Using internet channels for dental marketing
The dental web marketing cycle explained
In another of my “back to basics” articles, I will explain how marketing your practice via Internet channels will help new patients to find you, encourage them to join your web community, facilitate engagement and then provide opportunities to convert them into clients.
For most dentists, a website is the tool which generates most new patient enquiries; significantly more than traditional methods like practice brochures and local newspaper advertisements. However, we also know that a website is just the starting point when it comes to acquiring new patients from the web. Whilst the dental practice website is the “hub” for all online marketing activity, several other channels interact with it in the overall cycle of new patient acquisition.
How internet marketing channels interact
(Process flow inspiration courtesy of Portent)
Phase 1 of the cycle – CONTACT
Patients find you through a number of channels on the Internet, the primary routes are organic (free) search i.e. Google, Bing etc; via pay-per-click (PPC) on the same channels and by using social media. Prominence in search and an active social media presence are key drivers for website traffic as we have clarified in previous articles. These promotional activities must be planned and resourced correctly to ensure that phase 1 of the patient acquisition cycle works effectively and consistently. Get it right and you will receive significantly more traffic to your website. If what those visitors find is appealing, chances are they will contact you.
Phase 2 of the cycle – RETENTION
This is all about holding on to your newly found audience by providing them with high quality information. This is not a one off “hit” but an ongoing programme of content generation and curation that provides value for your audience. The platforms you use e.g. your blog and website, must provide a great user experience to ensure that you become and remain, a credible source of useful information. If you get this right, you become the “go to” resource; get it wrong and your visitors, fickle as they are, will soon find better options elsewhere. So “retention” is all about quality content, delivered from a robust, user-friendly platform and targeted to meet the needs of your audience. Basically, you provide something they want to keep them coming back.
Phase 3 of the cycle – COMMUNITY
So you’ve attracted new visitors, provided great content to keep them interested, so now what? The next step is to grow and nurture your community with the obvious benefit of showcasing your dental services to more potential patients. Here we leverage on the power of social networks to encourage word-of-mouth referral from your existing audience and deploy other tools like targeted e-newsletter campaigns to keep you prominent in the minds of your subscribers.
Phase 4 of the cycle – SALES
This could mean sales of new services to existing patients and/or the acquisition of new patients – the principles are the same. The earlier phases of the internet marketing cycle have combined to showcase your services prominently, retain and build a community and provide enhanced opportunities to sell via an increased level of enquiries. How you respond to these new enquiries is more about the procedures at the practice level and beyond the scope of this short overview.
Summary
Marketing your dental practice on the Internet is way more than simply having a decent website. Web marketing is a process that combines multiple channels to help potential new patients find you, trust you, engage with you, trade with you and ultimately promote you to their friends.
If you would like to discuss how the team at Dental Media can help you to market you practice successfully on-line, please call us on 01332 672548 and we’ll be pleased to assist.