The number of registered dentists in Australia increased from 15,479 in 2013 to 18,061 in 2019. The increasing numbers indicate an aggressive growth in the competition in the coming years. No matter if you are a solo dentist practitioner or run a dental clinic, focusing on digital marketing strategies can help you get new customers and increase revenue.
Whether a seasoned dentist or a new doctor, continue reading to learn more about leveraging digital marketing for a dental clinic to boost your business.
Does My Dental Clinic Need Digital Marketing?
Yes! Without a doubt, your dental clinic needs digital marketing to cut through the competition. The main reason is people are very cautious and considerate in choosing the right dentist, and the most sought-after research method today is browsing the internet. So, digital marketing is the way to go if you want to get noticed and prioritised by your target audience.
Following are the compelling reasons why you should use digital marketing for your dental clinic:
Extended Reach
Traditional marketing methods are bound by geography and noticed by a limited audience. For example, if your clinic is located on a local street, only pedestrians and passers-by will recognise your facility.
On the other hand, digital marketing allows you to expand your reach to a larger audience and beyond your area of service. It is relatively cheaper than traditional marketing methods.
Increased Local Reach
Global reach is a notable advantage of digital marketing, but not all businesses want to expand their reach to such an extent. However, a dental clinic must target the local audience to get them to use their dental services.
Digital marketing enables a dental clinic to target any local geographical area, city, or population. According to research, 46% of all searches include local intent. One way to reach local customers is to use local SEO in your dental practice website content. Ads targeting the local audience yield greater conversion rates. Cover up-market areas of your neighbourhood with local dental clinic ads, which printed ads like flyers and banners can never reach.
Cost Effective
Local marketing methods can consume a considerable amount of money and still fail to provide extensive reach. Digital marketing for a dental clinic is a cost-effective alternative to traditional marketing for businesses of all sizes. If you are a new dental clinic, you can compete with the bigger competitors with fewer market entry barriers.
Most strategies barely require upfront costs to start social media, SEO, and content marketing. However, with digital marketing, one must remember that not all methods suit every business. You must align the strategies with your business objectives to get the best spending plan.
Effective Targeting
Digital marketing gives a dental clinic a clear picture of its target audience and market. The insights will enable you to modify your marketing strategies and make them customer-centric.
Use the insights to make ad targeting more precise. You will know which demography to target and make custom strategies to increase conversion rates.
Use Multiple Strategies Simultaneously
It’s possible to create a hybrid paid and non-paid digital marketing plan for dental clinics with free and cost-saving strategies. You can also tailor these strategies for B2B or B2C business modes. However, the key to a successful campaign is to analyse and use the results to improve your dental clinic’s website and marketing strategy.
How To Craft A Seamless Digital Marketing Strategy For Your Dental Clinic
Following are some proven strategies of digital marketing for a dental clinic:
Create A High-Quality Dental Practice Website
Creating a responsive website is the primary step in any digital marketing strategy (except social media marketing). The website acts as a credible source for your business. Patients can find all the information they need regarding your dental company, services, location, bookings, and contact.
According to research, 62.06% of traffic comes from mobile devices. Thus, ensuring that your dental practice website is responsive and mobile-friendly is essential.
Use Google My Business Profile
Create a Google My Business (GMB) profile to make a solid footprint in the market. It will serve as your digital business card containing crucial information about your clinic. Add the following information to your Google My Business profile;
- Display photos of your clinic staff
- Appointment/booking link
- Accurate contact details (email, number, dental clinic website, etc.)
- Reviews and ratings from your patients and visitors
Use SEO
SEO is a vital element of any successful digital marketing strategy. It improves the ranking of your website in Google SERPs. Conduct keyword research to find customer queries and search terms and rank them. For instance, if someone searches ‘tooth problems,’ your blog will appear on top.
Another important sub-element is local SEO. It will rank your dental practice website for a particular term. For example, if someone looks up ‘dentist near me,’ your website will be on top. However, SEO requires patience and consistency, as it takes time to rank organically.
Use PPC
Use PPC PPC, or pay-per-click, is a paid marketing method that allows you to bid on specific keywords and rank them. Use it to rank locally or on an extended scale.
The ideal approach is to use PPC with SEO. PPC will immediately rank your website, while SEO will improve its rank gradually. Create lead generation content with attractive CTA to get high-value leads from your dental practice website.
Use Social Media
Today, social media hosts a significant fraction of the total population. Facebook alone has a monthly active audience of 2.9 billion. Cutting down the numbers to area or city-specific will still have many users. Moreover, it allows you to create both paid and non-paid advertisements.
You can use social media ads based on demographics to get high conversion rates and build brand awareness with continuous engagements.
Get Professional Digital Marketing For Your Dental Clinic
Creating, monitoring, and optimising digital marketing strategies is difficult. Taking care of patients is already a hectic and time-consuming task. You will need professional help to complete the job and get the desired results.
Mediboost offer digital marketing services to help dental clinics get the recognition and success they deserve. Whether it is a dental practice website or SEO, we’ve got your back. Visit our website or give us a call on 1300 163 058.
References
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Oral Health and Dental Care I Australia
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/den/231/oral-health-and-dental-care-in-australia/contents/dental-workforce
Safari Digital – 16 Local SEO Statistics That Matter in 2022
https://www.safaridigital.com.au/blog/local-seo-statistics/
Exploding Topics – Internet Traffic from Mobile Devices (2022)
https://explodingtopics.com/blog/mobile-internet-traffic
Backlinko – What Are Serps?
https://backlinko.com/hub/seo/serps
Statista – Leading countries based on Facebook audience size as of January 2022
https://www.statista.com/statistics/268136/top-15-countries-based-on-number-of-facebook-users/#:~:text=Facebook%20%E2%80%93%20the%20most%20used%20social%20media&text=With%20around%202.9%20billion%20monthly,revenue%20is%20generated%20through%20advertising.
