Microsites: Your Showcase

November 1, 2019
Dental marketing, internet dental marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

Your dental practice website offers a lot: everything from a detailed list of your available procedures to patient forms to biographical information on you and your dedicated staff. And let’s not forget the smile gallery, and contact information!

Happy senior citizen having a casual small talk with the friendly doctor

It is, in short, packed with content. You don’t want anything to get overlooked, especially your most important services. What to do? You can attach a microsite to your main site, and prominently feature those services.

A microsite is a sub-site to your main website, and it focuses on a single topic. The entire microsite is built around it – dental implants, for example. The microsite has its own URL, its own content, and its own interfaces.

Benefits

You might think: why would I want something like that?

A microsite showcases one of your specialties – the aforementioned dental implants, or maybe teeth whitening. These two examples are among the most in-demand cosmetic dentistry procedures. It might also feature a specialty, such as endodontics.

By focusing on one service or specialty, you are able to improve your search engine optimization results. People search for these terms, so they’ll find you faster and easier.

With a more focused presentation, your practice will rank higher in search results. Your would-be patients will get a clear and concise of what you have to offer.

Marketing your practice is not easy, but there is professional help. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices. We use the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Benefits to Bad Online Reviews?

October 14, 2019
Dental marketing, internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Online Reviews

The vast majority of people use online review sites when they’re looking for a new dentist, so it follows that the reviews they find carry a lot of weight. You might think  that positive reviews and five-star ratings are critical, and you wouldn’t be wrong. But you wouldn’te be entirely right, either.

Happy senior citizen having a casual small talk with the friendly doctor

Yes, when people go to Yelp, Google My Business, and similar review sites, they read the positive things your patients have to say. But they’re probably looking for negative reviews, too. Believe it or not, there are benefits to bad reviews.

Don’t Freak Out

If someone is checking you out online but doesn’t find any bad reviews in your profiles, it can be a real red flag. They are likely to wonder if all those good reviews genuine. We all know you can’t please everybody, and seeing a few bad reviews among the good ones presents a realistic overview.

It should be needless to say that you want good reviews to outweigh the bad ones. But a few bad reviews among the mostly favorable present a realistic, well-rounded image.

To put it another way: don’t freak out if you get a few negative online reviews!

Responding

It’s always tempting to respond to a negative review by telling the writer just how wrong he or she is. Do your best to avoid a shoot-from-the-hip response.

People actually like it when they see a reasoned response to a bad review: one that acknowledges the feedback and shows a desire to improve. A calm and thoughtful reply not only shows respect for the writer, it demonstrates your integrity.

None of this is easy, but you don’t have to go it alone. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices. We use the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Still A Force: Your Dental Blog

July 15, 2019
Blogs, Dental marketing, internet dental marketing, Social Media

Commercial websites, like those for dental practices, have used blogs as a marketing tool for years: raising their profiles and getting online visibility. But some trend-watchers say the days of the blog are numbered, as people’s love of social media keeps growing.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

First, though, a sobering thought: there are more blogs out there than anyone could possibly count. Of course, they’ve tried. By one estimate there are 500 million blogs spread out over 1.6 billion (with a B) websites. Every day there are about two million new posts. (Glad you found this one!)

That’s a lot of stuff to read.

Your Corner of the Web

The majority of these millions of blogs, of course, are niche – like dental blogs. There is a ready market for them, too, because the number of people online is steadily growing.

Studies show that blogging as effective as ever. But you have to be smart about it; you have to offer your readers something of value. You should use your blog to answer their questions.

For dentists, a good example of this is dental implants. The market for dental implants in the United States is expected to reach $6.5 billion (again with a B!) over the next five years. You can bet there will be a lot of patients, and potential patients, asking questions about them. Take your answers to your dental website blog.

Other things to keep in mind:

  • smartphone_01Make your site mobile-ready! Your audience is everywhere. As we’ve reported elsewhere on this blog, the move toward mobile devices is probably unstoppable.
  • Blog content can co-exist with social media. If there’s a hot issue on social media, your blog is the place to really expand on it. Likewise, blog content can be itemized on different social channels.
  • Offer unique blog content. Share your dental expertise; answer your patients’ questions.
  • Try short-form content. Be concise. No need for exhaustive detail on every subject. (And yes, we’re trying to keep this post short!) Long-form posts, though, still have their place.
  • Plenty of visual content. Not just pictures, but  video and infographics. They’re all attention-grabbing.

