If 90% of all online activities start with a search engine, what does that mean for your business?
It means you need to take advantage of the opportunity to acquire new customers.
SEO, social media, videos, and other forms of digital marketing can have the ability to boost business growth. For orthodontists, patients are online, and so should their practices.
If you’re looking for ways to enhance your online marketing strategy, keep reading. We’ve outlined six digital marketing tactics guaranteed to help you grow your orthodontist practice.
1. Get on Social Media
Having a strong social presence is a simple way for orthodontists to connect with new customers. If your practice isn’t taking advantage of social media, you’re missing out.
Through social media, an orthodontist can:
- Increase visibility to attract new patients
- Build credibility
- Reach a target audience
- Strengthen patient relationships
Social media marketing helps a practice maintain a top-of-mind position. The average social media user logs into their account at least once a day, with most people checking multiple times.
Publishing consistent social posts helps users remember your brand. It creates more opportunities for your practice to connect with new and current customers through informative and entertaining social posts.
2. Encourage Online Reviews
Word-of-mouth is one of the oldest marketing tricks in the book, but online reviews work just as well. Encourage your current patients to advocate on your behalf through internet testimonials.
Websites like Google, Facebook, Yelp, and Angie’s List can become helpful tools in your online marketing strategy. A total of 91% of people read online reviews, and 84% of consumers trust them as much as personal recommendations.
Online feedback boosts business credibility. New customers are more likely to listen to and follow the advice of your current patients.
The testimonials also help boost SEO. The more reviews of your practice, the higher your business will rank within search engines. Gaining a few patient reviews can help you rise above your competitors in a Google search.
Most importantly, online reviews help you get an idea of how your practice is performing. Negative reviews may be biased or unfair, but they allow you to address patient concerns and make amends.
Positive reviews highlight what your practice is doing right. They also shine a light on employees who go above and beyond.
3. Launch an Informational Blog
If you’re looking for orthodontic marketing ideas, launch an informational dental blog. Small business blogs improve SEO, enable your practice to connect with new audiences, and establish your business as an industry leader.
Generating custom content increases your website’s rank in Google and other search engines. As bots crawl the web, they target valuable content and send users to those sites. Curating consistent and expert-level blogs that answer common orthodontist questions can increase website traffic.
As more people check out your blog posts and engage with your website, you will have the opportunity to establish new relationships. Patients who follow your blog will be more inclined to check out your services or recommend your practice to others.
Knowledgeable content also proves you are an educated industry-leader. Consumers will trust what you have to say as you become their go-to resource for teeth-related questions. The blog can allow your practice to gain credibility, which can become a competitive advantage.
4. Showcase Your Work Online
Use your website to demonstrate what your practice is capable of. Marketing online doesn’t have to be complex. It can be as simple as uploading photographs to your online portfolio.
As an orthodontist, you have the opportunity to help a variety of patients overcome different dental challenges. When the final results come in, turn your hard work into marketing material.
Make sure your website outlines all of the services your practice offers. Incorporate photos of patients smiling with their newly straightened teeth, fixed overbites, and restructured jawlines. Pictures speak a thousand words, so let the photos do your online marketing for you.
5. Send Email Blasts
As you grow your customer base, your practice should be collecting contact information from your patients. Once you have an established database, you can send your customers email blasts to keep your brand in their minds.
Email marketing sends your advertising message directly into your customers’ inboxes. Data demonstrates email campaigns can produce an ROI as high as 122%.
Not only are they effective, but email campaigns are also a low-cost alternative to direct mail ads. By using email marketing software or a third-party online marketing agency, you can get an email blast created and deployed in just a few hours.
Distribute monthly email newsletters keeping your patients informed on what’s going on at the practice. Highlight employees who have done exceptional work, community involvement, and any updates your customers might want to know.
Send targeted email snipes to specific customers who are due for checkups or who may be interested in a special deal going on at your office.
6. Create a Video Campaign
Videos are a powerful way to market your orthodontic practice.
At the start of 2020, 92% of marketers claimed videos played a key role in their marketing strategies. This makes sense, considering people are expected to spend 100 minutes a day watching online videos by 2021.
Drone footage can capture your office from above. Interviews give you a chance to talk about your brand. Video footage can highlight your office space, innovative technology, and hygiene practices to entice new customers to check out your business.
Use the video to boost your online marketing strategy. Add it to your website’s “About Us” page or incorporate it into a social media ad.
Online Marketing for Orthodontists
An effective online marketing strategy is an effective way to grow your orthodontist practice. From informative blogs to high-quality videos, there are plenty of ways your business can reach new heights once it gets online.
Are you ready to take your digital marketing up a level? If so, we can help.
Our team specializes in helping orthodontists advertise online. Contact our team to learn more about our orthodontist marketing services and what we can do for your practice.