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online marketing

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Online Marketing Tips for Dentists in 2015

by Naomi Cooper December 17, 2014

Online Marketing Tips for DentistsDental patients are modern, tech savvy consumers. They inevitably use the Internet when researching local dentists, and much of what they find online will determine whether or not they pick up the phone to make their first appointment.

Be sure that the information they find online about you and your dental practice is a true representation of who you are and how you and your team can help them. Focus on these 4 online elements that are crucial to building and maintaining a strong online presence:

  1. The dental practice website should be professionally designed and easy to use. The website also needs to be optimized for mobile devices, preferably using responsive design so that patients can easily access & read it whether they are on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone.
  2. Incorporating an on-site blog can benefit the practice in multiple ways. First, it helps with the website’s SEO, helping to make it more visible to patients. And a blog also helps maintain existing relationships with current patients in between visits.
  3. Social media profiles should be current and updated regularly.
  4. Patient review sites such as Yelp, Google My Business and Healthgrades should be claimed & completed with up-to-date practice contact information. And everyone in the practice should be asking patients to write online reviews on a daily basis.

Online marketing is just one component of a dentist’s marketing strategy – one that is guaranteed to continue growing in importance. Take action today to ensure that what patients see online is an accurate reflection of you and your practice in 2015.

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Simple Tips for Getting More Online Dental Patient Reviews

by Naomi Cooper November 5, 2014

Simple Tips for Getting More Online Dental Patient ReviewsAccording to a 2013 1-800-Dentist.com study, 70% of respondents agreed that online reviews were just as important than a dentist’s credentials. That number increased from 53% reported in 2010. It’s clear that online patient testimonials are incredibly influential to patients looking online for a dentist.

Building a library of positive online dental patient reviews is often easier said than done. It can be uncomfortable for doctors and staff to ask patients to leave their comments, and even if you ask, it’s ultimately up to the patient to follow through.

This blog from the marketing gurus at MarketingProfs gives some very helpful and easy-to-implement ideas for making the online review process a simpler one.

Today’s patients are online, and so that means that dentists need to be too. If you are looking for more information about smart strategies for collecting online dental patient reviews, check out a couple of my previous blogs on the subject:

Dental Practice Marketing: Managing Your Online Reputation

3 Strategies for Generating Online Patient Reviews for Your Dental Practice

Protect Your Practice: The Importance of Positive Online Patient Reviews

Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Negative Online Reviews

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6 Questions to Analyze Your Dental Practice Website

by Naomi Cooper August 6, 2014

6 Questions to Analyze Your Dental Practice WebsiteAccording to Google, 97% of all consumers search for local businesses online. It’s important for dental practice owners to make sure their website is easily found when local patients are researching the practice online.

The dental practice website can be a powerful marketing tool; however it cannot be a static one. That is, the practice website needs to be constantly evolving along with the world of online marketing. Keeping up with the latest online marketing trends will ensure that the website keeps your practice at the top of the search engine listings.

I recently came across a very helpful article from the marketing experts at MarketingProfs, titled “Is Your Website Dead or Just Sleeping?”. In the article they outline 6 important elements to energize your website. Here is a quick summary:

1. Is it usable? – A website needs to be easy for users, and search engines, to navigate.

2. Is it responsive? – Traditional website design does not always function properly when viewed on smartphones and tablets. Make sure your website incorporates responsive design so that all patients see the best version of your website, regardless of the device they are using.

3. Is it focused? – Your website should be more about giving your patients the information they are looking for, and less about flashy design. Streamlining your website will actually make it more usable and can decrease load times.

4. Is it sociable? – A great dental practice website is engaging to patients. Pictures and video of the dentists and staff help welcome new patients into the practice. And linking the website to social media profiles and online review sites make it easy for patients to share your content and get a full, rounded picture of the practice.

5. Is it direct? – You should have a clear call to action all across your website, along with having your phone number and email address easy to find. Make it easy for patients to get in touch with you.

6. Is it fast? – People are impatient these days. In fact, 40% of people will abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. Work with your website design team to streamline your website.

If it has been a few years since your website was designed, it may be well worth it to contact your web designer to see if any improvements could be made.  How important do you feel your website is to the success of your dental practice?

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Google’s Newest Tool for Dentists

by Naomi Cooper July 15, 2014

Google’s Newest Tool for DentistsGoogle has introduced a new feature for business owners: Google My Business. You may have noticed a change with your existing Google Places profile. This new tool is meant to replace Google Places, and should make it much easier for local businesses to be found on Google.

Did you know that Google creates a profile for almost every business? It’s true, and even if you have never logged on to a Google platform, chances are good that there is an existing business listing for your dental practice. If you haven’t already, you need to create a Google account and claim the existing listing. Populate the listing with photos of the practice, current practice contact information, and hours of operation. This way, when patients are researching your practice online, they will be able to easily find your practice and all the necessary information they are looking for.

If you’ve previously claimed your Google Places listing, there’s not much you need to do with the new Google My Business. You’ll notice a new layout to the profile page. Simply make sure all the information is updated and correct.

For more details on the new tool, here is an overview from Google. Have you already noticed the new profile? What do you think of Google’s latest update?

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Facebook for Dentists: Boosting Engagement through Contests

by Naomi Cooper June 4, 2014

Facebook for Dentists: Boosting Engagement through ContestsIf you are looking to spice up your Facebook dental practice page, think about running a contest. Facebook promotions are a fun way to increase your engagement with your followers and keep your dental practice in the minds of your patients.

Running a Facebook promotion isn’t difficult, but it does require planning ahead. A recent article from the experts at MarketingProfs, 6 Newbie Tips for Running a Successful Facebook Timeline Promotion, outlines exactly what you need to do to set up contest for your dental practice Facebook page.

If you aren’t sure this DIY approach to Facebook promotions is the right option for you, Sesame Communications could be the solution. They offer a Sweepstakes package for dentists which is a full-service management of Facebook promotions including design and execution of a campaign, marketing the campaign both online and providing marketing emails, newsletters for patient outreach as well as ensuring the contest/promotion is compliant within all Facebook, state and local regulations.

Whether you do it yourself, or you take advantage of Sesame Sweepstakes, a Facebook promotion will increase your online engagement, yielding positive results for your dental practice, including increased patient loyalty, patient referrals and even treatment acceptance.

Have you run a Facebook promotion for your dental practice? What advice would you have for a beginner? Share your experiences below!

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Making the Case for a Modern Dental Marketing Strategy

by Naomi Cooper May 27, 2014

Making the Case for a Modern Dental Marketing StrategyHere on the blog and in conversations with my dentist clients, I talk frequently about the importance of a modern dental marketing plan and the role it can play in reaching new patients and building loyalty with patients of record.

A modern dental marketing strategy includes:

– updating the practice website

– utilizing SEO tactics and e-communication tools

– engaging in social media

– gathering online patient testimonials

Sesame Communications, a dental industry leader in digital marketing solutions, recently conducted a national survey of dental care providers to find out what digital marketing efforts they feel are critical to the success of their overall marketing strategy, and the results have just been released.  Click here to see the full report, but here are a few highlights:

  • 82% of dental care providers surveyed state their website is important to practice success
  • 85.5% believe automated patient reminders are important to practice success
  • 96.9% regard their rankings on Healthgrades.com as important to the practice
  • 65.7% consider SEO important to their practice success

These are strong statistics indicating the growing importance of updating a traditional marketing plan by adding in modern tools.

Do you agree with the findings? What have you done to modernize your dental marketing strategy? Share your experiences below!

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