Confused about dental web marketing costs?

Why is the range of costs bandied around the business so wide?

I was prompted to write this after reading and commenting on one of Chris Barrow’s recent blogs. Chris posed the question “what should I be advising my clients about web marketing costs” – he genuinely seemed confused, like so many, by the huge range of costs being bandied around the industry.

If guys who are as close to the industry as Chris Barrow are confused, then what chance does the principal dentist or practice manager have when trying to decide the best route for promoting their practice?

So why is there such a huge divergence in the costs quoted for web marketing and what is actually realistic? I may get a little contentious here but please read on and bear with me….

The web is a complex place and its easy to confuse the unsuspecting

Many dentists are coached to appear “reassuringly expensive” so it may be unsurprising that some are lured into thinking that the guys who quote top dollar for their marketing services must be top notch too. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Numerous dentists have been let down, wondering where all of the marketing budget went and why their Google positions have tanked. This scenario is now more common than ever, particularly now Google has clamped down on the unsophisticated SEO techniques employed by so many so called marketing experts. The key point here is that there are very few high quality SEO practitioners and expensive doesn’t necessarily mean good.

The right tools for the job

Why do we see web marketing packages with fixed prices quoted all over the web? Given that each website, competitive environment and client aspiration is different, how can a “one-price-fits-all” web marketing package possibly be the right thing? Some dental practices require very little work to be prominent in Google whereas others in more competitive environments require a lot more. Each case must be analysed carefully and the correct package – and price – configured for the work required.

Value for money

Are you actually paying to support the infrastructure costs of a large marketing agency or is the majority of your cash actually being applied to the job in hand? This applies for all aspects of your promotional infrastructure whether it’s branding, website design or ongoing marketing. Where a provider has a large cost base to cover, this inevitably knocks through to the price of their services.

Particularly where dental web services are concerned, it’s well worth seeking out the agile companies that can offer excellent services most cost effectively.

The key factor here is that you don’t have to pay extravagant sums of money for class leading web design and marketing skills if you know where to look.

What should you be paying?

I covered guideline prices for dental marketing in this post a short while back:

Budgeting for your practice marketing in 2013

Summary

It’s genuinely disconcerting to note the misguided figures quoted around the dental industry for web marketing, whether development of branding, website design or ongoing marketing. Typically these costs tend to be over exaggerated, so it’s sensible to look around for the best deals and validate the ability of the company to deliver.

If you’d like to discuss how to secure affordable dental marketing that delivers, please call us on 01332 672548 for a no obligation chat.