The truth about getting new patients on the internet

Getting New Patients from the Internet (continued): In the “old days” of dental advertising, we had the hassles of dealing with decisions regarding which Yellow Pages to be in and Yellow Page ad design, and negotiating rates. Or planning direct mail campaigns (demographics, offers, mail lists). Those mediums could be plenty expensive but they weren’t all that complicated to figure out.

Internet marketing is a whole different ball game. It can be less expensive (or not!), but it certainly is more complex. Every day you and I are getting bombarded by pitches for SEO, SEM, and this or that great new Internet marketing scheme. I know that getting new patients is important to you so you better believe that we at APM are keeping our eyes open as to what is working, what is not and what the industry trends are.

You have limited amounts of time, energy and money to spend on advertising (not to mention doing dentistry and keeping your patients and staff happy), so we understand that dealing with the nuances and sorting through the hype of Internet marketing can be overwhelming. I’m hoping these articles will help.

Souping Up Your Internet Presence: Stage I – Establishing Your Google Places Page & Cleaning Up Directories: When a potential patient searches for a dentist in your area, they are most likely doing a Google search for “dentist in Your City” or “cosmetic dentist in Your City.” Their results will list three to eight dentists’ in the local proximity who best match their search keywords. Clicking on the links for those dentists will take them to their Google Places page, a miniwebsite of sorts listing contact information, office hours, photos, driving directions, areas of specialty and, most of all, credible reviews from actual patients.

An absolutely essential first step is to claim and enhance your Google Places page, complete it with information, photos, videos, if available, and then to collect reviews. Some Doctors have multiple Place Pages, for example, and that does not help you get found and, in fact, can hurt you. There is often inaccurate information on these directories. We’ve seen completely wrong phone numbers, old addresses and many long-established practices that are virtually invisible when you try to find them on the Internet. So the first step is getting your presence in the multiple directories straight. This also includes adding pictures and other content on your “Place Page.” A very important part often is getting patient reviews posted.

Then, we want to submit your practice information to the search engines and directories that are getting traction in your area so that your information is consistent across the board and you have the best chance to be featured in this suggested list of dentists. We correct inaccurate information, eliminate duplicate listings which dilute your presence and help you to establish a consistent and broader footprint across the web. We call this first stage “Cleaning Up The Directories,” a very detailed but absolutely necessary task.

Stage II - Website Enhancements: The footwork of “Stage I” will increase your visibility in the local directories and get you impressions and, hopefully, clicks through to your website. Then, once they get to your website, it’s a matter of engaging the potential patient and moving them to make an initial contact by e-mail or phone.

A lot is involved, whole books have been written about this. Best practices for effective websites include having a call-to-action on the home page, pictures and bios of the doctor(s) and staff, video brochures, patient testimonials, and before and after pictures. This also may include introductory offers such as free or low cost whitening, a low cost complete kid’s check-up, or other type of offer similar to what you would see with direct mail advertising.

Different than the SEO methods that were popular a few years ago to load each page with all of your keywords, effective websites today strategize a purpose for each page and align the keywords, content, tags and descriptive code with that message. As they say, “Content is King.” This is also an important part of Stage II.

Stage III – Widen Your Internet Footprint: Once the housekeeping is in order, you can start expanding your presence on the web by adding content and through blogging and social media (Facebook, Twitter) or through paid advertising (such as Google Adwords Express or Pay -Per-Click) and special advertising promotions (Groupon, Living Social). With a little organization and persistence, your efforts will pay great dividends in expanding your presence on the Internet and attracting potential patients who are looking for a great dentist!

Putting It All Together:

New directories are constantly coming on to the scene and existing directories update and cross check information sometimes sending bad data around like a virus. Most practices need at least some directory work. You should be checking your listings periodically to make sure they are still accurate. You may have paid your website company to help you with directories at one point, but it’s been our experience that they are often like bad painters. They’ll throw some stuff together but not really pay attention to the details and therefore, some potential patient traffic is lost. Or, you may be already getting a decent amount of traffic to your website but the website itself needs work. Perhaps it doesn’t really reflect the nature of the office (i.e., it looks too “cookie cutter” or too “Plain Jane”) and doesn’t really give the patient a reason to e-mail or call you.

The devil is in the details. Just the technical nuances in getting the directories straight, the organization of the website and its pages optimized, pictures uploaded, patient reviews, etc. can be a daunting task. But again, it helps to have your priorities. For example, it doesn’t make sense to have a graphically beautiful website if the directories are haphazard and you get very few impressions. And, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to spend time on Facebook and doing blogs if you don’t have your website in order so that as you get interest, people can learn more about you in such a way that they’ll want to become new patients.

