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How to Create a Better Path to Your Services Using Informative Dental Content

Though I can’t remember the source or a few details – the story is still practical. Especially as it relates to establishing your authority and influence via well-timed, informative dental copywriting and dental content.

Here’s the story as I remember it…

A developer built a multi-story office complex on several acres. The general structure was in place. Now came time for sidewalks and landscaping.

His contractor was quick to plot out the location of various greenbelt and water features and sidewalks throughout the pristine acreage. The location of sidewalks would follow the predictable layout leading to all points of entry from an expansive multi-story parking facility.

The developer placed a pause on the sidewalk construction. He asked the contractor to delay for a few weeks.

The perplexed contractor pushed-back asking why, knowing that sidewalks are standard for such a facility. And noted that any delays would create problems for the already beautiful landscaping being placed.

The developer held his ground while offering his somewhat outside-the-box wisdom.

Being practical, it made more sense to him that the people using the facility on a daily basis determine where the sidewalks should be placed.

He noted that people predictably walk where they have the easiest and most convenient access to the facility. In his experience, sidewalks are best placed where the highest percentage of foot traffic travels to and from the facility.

His wisdom: let the people create the path then place the sidewalk where they routinely to walk.

Are you building “sidewalks” with your dental content that no one’s using?

Traffic is everything to your online presence as a dental practice or dental service provider. Patients and/or clients arrive, stay, and then exit your dental website for a variety of reasons.

As important as navigation and trendy eye-candy graphics are to many – they matter less to your target audience than you might think.

Why?

Everyone’s doing it or done it…countless times. What was once trendy is now numbing and a distraction to what site visitors come to your site looking for.

Investing thousands in a flashy, trendy, or otherwise templated website is like placing a sidewalk where no one’s walking – simply because it’s where you think a “sidewalk” should for all practical purposes be placed.

Your dental website visitors are looking for one thing!

Dental services? Yes, but something more.

State-of-the-art technology? A nice feature if you have it…but no!

Amenities like coffee and tea in the waiting area? Again, a nice touch…but again, no!

Contests, give-aways, a chance to be your 1000th “Like” or “Follower” on Facebook or Instagram? Really…?!

I think you get the picture (and if not, you will or your website will continue to be a “sidewalk” that few use).

So, what are your website visitors looking for?

Solutions!

Why?

Because they have a particular problem they believe or at least hope you can solve.

And they’ll find your website and stay on your website to the point of making contact with you if…and only if…you provide solutions to their problems and/or answers to their questions.

Gone are the days when you can throw up a templated, looks-like-every-other-dental-website up on the web, fill it with feature-heavy, industry-speak, technical, self-aggrandizing, flashy content and wait for the phone to ring or the contact forms to pour in.

How to create a path that generates more patient or client leads (without doing what everyone else does)

Know your audience…who’s your avatar?

“A dental patient,” you say.

Right, but who are they?

  • What are their health goals?
  • How do they view dentistry?
  • When was their last examination and cleaning?
  • Why haven’t they scheduled treatment that’s been planned?

Those are all dental related questions. But go a bit deeper.

  • What embarrasses them about their smile?
  • How will they finance treatment they know they need?
  • When is their next big social event (e.g. wedding, reunion, interview, etc) that they want to look and feel confident attending?

The latter questions probe a bit deeper. You’re getting to an emotional core when you ask and seek answers to these questions.

Transform your dental website from an “online brochure” to an information platform

This might “sting” a little.

Without consistent, informative published content (e.g. a blog, articles) your dental website is nothing more than an easily discarded online “brochure.”

To step away from you crowd it’s essential that you share your expertise as it directly relates to the “pains” and “desires” of your “audience.”

Realize, the dental seeking public search for your services for basically two reasons:

  • They’re in pain and want relief.
  • They have an emotional or physical motivation to repair or restore something about their smile.

Sure, there are more reasons but those are fundamentally what compels your “audience” or “avatar” to seek your services.

It’s essential that you position yourself as the “expert.”

How?

Through publishing (weekly is best, bi-weekly at a minimum) informative content that compels a person seeking dentistry (for whatever reason) to schedule.

So, you must “pour your sidewalk” where they’re walking…

  • Probe for questions and problems during every opportunity you have with a patient. Your current patients will provide clues to what the dental seeking public desire.
  • Keep a running list (spreadsheet, etc) of every seed thought, seed question, or verbatim question or problem you encounter from patients. This is a goldmine for content and copy themes.
  • Write conversational content that answers questions and solves problems. Few (really) are doing this. And you’ll grow your influence (and production) when you position yourself as a problem-solver.

