1Apr, 2020

Expanding Your Patient Base

April 1, 2020

Internet Marketing, Local Internet Marketing

Thanks to the Internet, it has never been easier for people to find the goods and services they need. That includes dental practices. In a matter of minutes, anyone can pick up their smartphone, find the dentists near their home, and then check the experiences their friends and neighbors have had with them.

shutterstock_1022954143_resized That means it’s more important than ever to be sure that each patient who settles into one of your chairs is satisfied with their experience. While the bottom line will likely be the care you provide, there are other factors in play.

Here are some things you might consider:

Establish A Unique Office

What makes your dental practice unique? Anything from a specialty like dental implants to the most advanced equipment available will set you apart. It tells your patients that you provide outstanding care.

Office culture is important, too. When there’s a happy and healthy office culture, your patients can pick up on it.

Easy Scheduling

A big part of a positive patient experience is scheduling an appointment. Many practices allow patients to schedule their own appointments online.

This can be an effective way to bring in new patients. If they can find you easily online and schedule an appointment without having to call your office, you’ve just increased your patient base.

Referrals

Patient referrals are one of the most effective forms of promoting your dental practice. Studies have shown that for most practices, nearly two-thirds of new patients come from referrals. Satisfied patients are usually happy to tell others about a great dentist.

Digital Marketing

This is critical to expanding your practice. Online channels are a powerful way to reach new patients who otherwise might not know you’re there.

ProspectaMarketing can provide the guidance you need to succeed. We are 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.

16Mar, 2020

Social Media and Dentistry

March 16, 2020

PM Blogger

internet dental marketing, Social Media

Chances are you are using social media in your dental practice, at least to some degree. Are you using it to its fullest potential? Not all dental practices do – and that amounts to wasted opportunity.

You may think of social media as a harmless diversion; a way to pass the time on interesting but not very important subjects. The reality is that people enjoy seeing off-topic posts from dentists. Social media can help you find new patients, and retain them for years to come.

“Social media” is, of course, an umbrella term that refers to numerous platforms. But surveys show that Facebook is, by far, the dominant force. Most dental practices have a Facebook presence, and some even allow their patients to use it to request an appointment.

One study says that for some practices, Facebook directs as many new patients their way as does conventional word-of-mouth.

Content

And what sort of content is being posted by dental practices? You might think that another article reminding people to have a checkup twice a year would receive a collective yawn. Yet seventy-eight percent of what dental practices are posting, across the board, is dentistry-related.

That said, it is also true that people – that is, your would-be patients – love to see that it’s mostly ordinary people who work in dental offices. The topics that dental practices post about commonly include:

Office news and information (56%)
Special offers and coupons (42%)
Patient photos (38%)
Fun, non-dental posts (34%)

As we have stressed elsewhere on this blog, social media has grown tremendously in recent years. But it is still a fairly new tool – especially where dental practices are concerned. It may seem like a brave new world, but ProspectaMarketing can help. We are 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.

2Mar, 2020

Social Media, Social Practice

March 2, 2020

PM Blogger

internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Social Media

Your patients are already using social media: in today’s world, that is a given. If your dental practice is not leveraging the power of social media to communicate with patients, you are overlooking at powerful tool.

Almost everyone spends at least part of their day on social media. Eighty percent of Americans have at least one social profile, and for most people, especially younger ones, social media is baked into their daily routine. Some people reach for their phones to check their feeds as soon as they wake up every morning. Sound familiar?

Furthermore, social media apps are the most-used applications on mobile devices. Social media has tremendous value to your practice. You can use it to:

Let patients book appointments
Send out reminders
Ask questions
Ask for help

And that’s just for starters. Social media is already important for marketing your practice, and its importance is only going to increase in the years ahead.

Your practice should have someone whose job description includes monitoring your social media channels every day, looking for any comments and requests.

Being Social

Remember to keep the “social” in social media, too. Your practice should be active on the major sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. You can share dental health tips with users, and be active in online community groups.

Ephemeral content remains popular, too, and will continue to do so. Ephemeral content is content has a now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t quality, like what you see on Snapchat and Instagram. It takes advantage of the way people consume content, and a phenomenon called “FOMO.” That stands for Fear of Missing Out. When new content vanishes quickly, users are likely to check in to the app on a regular basis.

It can be a complex strategy, but ProspectaMarketing can help. We are 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.

17Feb, 2020

Map Apps!

