Facebook and Twitter Dentist Marketing

As a dentist seeking more patients, you might have heard the buzz. Your neighboring dentist has a Facebook Page and a Twitter Profile. But does that get him new patients? A Facebook page or a Twitter profile is quite similar to having a website. Just by having a website, you won’t get patients. It is the case with Facebook and Twitter also. What’s the use of a website, Facebook Page or Twitter profile if your target audience in not interested in it?

A Facebook fan page, A Twitter profile and a dental website are just the basic amenities one should possess before commencing a marketing campaign. They illustrate your practice in a certain way. If you lay these platforms for prospective patients, then those visits will eventually turn into real patients.

There are some key elements that go into making a perfect Facebook Page for a Dental Practice. A result-oriented Facebook page should be:

Creatively designed.
Must possess professional and attractive photos and videos.
Easy to use and communicate.
Easy to grab and understand information.
The contact page should be in bold letters and highly visible.
Live and regularly updated.

If you have a website then it must contain an active blog segment where you discuss various dental issues with patients. But when it comes to a Facebook Page or Twitter Profile, you should have prevalent updates, information and promotions for patients.

It is paramount to understand that after having a well designed Facebook Fan Page or Twitter Profile, you should find a target audience and encourage them to visit your pages and successively call your practice. Also it is important to keep communication with them.

The ultimate goal of setting up a Facebook Fan Page or Twitter Profile is to get the prospective clients to call your dental practice and schedule an appointment. There are many techniques used to find the right audience. For instance, follow individuals on Twitter who tweet about their toothache. 

Remember: Facebook and Twitter dental marketing works only for those who are actively involved in these social media platforms. Having them just for sake of it will not produce any result.

Video Promotion for Dental Practices

It’s already a proven fact that having a strong online presence can help a dental practice immensely. But once prospective patients start visiting your site and actively seek quality dental services online, what more can you do to improvise conversions? How can you make your website attractive so that more patients will call?

When it comes to finding a good, experienced dentist online, people search extensively. They start-off with searching for a dental practice in their locality, then compare with other websites found in the results.

While the decision making process involves several factors, one common aspect of those websites which do a better job at persuading potential clients to call their office are those sites which give clients a strong reason to believe. Trust is the most important attribute of clients calling a dental practice. A website that cannot develop trust among potential clients is useless.

How can an individual develop trust for a website?

Only way you can engender faith among clients is when they know you. But in the case of online marketing, it all depends on your website’s “call to action.” That’s where a professionally made, presentation video becomes a decisive factor. Through website videos, dentists can give a fair introduction of themselves, their services, inculcate belief and provide the motivation that will help a likely patient to call their practice.

Video presentation gives your practice an edge over your competitors. If an individual seeking a dentist searches numerous dental websites and finds your website with a video, you possess a better chance he/she will call your office. One of the greatest aspects of video presentation is that it is cost-effective and result-oriented inbound marketing technique.

Social Media and Dentist Reputation

Conventionally, word of mouth has been the only source of reputation management for dentists. However, advent of the internet has changed the world of dental care industry. Though referrals and references still form a major part of client accretion, dentists should now consider taking full benefits of social media platforms. Many dentists have integrated internet in their marketing plan, still a number of them have not been able to come good with the social media terms. But not considering social media can have a negative impact on the practice’s growth. 

With social media, patients can give their reviews on a dental practice. Given its nature, both good and bad comments can spread like fire. A single negative comment can have a lasting effect on the practice’s reputation. Therefore, the challenge is how you can convert a negative review into a positive one. The following steps can assist dentists manage their online reputation:

Before commencing online reputation management, it is critical to go through all social media platforms that can be helpful to the dentistry. Some of the popular social networking websites include Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, Yelp and so on. Identifying which platforms are result-oriented can facilitate reputation management in the longer run.

After determining the possible channels, the next move is to gain some control over these mediums. Off late, Yelp has proven to be a useful social media platform. Even though it is used to search information regarding restaurants, a number of users are finding it as an effective source for quality dental services. Establishing a Yelp account is a big step towards reputation management.

When a prospective patient turns his/her attention towards your practice, the best you can do is revert to his/her comment or tweet. It is crucial to respond to every comment. By actively participating in the conversation, dentists can leave a positive impression. 

Regrettably, some dental practices suffer from negative reviews and responses. Clients remark on various aspects like costs, services, procedures, etc. The best way to rectify these negative comments is to deal with the issues individually. Make sure you clearly address their concerns and provide a different solution.

Why Dental Practices Must Write

Many dental practices have a website providing crucial information about working hours, staff members, services and address. However, not many dentists choose to write. With more patients searching the internet for quality dental services, not having a blog can bring negativity to the practice. Blogs are crucial for communicating, as they provide a direct channel between the dentist and the probable patient.