Remember, sidewalks provide convenient access to a facility or they’re simply a place to go for a stroll. The easier the access the better.

The same applies to your dental website. Create an informative platform and you’ll make accessing your services easier.

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add content value

Two Strategies That Will Keep People Reading Your Dental Content

There’s a reason this adult coloring book trend is catching on. The deeper vibe you can gain from it also applies to how you position yourself in the minds of those who consume your dental marketing content.

A friend and colleague has joined the tribe of adult coloring book publishers. Hers goes beyond the simple act of coloring the stress relieving pages.

Her “Thoughtful Colouring” approach includes the refreshing aspect of coloring designs. It adds a corresponding page with an inspirational quote and blank space to process it however you choose (while you’re coloring).

Cool! I agree.

It’s that small addition to the trend that I believe offers a principle you must consider in the content you curate and create.

You increase your authority with your patients/clients when you implant value in your content.

Words, especially the common, fluff your reader is accustomed to can become numbing and an eventual turn-off.

Your content audience has too much info-noise coming at them minute by minute. It’s your task as content creator and publisher to capture their focus.

This is the precise reason I encourage dental providers to step away from a standard, brochure-like website design. Refresh your design (and with it your authority) by adding an information platform to your site (e.g a blog/article page, a newsletter portal, etc).

Your content gains traction when you list dental implants among your services. It increases in value when that page links to an archived blog post/article that answers a common question about “dental implants.”

In fact, in today’s search rankings, you might discover that the article page ranks higher than your keyword intense services/procedures page. The reason: search engines like Google place a higher priority on your value-providing intention via a blog post than on standard webpage content.

How to Add Some “Color” to Your Dental Content Marketing Strategy

Inspire your reader

How inspiring can dental content be? Appeal to your reader’s curiosity and hunger for solutions to their dental problem and your inspiration-factor increases.

You inspire by compelling your reader through the solutions you offer.

General site content promotes your services. Consistent, fresh content inspires your reader with answers to their questions and solutions to their problems.

You become a source of inspiration to your patients/clients when they get that you’re listening to them. The best proof of listening is to mirror their “pain,” “problem,” or “concern” through relevant content.

  • Listen to every patient/client conversation with content in mind.
  • Ask information-gathering questions: “How can I help you with…,” “What’s your biggest fear about…,” etc.

Simple, right? Inspiration shouldn’t be complicated.

Next…

Import secondary value

Think deeper benefits related to what you provide.

You deliver a primary value as a dental professional or a dental marketing professional. Respectively, you help, heal, or you promote in a way that leads to a buying decision.

Your secondary value to your patients or clients is vital too. This happens when you move from an “I’ll-call-when-I-need-you” relationship to a “Go-to-source-of-useful-shareable-information” relationship.

Secondary value rises as you become a consistent “well” of practical (not technical) information.

  • Invest the time and marketing dollars in a consistent well-spring of content. Again, focus on the needs, wants, desires, questions, and problems of your patients/clients.
  • Create a front-of-mind expectation. The more consistently you appear on their “radar” via a blog post, article, newsletter, social media link, etc the more influence you’ll earn.

Influence has value. Give your patients and/or clients something to value alongside the primary services you provide.

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content marketing influence

How Influence is More Vital Than Ever to Your Dental Content Marketing Strategy

Election season. You love it or hate it.

Wherever you affectionately land there’s more to the process. The same is true for having an online presence for your dental practice or dental industry business.

I don’t blame those who are a bit disinterested or jaded about American politics. And I’m not here to “stump” one way or the other.

My better point: the right to vote (however you feel about the current stable of candidates) is a privilege of citizenship. It’s a right granted you and I as result of our country’s fight for and preservation of freedom.I

What comes with the “territory”

Rights and privileges are worth protecting. Better is their ability to be used or maximized to their fullest potential.

You don’t have to agree with everything or everyone. But you do have a cause to act.

Action is the energy of your online dental marketing efforts. Succeed or fail, “casting-your-vote” is the essence of the privilege associated with having a piece of territory on the internet.

Sure, it’s a massive space. And you’re one among the billion or so.

Daunting. Yes.

But it comes down to one thing

Value. Not everyone who owns a piece of cyberspace uses it deliver value.

You? Me? I count myself among the value-delivery crowd. And hopefully you do as well.

No, not every blog post, Tweet, newsletter, email, or shared article is a world-changer. But I do approach it feeling as though I deliver something my growing “tribe” will read and be helped by.

And frankly, for starters, that’s enough!

Whatever you do online…do this as consistently as possible.

Create, Deliver, and Share Valuable Content

Increase your influence

I have a client whose influence as a consultant is on the rise. Why?