February 17, 2020

PM Blogger

Uncategorized

Have you asked anyone for directions lately? With a smartphone in almost everyone’s pocket and a map app on every smartphone, asking for directions doesn’t happen much anymore. It’s never been easier to find and reach a destination you’ve never been to.

Most smartphone users prefer Google Maps over other map applications – in the area of two-thirds of them, by one study. For small businesses like dental practices, this is important. More patients, or would-be patients, use Google Maps to find you.

Google just released an updated version of their map app with a sleek new interface and new features that, among other things, make it easier for users to write reviews. Not to be outdone, Apple has released an improved map app that is also loaded with new features designed to make it competitive with Google Maps.

But Google Maps, according to industry observers, remains the gold standard. Given its prominence, it’s important that your practice is on it. Getting on Gooogle Maps only takes a few steps, and it begins with claiming your practice on Google My Business.

ProspectaMarketing is here to help you get the most out of your Internet presence. We are 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.

3Feb, 2020

Let’s Watch A Video!

February 3, 2020

PM Blogger

Dental marketing, internet dental marketing

For your dental practice to remain competitive in today’s market, it’s essential to stay on top of current marketing trends. Doing so will help you draw in new patients, and thrive.

shutterstock_327361349_resized One of the most important is a video strategy: that is, high quality video content on your practice website. That does not mean you’ll need to hire an expensive video crew, or buy a lot of fancy equipment. All you really need is a smartphone and some video editing software.

You may be wondering: Why? It’s a fair question. The short answer is also rather jarring: a whopping eighty percent of the content consumed by Internet users is video. There is no better way to reach potential patients.

And what sort of videos? It can range from basic to informative. Really basic stuff is useful: employees in your office and scenes of various procdures are a good start. Patient testimonials are extremely effecitve, too. You’ll need the permission of any patients who might appear, of course. Chances are that some will be flattered, and happy to help.

For informative videos, draw on your professional expertise. You can answer common questions about different procedures, tools, and techniques, and offer dental health tips. Ask a hygienist to describe what goes on during a cleaning.

The finished video doesn’t need to look like something you might see on television: just string together a series of interesting shots, add some music, and you’ve got something special. Video editing software is simple to use, and there are plenty of YouTube tutorials to help get you started.

ProspectaMarketing can get you started. We are 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.

15Jan, 2020

Market Your Dental Practice!

January 15, 2020

PM Blogger

Uncategorized

For your dental practice to succeed, you must keep expanding your patient base. That means marketing the practice online, because when consumers are looking for local services they turn to the Internet first.

Girlthinking There’s a lot of competition out there. What are the best ways for dentists to harness the power of the Internet?

Upgrade Your Website. First impressions matter, and your website is probably the first look that any would-be patient has of your practice. Nearly half of people asked about it in a survey said that the design of a website was the biggest factor in deciding whether a small business was worth their time.

Your site should be easy to understand and easy to navigate. Patients should also be able to:

Schedule appointments
Pay bills online
Renew prescriptions
Communicate with your office via messaging

It should also have a list of your services, your bio, and a blog. People also expect videos nowadays. Stay up-to-date!

Have a Google My Business page. Google My Business lets you manage your online presence. When someone Googles you, Google My Business pulls information you have provided and shows it in the search results. In short, it helps customers find you and learn what you’re all about.

You optimize your Google My Business page by providing it with information in a series of categories, such as type of business (a dental practice, e.g.) and contact info.

Google My Business is free, and a great way to attract new patients.

Engage in Social Media. By using social media like Facebook and Twitter, you can bring valuable content to a wide audience. You can use it to inform and entertain. In return, others will find out about your practice and all that you have to offer.

Is all this more more than you bargained for? You don’t have to do it by yourself. 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.

16Dec, 2019

Mobile or Desktop?

December 16, 2019

PM Blogger

internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

It has long been an article of faith that consumers turn to their mobile devices first, when they do local online searches. Whether it’s a dental practice or a dry cleaner, we use smart phones and tablets to find them. But a new study is calling this conventional wisdom into question.

The study by Ignite Visibility, a digital marketing agency, said that fifty-nine percent of their respondents still prefer searching on their desktop computers over a mobile device. Only 17.9 percent would rather tap on their phones.

Those numbers drop even more when it comes to using a voice search, like Siri or Google Assistant. Ignite Visiblity reports that a scant six percent use that feature.

These are surprising numbers, since the use of mobile devices in organic search engine visits has risen steadily since at least 2013. Voice search, too, continues to grow in popularity. Why is the Ignite Visiblity study showing a preference for desktop search? The answer may be in its demographics.

