How to Make Your Dental Website Less Generic and More Effective

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Bill

If you are a dentist who is thinking about having your own dental website, chances are that you have already scoured the entire internet for articles advising you on how to do just that. By now, you already know the general benefits of having your own website like being able to promote your practice for a fraction of the cost and reaching out to the majority of internet-dependent patients and prospects. But what these articles do not tell you is how you can manipulate your website so that it really becomes a dental website. Here are a couple of things you can do to put the “dental” back in your website:

Before and After

One easy and effective way for dentists to convince patients to go for treatment is by showing them just how useful such procedure will be and nothing drives the point home than showing before and after photos of your former patients. This is also a great way to calibrate the expectations of your patients and prevent dissatisfaction just because you failed to communicate to your patient the realistic outcome of the procedure that he or she went for. Before posting any picture, make sure that you ask for consent for your patients.

Customer Service

Another way that you can customize your website so that it benefits your practice directly is to use it to improve customer service. This isn’t to mean that you can have your office phone line disconnected now but the fact remains that some people find it more convenient to communicate using the internet. With the help of microblogging sites like Twitter and comment boxes just like that of blogs, you can respond to any patient-related query almost immediately. Being particular to customer service pays in the long run especially since patients nowadays measure your eagerness to help them by how expedient you are at responding to them.

Booking Appointments

This is another feature which you should incorporate in your dental website. The entire point of having a website is to make it easier for your patients to reach you and is why this feature makes complete sense. There are instances wherein website visitors have no access to a landline phone which is why they cannot call you straightaway to schedule for an appointment. Hence, there is a gap between the time that they search you online and the time when they actually make that phone call to schedule an appointment, and anything can happen during that interval.

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Are You Ready for Mobile Dental Websites?

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Bill

Although the internet has existed for a couple of decades now, dentists have only recently started using the technology. It’s only now that they’re launching their own dental websites and really making full advantage of what the World Wide Web has to offer. But just because you already have your long-awaited dental site doesn’t mean that you should start resting your laurels already.

The world has become so much more complex since the turn of the 21st century. In the past, only on-the-go businessmen and scholarly people lugged their laptops around. Now, almost everyone has one and the device has become sort of disposable because of its abundance. But most notably, people do not need their laptops or personal computers to connect to the internet; they can instantly surf the World Wide Web through their handy smart phones.

Before you start underestimating the power of these smart phones, it would be a good thing to take a look at the statistics. Figures show that 89 percent of individuals who own smart phones make use of the gadget on a daily basis. The said study also shows that 81 percent of smart phone owners make use of their gadgets to browse the Web. To top that off, more than half of individuals who make mobile searches end up taking action like buying something or visiting a brick-and-mortar store. This morsel of information is something which dentists, and just about anyone who wants to make use of the internet to market their services, should seriously consider.

Having a mobile version of your dental website is something which you should think about especially if majority of the members of your target market include young adults. Given the hectic lifestyles that young adults are forced to lead, chances are that they are the ones who appreciate mobile websites the most. With the help of their smart phones, they can check out any service or product which they wish to avail of or purchase even during their lunch break.

But why should you invest in a mobile version of your dental website when mobile browsers can still access regular websites? The answer is quite obvious. Because of the small screens on smart phones, viewing non-mobile websites can be visually painful. At the same time, regular websites have longer loading times than mobile websites because of all the graphics and what-not included. Finally, you can incorporate other features in your mobile website which might not be accessible when a regular website is simply viewed on a smart phone.

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What Should You Do With Your Dental Website?

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Bill

Having a website has become some sort of a requisite for any business and that include dental practices. But it’s not just enough for dentists to have a dental website made and then completely forget that it exists. Although it has to potential to bring a lot of foot traffic to your clinic, it cannot work miracles overnight and certainly not without your help. So what exactly can your dental website do and how can you do your share of promoting it?

Exposure

You might have been running your practice for decades now but chances are that there are still pockets of individuals within your community which do not yet know that your practice exists. This is especially so since people no longer go out and try to explore their immediate community. With the hectic schedules that people of today have, they rely more on the internet to find service providers, and, without a website, you’re missing a lot.

