Modern day marketing techniques are rapidly becoming more digitalized. If you don’t have a robust online marketing strategy your business is falling behind. For decades, dental and orthodontics practices didn’t have to market themselves. Now, not only do they have to market themselves, they have to figure out the online landscape.
Figuring out an online marketing strategy may seem overwhelming, but honestly there’s a lot of smoke and mirrors, and it’s really not that complicated. Read on for an overview of how it all works.
Social Media for Online Marketing
Utilizing social media, with platforms like Facebook and Twitter, allows you to stay connected to your patient base. Posting things on social media keeps your presence in the forefront of your patients’ minds. A consistent reminder of your presence will drive your existing patients to refer their friends and family to your practice.
It is most effective to use fun and engaging posts for your social media platforms. You want to draw the readers’ attention to your practice, as well as the services you offer. Be specific! For example, if you offer Invisalign aligners, post photos or articles of working professionals, or happy teenagers wearing Invisalign aligners. You want to reach your target audience in a way that they will remember you, and be drawn to your practice.
Take some time to get to know your clientele, and where they might spend their time on social media. If you use Facebook as a platform, you’ll want to post about 20 times a month. You want each post to be unique and engaging. Remember, we have short attention spans. When scrolling through social media we tend to keep moving until something catches our eye, so choose content that is eye-catching!
Online Reviews as a Marketing Tool
Online reviews are one of the most critical aspects of your online reputation. And the best part of it is that it’s absolutely free! All you have to do is ask your patients for them. If you feel hesitant to do so, don’t! People enjoy being able to help others out. It won’t take much of their time, they’re usually happy to do it, and it is free advertising for you!
If you don’t ask your patients for their reviews, you probably won’t get any-except for the bad ones. And the best way to combat a bad online review is to bury it in good ones.
Yelp and Google are the best platforms for online reviews. Yelp can be a little trickier since people have to review regularly for their reviews to post. Google is a little easier for both the patients to post, and for the people in search of a dentist to find.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
If you go the route of paid advertisements, Facebook is your best bet. Their advertising practices are more affordable, and the ads are better targeted towards your particular audience.
Google Ads are considerably more expensive, but they are easily tracked and you can see a return on your investment very easily. It is critical to have someone manage this for you or you can waste a lot of money.
Your online presence matters. It’s imperative that your website is up-to-date and easily navigated. Make sure that all of your social media sites are linked to your website, and that everything on your page comes together and flows naturally. Your website is your best opportunity to present your prospective patients with a clear, homogenized, positive online view of your business.
All of your current and future patients are checking out your online presence, use that to your advantage!
If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, we are here to help. We are passionate about assisting our clients at developing and maintaining a stellar online presence that will make their practice thrive. Let us help you!