Enhance Your Bottom Line With Digital Marketing!

September 1, 2020
internet dental marketing

In many ways, dentistry is a buyer’s market: there are a lot of dental offices out there for people to choose from. But there are a lot of new patients out there, too, and marketing your practice so they can find you is essential to your long-term success. The best place to do that is on the Interent.

shutterstock_1207106353_resizedThere are digital marketing steps that every practice should take. We have described them in the past, such as the growing importance of local listings and the need to manage your online reviews. In this post we’ll look at the value of marketing specific dental procedures to specific age groups.

Specific Demographics

Everyone wants to look good. Did you know that twenty-eight percent of millennials say that the appearance of their smiles has a direct bearing on their ability to get the job they want? That’s more than one of four, and they are willing to do what it takes to get a great smile.

To put it another way, cosmetic dentistry continues to be in high demand, and you can meet that demand by marketing cosmetic enhancements to a particular age group. The opportunities include:

  • Teeth whitening. More and more people are opting for a natural appearance in whitening: white enough to look great, but not so white as to look fake.
  • Clear braces. No one has to put up with metal braces anymore, because clear braces, also known as aligners, work. People also love them because they’re easy to care for and give them the great smiles they’re looking for.
  • Dental implants. Implants aren’t just for mature citizens anymore. Since they are a long-term and fully functional solution to missing teeth, they are increasingly popular with people in middle age.

There will always be a need for everyday dentistry. Let potential patients know what you can do for their smiles! Marketing specific services at a specific demographic can have a direct impact on your bottom line.

Digital marketing is an ever-changing discipline. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We 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 Practice and Digital Marketing

August 17, 2020
internet dental marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

The Internet has impacted virtually ever facet of modern life, including the way dental practices attract new patients.

dentist-working-woman_583030357Marketing your practice online has proven to be far more effective than traditional marketing at reaching new patients. How so? The people you reach aren’t just new patients, they’re the right patients. Online marketing enables you to target specific people with specific messages.

There are a number of reasons why online marketing – digital marketing, more properly –  is so effective. First, consider the audience:

  • 90% of adults in the United States use the Internet
  • 85% of all consumers use the Internet to find local businesses
  • 91% of the total population shop online

 

The Right Patients

What do we mean by “the right patients”? When people are searching for a dentist online, it’s usually due to one of several reasons:

  • Dental issues. They may have noticed a symptom that needs attention, like a toothache or bleeding gums, but do not currently have a dentist.
  • Research. They may looking for information about a specific procedure, such as teeth whitening or getting a dental implant.
  • Comparing options. They may be shopping around to see what one practice versus another has to offer on specific treatments, whether their insurance covers it, or other payment options available.

There are many ways of using the Internet to get your practice in front of new patients. These ways are called digital marketing channels. Let’s consider just one, pay-per-click, or PPC.

The term itself sounds self-explanatory. It means paying a fee each time a user clicks on one of your online ads. Because they are so effective at engaging new patients, PPC ads are worth their weight in gold.

PPC ads appear on search engines and business directories, where potential new clients are looking for new dentists like you. When they click on your ad they are linked directly to your website, where you’re offering the service they’re looking for.

There are other effective channels, like social media and email marketing. In an age when almost everything is influenced by the Internet, a well-orchestrated digital marketing campaign is the ideal way of driving new, relevant users to your dental practice.

To get started, please contact ProspectaMarketing, an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We 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 its Local Listing

August 3, 2020
Uncategorized

Experts in the culinary arts have a saying: the first bite is with the eye. To put it another way, first impressions matter. Your dental practice can make an excellent first impression on potential new patients by optimizing your local search engine presence.

shutterstock_692979352_resizedIt is no longer enough for dentists to simply hang out their shingle; you need to let people know you’re there. That’s where your local listing comes in: you give your practice a high profile on the Internet. That means presenting essential information that is accurate, consistent, relevant, and easy to find online.

Your Online Presence

The vast majority of people, upwards of ninety percent, go online when they are looking for a local business. Nowadays most of these are by smartphone or tablet.

