How to Find the Dental Marketing “Sweet Spot”
by Arron George“Here comes the pitch!” You swing and miss.
“The second pitch!” Hits the end of the bat and is a foul ball.
“Third pitch!” Hits the handle of the bat and stings your hands.
What went wrong? You hit two out of three balls, but you never made contact with the “sweet spot.”
The same can be true of dental marketing – sometimes we have an idea and it is a swing and miss. Sometimes we do too much and it’s a foul ball, or maybe we don’t do enough and it stings our hands.
What if you could find the dental marketing sweet spot – the ideal number of blog and social posts, how often to share fresh content, when to send emails, and how to build a successful linking strategy? Life would be so much easier if we could identify the ideal investment for maximum results.
If you want to tackle these essentials for your business, then keep reading. Let’s investigate and find the dental marketing sweet spot for your practice.
How often should you update your website?
Google uses fresh content as an important ranking factor. So when was the last time you freshened up your content to let search engines know you are relevant to your community and industry?
Not for a while? Then you need to get moving.
There are three ways to share new or updated content: New web pages, updated content, and blog posts.
New web pages: Marketing is progressive and your website should be too. Therefore, aim to add at 2-4 web pages each year that highlight something new about your business. This could be a service, offer, or perhaps information about a new community you serve.
Updated Content: Keep your website fresh while maintaining continuity so Google and your visitors know what you offer. Throughout our years of creating and maintaining dental websites, we have found updating website content at LEAST every two years is vital.
Blog Posts: This is the best way to keep your website content fresh in the eyes of Google and other search engines. Posting at LEAST twice a month on your blog will boost your SEO and keep your audience visiting your website. Share content about services, your office culture, new technology, or a special event. Be sure to include keywords, links, and images.
Keep it fresh, exciting, and relevant!
ACTION POINTS:
- Add 2-4 new pages to your website each year.
- Update your website’s content at least every two years.
- Write and publish two blogs per month.
What about linking?
Since we’re on the subject of websites, let’s look at linking. Linking involves using hyperlinks from one place to another. This can be external (off your website) or internal (on your website).
Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule as to the number of links you should have, however, here is how to get close to that sweet spot:
- Include links on all pages (both internal and external if possible).
- Include fresh, relevant, and up-to-date links in blog posts.
- Look to sponsor events and cross-promote with local businesses in the community (you can link to the event or website in a blog post).
- Always strive to improve your linking strategy.
- Avoid spammy-looking links with no relevance.
Make linking fun by partnering with other businesses and networking.
ACTION POINTS:
- Continually look for new ways to link and network.
- Create fresh links from blogs and pages.
- Connect with other local businesses.
The big social question: How often should I post?
Ever since Facebook arrived on our screens, people have been asking this question, whether it be socially or for business. Well, for dental practices, we have the answer and it comes in the form of an infographic.
Click here to see the full infographic and find out when to post and how often to do so on various social media platforms.
Through hours of research and trawling through endless analytics, we have found that posting 3-4 times a week produces the best results on Facebook for dentists. Share a variety of content, such as:
- Personal posts – doctor with patients, team events, birthdays, etc.
- Factual posts – information on services, new findings
- Sharing article links – dental articles, funny articles
- Blog posts – linking back to your blog posts
- Community posts – about your town and local businesses
- Videos – testimonials, funny videos
These posts offer variety and avoid making your page seem repetitive or spammy. Facebook is great for promoting your content – so use it!
ACTION POINTS:
- Post 3-4 times a week on Facebook.
- Familiarize yourself with this infographic.
- Use a variety of personal, community, and blog posts to keep your social pages fresh.
Use the power of email to hit your marketing sweet spot
Facebook is not the only effective way to promote your new content; there is a slightly more conventional way to do it: Email.
More than likely you have gathered email addresses from your current patients or perhaps as part of a lead generation campaign, but are you using them?
Email blasts are a great way to promote your content and share special offers with your current and potential patients. Try sending an email newsletter or blast once every three months to highlight your top blog posts, a free download, or promotion you are running. Include a call to action so people can claim an offer or learn more. You may be surprised at the results!
But don’t stop there! Make sure to follow up on any inquiries or interest from the email with more information or a phone call.
ACTION POINTS:
- Send email blasts or a newsletter every three months.
- Include your latest blog posts, offers, or promotions.
- Follow up with any interest from the emails.
Conclusion
Only you can tell us if we have found the marketing sweet spot for your practice. Businesses and audiences vary, but the strategy above will give you a better chance of hitting a home run during the building stage of your dental marketing.
Notice how your website, blog, social media, and email all tie in together, so don’t just pick and choose one or two avenues – design a strategy where they all compliment each other.
Also, we haven’t even touched on search engine optimization, promotions, and advertising. These should be given ongoing attention too.
Find your marketing sweet spot and enjoy sweet success!
If you would like some help finding the marketing sweet spot for your practice, contact our experts and they’ll be happy to help!
