Dental blog
The “Lingering Effect” and How It Turns “Lookers” Into “Buyers” Using Your Dental Content
I’m not a real estate expert. I own a house and know a few real estate agents, that’s as close as I get.
I’ve observed something about the real estate process lately. And it has some value to the process of creating dental marketing copy and content.
The house across the street from ours is on the market. The “FOR SALE” sign went up a few days after the last occupants moved out and the flow of lookers has been steady.
There are the “Slow Drive-by’s”. They’re the ones checking the area, the property appearance, and other points of interest on their house-hunting list.
There are the “Ubers” as I call them (those who arrive chauffeured by a Realtor). These folks have taken their house hunt a step further by making this one of several stops on the “let-me-show-you-some-options-in-your-price-range” tour.
And then there are the “Lingerers” – those who arrive with a Realtor and linger on site. These individuals form an emotional attachment to the property, they begin to picture their evenings on the patio, meals being prepared in the kitchen, dinners around the dining table, what their furniture will look like throughout, etc.
The difference between the “Slow Drive-by’s”, the “Ubers,” and the “Lingerers” – an emotional connection.
The effectiveness of your dental content marketing strategy depends on your ability to (over time) create the “lingering effect.”
How to Increase the Time Your Audience Invests Consuming Your Dental Content
1-Create something worth “checking out”
The “slow drive-by’s” simply checking out property might not ultimately buy. But they’re willing to invest their time and fuel to see what’s available.
Your dental marketing copy and content ultimately has one goal. It’s availability is to build a relationship.
The operative word is “build.”
Your patients and clients are accustomed to consuming massive amounts of content. Sure, not all of it (or probably not much at all) has anything to do with dentistry.
The only way you’ll be worth a “drive-by” is if you answer their questions or provide solutions to their problems.
Make sure your dental copy and content is valuable as a problem-solution/question-answer resource.
2-Create a sense of partnership
Realtors no doubt prefer to “chauffeur” their clients on their house hunting tour. Why?
They can “control” the relationship. They drive, they provide the list, and they can then provide the necessary information throughout the buyer-journey.
Become a “chauffeur” of sorts through your dental copy and content. You KNOW what your patients and clients do not KNOW.
You must also know the unique connection of your services to their individual emotional and physical desires. This requires listening and leveraging what you hear into content that meets them where they are.
“Drive” them step by step to a decision. Not all at once though…
Remember effective content marketing is a journey toward a deeper relationship that ultimately results in them investing in your services or expertise.
A blog post, podcast, social media content, email, or direct mail create a relational thread that eventually compels trusted buy-in.
3-Create a lingering connection
Realtors must love those who linger on a property. This tells them that an emotional connection is being made.
The longer your readers stay on your website, follow the links within your blog posts, follow your social media channels, and click the links on your emails the greater opportunity you have to create a lingering connection with them.
Keep them in-the-house as often as possible and as long as possible.
Content that delivers value causes your reader to begin including you in their “story.”
In real estate a “SOLD” sign says the process worked. Your dental content marketing is a process too.
“SOLD” is the result of moving “drive-by’s” to “partners” to “lingerers” and ultimately “buyers.”
What “Binge Watching” Can Teach You About Creating Compelling Dental Marketing Copy
Come on, “fess-up.” You know you’ve binged watched your favorite show (more than once) on Netflix or your preferred entertainment content source.
Your “guilty pleasure addiction” actually holds a principle that can transform how you strategize about and create your dental marketing copy. There’s a reason you’re compelled to stay tuned-in on the edge of your seat as the next episode or scene buffers.
My wife and I have a few “guilty pleasures” on Netflix. One is Bloodline. We’re eagerly awaiting the next, and what we’re told is the final, season (bummer).
Until then, this binge culture you and I live in prompted some thoughts about dental marketing copy and content. Fact is, you stay tuned for a reason.
And that reason has much to do with how the content is made available and is delivered.
All at once in real-time
Remember the days when you had three, yes three, choices for TV entertainment. If’ you’re of a certain age or generation, you might also recall that you were a slave to a specific viewing time and a pre-recorded amount of programming, including commercials – that you HAD to watch.
If you’re under the age of, say, 40, you perhaps have no clue what I’m talking about. Millennials and GenXr’s only know the world of instant access, everything all at once, entertainment content.
It’s mind boggling to scroll the timeline from the late 1970’s to now and realize how significantly content access and delivery has changed. Choice-access is a premium both for WHAT you consume and WHEN you consume it.
Your patients and clients are accustomed to the same. It’s how they live.
Craft a compelling storyline, share it in a compelling format, and allow them to access it in real-time. Think email, SMS (text messaging), blog, Facebook LIVE, Twitter, Periscope, YouTube, SnapChat, Instagram, etc.
More pressing – are you using these “channels” and if so, how?