  • 68% of online searches for health care providers, such as dentists, are done on a mobile device
  • 50% of mobile users are likely to contact a business they find via a local search within twenty-four hours
  • 78% of these users become customers (or patients)

All of this bears out the importance of optimizing your online presence. You’ll rank higher in search engine results and make a great first impression, leading to new patients.

So, how do you influence your practice’s ranking in search engine results?

Google My Business

Google My Business (GMB) is a powerful and free tool. You have probably seen Google My Business listings, even if you aren’t familiar with that term. GMB listings is the information that shows up at the top of a local business search in the form of maps, contact information, and even patient reviews.

Getting started with GMB is as simple as signing into your Google account, filling out a form, and submiting it for verification. From there an old-fashioned postcard with a verification code will be sent to you, usually within a few weeks. You’re off and running!

Sound at all daunting? ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing, including local listings and Google My Business. We 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.

Bad Online Review? Your Response Matters

July 15, 2020
internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Online Reviews

The occasional bad online review is a fact of life for any small business, whether it’s a pizza parlor or a dental practice. A bad review is no fun for you to read – but it isn’t going to put you out of business, either. What’s really important is how you respond.

shutterstock_284500400_resizedYes, a lot of people are going to see that negative review, but almost as many are going to see how you reply to it. That, in turn, will influence your online reputation.

A survey by Brightlocal underscores just how important it all is:

  • 90% of consumers went online when looking for a local business in the last year
  • Most of them read ten reviews before deciding to do business with you
  • 97% of those who read reviews also read a businesses’ response to them

The lesson? Monitor your online reviews, especially those on Google and Facebook. Your potential new patients will be reading them. How you react may carry more weight than the review itself.

Responding

First, never ignore a bad review. Responding to a patient who had a negative experience in your office is the responsible thing to do, and readers will see that.

Far better is a reasoned resonse that demonstrates you can acknowledge something may have gone wrong. The Internet, unfortunately, makes a knee-jerk response easy. Click the Reply button and give that reviewer what-for. Resist the temptation; it is unprofessional and will make you look bad.

Your response should be direct and to the point. Concede that something went wrong and that you are willing to make it right. That’s enough. Remember that 97% who are going to read your reply!

ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We 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 Multi-Channel Marketing

July 1, 2020
internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Online Reviews

To bring new patients to your dental practice you have to let them know you’re there. That means using the power of the Internet to spread the word. What’s the best approach? A killer website? Social media? Or is there a new platform emerging?

shutterstock_288951617_edit_01_resizedThe answer is that there are multiple systems at your disposal, and you should be taking advantage of  them all. It’s the best way to reach as many prospective patients as possible.

Casting A Wide Net

Whether they’re looking for a restaurant, a dry cleaner, or a new dentist, virtually everyone turns to the Internet. That isn’t going to change anytime soon. Consumer survey after consumer survey bears this out:

  • 92 percent read review sites when they are looking for services like dental practices
  • 88 percent trust the online reviews they read as much or more as personal recommendations
  • 72 percent say that positive reviews give them more trust in a practice

The beauty of the Internet is that is puts an enormous amount of information at our fingertips. Consider this scenario: someone just moved to town and is looking for a new dentist. They want to find a provider they can take the whole family to. The first step? A Google search that turns up a list of local dentists, each within a few miles of home.

From there, they will probably read some Facebook or Google reviews. There are plenty of them. These reviews, written by their new neighbors who have had experience with these local dentists, will tell them which practices best fit their needs and have good reputations.

These lesson here? Your dental practice must cast the widest net possible, with a presence on online channels like social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), email, YouTube, and pay-per-click ads. It’s the best way to attract new patients.

Sound daunting? Help is available. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We 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.

The Power of Testimonials

June 15, 2020
internet dental marketing, Internet Marketing, Online Reviews

Here’s an experiment you might want to try: the next time you have a new patient come in for a checkup, ask what made them schedule the appointment with your practice. It almost certainly was not an arbitrary choice, and probably had something to do with reading your online reviews.

shutterstock_1011918616_edit_01There is no overstating it: online reviews matter. Encouraging your existing patients to share their thoughts about you online should be a big part of your marketing strategy. Study after study bears out how effective online reviews and testimonials are.

