Investments aren’t always about how much money you sink into a particular venture. Oftentimes, the mindset you have and the time you sacrifice is equally, if not more, important. This is especially true when it comes to online dental marketing expectations.
Have you hired an agency to run your web marketing campaigns for you? If so, is that all you’ve really done – simply, hired them? To grow your online presence, it requires a mindset that, with time and effort, you will obtain results. To do so, you must have clear expectations about how to reasonably achieve your new patient goals.
Common Fallacies of Online Dental Marketing
You’ve tried to understand the enigma that is SEO (search engine optimization), but it’s far too complex. Your practice manager set up a Facebook page, but it hasn’t delivered any new patients. These frustrations have made dentists wary toward the online marketing field. And for good reason. Many dentists have been sold on empty promises. Promises that shouldn’t have been given in the first place.
“Online marketing” is a broad term. It can be interpreted in a number of ways. Some might see it as simply “creating a new website.” Others see it as setting up a social media page. But an effective online marketing plan includes many components:
- Website design
- Search engine optimization
- Content writing
- Email blasts
- Social media
- Pay-per-click
Many dentists will dabble with just one or two of these strategies. Or, they hire a firm that has limited resources in what they can offer. Others might craft (or pay a company to craft) a more far-reaching digital strategy, but have become burned-out by unrealistic expectations. These pains underscore the importance of having the right mentality – that is, with time and commitment, results will follow.
Commit to Reasonable Expectations
Unlike most advertising channels, like TV or radio, running a prosperous Internet marketing campaign rarely produces instant gratification. That being said, it can also generate a greater return on investment. Embracing this marketing channel with a reasonable mindset isn’t easy – like how difficult it is for many patients to invest in their oral health by visiting your office every six months.
If you plan on doing all your online dental marketing in house, it’s important to have an integrated strategy. Here are a few tasks that should be added to your marketing blueprint:
- Ensure that your website adheres to search engine guidelines
- Optimize your website in a way that it converts visitors into patients
- Post regularly on your Facebook page
- Write weekly blog posts that are unique and offer insight on oral health
- Send monthly newsletters and special offers to your patient subscribers
Realize that, even if you do all these things, success won’t happen overnight. Unfortunately, this misconception has been created by impetuous providers that make rash guarantees.
Dental practice consultant Dr. Roger P. Levin puts it this way: "Sporadic, piecemeal online marketing activities won’t get the job done anymore. We are entering the era when it takes comprehensive, coordinated online presence activities – integrated into broader marketing strategies – to grow practices."
Be cautious when seeking out a new website company. A qualified provider shouldn’t work for you. They should work with you to achieve your new patient goals. A powerful strategy takes reason, commitment, and a persistent vision. What is that vision? It’s that with a comprehensive online marketing strategy, you’ll achieve long-term new patient growth that traditional advertising simply cannot provide.