, dentists didn’t have to spend much to attract patients. They usually expanded their practice simply by having a sign out front. Unfortunately, there is a lot more competition these days, and marketing practice involves strategy. You may not realize it, but digital marketing through a well-designed and regularly maintained website to intentional social media posts and interaction is the go-to marketing strategy today. If your practice is underutilizing digital marketing, it could get left behind, or it may not grow as fast as you hoped it would.
Establishing or maintaining your digital presence involves lots of moving parts. You not only need a quality-built website, but it needs to be optimized to help achieve a better Google ranking on search results. This can be achieved through regularly updating your website content with quality and informative information. The website also needs to be accessible, according to the ADA standards and needs to be mobile friendly since most people use their smartphones for internet browsing, not just their desktops or laptops.
Your practice also needs Google Maps ranking via a Google Business Profile. This is a whole other component of your digital marketing that a lot of practices fail to consider. Without this optimization, you could be missing out on a lot of potential new patients and revenue. Most patients search Google for specific businesses or services that are close to where they live or work. Improving your Google Maps ranking could help you attract more patients in your area.
Social media is another essential component of online marketing. But just having a Facebook or Instagram page isn’t going to send patients flocking to your doorstep. It takes time to build a following on social media. And to get there, you must provide relative content and interact with your audience. This means posting content that your viewers actually care about, not just using the platforms as a means of selling products and services. You’ll quickly lose followers if you post advertisements every day. Your posts must be intentional and informative and have some fun with them. Show the world what your practice is like. What your team members are like. Show your team partaking in training, have some fun celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, or celebrate holidays and national observances. Document these special events and share them on social media.
These are just several ways to improve your digital marketing, but it doesn’t happen overnight. Results from digital marketing can take months or even a year or more to achieve, which is why the sooner you get started, the better. And your results will be better when you hire a professional dental practice marketing team like Bryant Consultants. Find out what we can do for you by calling (877) 768-4799 and schedule a complimentary consultation.
Want to learn more about digital marketing? Stay tuned for our upcoming blog, where we share some marketing strategies for dental practices.