A Big Difference

The numbers vary slightly depending on the source, but they all tell the same story: online reviews can make a big difference.

  • 72 percent of patients say positive online reviews and testimonials give them more confidence in a practice
  • 88 percent trust online reviews as much as the recommendations of friends
  • 92 percent of consumers read online reviews and testimonials when looking for goods and services, like dentists

Not only do positive online reviews influence potential new patients, they also influence Google search results. The importance of that, too, cannot be overstated. Google recognizes review sites and gives them great weight. The more positive reviews you have, the higher you will rank.

Encouragement

So how do you get these coveted reviews? Well, it’s a funny thing. Even though most people read online reviews, and value them, most don’t bother to write any themselves. Even the patients who are happy with you are not likely to share their experience online.

shutterstock_100184054_edit_01That means you have to encourage them. Providing great services is an excellent first step.

Beyond that:

  • Always ask how an appointment went. This can invite feedback, and lead a patient to write a review.
  • Ask for a review. The direct approach can work! If it feels funny to ask, send a follow-up text message or email within a day or two of the appointment, inviting the patient’s valued opinion.
  • Make it easy. If you send an email or text, be sure to include a link to your online profile, such as Facebook and Google My Business.

Don’t worry: help is available. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet search marketing. We 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 Practice Online

June 1, 2020
internet dental marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Uncategorized

Dental practices need a steady flow of new patients in order to remain profitable. With so much competition out there, and so much business now being conducted online, an effective digital marketing is essential.

shutterstock_527776330_edit_01Whether they are looking for a new dentist or scheduling an appointment with their current one, the Internet is the primary tool people use. That simple fact cuts across all demographics: from Generation-X to Baby Boomers, virtually everyone interacts online.

Digital marketing is the way that dental practices an connect with their patients.

New Patients

Google is far and away the most common Internet search engine, processing more than three billion searches every single day. That includes people looking for a dentist near their homes.

Digital marketing practices include:

  • SEO. Search Engine Optimization is a way of driving new traffic to your dental practice website, and converting site visitors into patients. By optimizing your online presence, you get visitors more likely to become your patients.
  • PPC. Pay per Click is another way to bring new visitors to your site. They arrive there by clicking on advertisements that link back to the site.
  • Content Marketing. The content on your website offers value to site visitors. Embedded videos, blogs, and other content has useful information that helps generate interest in your practice.
  • Social Media. Nearly everyone is on Facebook, and other social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Get the attention of patients and potential patients by publishing interesting and useful content on your social media profiles.

These and other digital marketing strategies can increase your website and social media visitors, leading to new patients and increased revenues. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet search marketing. We 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.

Picture This: Your GMB Listing

May 15, 2020
Dental marketing, internet dental marketing, Internet Marketing

shutterstock_284500400Google My Business is an essential marketing tool for any small business, whether it’s a pizza place, a plumber, or a dental practice. It’s a free service that makes it easy to put relevant information in front of local Internet users. For dentists, it’s where future patients are likely to first encounter you and what you have to offer.

With Google My Business (GMB) you’re able to set up a profile with information like the services you provide, how new patients can reach you, and your location and office hours. This data shows up in search results, and it’s very effective: studies show that about fifty-three percent of people who do local searches on Google visit the places they find within a couple of days.

Trust the Pictures

A famous photographer once said he doesn’t trust words, he trusts pictures. Pictures are an important part of your GMB listing, and the higher the quality of your pictures, the more effective they’ll be.

If you or a staff member is a dedicated shutterbug, take advantage of that. Otherwise, consider hiring a professional to shoot well-framed, well-lit, high resolution pictures. The Google algorithm is more likely to prefer and choose these over amateur photographs.

