We recently had a client cancel their high-performing Google Ads account as they were quote \u201cunable to respond to the leads fast enough and by the time the reception team responded, the patient had gone elsewhere\u201d. This is really frustrating for us as marketers but also a critical \u201cfail\u201d on behalf of the practice. I discussed the data with the practice principal and also the feedback which had come back from the practice manager (see above) but to date, the client still hasn\u2019t re-enabled their ads.<\/p>\n
To put it in context, these were highly qualified leads from focused Google Ads campaigns \u2013 so folk who had searched on Google with specific intent for certain types of dental treatment. The leads weren\u2019t the more speculative type that you can expect from social media ads, so even more frustrating that they weren\u2019t being responded to promptly.<\/p>\n
At the other end of the spectrum I recently discussed the progress of various ad accounts with a client based in Oxfordshire \u2013 these accounts also perform very well. However, a key difference is that the principal has worked really hard to ensure that the conversion process i.e. leads to treatment at the practice, is as good as it can be. This isn\u2019t just the reception team and TCO, but also the dentists themselves. Indeed his opinion was that in the overall lead conversion process, 1\/3 is contributed by the marketing team, 1\/3 by his support team and 1\/3 by the clinicians. What the actual contributions are is debatable, but I believe that is an excellent rule-of-thumb to start with.<\/p>\n
What I\u2019m illustrating here is the huge gulf in the understanding of lead conversion between various practices and how some principles really \u201cget it\u201d whereas others still expect the treatments to fall into their laps \u2013 even after we try to educate them about the importance of having competent, committed staff following up on the leads promptly.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This is a broad question and a topic which can\u2019t be skimmed over, so I won\u2019t attempt to do that here. However, suffice to say that you need to understand just how important it is and be prepared to focus on it at the practice. Some key considerations:<\/p>\n
The answer to this is probably ‘not’ and even though the return on dental Google Ads<\/a> and even social ads can be very good indeed, if you aren\u2019t chasing up on leads correctly, you\u2019ll be wasting a lot of money and missing potential treatments. So much so that we are now advising clients against using ads until they have the correct resources in place to deal with the enquiries which follow.<\/p>\n Again the answer is \u201cno\u201d despite what some agencies might try to sell you. The \u201cone size fits all\u201d pack covering how to respond to leads will likely give you some pointers but you will need to adapt this to your own team and local circumstances. You also don\u2019t have to start off with ultra-sophisticated tracking systems such as a CRM, although these can be very useful as your processes mature. Start out with something relatively simple on Excel sheets and go from there \u2013 the key is to make sure your team understands the importance and uses the systems and procedures you put in place. The team here at Dental Media<\/a> can also advise on this.<\/p>\n When an enquiry for treatment comes into the practice, diligent follow-up is needed \u2013 waiting to respond and\/or not responding appropriately will most likely result in that patient going elsewhere as we discussed in the example above.<\/p>\n When it comes to expediting leads from paid ads, don\u2019t just expect your reception team to know what to do. They most likely won\u2019t understand the importance or have been trained how to do it correctly. Consider the bullet points above to start making your plan and getting the correct processes and procedures in place \u2013 without this, it\u2019s likely going to be a waste of time starting to advertise.<\/p>\n This is not a question about whether paid ads work, they really can deliver great results, this is about how you handle the leads that result from the ads. Do it right and you can reap the rewards, do it badly and you can waste a lot of money.<\/p>\n For more information about paid ads for dentists and how to manage the complete process, please call the team at Dental Media on 01332 672548<\/strong> for a no-obligation discussion and advice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Diligent new patient lead handling is the difference between success and failure We recently had a client cancel their high-performing Google Ads account as they were quote \u201cunable to respond to the leads fast enough and by the time the …<\/p>\nIs there a template for success?<\/h3>\n
Summary<\/h3>\n