About five hundred people took part their survey. Of those, about ninety percent were over fifty-five. “Less than 2% of respondents [in the Ignite Visibility study] were under age 35,” reports SearchEngineLand, which reviewed the survey. “It’s safe to say there are material differences between user behaviors of different generations.”

The importance of mobile devices to local search and purchases remains strong. Local businesses, including dental practices, must create websites that are optimized for smartphones and tablets. This should not be considered a luxury.

Voice search, too, continues to improve and has growing influence.

The digital marketplace is complex and ever-changing. 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.

15Nov, 2019

Encouraging Positive Reviews

November 15, 2019

PM Blogger

internet dental marketing, Online Reviews, Search Engine Optimization

The online reviews of your dental patients are a critical factor in the profitability of your practice. The more you have, the higher your practice will rank in search engine results, and the higher you rank in search engine results, the more prospective patients will find out about you.

Sounds simple enough. So, what can you do to encourage your current patients to leave you an online review?

Many small businesses take the direct approach. Retail outlets, in particular, are known for this. How many times have you been handed a receipt, with a URL highlighted in yellow? The clerk asks you to visit the site and leave your comments.

For a dental practice, it isn’t that simple, due to the nature of daily operations.

Positive Reviews

Survey after survey has borne out the importance of positive online reviews. The vast majority of people responding to these surveys acknowledge that positive reviews influence their decision on whether to buy a certain product, eat at a certain restaurant – or visit a particular dental practice.

Ninety percent read them before visiting a business
Eighty-eight percent trust them as much as personal recommendations
Seventy-two percent are more likely to trust a business with positive reviews

But you can’t hand a patient a receipt with yellow highlights on it. Or can you?

Well, maybe not a receipt with yellow highlights. But whenever you finish an appointment, especially with one that has gone well, you can ask the patient to go online and leave a review.

If you don’t care for the direct approach (we don’t) then there are alternatives.

Followup Email. Send patients a post-apppointment email that asks how their experience was. Include a link to review sites, and ask them for their comments. The key here is to send this email within a day or so of the appointment.
Make the process easy. Even if it only takes a few minutes, you’re asking patients to take the time to go online and say nice things about you. Keep your post-appointment email short and to the point, and remember to say thank-you!
Choose wisely. There are tons of review sites out there. The inclincation may be to go straight to Yelp, but don’t forget Google My Business, Healthgrades, Zocdoc, or Dentistry.com.

All of this flows, of course, from the exceptional care you provide. That helps give your patients the incentive they need.

Don’t Fret

When you ask your patients for reviews, you always run the risk of a patient writing a negative one. Positive reviews are important, but as we have noted elsewhere on this blog, you can benefit from the occasional negative comment.

Too many positive reviews may not seem right. For one thing, nobody’s perfect. For another, if you see nothing but positive reviews it could suggest the numbers are cooked.

Don’t fret the occasional bad review. They’re inevitable.

Does all this sound complicated? 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.

1Nov, 2019

Responding to Negative Reviews

November 1, 2019

PM Blogger

internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Online Reviews

Dentist wearing mask holding medical equipment A negative online review can seem like a real slap in the face. You are a consumate professional committed to excellence, yet there it is for all the world to see: an unhappy patient griping about a bad experience while in your chair.

You might be tempted to shrug it off. You can’t please everyone, after all. But no one likes unfavorable comments, no matter how mild. Worse, negative reviews have the potential to damage your online reputation. They must not be ignored.

The New Word of Mouth

Online reviews have never been more important to the success of your practice, or to any small business, for that matter. They are the new word of mouth: most people turn to review sites before deciding how to part with their hard-earned dollars, and dental practices are not exempt.

Reputation management experts say that it’s important to reply to every online review you get. Needless to say, that can be very time-consuming, but you must consider the risk of not doing so.

Prompt Reply

Responding to online reviews shows your patients and potential patients that you are concerned, and that the experiences of your patients in your care matter. Replies do not need to be detailed: a simple thank-you to a positive comment is enough.

Negative reivews, on the other hand, need a little more thought. A prompt, reasoned reply to a harsh comment shows a willingness to address an issue. You can invite the reviewer to follow up with a private message, or even a phone call.

As we have said elsewhere on this blog, there can be benefits to negative reivews. Always keep in mind that your replies are there for anyone to see. Never take any negative review personally, and never respond in kind!

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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.

1Nov, 2019

Microsites: Your Showcase

November 1, 2019

PM Blogger

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!

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.

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