Dentists used to be able to live off of word of mouth recommendations and referrals through friends. However, in today’s technologically driven world where people often seek advice through the internet or social media, those traditional methods are no longer as valuable as they once were. Instead, it takes a heavy dose of online efforts that will help your dental business grow. And one of the best parts is the fact that all it takes is a few new customers to spread the word of your business, which can have tremendous results. Here is a look at 7 dental website marketing tricks to get 20+ new dental patients. You can implement these tricks into your own online presence, and starting gaining customers quicker than ever before.
1. Reliable and Convertible Website
Any marketing approach requires a strong foundation to get started. Before you begin even considering some of the other tips on this list, you need to have a reliable website where your traffic will be driven to. It’s amazing to think, but many dentist offices out there still do not have a website. But with the way that customers are continually flocking to the internet in order to get information, not having a website is like not being listed in the Yellow Pages just a decade or so ago. Building a high converting website that traffic can go to in order to get more information and find out about your dental office is the fundamental way to start building online traffic and getting new patients.
Here’s an example of one of our clients with a great high converting site:
2. SEO
After you have your website built and running, you get the chance to start expanding and spreading out. SEO, or search engine optimization, is what people come across when they type in a line of words into a search engine like Google or Yahoo. More often than not, people who use search engines look directly at the first page to get the information they want, hence why it is vital to assure that your dental office ranks on that first page, and as high up on that page as possible. In order to get ranked highly with SEO, you need to have a website that is optimized with keywords that are found when someone is looking on a search engine. Be sure to avoid having less quality content being returned to your site, as this will actually do more harm than good. Instead, have a reliable and trustworthy site full of SEO keywords and you will notice more traffic coming to your website than ever before.
3. Local SEO
While SEO runs the internet when people sit down at their computer and search on Google, local SEO is expanding rapidly with the use of mobile devices. Through their smartphone or tablet, geotagging allows users to find information that is relevant to them within a distance or parameter. It’s likely that there are going to be plenty of other dental offices in your area, but you want to make sure that you are on top of those search rankings. Local SEO is growing and this could be one of the most vital tools to implement with your office.
4. Adwords
Adwords is a great way to capitalize on the powerful beast that is Google. Far and above other search engines, Google is one of the most popular websites in the world. What Adwords does is that it helps business like yours convert more traffic to your homepage. With Adwords, it’s a numbers game. If you can increase the amount of people that are going to your site, then you increase the likelihood that people are going to be signing up and becoming new customers.
This image explains the difference of each:
5. Social Media
Social media is growing to become one of the most influential pieces of every day life. People are always updating their statuses, taking photos, and sharing content to their hundreds of friends. But while individuals use social media sites like Facebook to do all this, your dental business can maximize on it with other ways. First of all, all of those things that was mentioned – statuses, photos, etc.- are things that can include your information and spread your name. For example, imagine someone getting their teeth cleaned and the take a selfie of themselves during the process. Now everyone on their friends list gets to see how clean your office looks, and you didn’t even have to use advertising. However, Facebook Ads increases your social media presence even further. Facebook Ads allows you to specifically target audiences that may be interested in your dental office. These are targeted, specific and detailed, so you won’t be wasting your efforts by marketing to those who aren’t interested.
6. Customer Feedback
People love to hear what others think about your product or service. On your website you should considering making a place for customers to leave testimonials. This means that when you get traffic to your website, they can automatically see what others are saying about your office and how you treat customers. However, also consider what testimonials on sites like Yelp! can do for your reputation as well. You want to assure that wherever someone might come across a testimonial of your dental office, they are going to like what they see.
7. Competition
What is better than winning something? Some people will argue that it’s nothing. These competitive people love winning, getting free stuff or simply being rewarded with the satisfaction of being highlighted or promoted. Therefore, you can use your website and online presence to have a competition. For example, start a competition that gives away a free teeth cleaning or exam for whoever shares your page the most times on Facebook. Social media certainly doesn’t have to be your only outlet, but it can certainly be a prime market for you to increase traffic by getting the competitive juices flowing in your customers.
Getting new customers is what will keep your dental business alive. And while word of mouth may not hold the value that it once did, the word of the Internet is truly where the marketing emphasis currently is. Be sure to consider these seven dental website marketing tricks to get 20+ new dental patients and increase your reach to customers and clients.
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