WHY NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO FOCUS ON MARKETING
Even though we are a long way from “normal” many practices are beginning to scale up as communities start to reopen. Although there are no manuals to reopen your practice in these unprecedented times this post serves to highlight a few things you should consider doing today to get ready for tomorrow.
A GREAT WEBSITE IS AN EVEN BETTER START
New patients come from many places, all of which may lead to your website. This journey may include online reviews, healthcare directories, search engines, or search advertising. These lead to the online foundation of your practice — your website.
Your practice’s online presence should be built on modern mobile-responsive design, follow best practices for visual design, and contain engaging content with a clear call to action. Additionally, ensuring your content is relevant and optimized will likely increase your practice’s search engine rankings.
EVERY PATIENT JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A SEARCH
Patients take to the internet to find the services they need. To make the difference between gaining or losing a new patient, practices should be implementing search engine optimization (SEO) into their marketing strategies.
SEO refers to a variety of strategies that are used to boost a web page’s placement in search engine results, like Google, and is designed to secure long-term results.
For more immediate results Search Engine Marketing (or pay-per-click advertising) instantly places an ad for your practice on the front page of Google search results.
SEM is powerful because it drives traffic to your website when patients are already looking for you, which is the best time to reach them. For best results, combine both SEO and SEM.
DON’T IGNORE WHAT PATIENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT YOU
Word of mouth referrals are still the number one way people will learn about your practice, but that word of mouth now lives online in the form of online reviews and healthcare directory listings.
Consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation, and the dental industry is no exception. In fact, healthcare practices rank #3 in a list of businesses where online reviews matter the most.
Online reviews are often one of the final pieces of information that prospective patients use before deciding that a practice is right for them. Your practice’s success or failure to treat future patients could very likely be directly tied to its online reputation.
Having a stunning website and online presence will help your practice turn this moment into momentum. Browse our interactive website Design Gallery or call 833.568.7792 to learn more about how Officite can help your practice stand out online.
