7 Ways To Enhance Your Dental Marketing
This Digital Age

The world of dental marketing is ever-changing. Nowadays, there are so many more ways to market your practice than there were a decade ago. At the same time, however, it can be challenging to maintain an online presence in an industry that doesn’t seem like it would need one. In 2017, the dental industry was worth $108 billion; however, only about 50 percent of dentists have websites for their businesses.

In this age of technology, there are several dental marketing tips for attracting new patients and growing your practice. By incorporating the right mix of traditional tactics with the latest digital offerings you can improve your visibility across multiple channels and expand your reach to an untapped audience.

Dental Marketing is evolving

For many years, dentists have relied on traditional marketing tactics to attract new patients. Some of these tactics include print advertising, direct mail, and PR to patient referrals. Now, more than ever it is imperative that dental practices expand their marketing strategy to include a dynamic digital approach. We can strongly see how dental marketing has evolved in this digital age.

As consumer trends change, a strong online presence becomes ever more important for gaining new patients and retaining old ones. A properly optimized website allows patients to find you easily and allows you to connect with them on a deeper level. If you’re struggling with how to market your dental practice digitally, these tips can help:

1. It’s important to have a website

A strong digital presence is crucial for dentists and orthodontists, especially when it comes to reputation management. It’s important to have a website, where potential patients can learn more about your practice, as well as a social media presence, where patients can share their reviews and experiences with others.

A website is a great way to showcase the services you provide and serve as a digital business card for potential patients. Your website should be easy to navigate and load fast. It should also be mobile-friendly. This is because many people access the internet through their mobile phones. Also, you need to consider how your website will rank on search engines like Google or Bing. This can be achieved with optimization techniques like SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

2. Create content that provides value

When marketing digitally — whether through email or social media — you want to focus on creating content that provides value and connects with your audience. While you don’t want to get too personal, sharing relevant information about your practice allows potential patients to see what kind of person you are and get a sense of your personality. For example, talking about the importance of a healthy mouth and why regular visits are necessary can help attract people who value their oral health.

3. Publish informative content on your blog

Blogging serves several purposes, including generating new leads and strengthening your brand identity. You should provide valuable information related to oral health and hygiene that readers can peruse at their leisure. This content should be updated on a regular basis so users keep coming back for more.

4. Make sure that your website is optimized for mobile devices

As much as 50 percent of all searches take place on smartphones, according to a recent report from Google. This means that if your website is not properly optimized for mobile devices, you could lose half of your business opportunities. A slow or poorly formatted website will simply turn customers off, and they’ll go elsewhere to find another dental service provider.

5. Utilize social media sites like Facebook and Twitter

Use social media. Social media marketing has become an indispensable tool for many businesses today because it's inexpensive and allows you to reach millions of people with just a few clicks of a button. You can use Facebook ads or Google AdWords campaigns to reach specific audiences with tailored content designed to appeal directly to them.

6. Email marketing is an effective tool

One of the most popular online marketing tools among dentists today is email. Email marketing is one of the easiest ways to reach out to your patients and potential clients because it doesn't require a hefty upfront investment in technology or manpower. You don't need to pay a professional ad agency or web designer to create your dental email marketing campaign because you can do it yourself through MailChimp, Constant Contact, iContact, AWeber, and other self-service email marketing platforms.

No matter how much social media develops, an email will continue to be a key component of every dental marketing strategy. Connecting with your existing dental patients is the first step, but you’ll also want to work on building an email list of potential patients.

7. Video marketing can boost your brand awareness

Video marketing can boost your brand awareness. When you start producing videos, you’re giving your dental practice a voice and a face. Videos are a great way to tell people about your practice, what makes you different, and how you can help them. Videos also give you the chance to show off your office, employees, and patients

Video marketing also gives you a chance to build trust by sharing interesting or helpful information with potential patients. Video content is one of the best ways to build relationships with current and potential clients because it shows them that you’re knowledgeable about the industry and have the ability to help them with their dental needs.

Takeaway

Whether you are a practicing dentist, a student who plans on graduating from dental school, or a marketing professional, it's clear that dental marketing has come far in this digital age. It's exciting for me to see how digital marketing can impact every aspect of dental care in the foreseeable future, and I look forward to seeing what the next few years will hold! Good luck!