Effective Dental Marketing: Promoting Your Practice Online

Dental marketing is how you attract patients to your dental practice and keep them. Most of it happens online now, through your website, your Google listing and the places people talk about you. Done well, it can grow your practice and your revenue and set you apart from the office down the street.

So how do you build a dental marketing strategy that works, and which tools should you use? Here are seven things we'd do.

Create and Optimize Your Website

Your website is the base of your online marketing. It's the first impression potential patients get of your practice, and where they go to find your services, location, hours, team and testimonials. So make sure it is:

1. Professional: Show the quality of your practice with a clean, modern design, clear writing, and high-resolution images and videos. Fix clutter, typos, broken links and outdated information.

2. User-friendly: Make it easy to navigate, fast to load, and responsive to different devices and screen sizes. Organize your content with headings, bullet points, menus and buttons. Provide a search function, a contact form, a map and a call-to-action on every page.

3. SEO-friendly: Optimize it so it can rank higher on Google and other platforms. Use relevant keywords, meta tags, headings, alt text and internal links to tell search engines what your website is about. Create a sitemap, a robots.txt file and a Google Analytics account to monitor your traffic and performance.

Set Up Your Google My Business Page

Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that lets you create a listing for your dental practice on Google. The listing shows your name, address, phone number, website, hours, reviews, photos and more, and helps you show up on Google Maps, Google Search and Google Ads.

To set up your GMB page:

• Create a Google account using your Gmail address.
• Go to Google My Business and click on “Manage now”.
• Enter your business name and category (dentist or dental clinic).
• Verify your location by entering your address or choosing it on the map.
• Choose how you want to verify your business (by phone, email, postcard, or video call).
• Complete your profile by adding more details about your practice (services offered, payment methods accepted, etc.).
• Add photos and videos of your practice (interior, exterior, team members, before-and-after cases, etc.).
• Encourage your patients to leave reviews on your GMB page and respond to them politely.

Grow Your Presence on Social Media

Social media connects you with existing and potential patients. You can show your personality, share useful content, build trust and generate referrals. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok and Pinterest each reach different audiences.

Choose the platforms that suit your practice best, and use the same logo, colors, fonts, tone and style on all of them. Post regularly (at least once or twice a week) and at times when your audience is most active online.

Introduce Video Marketing

Video can increase your visibility, your credibility and your conversions. According to HubSpot, 87% of video marketers reported that video increased traffic to their website; 80% said video increased dwell time; 83% said video helped them generate leads; and 80% said video increased sales.

Choose the type of video that fits your goals, audience and message. Plan it, record and edit it, then publish and promote it. Upload it to your website, social media, YouTube or other platforms; use keywords, tags, captions and thumbnails; and share it with your email list, blog readers or partners.

Use Email Marketing

Email is an inexpensive, personal way to stay in touch with patients. It can help with retention, loyalty, referrals and revenue. According to Campaign Monitor, for every $1 spent on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42.

Ask patients for their email address when they book an appointment, visit your website or fill out a form, and offer them an incentive, such as a discount, a free consultation or a useful resource.

Use an email marketing tool, such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact or AWeber. Design attractive, responsive templates, write catchy subject lines, include clear calls-to-action, and personalize your emails with the recipient's name, location or other details.

Showcase Your Reviews and Testimonials

Reviews and testimonials can sway a potential patient's decision and help you build trust and reputation. According to BrightLocal, 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020; 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations; 73% of consumers only pay attention to reviews written in the last month.

To show off your reviews and testimonials:

Ask your happy patients for them (send an email or a text message after their visit, offer an incentive or a reward, and make it easy with links or QR codes).

Display them on your website (use widgets or plugins to embed them from platforms such as Google My Business, Facebook, Yelp or Trustpilot; use star ratings, photos, videos or quotes; and add a review page or a testimonial section).

Share them on social media (post them on your profiles or stories, tag or mention the reviewers, thank them, and encourage others to share their experiences).

Respond to them (thank the positive ones, apologize and resolve the negative ones, and stay professional).

Offer Online Booking

Online booking saves your front desk time and makes it easy for patients to get on your schedule. It can reduce no-shows, increase bookings and improve patient satisfaction. According to GetApp, 70% of consumers prefer online scheduling over phone calls or emails; 40% of appointments are booked outside of business hours; 36% of appointments are booked within one hour of searching.

Conclusion:

Start with your website and your Google listing, since patients will check those first, and add the rest as you have time. Together these will help you promote your practice online.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q 1: How long does it take to see results from online marketing for my dental practice?

Results can vary, but you can expect to see noticeable improvements in a few months, with continued growth over time.

Q 2: What are the essential elements of a dental practice website?

A professional design, user-friendly navigation, informative content and clear contact information.

Q 3: How can I encourage patients to leave positive online reviews for my practice?

Provide exceptional service, ask satisfied patients for reviews, and make reviewing simple.

Q 4: Is social media marketing necessary for a dental practice?

Yes, it helps you connect with your audience, show your expertise and build a loyal patient community.

Q 5: What analytics should I monitor to assess the success of my online marketing efforts?

Website traffic, conversion rates and the performance of online advertising campaigns.

 

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and may not reflect the views of the company.