Your 2014 dental marketing “to NOT do” list

Don’t make these mistakes in 2014.

With a plethora of New Year marketing “to do” lists widely available, I thought I’d quickly switch the topic on its head and compile a quick list of what NOT to do when considering your dental web marketing for 2014.

Here are 11 important areas to address:

1. Don’t forget to review the services of your marketing partner. Are you paying lots of cash on a monthly contract, effectively as a retainer, when a “pay as you go” arrangement would be much more affordable and equally, if not more effective? Take time out to review exactly what you are getting for your money and challenge the “always done it that way” norm. There should be no need for onerous monthly contracts so don’t get tied in.
2. Don’t procrastinate when it comes to updating your dental practice website. Remember that the web is the primary source for new patients and that people are naturally attracted to websites which look professional and welcoming. Keep an eye on what your competitors are doing and try to keep pace. A high quality practice website does not cost the earth if you seek out a good provider and the ROI is excellent.
3. Don’t make the mistake of trying to do it yourself using an out-of-the-box DIY dental practice website builder. Top web designers study for years to hone their skills and this simply can’t be reproduced using cheap DIY systems.
4. Don’t expect to build a website and leave the process there. Unless you are in a non-competitive location, you will likely need an ongoing web marketing programme to improve your search ranking position and bring more visitors to your site.
5. Don’t neglect complementary web marketing channels which work alongside your website. Research and understand why a blog and diligent use of social media channels will help to improve your Google ranking, promote patient engagement and help to increase new patient enquiries.
6. Don’t use a cheap SEO provider. Too many so-called search marketing companies are still peddling defunct techniques which will result in your site being penalised by Google. Good SEO is not cheap and is now not simply about building lots of links back to your site. Whilst good quality links are still important, complementary techniques such as blogging and content distribution via social channels are now also necessary.
7. Has your website been penalised and dropped back in Google? If so don’t procrastinate and hope the situation will improve on its own. Get your site analysed by an expert so that an appropriate recovery plan can be devised.
8. Don’t neglect to optimise your web assets for mobile users – as we discussed in this article, this should be a top priority for 2014.
9. Don’t allocate a disproportionate quantity of the overall marketing budget to off-line activities. Whilst some traditional marketing techniques, e.g. targeted leaflet drops, can be successful, your best “bang-for-buck” is easily from web based initiatives.
10. Don’t forget to measure the effectiveness of your marketing channels and understand the returns that each one is delivering.
11. Finally, don’t persist with a web marketer who is failing you. Good web marketing is time consuming and hence not cheap. However, you can secure excellent services without paying over the odds – and always seek references when you can.

Summary

The world of dental web marketing has changed markedly over the last two years. Suppliers who used to be able to deliver results are now struggling and a more sophisticated approach is needed. Review your plans for 2014 in detail to ensure that you aren’t stuck with a programme that will cost you but is unlikely to deliver results. Please call the Dental Media team on 01332 672548 if you would like a full review in readiness for 2014.