INTERNET MARKETING FOR DENTISTRY: STRATEGIES TO BE AHEAD OF COMPETITORS
Many people think that health-related services require minimal investment in advertising. Neither advertising nor blogging can make anyone “need” medical services. We perceive medicine as a necessity. But health plays an important role in our lives. That is why medical services are popular.
Digital marketing provides an opportunity to be in touch with patients through search engines, social networks, such as dental instagram marketing, email and websites.
Due to fear, people try to postpone an appointment with a dentist. When the situation gets out of control, they start looking for a doctor. The search engine processes millions of requests per day. This number includes users who are looking for a dentist. They choose clinics that have made a good impression with a wide online presence. First, they find websites with an attractive design and interesting content. Then they read reviews about the clinic and doctors to check the reputation.
With the implementation of online marketing, your dental clinic can take responsibility for developing business on the Internet, making it easier for patients to choose your clinic among competitors.
We are ToptierPractice, a dental marketing company that believes dentists and dental teams should be able to focus entirely on what they do best – building genuine, lasting relationships with their patients.
We support practices by handling time-intensive dental marketing tasks, taking on the burden of creating a consistent patient inflow.
By doing so, patient interactions are elevated, and the practice is established as the premier office in the community.
OPTIMIZE YOUR WEBSITE
Search engine optimization will raise your website’s ranking. This increases the chances of selling dental services online. Examples of queries: “dentist near me”, “dental services”, “dental implantation”. This means that people are looking for a dentist near their home or work. With the help of SEO, you can become a leader in search results.
Start with a list of services that your dental clinic offers. List the main services. For example, caries treatment, professional whitening. Then move on to complex measures: surgical dentistry, implantology and others. Pass the information to an advertising specialist. The longer the queries, the more competitive they are.
Leave information about the clinic on the Google Maps platform. Describe your activities. Add photos, they will give an idea of the clinic and increase authority.
Backlinks are important for external SEO. However, do not try to outsmart search engines by buying them. This will only harm your promotion. Search engines see paid links. They can penalize the site. Usually, when you buy backlinks, they come from sites that Google does not trust . These sites do not have much weight compared to authoritative sources. Work with organic links, creating high-quality content.
CONNECT CONTEXTUAL ADVERTISING
The pay-per-click advertising model will help you attract patients from search engines faster. The advertising network allows you to place ads on service pages and partner sites. You can combine different formats: text (in search results), graphic (advertising banners), video (advertising videos up to 15 seconds on services).
More than 35% of people do not see the difference between advertisements and regular search results. Contextual advertising is built by researching and choosing the right keywords and setting up landing pages that are optimized to attract new patients.
This advertising model has several advantages. Paid advertising collects 85% of the traffic from the first page of search results. You only pay when users interact with your ads. Every penny you spend is counted.
You can set your own maximum daily budget. You can see the exact keywords, days, and even hours that lead to the most conversions. Knowing this, you can optimize your strategy. Your ads will be visible to potential patients. You will get a good return on investment. Once you have enough data, you can get rid of the less effective keywords and focus on the ones that make you money.
CREATE SOCIAL NETWORK ACCOUNTS
For decades, dentists relied solely on reputation to market their services. It’s 2024 and your entire audience is on social media. Dentists are in a different position than many other industries.
Clothing stores, software companies, restaurants convince people that their products and services are worth the price tag. Dentists don’t have to convince people. Their job is to help people overcome their fears and remind them to visit their dentist on time. At the end of the day, it all comes down to building trust.
Social media is a great way to build relationships with your audience. Make patients feel comfortable before they even meet you. Show your authority, your experience.
Let them know they’re in good hands. Remove the stigma associated with visiting the dentist. Use fun, lighthearted content.
Remember, you are not selling toothpaste and root canals, you are selling comfort, health, confidence, trust, a good impression. Social media helps you communicate with patients. Remind them that you care about people, not just teeth.
FOLLOW THE REVIEWS
72% of patients read reviews before meeting with a doctor. The main goal of a dental office is to get as many positive reviews as possible. To do this, invite satisfied patients to write about their positive experience. Place a form on your website to collect reviews. Register on popular review sites. Provide information about practicing doctors, their work schedule, prices for services.
Check third-party sites, most likely they already have a description of your clinic. Write to the developers to correct the data. Claim their rights to them. Identify negative reviews, contact dissatisfied patients and offer them a bonus for services.
Avoid mentioning details about medical care or the patient's personality when responding to reviews. Formulate your response in such a way that it demonstrates your sincere desire to interact with the patient and resolve any issues.
THINK ABOUT THE FUNCTIONALITY OF YOUR SITE
It is not enough to create a beautifully designed website. You need to make sure that all the texts are readable. Use the right font and size for them. And since you are dealing with dental issues, it is okay if you publish posts on scientific topics. However, do not overdo it with dental terms. Instead, write articles that explain things in simple language.
When developing a website design, do not forget about responsiveness. Up to 70% of traffic comes from mobile devices. Mobile users navigate dental issues faster. They are closer to making an appointment. Your website needs high page loading speed, easy navigation, links to social media profiles.
WHAT CAN DISTINGUISH YOUR SITE FROM YOUR COMPETITORS?
Content that helps patients follow good dental hygiene practices
Profiles of practicing dentists
Online schedule
Online Bill Payment Options
Prescription Renewal Online
Messaging capability
START A YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Consider creating a YouTube channel for your dental practice. You can use the platform to educate the masses about oral hygiene or discuss different dental professions to inspire future dentists. In addition to millions of subscribers, YouTube’s parent company is Google. This means that the platform has SEO benefits. Add keywords to the video tags and descriptions. Don’t forget to include links to your website. Additionally, include the full name and address of your dental practice.
GET STARTED WITH EMAIL MAILING
Appointment reminders reduce the chance of no-shows. Send automatic email reminders to everyone who books an appointment online. Place a “Subscribe to email newsletter” button on your website. This way, you will learn about users who have never been to an appointment but are planning to visit your office. Information about new offers and updates will certainly interest them.
Most likely, you have a list of patients who have not visited the dentist for a long time. Sending them a personal message or an advertising offer is an effective way to remind them about yourself. Immediately after the appointment, send an email asking for a review. This will help improve the quality of service.
CONCLUSION
Everyone needs a dentist, but dental clinics struggle to stand out from the competition. These ideas are relatively easy to implement. Take the time to plan your strategy and expand your client base today.