Here at iNA, we are starting a new series of blog posts dedicated to best marketing practices for specific industries that some of our clients and readers operate in. As always, these articles are written by INA staff members. In this case, we’ve specifically asked a writer who has expertise in the dental industry to write this article. To all the dentists out there, we hope you enjoy these top 5 foolproof dental marketing strategies to attract more patients this year!
Top 5 Dental Marketing Strategies To Try This Year
On average, a solo dental practice requires more than 20 new patients every month (at the lowest) for it to grow and succeed. However, the problem is that traditional dental marketing practices will not get you this figure. We are living in a period where more than 90% of customers go on the web to find a local service. And since most potential customers are not searching for a dentist via traditional media (TV, radio, newspaper, etc.), you will need to embrace a new set of marketing practices. If you are looking for marketing best practices, Here are a few of our recommended best practices:
1. Personalize Your Content By Considering Unique Patient Experiences
More than half of all your potential patients depend on online content to look for a new dental care provider. Besides, nearly half of new patients want to go over more than five online reviews about a dental practice before booking an appointment. Online content is the lifeblood of most dental care marketing campaigns. However, as dental practice marketing matures, so will the nature of your material. An essential aspect of creating content which connects with prospective and already existing clients is personalization, which implies tailoring content to meet the needs of your patients.
In fact, statistics show that more than 90 percent of marketers believe that personalizing content is vital to the current as well as the future success of your dental practice. Besides, personalized content achieves more than 40 percent better results than content that is not personalized.
For proper marketing, you can start by targeting the most straightforward information in your database – phones, emails, and names. A majority of website visitors will give this information to you in exchange for highly-valuable content like a dental eBook. Once you assess this data, you could begin lead-nurturing campaigns by giving your prospects access to more in-depth content with more information to be exchanged.
2. Search Engine Optimization Coupled With Content Conversion
Very few dental practices would talk about marketing without holding a conversation about search engine optimization. These functions go hand in glove. According to the marketing experts, search engine optimization techniques and content have now become integrated and are merging into one feature. The marriage of SEO and content impacts these performance metrics: traffic, engagement, and conversion.
So what makes search engine optimization a marketing best practice for dental practices? To begin with a remarkable statistic, close to 52% of digital marketers understand that confidence in search engine optimization techniques is vital for the long-term success of your content marketing efforts. Besides, organic search has been found to drive more than half of the total content consumption.
To leverage search engine optimization as a marketing best practice, pay attention to metrics that track how your potential patients engage with the content you post. This way you can identify what generates user interests and results in leads that take the next steps towards becoming a dental patient. You should also look at how your patients engage with the various types of content in different channels and at the various stages of their customer / patient journey.
3. Marketing On Social Media
In the years to come, most healthcare professionals are expected to spend a lot of time on social networks, and this will result in an increase in social media budgets. A crucial aspect for the success of the anticipated expansion is understanding the patients’ reasoning. For example, most patients want insightful interactions and consistent brand messaging anytime they wish to schedule an appointment.
There are several ways through which dental practices can leverage social media marketing and they include asking their existing patients about their experience interacting with the brand on social media, determining the networks best for your dental practice and spend a lot of time creating a strong social media presence there, and reducing the time you spend on social media networks that do not deliver brand awareness and lead generation.
4. Mobile-Friendly Marketing
In the year 2017, more than 50% of smartphone owners were found to browse dental care related information on their handsets. So when your prospective patients are wondering where they should go for help when they have a toothache or their next teeth whitening, can you ensure they will enjoy a comfortable experience? Google offers a free tool that helps you assess the mobile-friendliness of your website. If you evaluate your dental practice site and are not satisfied with the results, you should consult a web developer to have your website upgraded to a more mobile-friendly version. It is essential to bear in mind that mobile-responsive websites can result in significant boosts in your search engine rankings, which will go a long way in bettering your marketing efforts. You need to optimize your website for mobile otherwise you will continue hurting the experience of your mobile viewers, which could cause them to seek alternative dental practices that have a good browsing experience.
5. Appointment Reminders
It’s important to note that it is not always about attracting new patients. Maintaining a good relationship with your current patients also matters a lot. Sending appointment reminders to your patients or reminders to schedule appointments is an excellent re-engagement method and well-known method to encourage patients to make it to appointments. Appointment reminders could come in form of phone calls, emails, texts, and postcards.
The best marketing practice for dentists includes a well-rounded, diverse set of activities that enable dentists to build a strong reputation, make it easy to find and make appointments, and encourage customers to attend their appointments and keep coming back.