Information Distribution

The best dentists didn’t become great because they had all the skills and knowledge in the world; it’s because they had awesome, educated patients. When you have patients that do not understand what certain dental procedures do, then brace yourself for a lot of explaining on your part and possible complaining from the other end. You can post informative articles on your website which your patients can check out before they even call you, that way they have already calibrated their expectations before scheduling an appointment with you.

Customer Care

Getting in touch with you through the phone can sometimes be difficult and inconvenient for some patients, and giving lengthy explanations through the phone can also be tedious. For these reasons, answering queries through your website can be godsend. Open your own Twitter account and your patients can send you tweets which you can answer in just a few minutes.

Now that you know exactly what you should be doing with your website, how can your promote it? A dental website is only as good as the amount of traffic it receives. To start off, you can start including your website on your business cards, posters and other print ads. Basically, integrate your website into your marketing campaign. One of the most common mistakes that dentists do is to turn their websites into orphans because they do not include the promotion of their website with their other marketing campaigns.

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Internal Marketing During the Recession

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Bill

With the occurrence of the recession, marketing is becoming more of a necessity rather than a luxury for dental practitioners. However, this notion may be counter-intuitive to some dentists. When one is trying to save up and cut costs, the idea of running an ad in any newspaper can be extremely impractical. To some extent, this logic is completely understandable and true. However, only one part of marketing costs money and that is external marketing. The underrated and often ignored marketing type may be more difficult to pull but it costs nothing than one’s time. This type is called internal marketing.

Internal marketing is not that explored. The entire point of internal marketing is to make one’s existing patients recruit new patients. Because dentists are enticing their patients to bring in new patients for them, this platform can be more difficult to pull as compared to external marketing wherein dentists only have to shell out a certain amount in order to have a billboard put up or to have a space in any publication. To those who are new to internal marketing, here are a few rules that one can follow:

Although the rules of internal marketing might be tricky, this form of marketing is predictable and measurable. Although it might not seem so, dentists have an ability to pick out patients who are most likely to refer them to their family members and friends. The dentists who are successful in internal marketing are those who understand the power of satisfying patients. To begin with, only the satisfied and happy patients are the ones who are most likely to make referrals. Dentists do not have to be that sensitive in order for them to single out the happy patients from the not-so-convinced ones, and hence approach the right patients to ask referrals from.

Successful dentists should work towards ensuring that 40 to 60 per cent of their existing patients make at least one referral per person on their behalf. By doing so, one can expect a steady number of new patients and new revenue pouring into the practice. It’s also very important for dentists to remember their professional etiquette and thank patients who gave referrals. Thanking patients can be in a form of a personal call but if this is inconvenient, dentists can choose to send thank you emails instead.

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How a Dental Website Works Step-by-Step

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Bill

Having a website in this day and age may seem like a no brainer to most people. However, because of the internet’s reputation for being a quick fix for businesses and a panacea for all marketing problems, it’s only understandable that a handful of dentists may still be reluctant to put their business online. Undoubtedly, dentists can derive a considerable number of benefits from but exactly how the process of launching a website and enjoying the benefits of having one may not be clearly threshed out to dentists.

The Trend: Research Online, Purchase Offline

The general trend nowadays is that people research for the services which they are interested in online and then avail of these services offline. Because of this, it’s somewhat mandatory for dentists to have a website so that they can catch prospects even before they’ve started with their research and singled out certain practices.

Page One

Just because a practice has a website does not mean that individuals who turn to the search engines will instantly consider that practice when shopping for dentists. If a website will catch the attention of searchers, the website should be found on the first page of the search engine results pages. Better yet, it should be on the very top of the pile. In order for a website to be placed on the first page, it’s crucial that the search engine find that certain website to be an authority within its field and receive a large amount of traffic.

Quality Content

Although search engine optimization experts will use other tricks in the belt, one of the tried and tested methods of directing more traffic into websites is to post helpful and relevant content. In the past, there was so much hype about using keywords that some websites posted articles which comprised only of key words and key phrases repeated at predictable intervals. These write ups did not have any coherent thought and did not offer any substantive value. Hence, although traffic to these websites was considerable, visitors were leaving as fast as they were arriving. To put it simply, the traffic to these websites were not sustainable.

On the other hand, quality content not only brings continuous traffic to websites but also builds trust and confidence – something which dentists want to develop in their prospects. When dentists are able to help prospects through their website, these prospects will more likely choose that dentist as a service provider.

