Dental patient marketing is constantly evolving. Are you keeping up?

In 2022, the dental industry will face five major challenges that threaten to jeopardize your practice’s future. Traditional dental marketing techniques won’t produce (large enough) results any more. You must alter the way you market your business if you want to remain competitive and attract new patients through the door.

Learn 10 modern and innovative dental patient marketing strategies to accomplish the same.

The 5 Big Dental Patient Marketing Challenges of 2021

1. COVID-19 pandemic

2.Heightened competition

3. Decline of traditional advertising

4. The rise of DSOs

5. Increase in fly-by-night online dental marketing agencies

How To Overcome the Challenges

1. Create a mobile-first website design

Remove your phone from your pocket and launch your website. Fill out these questions without pinching, zooming, or squinting:

• Can you easily navigate the site?
• Can you easily fill out your contact form?
• Can you see your office phone number?

Do you have one or more of these questions answered no? More than half of all internet activity is now carried out on mobile devices. If a patient comes to your website and can’t get around it easily, your online dental marketing efforts are ineffective. Patients will be turned away if your website does not cater to mobile users.

These basic standards must be met by a mobile-first website:

• Responsive design adjusts to the device on which it’s being viewed, whether it’s a phone, tablet, or PC.
• At the top, make a list of the most vital information (such as phone numbers, contact buttons, and information about your practice).
• Keep things basic by getting rid of clutter, visual noise, or confusion.

The design platform on which your site is based has a significant impact on the final product, whether it’s mobile-friendly. WordPress is the finest dental website builder available. WordPress sites are adaptable, scalable, and look and function equally well on mobile as they do on a desktop computer.

2. Ensure your website passes the grunt test

What would a caveman make of your dental website?

This isn’t a joke question. The Grunt Test is what it’s called. Here’s how it works: If you were to show a caveman your website, would he be able to comprehend and convey your company’s services?

Try it yourself:

• On your laptop, or even better, on your phone
• For 5 seconds, have someone who has never seen your website open it and show it to them.
• Inquire about what you do

Do they give a simple, straightforward, and correct answer? If you didn’t pass the Grunt Test, it’s because your practice’s website did not fulfill these requirements.

• How will it make your patients’ lives better?
• What do you offer?
• What should a patient do to make an appointment?

What does any of this mean, exactly? When a patient is seeking for a new dentist, your website must be memorable, engaging, and convincing.

3. Adopt the StoryBrand framework

When it comes to clearly communicating the services and value of their practice, most dentists who attempt the Grunt Test discover that their website is failing. Using the StoryBrand framework can help you overcome this difficulty and bring in more patients by providing a straightforward remedy.

The StoryBrand is a framework for dentists (and other companies) to create their marketing message, as described in Donald Miller’s book ‘Building a StoryBrand.’ This idea is based on a seven-step structure that exploits the narrative power and goes something like this….

• A hero who wants something and …
• Encounters a problem (villain) before they can get it
• A guide steps into their lives…
• Who gives the hero a plan…
• And calls them to action
• That action helps the hero avoid failure…
• And ends in success

To assist your website demonstrate the value of its services and provide clarity, focus your marketing messaging on the above structure. And clarity is critical for a flood of new patients to flock to your facility.

4. Original, keyword-optimized content

The words on your website can help you rank higher in search engines, express what makes your practice unique, and attract new patients through the door if done correctly.

1. Copy and paste content

If Google detects content that is nearly identical to another website, you will be penalized. Make your own stuff — don’t copy and paste from other sites.

2. No keyword research

To assist potential patients discover your website, you must adapt the content of your website to relevant keywords. However, too many keywords may have a detrimental impact on your rankings. Find a balance.

5. Create a local SEO strategy

So you’ve spent hours learning how to do keyword research and ensuring your website ranks highly for specific keywords. All that work goes to waste, though, if the people discovering your site aren’t even from your area. A careful local SEO approach is what’s required here. 

Local SEO aims to attract local patients at the precise time they’re looking for a dentist on the internet. The following local SEO strategies are examples:

• Adding your practice to Google Maps and reclaiming your Google My Business account
• Check to see whether your business appears on citation sites and online business directories (such as ZocDoc and Yelp).
• Responding to positive comments and asking for reviews to be deleted that don’t adhere to Google’s standards (to learn more, stay tuned!)
• Your site should be well linked to other relevant webpages (backlinks) from high-authority sites.