Does any of this sound overwhelming? It doesn’t need to be.

ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices. We use all of the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Stand Out from the Crowd: Market Your Practice

June 17, 2019
Dental marketing

There are more than 200,000 dentists currently practicing in the United States, which averages out to about sixty dentists for every 100,000 people. Not only that, more dentists open new practices each year than retire.

Happy senior citizen having a casual small talk with the friendly doctor

So there is no shortage of dentists in the U.S., and that’s good for patients. But how does your dental practice stand out in the crowd?

The answer, in a word, is marketing. Marketing your dental practice is the most effective way for you to bring new patients into your office, especially if it’s a new practice, and it has never been more important.

How do you know the best way to get your name, and your practice name, before the public? It’s a huge task. Some of the issues you’ll need to consider are:

  • Branding
  • Website development
  • Advertising
  • Digital v. print
  • Referral techniques

As you begin to figure out how to market your practice there are some things you need to consider, such as the strengths and weaknesses of your practice.

  • Strengths. What is it that sets you apart from other practices? Is it particualr services you offer, or areas of specialty? Your background and experience? Your office hours?
  • Weaknesses. No practice is perfect, and it’s important to recognize any obstacles that may stand in your way. Have you had a lot of bad online reviews from disgruntled patients?

It’s also important to identify your target audience. Researchers tell us that women make, by far, most of a household’s dental decisions – more than ninety percent. Furthermore, they don’t make these decisions hastily. There is a lot of research involved, and plenty of dental practices to choose from.

With that in mind, you’ll need to give some thought to how you present yourself: everything from your logo to the appearance of your website. Things things and more combine to produce the image of your practice.

If it seems overwhelming, rest assured you don’t need to go it alone. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm that specializes in dental practices. We use all of the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Market Your Dental Practice

June 3, 2019
Dental marketing, internet dental marketing

For your dental practice to thrive, you need to get its name out there where the public can see it. That is how new patients find you. In the digital age, marketing your practice means using the Internet.

How do you go about doing that? There is no one right way; in fact, there are a number of strategies available to you. Combining several of them is likely to be the most effective approach.

Have a strong and well-designed website. In this day and age, a website is a given. But is it a good one? A good website does more than list your services and contact information.

  • It must be well-organized for easy navigation.
  • It must be thorough, so visitors find what they’re looking for.
  • It should offer value, like an informative blog.

Use social media. This is a highly effective way of reaching potential patient, and current patients.

  • Your practice name is out there, year-round.
  • You can provide updated information.
  • You’re able to collect al-important patient reviews.

Concentrate on Local SEO. SEO is search engine optimization, and localizing it is effective in drawing in new patients.

  • Local search terms target your audience.
  • It works in voice search (i.e. Siri or Alexa)

Rest assured, these ideas are just the tip of the iceberg. Not sure where, or even how, to begin?

ProspectaMarketing is an Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices. We use all of the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Your Dental Practice and Local Listings

May 15, 2019
Dental marketing, internet dental marketing, Internet Marketing, Online Reviews

When you visit any online review site you’ll find reviews for every type of business, from plumbers to dry cleaners.

You’ll find lots of dentists and doctors, too. Health care providers are among the most-reviewed businesses on the Internet.

Online reviews relate directly to the success of a practice, because most patients or would-be patients decide whether to try one based on the reviews they find. A practice with lots of good reviews will always be the first choice. Studies have shown, time and again, that most people give as much weight to online reviews as they do to personal recommendations.

The reviews your practice gets, and that includes any star ratings, affect your website’s click-through rate (CTR). Click-through-rate is a measure of how many people click on the link to your website when it comes up in search results. More people visiting your site  means more of them becoming your patients.

Good reviews and multiple stars equal high CTRs. Research has shown that businesses that improve their star ratings get a big boost in clicks – up to twenty-five percent more when they go from three-star to five-star ratings.

