Increasing your private dentistry services? Marketing in step?

Is your website and online marketing in good shape to promote a broader range of services?

With changes pending for the provision of NHS dentistry, an increasing number of practices are reviewing their businesses and increasing the levels of private care they offer.

This trend looks set to gather in pace as dental business owners look forward and consider options to grow their businesses profitably in conjunction with providing excellent standards of care.

Preparing your web marketing to support change

If you are one of the many dentists currently considering how to re-position your business, one of the main factors to review is your marketing. Perhaps the most important tool is the  practice website and, with competition increasing, it’s essential to make sure that your website is professional, attractive and effective. People seeking treatment, particularly more expensive cosmetic or restorative procedures, don’t just go to their own dentist these days; more and more are jumping straight on to Google and seeking out competitive quotations.

Given this pattern, it’s simple to see why your web presence needs to be at least as good as your local competitors and also prominent in the search rankings. Only last week, one of our clients who monitors new patient enquiries very closely, reported that over 60% of their new patients cited the website as a major reason for stimulating the initial contact. If your web presence is poor, this simply won’t happen.

Sell what sells

It may seem obvious but it’s extremely important to prioritise your most lucrative treatments on the website and also to understand what sells. Short-term orthodontics, implants and, increasingly, sedation are popular so, as long as you provide them of course, don’t hide these away alongside all of the other general treatments. Try to showcase your main services prominently and draw attention with “calls-to-action” positioned appropriately at strategic points in the site.

Many forward looking practices hold open sessions where they showcase latest treatments – for example an “Invisalign Evening” or “Implant Open Day”. To help publicise this type of event it really helps to add a prominent banner or similar call-to-action on the home page of the website and then support this with a mail shot and reminder follow-up just before the event. It’s this type of proactive marketing activity that will help to raise the profile of the practice and make it stand above the guys who just tick-over with an outdated website and nothing much else.

Keeping your web marketing “fresh”

Unfortunately, web marketing is not a fire-and-forget project and needs regular input to keep it fresh and attractive.

However, it’s not just about being attractive for potential new patients who find you on the web – it’s also about maintaining “freshness” to support and enhance your position in the search engine rankings. Google, particularly, loves new content so be prepared to update your website regularly and contribute new and useful information via a practice blog. Active social media completes the picture.

This type of activity will raise your profile in the local community and in Google too. Like most things, a little hard work will reap rewards.

Summary

Spurred on by forthcoming contract changes, an increasing number of dentists are repositioning their businesses to provide more private services. In turn, this is promoting more competition and a requirement to ensure that the practice marketing initiatives are ramped-up and in step. Key promotional elements such as the practice website must be suitable to ensure that the practice is represented professionally and that key treatments are showcased effectively.

If you would like a no-obligation review of your current website and recommendations on how it can be improved, both from a patient’s perspective and for Google, then please get in touch with the Dental Media team on 01332 672548.