Online marketers put aside approximately 57% of their budget towards digital marketing.
One of the easiest and most effective ways for you to grow your orthodontic practice is through digital marketing. It has the potential to take your business to a whole new level.
However, if you are not familiar with digital orthodontic marketing, it can seem overwhelming at first. The first hurdle to cross is getting started. Consistency in your marketing strategy is the next.
Here's a look at how digital marketing can help your orthodontic practice grow.
Create a Stunning Website
A well-developed website is a key component of a successful marketing strategy. An effective website has easy-to-navigate pages with sufficient white space to prevent a cluttered look. It also uses high-quality, relevant graphics to engage visitors and complement the written content.
When people land on your website, provide a clear call to action (tell them exactly what you want them to do). For example, encourage visitors to sign up for your email list or to book a new patient consultation. Then, make the scheduling process easy. With software like Greyfinch, you can add a live scheduling widget to your website so that new patients can schedule their preferred date and time with your office.
Make sure everything on your site loads quickly and looks nice on mobile devices. I’m often surprised how many websites have a poor user experience and outdated plugins or features that might have worked well on a desktop computer years ago but make it difficult to navigate the site on a smartphone. Always check your work. Put yourself in the patient’s shoes and see what it is actually like to schedule a new patient exam with your office on a smartphone. Is it easy or difficult?
Remember, your patients compare you to everyone they do business with, not just the competition down the street. If consumers can easily schedule an airline ticket, book a vacation, order online groceries or call for an Uber without leaving their smartphone, how does your website compare? Before you spend money to attract leads to your website with digital marketing, make sure the website is designed correctly to capture leads and provide an exceptional user experience.
Research Your Keywords
The foundation of an SEO strategy includes keyword research. Find relevant keywords your target audience is searching for and then plug them into relevant content.
Refrain from the temptation to go after the more obvious keywords in your niche as they are likely oversaturated. Instead, use a keyword research tool.
The tool will offer valuable information on not only relevant keywords, but the monthly search volume and the competitors you will have for each keyword. All valuable information to consider as you craft your strategy.
If your website is new, aim for longer tail keywords in your niche. These are keywords with four to five words. While the search volume will be less, the opportunity to rank is higher and the search volume will accumulate. On the contrary, attempting to rank for keywords with high search volumes will be nearly impossible because of the novelty of your website.
Use Keywords Effectively
Once you have selected long-tail keywords in your niche, the next step is to use them effectively by strategically placing them in your content.
For example, write articles focused on the long tail keywords you have found.
Place your keywords in the heading, the introduction, the body, and the conclusion of your article. This allows search engines like Google to know what the article is about. The competition and search volume of the keyword will determine if and in what position you rank.
Complete your first blog post and continue moving through the list of keywords you’ve identified to create additional blog posts. Over time you will begin ranking in the search results and gradually see an increase in traffic to your website. The higher the traffic, the more potential patients you will have.
Social Media
Ranking your website content is just one online marketing strategy to use to grow your business. Another is building your practice’s online social media presence.
Social media is an avenue to connect with your audience of existing and potential patients. Both of which will enjoy the services, updates, and valuable content your business has to offer.
Start with researching what your competitors are doing on social media. This will be your clue as to which platforms may work for you as well.
Notice the type of posts that perform the best. An indicator of well-performing content is high engagement - views, likes, comments, and shares. Examples of types of posts are carousel posts (multiple images or videos), short videos, simple static images, and reels.
Tailor your strategy towards the results of your research and apply it uniquely based on your practice.
Paid Advertising
Paid advertisement is another way to reach your target audience quickly. Advertising on social media is cheap and effective, especially if you are on a budget. Once you start reaping the benefits, increase your budget to see higher profit and results.
When you’re ready, expand your strategy to include paid ads on search engines such as Google. Your keywords will again play an important role. Use specific keywords in your ads to find and target the right audience.
Embrace Video
Video is quickly becoming the king of the internet. Embrace it if you want to get ahead in your digital marketing strategy. Video content creates opportunities to reach and easily connect with your audience.
Consider creating a YouTube channel for your business to share long-form or short-form videos, or both. Keep in mind that short-form videos can be shared across multiple platforms such as TikTok, Instagram reels, and Pinterest idea pins for even more exposure. Meanwhile, longer-form videos can be edited into snippets and repurposed as short-form content. Decide what would be the best use of your time and add it to your digital marketing strategy.
Remember, use keywords wisely, as YouTube videos also rank in search engines.
Orthodontic Marketing Made Easy
When you get started with digital marketing, you don't have to use all the tactics discussed here all at once. Choose one to start with, master it, and then move on to the next one.
You can also employ people to help you implement your strategy, including creating content, managing your online profiles, and your search engine optimization strategy.
The key to remember when marketing your business is to always focus on providing value. You and your orthodontic practice will gain authority as an expert in your field and respect from the value offered in your content. Contact us for support in establishing your marketing strategy.
Leave a Reply