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Dental Practice Marketing: Consistency Matters!

by Naomi Cooper March 4, 2014
Dental Practice Marketing: Consistency Matters!Consistency. As dentists, you constantly remind patients of the value of consistency…regular brushing and flossing — and keeping their recall appointments. As business owners, we also intuitively know that consistency matters. So why is it so hard for us to take our own advice?
When it comes to dental practice marketing, consistency tops the list of Must-Do’s. I remind my clients time and again that sporadic marketing efforts will not generate the kind of return they expect to get. Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint, and no matter what type of marketing you are doing, you have to do it regularly. Few tactics exist that will produce overnight results. Blogging. Social media. Direct mail. Asking for referrals. None of these activities will give you the results you want to see unless they’re done with consistency.

Still not convinced? Check out this recent blog from the team at Dental Support Specialties to discover what areas of the dental practice could be improved through a focus on consistency. What have you got to lose, besides a few bad habits?

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SEO for Dental Practices: What’s Your Approach?

by Naomi Cooper February 25, 2014

SEO for Dental Practices: What’s Your Approach?How familiar are you with SEO? Most business owners may have a base-level knowledge of the subject but it’s difficult to stay on top of the constant changes. Dentists typically fall into 1 of 2 camps: some hire SEO experts to handle it for them, while others have more time and/or interest to do it themselves.

Outsourcing is a great way to maximize your online strategies. Hiring a trusted vendor can give you peace of mind knowing that patients are able to find your practice online while giving you your freedom to focus on providing quality dental care to your patients.

The marketing authorities at HubSpot have outlined 14 common SEO myths and shed some light on what it is that really goes into a smart online strategy (HINT: content matters!).

Their whitepaper gives you the lowdown on the most common myths pervading the marketing industry and how you can best avoid them. It’s a definite must-read if you approach SEO with a DIY-mentality. And even if you are looking to hire an external vendor, arm yourself with this information so that you know the right questions to ask in order to find the best professional you can.

What is your approach to SEO when it comes to your dental practice? Feel free to share your experiences below!

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Adopting the Marketing Mindset at Your Dental Practice

by Naomi Cooper February 18, 2014

Adopting the Marketing Mindset at Your Dental PracticeThe term “Marketing” is often associated with external advertising, or activities aimed at attracting new patients to the practice, and while this is certainly an important part of the marketing process, it doesn’t paint the entire picture. In fact, to start growing your practice, you may not have to look any further than your current patient base. When working with my clients, there’s a common piece of advice I always give: Don’t forget about internal marketing!

Internal marketing is the art of establishing relationships with current patients so that they decide to become ambassadors for your practice, referring friends and family to you. Internal marketing drives word of mouth and while it doesn’t cost a lot of money, it can pay off big time in the form of short-term practice viability and long-term sustainability.

I sometimes hear from my clients that asking their patients for referrals (or online reviews) can be intimidating or even uncomfortable. But when you have the right mindset – what I call the “Marketing Mindset” – asking for referrals and reviews becomes an easy and natural part of the day. And remember – while internal marketing isn’t difficult, it does require training on the parts of the doctors and staff. We all have to remember that verbal skills like asking patients for referrals do not necessarily come naturally, but need to be taught – and that just as with clinical skills, practice makes perfect!

With some practice, asking for referrals will no longer feel awkward or “sales-y”, but instead will become a habit…and a good habit, at that.

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Dental Practice Marketing: Knowing When to Outsource

by Naomi Cooper February 5, 2014

Dental Practice Marketing: Knowing When to OutsourceDentistry is taught in dental school, not business school. You wouldn’t expect a marketing expert to know how to fill a cavity, so why is it that dentists are supposed to know how to effectively market their dental practice?

Choosing to work with an outside consultant is not an indication of your capability as a dentist. Rather, outsourcing your dental practice marketing is as an effective tool for dental practice management. You may already outsource your bookkeeping, your collections, your lab work, so why not your marketing? Choosing to work with a marketing consultant not only leaves your schedule open for treating more patients, but ensures that your marketing dollars are being spent most effectively.

Still not sure you are ready to outsource your marketing? Read my recent article 5 Signs You Need a Dental Marketing Consultant published in Dental Products Report.

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3 Strategies for Generating Online Patient Reviews for Your Dental Practice

by Naomi Cooper January 29, 2014

3 Strategies for Generating Online Patient Reviews for Your Dental PracticeIn today’s digital world, word of mouth has grown from a purely one-to-one communication to a one-to-many model by the increasing popularity of online patient review sites, where any of your patients can become a virtual billboard for your practice by writing a glowing review online. So remember, when a patient gives positive feedback verbally, it is the perfect opportunity to engage them and ask for an online review!

Encourage patients to post a positive review on your practice’s profile on sites such as Yelp, Google+ Local and Healthgrades.com, so that when potential patients are researching your practice online, they will see the satisfied experiences of your current patients.

To make internal marketing most effective, here are 3 “Must-Do’s”:

* Everyone in the practice should ideally be asking for referrals and online reviews every day. The experts at Pride Institute offer terrific training on internal marketing verbal skills for the entire team.

* Have a staff meeting to launch the internal marketing initiative and get everyone on board and committed to the plan.

* Implement a system to acknowledge and reward patients who refer new patients. The Viva Referral System is one solution that automates the referral acknowledgement system, making the internal marketing process easier to track.

Perhaps the most important element of any internal marketing program is consistency. Committing to the growing the practice through word of mouth is the best way to build momentum for the practice and creating patient ambassadors will continue to drive new patients through the front door for years to come.

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Maximizing the Potential of Local Search for Your Dental Practice

by Naomi Cooper January 13, 2014

Maximizing the Potential of Local Search for Your Dental PracticeLast week we talked about the importance of incorporating modern SEO strategies in order to most effectively reach prospective patients searching online. This week we will narrow down the scope of SEO and discuss the strategy that matters most for dental practice owners.

There are two types of SEO (search engine optimization): traditional and local. Traditional SEO refers to optimizing a website so that it ranks high in all search engine results for a specific keyword.

Local SEO, on the other hand, is about optimizing a website so that it ranks high in search engine results based on that business’ location. And as local business owners, for dentists, local SEO is what counts.

A recent article from SEO expert Kris Jones highlights 7 areas of focus affecting your local SEO ranking.

If you are working with an SEO expert for your dental practice website, it is worth verifying that they are focusing on local SEO rather than traditional. It is much more cost effective to market to those most in need of your services: patients in and around your local community who are looking for a dentist!

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