The photos you upload to GMB should include the following:

  • Exterior photos. Exterior shots make it easier for people to find your office. Use several of these, taken from different directions and at different times of day.
  • Interior photos. You see your office every day. Get pictures that show it from a patient’s point of view, with an accent on atmosphere.
  • Team photos. Have plenty of shots of your staff, from those at the front end to the hygienists and dental assistants in examination rooms. A group shot is also recommended. Let everyone’s personality shine through, and remember to say cheese!

As a best practice, your GMB photos should be optimized with keywords in the filename and tagged in  the right category. For example, don’t upload a picture called IMG_001.JPG. Instead, rename it checkup.JPG.

High-quality GMB pictures are important to marketing your practice, but you don’t have to go it alone. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm; we understand how to most effectively use Google My Business. We specialize in dental practices and 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.

Can You Remove Bad Online Reviews?

May 1, 2020
internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Online Reviews

shutterstock_1639352191Online reviews have never been more important to small businesses. Almost everyone reads them, and almost everyone is influenced by them. Healthcare providers, including dental practices, are among the small businesses for which the most reviews are read.

According to one survey, ninety-two percent of consumers read online reviews before deciding whether to part with their hard-earned money. Probably because they are written by ordinary people, these reviews do more to influence a business’s reputation than anything else. Most people trust them as much, if not more, as the recommendations of family and friends.

In terms of global traffic, Google and Yelp are among the Internet’s top review platforms. More than half of all consumers, in fact, visit a business within forty-eight hours of Googling them.

Bad Reviews

You can’t please everyone, and bad reviews are going to happen now and then. It’s important to always keep that in mind. Remember too that, as we have written elsewhere on this blog, there are actually benefits to an occasional negative review.

One bad review isn’t much to worry about, but they are never to be taken lightly. Most negative reviews are driven by financial or billing issues. Sometimes customer reviews cross a line: they are grossly unfair or even untrue, and written by someone with an axe to grind. To make matters worse, there are companies trying to take advantage of that: they’ll offer to remove bad reviews for a fee – in order, they usually say, to protect your online reputation.

If you are approached by a company promising to remove any bad reviews, take a pass. Such offers are at best unreliable and at worst deceitful. Your online reputation does matter, and promoting and protecting it is a subject in and of itself. But it is virtually impossible, in most cases, for a third party to remove – that is, to permanently delete – a regular bad online review from a legitimate patient.

What You Can Do

The platforms that provide customer reviews want to present information you can trust: opinions that are honest and authentic. Google and Yelp both have strict policies about review content, and will delete any that deviate from them, such as:

  • Abusive reviews
  • Reviews from current or past employees
  • Fake reviews
  • Unsolicited commercial content (spam)

Removing a review can be an uphill battle, but it can be done – especially when the facts are on your side.

ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm; we understand Google and Yelp review policies, and know when it’s worthwhile to fight to remove negative reviews. We specialize in dental practices and 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.

Online Video: A Must For Your Practice

April 15, 2020
internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Video

Lights, camera, action!

You may not associate those words with your dental practice, but you probably should. Video is becoming more critcial to online marketing every day, and potential new patients visiting your website expect it. If you don’t take advantage of that, you’re going to start looking outdated.

shutterstock_311825123_resizedIf you’re skeptical, consider this: eighty percent of all content consumed on the Internet is in the form of video! That doesn’t mean you have to create a summer blockbuster for your site. It does mean that video is a golden opportunity for your practice to strut its stuff.

For example: you can create a video library on your site with half a dozen or so short videos. Engage site visitors by presenting your office as a friendly, welcoming place. Explain procedures and answer common questions. Make the videos short and easy to understand, and customized to your practice.

The benefits to this include establishing you as an authority, which in turn boosts your online reputation. It also improves your ranking in search engine results. You’ll gain new patients and retain current ones.

This is not an expensive or time-consuming strategy, either. None of it needs to be fancy. You probably already have most of what you need: a smartphone that shoots video, and has simple editing software on it. Enlist someone in your office to shoot and edit the footage. As you all get more comfortrable with making them, improve your videos by watching production tutorials on YouTube.

With a little thought, producing fun and informative videos for your site will engage your patients and yield a positive return. 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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