Reasons why dentists should take up blogging

A blog is a modern way of marketing, which ensures your practice receives multiple benefits. The following credits will give you a clear idea how blogging can enhance your reputation whilst increasing the number of patients:

In today’s tech savvy environment, people find the internet as their premier source of information for products, restaurants, and services. And, this includes dental practices. In fact, more individuals are performing search regarding best dental services. A blog can be an asset for dentists to share their perspective and give an initial introduction of the practice. With that early introduction, patients will have a fair idea of the practice.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the procedure of enhancing website ranking in search engine results through online and offline methods. Using SEO is valuable for websites, as it increases their ranking and subsequently the visibility. Blogging assists SEO big time, as it provides the website with new content, which is indexed by search engines easily. Furthermore, blogging also increases the back links.

Blogging is an inbound marketing strategy, which improves website traffic by attracting leads. Once visitors are drawn to your website, they will keep your practice mind when the time comes to visit a dentist. Restrict self-promotion of your content, as it might blow away the prospective patients.

Building credibility is equally important for dentists who rely heavily on referrals and patient satisfaction in order to retain old clients and generate new ones. Blogs are a great way to demonstrate reputation, showing that dentist has in-depth knowledge of his practice. By giving likely clients a positive first impression, they are more likely to visit the dental practice.

Medical Marketing with Online Videos

Struggling to attract new patients has been the feature of many medical practices. Very few practices know how to make an effective use of all the resources in a fresh, unique and pioneering way. Medical marketing using online videos can help you withstand some serious competition from other doctors and medical professionals in your area.

So why invest in developing videos? Video marketing is an efficient way to engage with old patients and simultaneously attract new ones. A short, simple and professionally created video has the power to convey your message across thousands of probable patients without spending much. Videos allow physicians to connect with prospective patients even before their visit to the clinic. Some of the key benefits associated with online video marketing include:

• Easy deliverability of your core message to probable patients.

• Affordable marketing solution that fits your budget.

• Distribution to YouTube for a broader reach and exposure.

• Easily found in leading search engines along with search engine optimization benefits.

• Drives more visitors to your medical practice website.

• Creates a positive image about your practice in prospective patients’ mind.

Whether you own a dental practice or a cardiology, following online video marketing tips will benefit you in an exponential way:

• If you have developed an e-video for your practice, don’t forget to upload it on YouTube. This may be obvious, but many healthcare professionals forget to upload their video on YouTube. Instead, they upload it on their website that targets only a handful of clients. Uploading your video on YouTube gives your practice a chance to reach millions of people.

• Social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter allow video sharing. Upload your practice’s video on these sites for fans and followers to see. In addition, your fans will be able to share your video with friends making more people aware of your practice.

• Make sure your video is not lengthy. Exaggerated video can turn off the mood of a potential client. A 30-second video is enough to explain your practice, services and even introduce yourself and supporting team to the patient.

Tips To Keep Dust Mites under Control

When it comes to allergies, dust mites are the biggest culprits. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 10% of the Americans are susceptible to dust mites and they account for at least 90% of allergy and asthma cases. Dust mites breed in high humidity regions. That is why they are prevalent when the season changes.

You cannot get rid of dust mites. They are found everywhere; inside cleanest of carpets, under the bed sheets, pillow, etc. they live in your bedding, furniture and rugs. The only thing you can do with dust mites is contain them.

Allergy medications, immunotherapy along with herbal treatment can help mange symptoms in individuals suffering allergy caused by dust mites. Here’s a dropdown on how you can reduce your daily exposure to dust mites:

• Keep humidity levels below 50% at your home, since dust mites thrive in humid conditions. Use a dehumidifier in basement and garage to achieve right temperatures.

• Don’t go for carpets. In fact, if you have one, replace it with hard floor surface like hardwood, linoleum, or tile.

• Wash your bed sheets, pillow covers in hot water regularly.

• Cover up your face if you intend to do cleaning of the house. If you do not wish to, have a person who is not allergic to dust mites or indoor allergens.

Consider replacing old furniture with leather furniture, which can be easily cleaned.

It might be tough task to keep dust mites under control, but it worth it. Your house will be cleaner and you will be less likely to suffer from runny nose, itchiness, sore throat, etc.

November Practice Marketing Tip 2012

Have you keeping a track of your website’s performance? What does it shows you? Probably, not the result you were hoping for. Something needs to be done in order to revive your website’s visibility. Search engine optimization possesses all the tools that can fulfill your desired goals, maybe to an extent. Search Engine Optimization is auto mechanic that tweaks and twitches your website to make it visibly higher in search rankings of Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

What’s more, it adds up to your practice’s credibility without having to invest a lot. SEO has taken big steps forward. SEO experts have gone from basic keyword research and site analysis to a completely new avenue of on-page and off-page optimization, social media optimization along with complete reporting and analytics.

Just think of what SEO experts can do to your website. To make it patients and referring physicians friendly, they will tweak the content, do relevant keyword research, submit links and directories, etc. The main aim of SEO is to make sure your website is listed as high as possible in the first few pages of search results on major search engines.

If you want to create a solid platform and cement a place in the healthcare industry, you will need the tools that search engine optimization offers. Its demand has risen considerably in the past few years because of fierce competition in the medical profession. Keep one thing in mind: only an SEO service provider can rightly guide you through the process.

Success is what every medical practitioner seeks. With success comes credibility and higher returns. Acceptance of SEO as a part of your practice’s success will benefit you, even in the longer run.