Another study compared the reviews and star ratings for dental practices during periods when they were not using reputation management, against periods when they were. Positive reviews and overall star ratings increased significantly during the time that practices used reputation management.

Manage Your Reputation

A critical step in managing your practice’s online reputation is establishing an account on online review sites and local online directories. This is known as a local business listing.

A local business listing is how potential patients in your area find you. Among other things it includes the physical address of your practice, a phone number, and its location on a map.

There are certain healthcare-specific review sites where your practice must be listed, such as Vitals and HealthGrades. Other important sites include Google My Business and Yelp.

Professional guidance will always get you the best results. ProspectaMarketing is an Internet marketing firm that specializes in helping dental practices reach their audience. We use all of the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Texting: An Ideal Communication

March 15, 2019
Dental marketing, internet dental marketing

We still call them smart phones, but they have become much more than a mobile telephone. In fact, text messaging has emerged as the most popular form of communications – not just among teenagers, but all Americans. If your dental practice isn’t using text messaging to communicate with your patients, you’re not taking advantage of cost-effective technology.

Texting is a highly efficient way to communicate with your patients. At your end, there are texting apps that run from a laptop or desktop computer. It’s a simple way to make things a little easier on everyone involved.

One of the best uses of texting in dentistry is an appointment reminder. It’s an uncomplicated strategy: send a patient a brief text reminding him or her of an upcoming appointment – when it’s, say, one week away. Request a reply: the letter Y for Yes, confirming the appointment, or N for No, indicating a need to reschedule.

Simple and effective, right?

Alternately, you might text a patient to say you have an earlier slot on the same day of a scheduled appointment. “Would you like to move your appointment to 2:30?” you might ask. Once again, request a Y or N reply.

When it comes to text messages and your practice, though, there is one catch: be sure to get the consent of your patients before adding them to your text list. Legally speaking you don’t need permission to text something like an appointment reminder, but you do need it before texting marketing or billing messages.

It’s a good idea to keep texting etiquette in mind, too. End any exchanges with a polite thank-you. And send your text messages during normal business hours. Who wants to get a reminder of a dentist appointment at 10pm?

ProspectaMarketing is an Internet marketing firm that specializes in helping dental practices reach their audience. We use the tools of Internet search marketing to reach key prospects looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Your Dental Website = Online Presence

March 1, 2019
Dental marketing, internet dental marketing

Not so long ago, business websites weren’t much more than electronic pamphlets that listed contact information, the goods or services a place had to offer, maybe a picture or two – and not much more.

That all changed in the early 2000s, with the advent of Web 2.0. The Internet became more dynamic; website design could seamlessly integrate audio and video along with text. Sites became more visually exciting, and – perhaps above all – placed a greater emphasis on the user experience.

But the web has continued to evolve, and today many small businesses, including some dental practices, wonder whether they even need a website anymore. This is largely due to the influence of Google. Search results today include its Knowledge Panel: those boxes on the right side of results pages that include a business’s address and phone number, operating hours, and other basic information.

Some have gone so far as to call Google the new home page for small businesses.

We heartily disagree: you still need a website for your dental practice. Google’s Knowledge Panel can be useful, but there is a complete lack of content that is relevant to your practice and to your patients. And you need to have good online content.

Your dental practice website remains the center of your online presence. In most cases it is the first impression that potential patients get of what you have to offer, and the place where you set yourself apart from every other dentist in town.

Equally important: the more site visitors you get (what is called traffic) the higher you’ll rank in search engine results, which in turn means more patients.

Your website is also your most important tool for networking with other local businesses, which further establishes you online and in your community. As we discussed in a prevous blog post, your online reputation is critical to the success of your practice.

Relevant, fresh content is essential, and you must keep your dental practice website up to date. With search engine optimization, your site’s content is written and presened for maximum efficiency in localized search results. People who find and visit your site become interested in your services.

Modern websites are faster and better than ever. They are designed with the industry’s best practices, meaning your patients have a better online experience browsing the site and booking appointments. They are also less vulnerable to security breaches, so patients feel better requesting sensitive information.

