A growing number of people are using the internet and social media to choose their dentist today. This is why it’s critical to maintain a great online presence, especially if you want to grow. Through online marketing you can make your brand more visible, show that you offer high-quality care, and bring in an influx of new patients. These are only a few of the reasons why you need a website and social media profiles that are both active and attractive. Many other reasons also exist.
Patients are Digital
There are about 20 million people (75% of Internet users) who habitually check Facebook daily. Another 200,000 people search dental related terms on Google monthly. This is proof that patients aren’t only digital, they’re comparing their options before choosing a dentist. Things like proximity, convenience, monetary value, and experience now matter more than ever.
Quick Responses are in High Demand
Now that patients are more digitalized, they demand quick answers. Potential patients are turning to your social media profiles for these answers and finding out what others are saying about you too. Beware that your patients can easily leave you reviews at places like Google and Facebook that you should reply to (carefully) since they’ll also influence other people. The number of 5 star reviews you have may be what pushes someone towards or away from your practice.
The Right Geographic Location is Vital
Regardless of how good you are or what modern facilities you offer, if you’re not in the right geographic location, people may choose to visit your competition instead. This is why it’s so important to include this information in your online marketing. While most practices get most of their first-time patients from “word of mouth,” you don’t want to miss out on the growing number of people who are looking for dentists online.
Besides your contact information make sure you also include how long you’ve been in practice, pictures of your practice, what techniques and treatments you specialize in, and links to your social media profiles. All these things will help increase your trustworthiness.
Maximized Visibility Increases Your Number of Patients
High-quality online marketing ultimately makes your practice more visible, resulting in more patients. This is why you need a good position in Google’s SERPs or in your social media networks. A combination of both works best though. While you’re at it, don’t forget to run some ads through Google Adwords and Facebook too.
Maintaining Contact with Patients Increases Their Visits
Loyalty and routine visits are built by maintaining contact with your patients when they’re not in your office. This is something most clinics overlook and it’s detrimental to them. Receiving paper mail is annoying because it looks like advertising, which is counterproductive. Patients who trust you and are between the ages of 18 – 40 want to see you on social media, hear from you through email newsletters, be updated on major developments through SMS, and even use your apps if they’re worthwhile. These types of online marketing help you build a community around your dental clinic so when your patient return for a visit or find themselves in need of some advice they have no question who to turn to. They instinctively think of you and reach out to you for these things.
Putting Everything You’ve Learned into Action
When all this seems like too much, you may want to hire someone to help you. This is when you’ll want to reach out to the Affordable Dental SEO Company. With many years of experience and many highly satisfied clients, you can’t go wrong putting them to work on your dental office’s online marketing for you.