Content That Converts Dental Patients: A How-To Guide

Want to know the secret to gaining more new patients from your website?

Hint: It has to do with patients reviews and testimonials.

Before you think to yourself, “Nailed it! I have a testimonials page!” – it’s NOT your testimonials page. No one clicks on that (seriously).

The secret to converting more visitors into patients is PATIENT-FIRST CONTENT. We’re going to explain exactly what that is (and why it works) in just a moment. But here’s the best part: You don’t even have to stress out over creating this content – you’ll get it straight from the source – patients!

What is Patient-First Content?

Put simply, it’s content that speaks your patients’ language, not yours.

Your content should simply explain what you’re offering that solves patients’ problems. They aren’t really interested in facts, figures, or clinical explanations. Patient-First Content is ultimately content that converts website visitors into quality patients.

Why does Patient-First Content work?

Selecting a dentist is a choice that’s made emotionally first – then justified rationally. Content that gets to the root of patients’ concerns, fears, barriers, and desires will speak volumes more than boring clinical jargon. Tweet this

To illustrate, you might LOVE the idea of using retracted shots to show a case study before and after. The quality of dentistry shines – other dentists will be so impressed! But guess what? Patients don’t care! Patients connect with a portrait of a real person smiling radiantly. The patient’s smile tells a stronger story than retracted shots ever could.

The same is true for non-visual content – headlines, text, lists – every bit of content on your dental website (and in all of your marketing) should speak your patients’ language. It should tell a story, overcome barriers, and prove to readers that you’re the solution for their needs.

How to create Patient-First Content that converts

So now we’re down to the nitty-gritty: How can you implement this secret sauce in your own website and dental marketing strategy?

1. Take a look through your existing reviews and testimonials. See if any of your reviews or testimonials mention a barrier or obstacle. If you happen to have a bad review, make a note of what made the patient’s experience poor (whether it’s accurate or justified or not).

Write down the common problems your patients have mentioned – whether they’re fear of the dentist, concern about cost, dental insurance frustrations, a busy schedule – look for the pain points. Make a list of what patients say really mattered to them – perhaps it was a short wait for their appointment, or maybe it was that the Patient Care Coordinator took extra time to answer all of their questions.

This can be a good place to start – but not the best. Often, patients will just share what you want to hear in reviews, so you may not find a ton of patient-first language to work with. So, what do you do next? That leads us to the next step:

2. Conduct patient interviews. That might sound super time-consuming, but it’s SO worth it! Getting the gold straight from patients’ mouths takes the guesswork out of creating content. TIP: If there’s not someone on your team that has time to do this, we’d suggest you ask your marketing company do it for you.

• Ask open-ended questions that will help you get to the heart of what problems you solved for this patient, what mattered most to him or her, and how it all turned out.

Once you’ve gathered your Patient-First Content, use it throughout your entire website. Additionally, it’s an unbelievable source of material for blog posts! Never wonder what to write about again – you’ll have tons of topics to address.

Want to know how to choose the right patients to interview and what questions to ask? If you’re a Weekly Coach subscriber, refer to your JUNE COACH FOCUS for a step-by-step guide to get phenomenal Patient-First Content. If you’re not a Weekly Coach subscriber, what are you waiting for? Request your free sample today!