ProspectaMarketing is an Internet marketing firm that specializes in helping dental practices reach their audience. We use the tools of Internet search marketing to reach key prospects looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Improving Your Online Reputation

February 15, 2019
Dental marketing, Internet Marketing

dentist-evaluate-smileThe vast majority of your dental patients and potential patients trust online reviews as much as they do a personal recommendation. Before any of these would-be patients call your office to schedule an appointment, chances are they’ll look on the Internet for reviews of your practice, and use what they find to assess your standing as a dental professional.

That means it’s essential to devote time to crafting your online reputation.

Positive Reviews

Research shows that forty-eight percent of consumers who find positive reviews of your practice will go on to visit your website. The more positive reviews and high ratings also translates to more patients.

The online reviews left by existing patients have a big impact on where your practice appears in local search results on Google. As we have described elsewhere on this blog, it’s important to have current positive reviews from your patients. How do you get them? As they leave your office you can ask patients if they had a positive experience, and whether they would mind sharing their views online. This has two advantages: it will help you get more positive reviews, and allow you to identify and address any negative experiences before they are written up in a negative review.

Social Media

A lot of your patients are already active on social media; the younger they are, the more likely it is. Some of them will probably follow you, and start asking questions. These may be specific questions about your practice or general questions about dentistry.

Don’t hesitate to respond to these questions. By answering them, you’ll humanize yourself and your practice. People will, in turn, trust you and relate to you more. It’s an excellent way to boost your online reputation and attract new patients.

Share Information

As a healthcare professional, you have a lot of valuable information at your fingertips. Sharing some of it online is an excellent way to win the trust of visitors to your website.

Share some of your knowledge on a blog attached to your practice website. You can write about anything from dental health issues and dental techniques, to your insights into the profession. You can become a go-to source for valuable information – something your site visitors need and can use. This too will raise your online reputation and win you new patients.

Drawing new patients to your practice is never easy, and it’s a never-ending process.  ProspectaMarketing is an Internet marketing firm that specializes in helping dental practices reach their audience. We use the tools of Internet search marketing to reach key prospects looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Attracting New Patients

February 1, 2019
Dental marketing, Internet Marketing

Everyone should see the dentist in order to maintain healthy teeth. Ideally, they’ll be in your office for a cleaning and checkup every six months. Yet nearly half of all Americans say they don’t see the dentist as often as they should.

That’s not a good way to approach dental health. But look at it another way: there is no shortage of potential new patients for your dental practice. What can you do to attract their attention? In this blog post we present three tips you can use to grow your patient base.

Mobile first
When people are looking for a new dentist they’re going to do their homework. Unless they’ve got a strong recommendation from a family member or friend (see below), that means turning to the Internet.

Most of us reach for our smartphones before our laptops when we’re looking for quick information. But websites are not created equal. Mobile first means your site is optimized for the small screen. Its content fits comfortably (and automatically) onto those smaller phone and tablet screens. Just as important, its content must be optimized with terms that attract the attention of the search engines.

Use Online Patient Reviews
Reviews written by actual patients carry a lot of weight with potential new patients. They’re the new word-of-mouth – probably more important than recommendations from friends and family. Asking your patients to write a review you can use on your website can give your online reputation a real boost.

How big a boost? Most of us read online reviews before deciding how and where we’ll spend our hard-earned dollars. According to one study eighty-two percent of adults read them at least occasionally, and forty percent rely on them most of the time.

One little hitch: people don’t always take the initiative. Don’t hestiate to ask them. You can do it via email as a follow-up to an appointment, for example. One word of caution, though: don’t offer anything in exchange for a review. It isn’t ethical, and it’s also against Google policy.

Take Advantage of Social Media
More than three-quarters of all Americans have some kind of social media presence, so it’s critical that this is part of your overall marketing strategy.

By using sites like Facebook or Twitter you can bringing your marketing message to a wide audience. These can, and should, include links back to your practice website, where visitors will find essential information like available services, location, and office hours. Bearing that in mind, make sure everything on it is updated regularly.

Attracting new patients to your dental practice is an ongoing battle – but the battle doesn’t have to be uphill. ProspectaMarketing is an Internet marketing firm that specializes in helping dental practices reach their audience. We use the tools of Internet search marketing to reach key prospects looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

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