Marketing Trends For Dentists

MOBILE-FIRST DESIGN

Your website needs to be easily viewed on a computer monitor or laptop screen, but even more importantly, you need to optimize your site for viewing on smartphones, since more than 70% of today’s web traffic is coming from mobile devices. Since typical websites only have a shelf-life of a few years, now’s the time to upgrade and take advantage of emerging trends for patient conversion.

CONTENT MARKETING

Take advantage of your website and social media content to engage your patients by answering common questions, providing valuable resources, and offering a peek inside your practice. Optimizing for SEO rankings, it is important that you regularly post and update content, but avoid posting just for the sake of creating content. Instead, incorporate paid search and PPC campaigns using quality content.

VIDEO MARKETING 

Poised to make up 82% of consumer traffic this year, take advantage of the more than 100 minutes per day that the majority of internet users spend watching online videos by adding video content to your website, hosting a Facebook Live event, or simply reposting quality video content from reputable sources. Incorporating video into your marketing strategy can increase the amount of time patients spend on your sites, increase conversion rates, and broaden your patient demographic.

ONLINE REVIEWS

Now more than ever as patients are turning to reviews before booking appointments, it is important that you ask (and make it easy) for patients to leave reviews. Thinking of it as word-of-mouth marketing for an online community, 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. High quality reviews do not only impact your ability to grow your practice but they also have a direct effect on your SEO results and Google rankings when others are looking for the services that you offer.

TELEDENTISTRY

Popularized during the height of the pandemic, teledentistry services provided patients with a way to communicate with their dentists when they are experiencing tooth pain or other dental concerns, or when needing a follow-up visit after a dental procedure. While it’s certainly not possible to have your teeth cleaned via a virtual visit, and therefore not a replacement for dental visits, teledentistry offers flexibility in care, expanding the reach and resources for your dental practice.

OPTIMIZE FOR VOICE SEARCH

In the last few years, voice search has risen exponentially, and since it’s faster than typing, nearly 48% using this technology for general searches. With Google Assist, Siri, Alexa and a myriad of other voice-activated apps being used to initiate online searches, it is important that your online presence is optimized to respond to these inquiries. This includes optimizing for long-tail keywords and questions and using natural-sounding language in your content. 

REMARKETING CAMPAIGNS

Just as important as growing your practice with new patients, it is important to retain those with whom you have already established a relationship. As more people are returning to their regular healthcare routines and reestablishing dental care, it is important to reach out to your existing patient base. You can reach out to remind patients that it’s time for their checkup or inform them of new services. In any marketing strategy, retention is just as important as recruitment.