Better dental marketing starts here, now.

A Modern Dentist’s Quick Guide to Digital Marketing

The internet has changed the way that patients engage with dental practices, and our digital world offers opportunities to not only reach a broader audience but to foster long-term connections with patients. Between social media, content marketing, and paid advertising, digital marketing has paved the way for unprecedented success. However, you can’t get there by just checking off the boxes of what your marketing is “supposed to” entail. Do you know what digital marketing is supposed to entail, though? 

Our Modern Dentist’s Quick Guide to Digital Marketing lays out all of the essential components you need to get a successful start on your digital marketing for dentists!

Run an audit of your current dental marketing. 

What is Digital Marketing? 

Digital marketing and advertising has made it easier (and cheaper!) than ever to reach your patients. Why? Because our lives are digital. Your dental website, social media platforms, and advertising can be reached by current and potential patients in seconds. What’s even better? They’ll come to you! 

Why Digital Marketing Has Become the Standard

Our world is digital now; there’s no getting away from it. Your patients are spending more time online than they ever have before. Digital marketing allows targeted and specific expenditures in marketing, generating a better ROI than ever before, while reaching more people than possible under traditional marketing techniques.  

Essential Components of Digital Marketing 

There are a few basic things you need when you’re putting  your digital marketing strategy together. 

1. Dental website 
2. Paid advertising 
3. Dental SEO strategy 
4. Social media strategy 
5. Content marketing strategy

If you’re not sure how to get started with these, consult a professional. Although you can do these yourself, not doing them right the first time can cost you a lot of money and potential patients. 

Dental Websites in the Modern Age

Don’t underestimate the power of your website—good or bad. Your website is often your first point of patient contact. It needs to represent you, your brand, and your mission and effectively communicate where you are and what you offer. Take pride in your website! You want people to like it.  

Dental website aesthetics

Your old website just may not be up to par. You need a fast, stunning website, and if you don’t have one of these, patients may be bypassing you based solely on the aesthetic of your site. It’s just a fact. If your site is clunky or dated, people will make snap judgements. 

The design of your website can reinforce your credibility, display the culture and feel of your practice, and entice potential patients to want to be a part of your practice. 

Website performance

Your website needs to perform. If your site is lagging or non-functional, you will be left behind. There is a lot of backend SEO that needs to be tended to, too. If you don’t know how to do this, find someone who does. This is really important. 

SEO For Dentists

SEO is complex and ever-changing, and in the dental market, you need to know who you’re competing with and how to do better. By staying up to date on SEO trends, you will ensure that the content on your website stays relevant to potential new clients, and that you compete with other practices for their business.  

How Paid Advertising Benefits Your Practice

There are so many benefits of paid advertising for dentists. We all know that dentistry is a saturated market, and patients have an abundance of options. With paid advertising, you’re able to reach patients in your market at the time and exceed organic reach while keeping cost low. Be careful venturing out on your own if you’re not sure how to do this yet. You can end up wasting a lot of money if you don’t do it right the first time. 

Google Ads

While a solid SEO strategy can place you at or near the top of google search results, paid google advertising can guarantee visibility to individuals searching for practices in your community. Talk to an expert about getting the most from your Google Ads for dentists! 

Facebook Ads

Facebook ads target demographics with certain online behaviors. By targeting the individual as opposed to the term, you’ll reach patients who are in market and more likely to commit to the treatment plans you offer. 

Content Marketing for Dentists

When it comes to making sure patients are coming to you, content marketing is the name of the game. By creating useful, relevant content that your patients are looking for will help drive organic traffic to your site and your practice. 

Google My Business

Your Google My Business (GMB) account allows for your practices specific information to be seen in Google searches. In addition to your phone number, address, and practice hours, your GMB account allows for google reviews to be posted and seen, potentially giving you a leg up on the competition. 

Online Reputation Management

Your patients want to know you before they meet you. If you’re not in control of your online reputation, you’re not in control of your brand. Patients can and should be leaving reviews online, and you should be encouraging and inviting them to do so. Not only should they be leaving reviews, but you should be engaging back. 

Email Campaigns

Targeted email campaigns are cost effective and reliable technique to both drive new patient contact and improve patient retention. Keep your patients in the loop about what you’re doing, new treatments, and specials for a single, low cost! 

Social Media Basics for Dentists

Social engagement is a great way to keep your patients up to date on what’s happening in your practice. Meet your patients where they are, and work to be a part of your community. Share new employees, specials, useful tips, and great before and afters! Social media is the best way to stay social with your patients. 

Facebook

Your potential clients are on Facebook. If your practice isn’t, its already behind. Become a part of your community and engage with new clients on social media’s largest platform. 

YouTube

Whether it is creating video content to share knowledge or introducing your practice and staff, video content has a useful place in any dental practice’s marketing strategy. 

Community Newsletter and Blogging

Newsletters and Blogs are a wonderful way to reach out to and become a part of you community. Sharing content on social media can drive traffic to your website and generate interest in your practice. 

Instagram

A picture is worth 1,000 words, right? Instagram is the perfect platform to show of your work! Before and after photos speak volumes about the work that you do and give patients a feel for what they can expect from you. 

Local Listings

Did you know that there are over 70 local listing sites, and if they don’t provide the right information, you could be suffering? Our marketing experts make sure that your practice information is correct across all of the local listing sites. 

Traditional Print Marketing

Flyers, brochures, and mailers are still relevant amongst some demographics. Before you waste precious marketing dollars on traditional mailers, talk to our marketing experts to make sure you’re spending money on the right tactics for your local market. 

Need more?

We know this is a lot to take in! An effective digital marketing strategy has many moving parts that require care, attention, and know-how, and these can, frankly, take your attention away from the most important part of your practice: patient care. If you want to grow your practice but aren’t sure if your digital marketing strategy is up to the challenge, set up a consultation today!