She recognizes the value, scope, and scalability of hers and her organization’s influence. The weekly content I help her create provides value to a segment of her industry target.

Notice I said, “segment.” You won’t influence everyone.

Focus on a niche within the greater industry universe you occupy. Tap into their pain, problems, and search for relevant solutions. Write, broadcast, email, market to that…consistently!

Showing up on their consciousness “radar” on a regular basis will nestle you into their thinking when they need the help you provide.

Online search these days revolves more and more around your intent. What kind of intent?

Your intent to help. Your online presence that’s branded, so to speak, with a particular library of useful content.

Invest in your influence

Desiring to have influence and being able to consistently deliver on that desire are two different things. For example, as a copy/content writer and content strategist I’m an investment to my previously mentioned consultant client.

I collaborate and create content for her “brand.” She has invested an amount of her marketing stake in my skill to research and write content.

Many dental professionals, dentists, and dental industry business owners desire to expand their influence. And they take a step into the content marketing sea.

Then they become weary. Why?

Consistent content curation, content writing, and content publishing takes time. For most, it’s time you as a professional do not have.

Outsource content curation and creation to other skilled professionals. Locate a go-to copy/content writer, resource them financially, and set them free to consistently stoke your influence via your brand’s content.

Your name is still the one in lights. The content shines on your behalf.

It’s a better approach than a random blog post or digital article here and there. Consistency reveals that you’re dialed in, available, and in tune with your “audience.”

And the quality is also no longer an issue. Although being there with consistently, useful content holds the top spot.

Influence transcends many things. And I’d have to agree that (given the current season where I live) politics is one of them.

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content strategy

What Simple Intuition Can Do for Your Dental Content Marketing Strategy

He’s smarter than I give him credit for. And there’s another more valuable trait that he’s developing at a young age.

I’ll let you in on our grandson’s growing personality in a moment. On a related note, there’s a trait within his intellectual development that applies to how your create your dental content.

Our grandson is six (”and a half…” as he’s quick to remind). The time I spend with him is priceless.

Being a freelancer and solopreneur has it’s perks. Especially when I can take a day off and spend time with the “B-man” as I call him.

I had that opportunity on a recent school holiday. Following breakfast, I reflexively viewed my incoming email on my iPhone as he was playing on the floor in our family room.

That’s when he schooled me…

“I thought you were taking the day off, G-pa!?”

Busted!

He made a connection that face-in-phone means work. He’s six and already more intuitive than I realize.

Intuition

Your power of observation or your ability to use your intuition can improve your dental content creation. It’s natural to make assumptions about your target audience.

After all, you’re a dental professional. You provide a certain set of services and the assumption is that people know it.

How people access your particular brand of services is the issue. Most approach who you are and what you do with questions.

Those questions – as we’ve discussed before – are your gold mine for creating compelling, useful content to promote your services.

Assume less – Intuit more

Your patients or clients are consistently in search of solutions to their “pain” or problems. And like most, they type a word or phrase in the form of a question into their chosen online search engine.

They, like you, do this more often on-the-fly via their smartphone or tablet. Pain, a problem, an unforeseen setback invades their space and they go searching for a solution.

Content Intuition and What It Can Do for Your Dental Content Marketing that Assumptions Cannot

Intuition creates real-time opportunity

Thoughts are fluid. You are always experiencing a constant stream of them.

So are your patients and clients.

It’s essential that your intuitive content finds its way to their thought consciousness. Your success rate will increase as you appear on their conscious “radar” consistently.

Monthly content…that’s a stretch. Sure, if it’s dense as in a content rich newsletter, industry case study, or informative ebook.

Start with a bi-weekly published content. But consider the opportunity-value of appearing in their space with useful content on a weekly basis – this is optimum.

Why? Your patients/clients are busy.

And volume of content they consume for information, entertainment, support, etc is off the charts.

Be there consistently. Be there usefully.

And you’ll occupy a small space in their content stream.

Intuition compels an informed response

The information your patients or clients search for depends on their current need, mood, pain, etc. Getting a response relies on your ability to intuit their condition.

How?

Listen!

  • Set up listening “stations.” Encourage your business team, consultants, assistants, hygienists to develop an open-ear approach. Train them how to pick up on the signals your patients/clients are sending. Develop ways to log/archive that data.
  • Create content around the questions, pains, problems, and solutions being sought by your patients/clients.

Remember that useful information compels…and “sells.”

Intuition conforms to the solutions you provide

Other “listening stations” are your online reviews, ratings, and strategic surveys. This is useful as you use your intuition to access what’s being said on and between the lines.

