The Best Digital Marketing Channels for Your Practice

You’ve been reading about digital marketing for months now. Maybe you’ve even attempted to implement some of the suggestions you feel comfortable with, such as posting more frequently to Facebook. That’s a great start, but knowing exactly which channels work best for you and understanding how they work can take your dental practice to the next level. The following information not only will help you to focus your marketing efforts on what is best for you and your practice, but also will offer tips that you or a team member can do today. 

Why Digital Marketing Is Important
At work or at play, your patients probably are “glued” to their devices. At work, they may often spend breaks checking personal email, looking at their Facebook newsfeed and browsing the internet. At home, they may have a tablet or smartphone within reach at all times. Your practice and marketing efforts need to be where your patients live in the digital world. 

An Overview of Digital Marketing Channels
You’re probably familiar with the digital channels that you use regularly in your personal time, but do you understand how they function in the marketing world? Here, you will find a breakdown of the most effective digital marketing channels and how they can work for you.

Pay Per Click
When you run a Google search for something — let’s say, for example, plumbers — you may notice that toward the top of the page, the search results have the word “ad” next to them. These companies have invested in pay-per-click (PPC) ads to increase the probability that you will actually click their link before clicking on a result farther down on the page. With a PPC campaign, you only pay when someone engages with you by clicking your ad (and yes, people do actually click on these ads). You have total control: Youdetermine the keywords, you write the ad, and you set the price per click. AdWords is Google’s version of PPC and is the preferred PPC source for several reasons. With an estimated 1.6 billion visitors each month, Google continues to be the most popular search engine in the United States. Additionally, Google makes learning AdWords easy, with brief online tutorials and user-friendly instructions that are accessible even to those who would consider themselves to be technologically challenged.

Review Campaigns
Whether they are referred to you by a friend or simply came across your website, potential patients are going to look at your online reviews before making an appointment. Review campaigns give you an organized method for soliciting patient reviews: You select the time frame and platform, you contact the patients whom you’ve recently seen, and yourespond promptly to all reviews — both positive and negative — so patients know that you appreciate their feedback. (To ensure patient privacy, when responding to reviews, give a general reply so that you don’t disclose any information about the patient or acknowledge that the reviewer is a patient of yours.) Beware of using specialized review sites. While they may focus on one particular market, they are useless if the reviews go unseen. Stick to websites you know your patients visit, such as Yelp or Facebook.

Remarketing
You may have noticed that when you click on a link for a product, ads for the product appear on your newsfeed long after you’ve left the original website. This is an example of remarketing. Remarketing helps your potential patients get back on track and click your ad. Here is an example of how remarketing works: Alex is watching the NCAA® Final Four basketball tournament with friends and casually mentions that he’s looking for a new dentist. Melanie suggests your practice, so Alex picks up his phone to search for more information about it. He’s on your homepage when, all of a sudden, someone banks a half-court shot and wins the game, ending Alex’s search. Because you use remarketing, however, when Alex gets back on his phone to watch a replay, your ad will reappear as a reminder that his friend Melanie referred you. Even better? You only pay for the advertisement when Alex actually clicks on it.

Facebook
Facebook is an all-around invaluable resource. It is not only essential in helping you gain brand awareness, but also in helping you to maintain a relationship with your current patients. The beauty of Facebook is in its limitless possibilities: You can post video to show off new equipment, post pictures of new staff members or live stream a community event. You also can create your own events, such as a lunch and learn, and invite your patients to attend. Best of all, if you or a team member currently use Facebook for personal networking, then you already possess the know-how to make it work for your practice. Facebook also provides you with easy-to-read analytics that let you know how many people have viewed your page, how many people you have reached and how well you’ve engaged your audience, all of which help you optimize your marketing efforts. Keep in mind that all of your social media efforts, whether on Facebook or another platform, need to be HIPAA compliant.

Email
Email is the key to personalization. Each message you send is written from your perspective and serves as a reminder to your patients that you are there for them beyond their semiannual appointments. Emails can educate them about new trends in dentistry, remind them of the importance of regular cleanings, or even offer holiday specials to get them back in your office for cosmetic or restorative treatments. Even more effective are targeted email campaigns, which focus on patients who have inquired about treatments but have not followed through. Sometimes, all they need to get onboard is more information or a mere reminder of the services you offer.

Blogging
Blogging is a way to establish yourself as an expert in your field. When you regularly remind patients that you stay aware of the latest research, know about trends in the industry or have just acquired new equipment that will benefit them, then they know that you take their care and your business seriously. Blogging also allows you to educate your patients. Worried that they’re damaging their enamel with acidic food and drinks or that they need help selecting the least harmful candy at Halloween? Tell them through your blog posts. Sharing your vast knowledge of dentistry with your patients not only reinforces their faith in you, but also serves as a reminder that you are available for much more than deep cleanings and fillings — you’re also a resource.

Campaign Integration
Whether you use some or all of the digital marketing channels above, they are most effective when they work together. For example, your website will invite people to “like” your Facebook page or read your latest blog post; Facebook, PPC ads and remarketing direct patients to your website; and emails can contain direct links to your blog, Facebook page and platform where they can post reviews (which can all redirect viewers to your website). Individually, each channel is accessible and will improve the visibility of your practice. When integrated, however, these channels will both help you grow your practice and allow you to forge stronger relationships with your patients.

Jackie Ulasewich is cofounder of My Dental Agency, a marketing company specializing in dental practice. To comment on this article, email impact@agd.org.