If you have your very own dental clinic, you may think that you only need the word of mouth to gain your market. Today, you can be sure that you need more than that.
Internet marketing has grown tremendously useful for many individuals. For users, it is now easier to find a nearby dentist. For those in dental practice, it is now even more important to have an online presence.
The Importance of Internet Marketing
There are a few reasons why those in dental practice need to have an internet presence, according to the dental marketing experts from Dentie Leads. The following are a few of the important reasons:
- It helps a potential client quickly reach you;
- It enhances your trustworthiness in the eyes of the client;
- It helps your current clients evaluate your quality of service and reputation on review sites. These reviews will help potential clients in the decision-making process; and
- It helps clients reach your clinic and set an appointment quicker.
The impact of your web presence has never been so obvious. There are a lot of other important reasons why you need to have an online presence. However, how do you do it? How do you use internet marketing to help grow your professional practice? Let us discuss a few of the ways.
The Top Five Ways To Do Internet Marketing
There are five known ways that individuals in dental clinic can do internet marketing and they are the following.
- Dental SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
The first and very obvious way to do internet marketing is to focus on Search Engine Optimization or more commonly known as SEO. A study shows that around 77% of health inquiries begin on search engines. In the day and age of the internet, you need a good web presence; but what is presence?
To define it simply, SEO is the process or strategy used by most business owners, both local and national, in order to reach the first page of search engines.
For a dentist, it is necessary to establish a good presence by following the right dental SEO strategies. The most basic SEO strategies are the following:
- Website – your dental office needs a website. When a potential client is a “millennial”, that client is a heavy internet user and probably wants to use a service where they can “check-in” and also “tag their friends”. But before all of those things happen, you must have a good website that shows how “trustworthy” you can be.
- Social Media – your dental clinic needs social media accounts as well, this one will be discussed in a later paragraph.
- Listings – you need to have the right listings dealing with the right keywords.
What are the keywords? Keywords are important in SEO strategies. Your potential patients probably do not know you or who you are, they will use search phrases like “dental services in your city” or “best dentist near me” or “dental help asap”. Your SEO results will depend so much on the keywords that you target.
- Pay-Per-Click (Online Advertising)
Another known technique is online advertising. In more technical parlance, this one is known as the Pay-Per-Click or PPC advertising model.
In the Google network, also known as Google Ads, the business owner is allowed to advertise their practice on the first page of the keyword rank. With this advertising plan, you can target users and reach a specific market.
- Social Media Marketing and Advertising
Social media marketing and advertising is the next big thing you need for your dental practice. Social media is considered as the touchpoint between the clients and the business. Around 77% of adults in the United States use social media and you should use this fact to your advantage to make sure that you will succeed.
How do you begin social media marketing and advertising? The only thing you need to have is a social media account, a social media page, or a feed as the millennials would call it. Start with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Fun fact: The content you use on your website can be used on your social media so you are all set if you have content available.
- Online Reputation Management
Managing your reputation online is important. With the online world being infested by trolls, criticisms are rampant. You need to control your reviews through online reputation management.
Imagine this scenario, you have a potential client but she saw bad comments about your lack of air conditioning or maybe just a troll writing a made-up review. So, what does your potential client do? She decides to use another dental service and that is business you lost already.
- Content Marketing
Content marketing is important for any professional practice. You need to brand your content to show off your brand personality. Marketing your own content online could also help you become an authority in the subject matter.
Go Online
There are a lot of other ways for you to create and maintain an internet presence. Keep in mind that your dental clinic must also grow with the times. A good internet marketing technique goes a long way.