Our clients work with the whole gamut of website providers…everyone from their sister-in-law to the big generic companies like Officite and Prosites. It’s been our experience that website providers are happy to take your money each month and not really do much. That’s why we brought Kelly Larson on board. Her job is to “ride herd” over website companies and to keep us and you absolutely up-to-date on what is really working in Internet marketing.

I’ve met people with more technical knowledge of HTML programming. I’ve met others who are great graphic designers. I’ve certainly heard from others who are great sales people. I’m approached about new Internet marketing schemes almost every week. I have not yet met anyone who really knows as much as Kelly Larson does in terms of the nitty-gritty of all this, focused on getting new patients through your door. Whether you are just getting started or already have a sophisticated Internet presence, she can give you a push and help keep you ahead of the competition.

The truth about getting new patients on the internet:

We have a unique advantage because through our work in the field visiting well over 200 dental offices we can really see what’s going on out there. What’s working and what isn’t. We know that getting more new patients is of great interest to most of our clients. So you can bet we keep our eyes and ears open about the sources of new patients.

Over the past two years the Internet has really come on and in many areas is superceding other sources of new patients such as Yellow Pages and direct mail. Clearly this is where the marketplace is going but there is also a lot of hype. Every week we hear of a new scheme involving special promotions*, social media, etc. Usually the bigger the promise, the more the bull. There is no such thing as a sure thing when it comes to increasing new patients. Believe me, if there were, we would know about it. However, it is a sure thing that if you don’t do anything, you won’t see more new patients.

Over 60% of area dentists now have websites. Most dentists go with the major outfits such as Officite, Prosites, PBHS, IDA, Sesame and The Online Practice. All of these companies have their strengths and weaknesses. Many dentists also hire an acquaintance, patient or relative that “knows websites.”

The common denominator is this. When most dentists get their website up, they more or less ignore it. It just sits there. Getting more new patients from the Internet isn’t just about your website. And no, it isn’t all about Facebook either. It’s a combination of factors of which, leading the pack are your presence on the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Most importantly, the Google “Place Page.” There are many other directories (such as Yelp & Insider Pages) that attention needs to be paid to also.

Since 70% of all web searches take place through Google, the Google Place Page is the “front porch” of your website. You have to have the lights on and make sure that there are positive reviews to entice people to proceed on to visiting and scheduling on your website. Once they get into your website, they shouldn’t have to wait a while for flash or fancy graphics though. Web searches today want quick access to pertinent information. There should be very concrete information about your practice and appropriate copy and design to lead people to act...that is, make an appointment!

Website enhancements can include a “video brochure”, video testimonials, offers, photos and biographies. If you were looking for a healthcare professional, what would you want to see on a website? You wouldn’t want a lot of filler or platitudes, “Fine quality care, comfortable surroundings, blah, blah, blah.” You want to know about that Doctor, the staff, the hours, the services and what to expect. You want to see that they are a nice looking, clean cut group of people in an atmosphere where you will feel safe.

Further enhancements can include Twitter, Facebook and blogs but most of you can get well ahead of the competition by paying attention to your Google Place Page and having a website that truly reflects you...and that can be done even with one of the generic companies such as Officite or Prosites if you work at it.

How many positive reviews do you have up on Google? Do you know? If you don’t, you probably don’t have as many as you should! Yes, you can use “Demand Force” and other companies to help you in gathering reviews and testimonials (reviews are on the website and testimonials are within your website). However, don’t just rely on those.

We’re all very busy and it’s hard to have a lot of time to putter around with your website. There is also a lot of jive out there. We all probably get just as confused by the web peoples’ jargon as patients get confused by dental jargon. So, on the requests of many of my clients, I have lined up top rate Internet marketing help. We can help you tune up your Web Presence all the way through; Whatever website company you are with, wherever you practice. You see, if you are paying attention to and tune up your website, your presence in the directories, etc., you’ll be ahead of the competition in your area. You’ll have a stronger presence on the Internet and you will get more new patients.

The bottom line is this; getting your website to the top of page one on Google and optimizing it to attract potential patients is like aiming at a moving target. Be leery of anyone who tells you otherwise. What you can count on from my team is that we have our ears to the ground and are staying on top of the ever-changing Internet landscape to keep you on the path and a step ahead. The Internet is increasingly where people go to select a Dentist and we’ll help you make sure they select you.

 

*For example, we have seen some spectacular numbers with Groupon and Groupon Clones but patient retention has been a challenge. We are learning how to improve this.