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Good Dental Sites vs. Bad Dental Sites

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Bill

So you’re entertaining the idea of having a dental website. Before you make a nosedive into this endeavor, check your intentions. Because of how foreign the concept of having a website is to others, especially dentists, there are a lot of myths surrounding these online sites. For instance, some people think that having a website is just a requirement that they need to fulfill once and not mind ever again. Others think that having a website is an instant solution to all their marketing problems. In order for you to make full use of website, you need to calibrate your expectations to prevent any disappointments. This article will do just that.

Good Site vs. Bad Site

Just because you have a website does not mean that you can automatically reap the rewards of having online presence. There are good websites and bad websites, and it’s very easy to distinguish the two. A bad website is one which has poorly designed or even misplaced graphics, and confusing navigation. At the same time, the content in these sites are sketchy. On the other hand, a good website has a very streamlined and professional look. These websites are entertaining, and draws the visitors to linger and explore.

Benefits

Case Presentations

Dentists can make full use of websites for case presentations to prospects and visitors. The great thing with having a website in order to convince prospects is that you can publish before-and-after photos and supplement these pictures with lengthy explanations (or concise ones, if you wish) of the procedures done. This can be extremely convenient for individuals who want to know exactly what the course of treatment will be.

Searchable

Having a website allows you to be searched and subsequently found in the cyberspace. This is crucial given the fact that not everyone in your community knows that your practice exists regardless of the fact that you may have been practicing for a long time already. And in these time and age, people usually search for services through search engines like Google. By having a website, you may soon be one of the websites listed on the search engine results pages Continue reading →

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Debunking Dental Website Myths

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Bill

Despite the fact that our world relies mostly on Google in order for us to find basic goods and services, there are still a lot of dentists who are reluctant to bring their practice into the internet. This may be a natural reaction to fearing something new. It does not help too that there are so many myths about websites which have continue to perpetuate. In order to be best convinced as to why one should have a dental website, it’s time for dentists to know exactly what a dental site can and cannot do.

Instant Cure

Having a website does not automatically mean that you can expect a continuous stream of new patients into you clinic. Although you can definitely get leads out of your website, it’s not some instant cure which will right away solve your problem of dwindling number of patients.

However, you can definitely use your website to come up with leads and launch your own email newsletter. Place an offer on your website like a free e-book or a free service to entice visitors to key in their email address. After gathering these email addresses, you can start sending e-newsletters whether you prefer it to be weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. As you continue to send your leads e-newsletters filled with useful content, you’ll eventually gain their trust and you’ll be the first thing on their minds when they need a teeth cleaning or an extraction.

Interaction

Another popular misconception about websites is that you don’t have to worry much about the upkeep of your site. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Your website is not a billboard which you can expect to draw customers to you without being updated every now and then.

One of the good things about having a website is the fact that you can interact with your prospects even without them being physically present. A blog-like website will allow readers to post their comments and suggestions, and you can answer queries as well. Dentists should take advantage of this feature especially since people have become extremely obsessed with getting what they want right now. So if they want information on a new teeth whitening procedure, they expect a reply from you right away or they’re moving to a more responsive dentist. With a website, talking to your prospects is close to having a real-time conversation with them especially if you make use of social media.

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Writing for Your Dental Website

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Bill

These days, every practice needs to have its own dental website. With how dependent people are on technology, it would be extremely impractical to not have one. However, just because a practice has a dental website does not automatically assure a stream of new patients. In fact, most dental sites are not utilized to their full potential. This is where web writing comes in.

Although dentists aren’t exactly trained in the science of creating and maintaining websites, but having a bit of a background is actually helpful in understanding how websites work. Your website’s content is crucial because what visitors read on your site will determine whether they would give you a call or move on to another website. Here are a couple of tips that dentists can apply:

1. Try distributing content.

We often see navigation tabs on websites that point to distinct pages like “About Us”, “Products”, or “Services”. It only follows that there is also a separate page for testimonials. No matter how helpful testimonials are, most visitors overlook this page especially if your website isn’t that interesting. Hence, you should find a way so that visitors still read your patient testimonials even if they do not click on the link. You can do this by placing a relevant testimonial on all of your site’s pages. For instance, you can insert a patient testimonial commending you for your responsiveness and customer service on your “Contact Us” page. You can also do the same thing with survey statistics and other snippets of information which you think are interesting and compelling.

