Dental offices, like most other small business across America, are facing new challenges in today’s tech-savvy marketplace. Patients are no longer looking for their dentist through word of mouth referrals or because it is the closest office to their home. Today’s patients take a consumer-based approach to choosing their dentist just like they do with other major buying decisions like buying a car or choosing a babysitter.
Dentists who run their own practices are great at their craft, but most have very little knowledge about marketing. A dental practice that has little to no knowledge of marketing will face many challenges like these:
- There’s just more dentists out there - There are 6 times as many dentists today than there were 60 years ago. Meanwhile, the US population only went up two times between 1950 and 2010.
- Patients read more information about their dentists before inquiring - There is a lot more information on the internet about dentists than before. Today, dentists can be reviewed on social media sites like Facebook, Yelp, and Google reviews. A dental practice is at a position of weakness if it can’t moderate or have control of its social media presence.
- Prices are dropping - Many, if not most dental procedures are paid with health insurance proceeds. But when patients are about to undergo major procedures, they are going to shop around. With many more dental practices around today than before, you will also compete against others on price. Furthermore, some people are traveling abroad to get dental work done.
- Digital Marketing ROI can take time to recoup - Over 93% of all marketers say that they find it difficult to deliver a measurable ROI. For example, you could invest money into SEO for your website. But it will take several months before you start seeing a noticeable increase in your search results and web traffic. Many dental practices are hesitant to invest in something that does not have quick results.
Using the below infographic, you will learn how to get caught up with the essentials needed to market your practice and build your patient base. This guide includes:
- Writing a marketing plan - Before you start anything, it’s important to outline what your practice does, who you will target, and what sets you apart from your competition.
- Website development - Many practices, including yours, may have a website. But it’s also important to have it optimized for mobile traffic and with landing pages to convert your visitors to leads. You also will learn the importance of keeping track of your data.
- Use content to attract your future patients - When you write engaging blog posts or post informative videos about your practice, you become a thought leader within your field. Also, your future patients will be intrigued about what you have to offer them.
- Developing and Nurturing your Email Lists - Email still has the highest ROI of all marketing forms. When you send informative updates about your practice and some of your newest content pieces, your patients will engage with your communications more than if you send “random blasts.”
- And much more.
Source: 99MediaLab.com.