  • Get intentional by using surveys. Brief, targeted surveys can help you tap-into the needs, wants, and desires of your patients/clients. Avoid lengthy, complicated, or irrelevant questions. Ask what you really want to know.
  • Use reviews and survey data to create a content editorial list. Craft content around answering the questions and problems with solution-oriented content.
  • Provide variety. Informative content can be shared via a blog, podcast, video, short courses, webinars, etc.

Give your “audience” numerous channels to connect with you. They’ll appreciate the convenience and your intuition.

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compelling content headlines

How to Create Headlines That Compel a Positive Response to Your Dental Marketing Content

How important are headlines? Before I reveal how to create them, understand that your dental promotions, dental web page copy, and even your dental blog posts can succeed or fail based on the headline.

Advertising and copywriting legend, John Caples, once said they are the most important part of your advertisement. He proved his point by committing four of his 18 chapters to them in his book, Tested Advertising Methods.

Your headline copy can make or break your dental marketing. This is why they’re so difficult and occasionally time-consuming to write.

Professionally speaking, I invest the first phase of writing to the headline. You should expect to do the same if…you want to compel your reader to engage with your content.

Your headline has ONE  job

Your headline MUST grab your reader’s attention.

John Caples adds this jolting perspective – “If the headline is poor, the copy will not be read. And copy that is not read does not sell goods.”

You could say, “I”m a dental provider, I don’t ‘sell’.” I encourage you to not get caught up in the semantics of what is or is not “sales.”

Bottom line, your headline compels or it doesn’t. The middle ground is littered with well intentioned, creative, salesy hype, or lame attempts at trying to be cute.

How to Create Headlines that Compel Your Readers to Keep Reading to the Point of Doing What You’re Asking Them to Do

(By the way, there are two bonus insights in that sub-heading.)

1-Promise something.

Too many promotions are vague. Vagueness should not be confused with compliance with dental industry marketing standards.

There’s a difference in making unsubstantiated claims about a treatment or service and being vague about the benefit they can potentially deliver.

Make a promise that introduces a benefit.

“Who else wants whiter teeth – in less time?”
(Promise: whiter teeth, less time)

“Great new discovery controls bad breath – makes your teeth healthier too.”
(Promise: fresher breath, healthier teeth)

Those promises include practical benefits. The stated benefits compel your reader to read deeper into your promotion to discover more.

Promised results or benefits compel your reader to stay in the conversation with you via your promotion.

  • List at least 5 benefits of the service you’re promoting.
  • Use specific, direct wording that establishes your service as THE solution (promised result) for taking action.

2-Embed an image in your reader’s mind.

What your reader can see themselves using, doing, etc will compel them to take action. Avoid language that’s overused, technical, industry-oriented, insider-based, etc.

You “know, like, and trust” your industry, right? This makes it natural for you to feel as though everyone else (including your patients/clients) do also.

This is where “How To…” headlines work well.

“How to [COMMON TASK] That [REWARDING BENEFIT].”

The “common task” creates an image of an action, activity, priority, etc. And again, you compel with a “rewarding benefit” – in this instance, something the reader can “see” themselves enjoying, etc.

3-”State a fact.”

Facts establish credibility. When you can highlight a fact in your content headline – do it!

Your reader will be drawn deeper in to your content. And they will begin to trust you as a credible source of information.

Select portions of your positive reviews or testimonials. Remember: You can protect the identity of your source by using their first name initial or their full name initials (e.g. “E” “ES,” etc.) for attribution.

Here’s an example:

“…I went to my high school reunion and the compliments made me feel like I’d been crowned homecoming queen!” – JS. Want the Same Results?

Research data sources of your product or service. Share benefit oriented statistics in you headline.

92% of Our Dental Patients Said This One Thing Eliminated Their [PROBLEM]

If You Do This Two Times Per Year You Could Reduce Your Dental Treatment Costs by [X]%

Facts help compel a response.

4-”Ask a question.”

Questions create curiosity. They also produce engagement with your solution or answer.

In the previous headline example using the quotation (“I went to my high school reunion and the compliments made me feel like I’d been crowned homecoming queen!” – JS Want the Same Results?) the question creates curiosity on two levels.

1) Tell me more about the “results” and 2) Give me more information about what she did to achieve them.

Questions also give your reader a way to process their assumptions. Your question-oriented headline can create a “Hmmm, I haven’t thought about that before…” response.

Your reader will begin to engage with your content by answering the question you posed. It’s important that your question headline prompts curiosity.

A question headline works for a simple reason. It creates a compelling reason to stay with your content and eventually take action as result.

There is more to a promotional headline than creativity or cuteness. Lead with benefits and you’ll win more often.

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