2. Consider your visitors’ perspective when writing content.

When you’re writing articles and other kinds of posts that will go into your website, you should always remember that your readers should be able to relate with them. One common mistake among website writers and creators is that they come up with content which does nothing but harp about the practice. Readers do not want to know about why your practice is number one. What they want to know is how they can benefit from being your patient. Tell them what they want to hear. For instance, if you’re trying to capture young adults with cash to spare but super tight schedules, pitch in your articles that your dentists are always on time for appointments and that your practice is willing to accommodate patients even during lunch breaks or after office hours.

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Go Small and Expand Your Practice

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Bill

If you’re searching for ways to market your dental practice more effectively, chances are that you’re operating a small practice but have dreams of making it big soon. There’s nothing embarrassing about wanting to expand your business. All big companies started out small after all. However, there are a couple of cons to going big as well. For instance, a lot of people feel more comfortable shopping in a neighborhood grocery store because of the excellent customer service. Although it might sound like an oxymoron, but one way for you to grow your practice is to act small. Here are a couple ways for you to do just that:

Think about being the best.

Although your goal might be to expand your practice, but you should always focus on being the best among your competitors. As long as you have this mastered, your practice will grow on its own without you even noticing it. Instead of obsessing on opening new clinics in other locations within the city, focus instead on ensuring that every patient that walks into your clinic actually goes out happy and satisfied. At the end of the day, you want your patients to associate you as the best in your field.

Be passionate about what you do.

This is extremely important. People want to be in the company of professionals who love doing what they do. Make sure that your hygienists and everyone else in your team feel this passion as well. Most patients complain about dental health staff members who talk about their employers or about co-employees very unflatteringly within their presence. This can make any patient uncomfortable. Also, if you aren’t convinced that you love your job, this dissatisfaction will translate to how you treat your patients. Your patients will notice this hostility or indifference and just go elsewhere.

Come up with your own meaning of success.

Some people think that they’ve reached the peak of success when they are able to master the entrepreneur’s dilemma – getting more profit with close-to-nothing production cost. But using this as your basis for success is unsustainable. You need to define success according to how your business impacts your clients. Think along the lines of helping your patients. Aim towards ensuring that all of your patients are happy with the quality of treatment and service they are receiving from you. As long as your patients are happy with you, then you’re bound to achieve success.

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The social media as a unique tool for interacting with patients as a dental practitioner

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Bill

The social media is one of the most interactive web platforms that even for a dental practitioner can be very instrumental in contacting and interacting with clients. Whilst the social networks are very strong marketing tools for websites online, the fact is the best approach to maximize the advantages of social networking is to actually make it a tool to access and interact with your clients and potential patients. The ideas that inspire these particular moves all are based on the assumption that, given the fact that social networks have billions of users in addition to the ease and fun involved in social networking, it can become extremely easy to interact with patients from anywhere in the world through social networks.

How do you set-up a social network to market your dental practice
Setting up a dental social network is easy and in fact there are a lot of social networks and micro-blogging websites that you can use. Setting up your network well will depend on the target clients that you are looking to reach out for, whilst Facebook and Twitter are the common social networking sites, there is no doubt that making the most of the two requires some level of creativity and innovation. Both ways the end product is to get an interactive platform to engage your patients and with the best professional help and show your expertise.

Making your social networks interactive
The most influential aspect of a social network that makes it interactive is actually its content. The posts on your dental social network should be interesting and engaging to the clients. Furthermore you should make sure that you manage your networks well such that they remain active. In other word you need to create updates frequently and in fact as much as you can. In many cases dentists will find it difficult to juggle both their job and marketing but there is no need to worry. Today you can get affordable and effective social media marketers and consultants with the necessary expertise to create a turn around in your marketing ideas.

Making the most from social networks
The trick in making social networks pay and pay well is actually making them active. As it has always been the case, social networks should be interactive and as much as you will use such sites to contact and reach out to clients and potential clients it is advisable that you allow your patient to contribute to important matters of your practice. This interactive approach is very important in keeping clients within your grip and aside from that, dental practice is not just about treatment but also providing consultancy and information concerning best idea in dental health and hygiene.

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