Searching for a doctor or dentist today is like looking for a new restaurant to try. People rarely walk into a new café or pizza shop without looking for its information or reviews online. If everything they see on the internet is good, then they are more likely to go out of their way to check the place. The same goes for medical practices — people go online to know a bit about them before booking a consultation.
If you’re a doctor or dentist with a private practice who wants to increase the number of new patients in your office this 2019, it’s time you consider these digital marketing strategies:
1. Redesign the Website to Make It Easier to Navigate
Your website serves as the “online lobby” of your clinic. If someone is on your website, they are looking for specific information, and they want to get it quickly so they can take action. Make sure your website is easy to navigate. Your service overview and other business details must be on the homepage. Make sure that all elements are organized; take advantage of whitespace to avoid a cluttered web design.
Also, make sure your calls-to-action (CTAs) like “book an appointment” or “call us today” are highly visible. Use buttons, boxes, different font colors, and other elements that can make CTAs stand out.
2. Launch Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Since you’re offering health-related services, your potential clients want to know whether you’re great at what you do. They are likely to scour the internet to see what past patients say about your clinic before booking a consultation with you. That’s why it’s crucial to manage your reputation online.
A good ORM plan starts with valuable content publication. Share blogs, videos, and infographics that don’t only give valuable information but also show you’re an authority in the field. ORM also involves making sure your clinic has patient reviews online. Negative feedback is fine as long as you address the issues raised publicly and make sure such negative patient experience won’t happen again.
Whether your clinic is in Manhattan or a small town in Lehigh Valley, having online reputation management can help your practice attract new patients online. This works not only for doctors or dentists but also for chiropractors who advertise their services on the internet.
3. Create a Solid Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Campaign
Even if you have the best-looking, most authoritative website, that would be useless if it isn’t found online. This is where a strong SEO campaign comes in. By making sure your website (pages and blogs) contains keywords your target clients would likely use when searching online, your website has a higher chance to appear as a search result on Google and other search engines.
Blog outreach is also a good strategy to make sure your website is highly visible online. You write valuable blogs and submit them to other authoritative sites in your field. It signals to Google that your website contains valuable, authoritative information for users as well, giving it as a result to searchers.
In addition, make your website search engine-friendly by simply ensuring it loads fast and properly on mobile devices. Google often favors web pages that are mobile-friendly over those that aren’t.
With almost everyone going online before getting service, your brand or practice should have an online presence as well. Otherwise, you’re likely to miss out on thousands of potential new patients this year.