6. Run strategic & well-organized PPC campaigns

PPC advertising, often known as pay-per-click (PPC) ads or paid advertising, is a valuable ad instrument that is only gaining in importance. PPC campaigns on Google AdWords are excellent places to start and provide a variety of PPC possibilities to select from:

• Google ads that appear when someone searches for certain keywords.
• Advertisements that assist you re-engage previous visitors (called remarketing campaigns)

Setting up effective PPC dental marketing campaigns necessitates time, talent, and experience. If you’re new to PPC, get help from an expert to get the most out of your budget and achieve the best results possible.

7. Online reviews

Positive patient feedback will give your practice a major competitive edge and is an important aspect of any dental website.

Consider these stats:

• 90% of dental patients check reviews before booking an appointment
• 70% of dental patients say reviews are as important as the dentist’s credentials
• 84% of patients trust reviews as much as a personal recommendation
• When someone sees a positive review of your practice, they are 58% more likely to convert

Backing up your marketing messages, patient reviews confirm them. They enhance the credibility of potential patients while also making current patients feel good about their decision. They also let Google know that you’re trustworthy, which will help you rank higher.

8. Invest in videography & photography

Professional photographs and video are crucial to your website’s success, and they may boost conversions by 40 percent!

In contrast, a website or social media accounts with unoriginal photos and videos…

• Turning away potential clients
• Slowing down your site
• Looking sloppy and hurting your brand
• Hurting your SEO efforts

Investing in professional photographs and videos is a fantastic dental marketing strategy because…

• The shoot planning process will push you towards a more strategic mindset.
• They allow for a wide range of website design and other marketing materials.
• You’ll engage more with your audience and improve conversion rates.

Bonus tip: Video testimonials from patients are a wonderful approach to boost patient loyalty. Request video comments from individuals who have given positive feedback. Make a professional film, shoot the testimonial yourself, or enlist your clients to create a video on their phone if you’re producing one.

9. Consider adding virtual services

Dentists all over the country implemented virtual services in response to the coronavirus. However, once things started to get back up and running, many dentists discovered that virtual appointments could be an excellent long-term addition to their internet marketing strategy. They’re correct!

Virtual care is a low-cost, high-return service that patients enjoy and gives your practice a competitive edge over those who don’t utilize telemedicine alternatives. Here are some best practices for implementing remote services:

1. Choose the right platform for your industry — Select a telemedicine solution that is HIPAA-compliant, such as SmileSnap.

2. Create easy scheduling — With a click of a button or by filling out a form, invite visitors to book their virtual consultation. It’s handy for everyone. A website chat widget is one more method to offer rapid responses or assist with scheduling.

3. Iron out the details — Who will oversee this new service? Fill in the blanks, such as the cost of the consultation (can you bill it to insurance?), length of time, who performs it, and what it includes. Prepare for every possibility, including an outage due to a bad Internet connection.

4. Promote your virtual appointments — Through a website banner or pop-up, let customers know about your virtual services on your website. Make sure this service is represented in your sponsored advertising efforts and that you keep up with changes on social media sites as well.

5. Track results and feedback — Keep an eye on the number of planned virtual appointments. Take note of your team’s opinion on the service. Within a couple of months, you’ll know whether or not virtual appointments are providing value.

10. Offer online booking to patients

Has your dental practice invested in online scheduling software? 

According to recent studies, approximately 50 percent of individuals still make appointments over the phone. However, if a dentist provided online appointment booking, 31% of consumers would consider switching dentists.

If a patient leaves a message on your voicemail or fills out an online contact form but does not get a response, he or she may keep looking for another dentist. This is especially true for those in a hurry to make an appointment.

Patients who are new to a practice’s service area or suffering from the inconvenience of delayed scheduling may appreciate the convenience and ease of online appointment scheduling.

So where do you start?

The world of online patient marketing is rather technical and ever changing. There are a lot of possibilities out there, but no one-size-fits-all solution. The most successful strategies are entirely tailored to your dental practice based on:

• Website design and copy
• Current marketing tactics
• Time
• Location
• Problems you’re trying to solve
• Budget
• NP growth targets

Here’s what we recommend. Begin by considering how well these concepts fit with your overall practice goals and objectives, as seen through the lens of your personal purpose. Ask yourself:

• Where is my practice currently falling behind? 
• Where is it succeeding?
• How do these ideas fit with my current online dental marketing methods?

Then, discuss with your dental marketing firm about whether any new strategies or ideas are worth your time and how they will assist you achieve success.

If you’re not already working with a reputable and experienced dental marketing firm, this is something you should look into in 2022.