These days, people turn to phones, tablets, and computers for instant information, which is why it is so crucial to have a beautiful, functional website. Unfortunately, if your website isn’t up to par or you aren’t familiar with the intricacies of search engines and web design, your site might not get much traffic, which can hurt the value of your dental practice. Here are four tips for marketing your dental practice online and how it could benefit you overall.
1. Go Social
Social media isn’t just for showing off your vacation photos or getting back in touch with old high school friends. People today use social media for everything from finding the latest and greatest products to participating in contents sponsored by businesses. In fact, research has shown that 78% of people today have a social media page on at least one site.
Social media puts business owners and dentists like you in an online social circle with potential patients. Many dentists use social media to answer questions about their business, offer free advice to people online, or to build interest about new technologies or services offered at their practice.
If you choose to start a social media page, focus on staying professional and appropriate online. Include the same practice and business logos and information that you use for your regular practice, so that customers can see that your page is legitimate. If you receive negative feedback or comments, respond to the post in a calm, appropriate, and professional way. Making your social media page a safe, pleasant, and fun place will build your business.
2. Add Meaningful Content
Everyone loves a good kid-after-the-dentist video now and then, but your professional dental website isn’t the place for them. In addition to potentially offending patients and bringing your business under scrutiny, filling your website with silly content might mean missing some serious opportunities.
To improve your web traffic and to keep your business looking great, fill your website with meaningful content instead. Here are a few examples of information that could make your website better than ever.
• Procedural Information: New procedures can be intimidating for patients, which is why adding vital procedural information to your website could be very helpful. Include information about routine exams, fillings, and even complex procedures, such as dental implant placement and veneer application.
• Employee Bios: People like to know who will be helping them with their teeth, which is why employee bios help to drive web traffic. Include information about yourself, your office staff, and the hygienists that will be doing the dental cleanings or assisting with procedures.
• Downloadable Forms: To make the check-in process easier for patients, consider including downloadable forms, such as patient information documents and medical history.
• Appointment Wizards: Consider adding a convenient appointment wizard to your website to make it easier for patients to book appointments. In addition to allowing patients the opportunity to schedule an appointment anytime day or night, online appointment wizards also teach people to look to your site first when they need information.
After you touch up your website, step back and look at the content like a new patient might. Ask other people what they might add, and try to create a website that is as easy to navigate as possible.
3. Work With The Pros
Let’s face it—web design isn’t everyone’s forte. If you would rather focus on the dentistry side of things and leave the web content to the pros, consider hiring a team of web specialists. Professional web designers can take care of everything from touching up your practice logo to overhauling the colors, layout, and design scheme of your website or blog.
Additionally, working with professional web designers can help you to make sure that your site is fast and functional. Since as many as 40% of web users abandon a webpage if it doesn’t load within three seconds, filling your website full of high-resolution images could hurt your web traffic. However, professionals know what to do and what to avoid to make sure that your website works well.
4. Hire A Team of Dental Brokers
Having a great social media presence and a rock-solid webpage isn’t the only thing you need to do to improve your online marketing. If you really want to get your name out there, you should be working with a team of dental brokers. Dental brokers can help with everything from putting you in touch with potential buyers to taking care of the paperwork to get the deal done. If you are thinking about relocating or buying a dental practice, brokers can help you to find a selling dentist whose business matches your strengths.
By doing what you can to bolster traffic to your dental website, you might be able to enjoy new customers, better profits, and improve the experience for your employees and patients. The sooner you make the change, the sooner you’ll reap the benefits–so start today.