1. Make sure your brand and marketing messages are consistent—To get the best response it is critical that your brand and message is consistent and carried across all of your marketing channels. If you are offering a teeth whitening special it should be on your website, your social channels, posted in your office, advertised on Facebook, in your direct mail piece, in your e-newsletter, etc. Repetition builds awareness and “brainwashes” people into action.
2. Make sure your website is mobile responsive— More searches are done on mobile devices now versus desktop. If your site is not responsive to the device the person is using it makes for a horrible user experience causing people to abandon your page and move on to another. User experience is also very important to Google. They want your site to be responsive so the user has the best experience.
3. Secure your website—This is another big deal to Google and the user experience. When your website is secure it gives users assurance to stay on your site and explore. The cost for an SSL certificate is inexpensive.
4. Have regular offers—Most people want to know what’s in it for them when they are considering doing business with you. You want to craft an offer that will get attention and set you apart from your competition that is also limited in time to create urgency for action.
5. Show up in search—In order to get more on-line patients, you need to show up when your keywords are searched. If this isn’t happening you may need to search engine optimize your website.
6. Target new movers— Americans move an average of 11.7 times in their life so there are always new people moving into your neighborhood. A great way to reach these potential new patients is with “Welcome to Your City” cards. Don’t forget to give them a special offer.
7. Start a blog—A blog is a powerful way to add content (and keywords) to your website which will also provide valuable information to your patients and help your search rankings.
8. Cross-promote your blog on social media—Let your friends on social media know when you have added content to your site by posting on social media. Your post can then be shared by them to their friends.
9. Get active in your community—What kind of events are held that can give you visibility in the community? These can be school, charity or city sponsored events. This is a great way to connect with your patients and others in the community.
10. Be active on social media—Social media cannot be avoided. It’s where your patients are and you need to be there. The important thing is to post often and come up with unique ways to engage your audience. Contests work great.
11. Boost your social media posts—When you get great engagement from one of your posts, boost it out to your community and to people you are not connected with. You will gain followers and potential new patients.
12. Re-target your website visitors on Facebook—Remind those who visited your website on Facebook with an ad that has a great call to action.
13. Send a monthly e-newsletter—One of the best ways to build loyalty is through patient communication and a monthly e-newsletter will help. Make sure you include personal information about what is happening in your office, thank the patients who gave referrals, welcome new patients, provide a dental tip and any special offers you may be running.
14. Give a discount to those who pre-pay—Cash in advance is always a good thing plus it will help your patients keep their appointments.
15. Cross-promote your business—What businesses near your practice have your ideal patients? Form relationships with these businesses and promote one another’s services.
16. Get reviews—Reviews are vitally important in attracting new patients. Having a solid system to keep a steady stream of them is necessary. People are trained to read reviews before making a buying decision for just about everything. Focus on Google, Facebook and Healthgrades. These all typically show up when a search for you is done.
17. Create a referral rewards system—Incentivize current patients to refer their friends and family to your practice with discounts on future services, donations to local charities, gift cards, or special prizes. The key word is “system”. A plan needs to be in place so every patient gets asked for referrals. Asking is the best way to get them.
18. Target your audience with direct mail—When done right direct mail is a very effective way to get new patients. Every Door Direct Mail offered by the postal service is a cost-effective way to reach neighborhoods near your office.
19. Create videos—Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube each day. There are so many ways you can use video. Answer frequently asked questions, get patient testimonials, give a tour of your office, talk about your new services or procedures. Keep your videos under 3 minutes.
20. Run on-line ads—Google ads, Facebook ads, Bing ads, and YouTube ads are great ways to get your practice in front of people who are looking for your services right now.
21. Search term re-targeting—Search term re-targeting allows you to target those people who have already searched for your keywords but perhaps didn’t find you. Ads are served to them about you as they navigate throughout the internet.
