Like any other service-based provider, a dental practice relies on an influx of new patients to grow in size and revenue. An established patient base is crucial, but over time patients may move, pass away, or choose a different dentist based on their individual needs. As a result, acquiring new patients becomes essential in order to continue to operate a successful, lucrative practice.
Equally important, but often neglected in the pursuit to attract new patients is patient retention. By focusing on the long-term value of an existing patient, a practice can enjoy higher returns from its current client base. Patient satisfaction equates to quality service, and that means improving your practice efficiency, productivity and communication. As a result, patient satisfaction leads to increased profitability as loyal patients are more likely to generate referrals, more willing to pay for services on time and more inclined to pay for elective treatments. Your current patients represent the current value of your practice and with the right marketing tools in place, you can show patients just how much you value them to ensure a satisfying and long-term relationship for years.
So the question becomes, how do you go about increasing your practice profitability through new patient acquisition and patient retention? And how much of your budget should you allocate to a marketing strategy while achieving the highest return on your marketing dollar?
The World Wide Web’s exponential growth and ability to reach a vast yet highly targeted audience 24/7 is providing a new medium for mass-marketing initiatives. The key to any successful Internet strategy starts with a professional practice website and a comprehensive Internet marketing plan. An attractive and fully functional website can be inexpensive (less than $1,000), and when designed and built properly, can offer you a better return on your investment than almost any other form of marketing available today.
Your practice website should function as the cornerstone of an inexpensive, yet comprehensive, practice marketing plan. Serving as the focal point of your entire marketing strategy, a professional website can support a host of marketing initiatives. When sending out mailers and other traditional print marketing, highlight your website address on all of your print materials. This will direct people to your site for additional information where they can learn about your practice, contact you for additional information and request an appointment.
Present your website in a way that it communicates exactly what the visitor is looking for. For existing patients, a website will enable you and your staff to communicate more regularly and effectively to your current client base. For new patient acquisition, a website will serve as the store front to your practice. They say first impressions are everything and the same holds true for a website. When a prospective patient comes across your site on a search engine, capture their attention the minute they reach your home page with compelling copy and attractive design elements. Clearly demonstrate the high level of quality your practice has to offer and give them a reason to contact your office.
Practice Efficiency Equals Profitability
A professional website for your dental practice should function as an extension of your practice, working in harmony with your office staff and technology for effectiveness and efficiency. Included in a practice website should be an online appointment request system. With patients given the ability to request an appointment online, you’ll not only increase patient satisfaction, but you will improve office productivity as well. Busy patients will enjoy the convenience to request an appointment even when your office is closed, and front desk staff will spend less time answering phones.
Another important metric to assess is patient wait time. To avoid this common drawback, you can make new patient forms available on your website, making it easy for first-time patients to download and complete the forms in advance of the first visit. With new patients completing paperwork ahead of time, wait time can be reduced and more time can be allocated to the actual appointment. You save your time, your staffs’ and your patients’ time.
Increase Case Acceptance with Patient Education
Patient acquisition and retention is often driven by education, because patients are naturally concerned with the factors that influence their dental health. Your practice website can play a critical role in educating patients to improve their level of comfort and bridge any chasm of uncertainty they may have about a symptom or procedure. And since educated patients are better equipped to make decisions about their oral health and well-being, patients will be more likely to request an appointment with your office. With the benefits and values of treatments soundly presented, a patient will be much more inclined to take the critical step toward making an appointment.
Search Marketing: The Key to Website Visibility
Whenever a prospect performs a search on Google for a local dentist, there are only two possible outcomes: they will find you, or they will find your local competitors. With that being said, if you want to generate new patient flow, you must be allocating a percentage of your marketing budget to a search marketing campaign. A website can look great, but if it isn’t appearing prominently on the first few pages of the search engine search results, its value to prospects is essentially useless. With the help of an experienced Internet marketing team, you can maximize your earning potential through a myriad of search marketing tools and tactics. There are two major search categories, paid search and search engine optimization (SEO), both of which can deliver high returns on your marketing dollar when properly implemented.
A dedicated search engine optimization campaign, also known as organic search, is the greatest long-term marketing investment you can make towards your website success. Although it can take several months before you notice results, as your site moves up in the rankings, you will see a significant increase in traffic and appointment requests. SEO can also enhance your brand. A site that appears at the top of the search results for relevant keywords, like dentist Springfield, will always get clicked more because a high ranking speaks volumes about your practice’s trustworthiness and competency.
If your main goal is to bring in immediate sales, especially if your website is new, pay per click (PPC) advertising may be a good option for gaining visibility. A geo-targeted PPC campaign allows you to attract prospects actively searching the Internet for the services you provide. Through a complex bidding process, your ads will display in the sponsored listings of the search engines for your targeted keywords, such as veneers or dental implants. Visitors will click-through your ad to a landing page specifically designed to address the service they were looking for; then converting through a strong call to action response. You only pay when your ad is clicked-through and how much you pay for keywords will depend on your budget. As a result, PPC programs must be carefully developed, executed, and tracked in order to see results. The main downfall with PPC is that once you stop spending, your ads stop appearing, so there is no long-term return for the expense. That’s why it’s generally best to combine PPC and SEO in order to maximize web traffic, attract highly targeted visitors and convert clicks into new patients.
Which Internet marketing strategy will deliver the highest returns will depend on your practice goals and marketing budget. Ignoring the importance of a search marketing plan will inevitably leave you with little to no exposure on the Web. And while implementing one program is better than none, the best way to generate a steady flow of qualified patient leads, and ultimately convert these leads into new patients, is by utilizing a blend of both organic and paid search tactics. With the help of a trusted Internet marketing company, you will be able to budget wisely so that you can use both search strategies to their full advantage. Even better, both search strategies offer performance tracking so that you can monitor and adjust your programs for optimal visibility at every phase of the campaign.
In today’s competitive global market, a professionally designed practice website is the most powerful and cost-effective marketing tool available for acquiring new patients and improving patient retention. A website is a powerful lever that can significantly improve communication with your current patient base; maximize office efficiency; improve case acceptance through patient education; and attract new patients by marketing your services 24/7. Combined with attractive design elements, advanced search marketing tactics and a strong educational focus, you’ll find that a professional website can lead to an improved financial health for your practice without exceeding your defined marketing budget.
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