Second realization and principle has to do with “intrigue” or “curiosity.”
You know how your heart races and your pulse quickens as the credits roll on the second or third or sixth episode in your Netflix series queue? The countdown to the next episode begins 10 seconds…9 seconds…5…4…3…2…1…!
No pause. You’re on to the next episode…why?
Love for the show? Perhaps more has to do with curiosity…intrigue!
Those who create entertainment content and design it’s delivery sequencing understand what all great copywriters and content creators understand:
Curiosity is powerful. There’s no limit to how effective your copy and content will be if you use curiosity to capture your reader’s attention.
From the headline of your online or direct mail promotion, to the subject line of your email, to the lead of any promotion you create – if it doesn’t appeal to your reader’s curiosity and stir their sense of intrigue – rewrite it until it does!
A third and final principle from the world of favorite show binging…
Tap into your audience’s feeling (fear) that the “end” isn’t really the “end” (for now, at least).
In other words, create repeat buy-in.
It’s a sad day indeed in our household when I receive the Netflix notification that our favorite “guilty pleasure” is wrapping up (as in, no more “seasons”).
But Netflix applies a compelling strategy.
They’re quick to add – “If you liked ?…you might also like ?”
There’s never an “end” to a familiar storyline or content that looks, sounds, and feels like the “binge” I just completed.
Those who receive your dental marketing copy or content will return and even anticipate what’s next if you give them one thing – emotional value.
In essence, know your audience and be prepared to provide more stimulating reasons to find you a source of practical value. But not just any value – the brand of value that connects at an emotional level.
Remember, “People buy for emotional not rational reasons.”
I urge to re-read this post and keep it on hand. There’s much buried between the “plot line” that can help you create more compelling copy and content (or the motivation to seek someone who can).
Speaking of plot lines…it’s about time to see what Netflix has to offer for our next “guilty pleasure.”
3 Simple Techniques for Maintaining a Steady Stream of Ideas for Your Dental Blog
It’s simple erosion yet the rest of my yard looks great! The lack of lush, green grass in a small portion of my backyard provides a useful principle for how to maintain a steady flow of content on your dental blog.
I’m no lawn expert but I’m aware that grass has difficulty growing once soil erosion sets in. The erosion began a few years ago. Our labrador, Mandy, got it started with her routine “wallow” beneath the shade of our tree.
Overtime the erosion created a washed-out place. Lack of guttering to catch the water and the shade of our now massive maple tree are the main causes now.
Perhaps the biggest problem you face with your dental blog
Informative, search-relevant topic ideas are what sustain your dental blog and most content streams. Without a steady flow of ideas your content strategy will suffer.
You’ll be irrelevant to your growing audience of readers. And you’ll risk losing them because you have nothing that compels them to increase their time on your page.
There’s another fundamental issue. It’s like my guttering problem.
I can stop the erosion if I have a place to catch the water. Like that, ideas must be collected or your dental blog will erode.
A limitless source of ideas
It’s a common problem. It’s also a reason you’ll be tempted to give up on your blog.
You want and need a source of ideas.
Think of ideas like “seeds.”
You plant them in an easy to access place (more on that in a moment). You water them and one day they “green-up” into something useful to your readers.
As a dental professional this all begins with your patients or clients. They are your limitless source of ideas.
Would you allow your patients or clients to write your blog?
However you feel about your current and potential patients/clients, they are your audience. What if you made them part of your content team?
I’m not implying that you should give them access to your WordPress password, allow them to log into your blog, and start writing.
Rather, I’m recommending the you allow them to write your blog from the idea side.
You have a wealth of blog topic ideas within the sound of their voice.
Are you listening?
And listening in this instance has more to do with what’s not being said as much as what IS being said.
Questions are the key. Ask and you shall receive.
How your dental blog can give you expert status
1-“Savor” the questions you’re asked or that you hear
You’re accustomed to dispensing services. Your information comes at a premium.
Most often it’s distributed face to face, chair-side, or another way that requires your physical presence. Nothing wrong with that but it lacks scalability.
These days making your information stream available and easy to access increases your value to patients/clients. They (like you) will search for what they want to know and somewhat expect a quick, useful answer – one that compels action.
This requires having your “radar” fine-tuned.
Are you picking up on the signals that your audience is sending?
They’re consistently informing you through their questions about their problems. Become efficient at “saving” the data you receive in the form of patient/client questions.
Avoid dismissing them as simple inquiries.
Do a deeper dive beneath the surface and listen for motives, fears, and other emotions that could be prompting their question(s).
Next…
2-“Seed” the information you obtain into potential content
I said “potential.” The reason: not all questions “grow” into an evergreen blog post or other content form.
But most will!
Have a place to greenhouse those “seeds.” I use and highly recommend Evernote.
Wherever you plant your content “seeds” for future harvest – Evernote, a paper notebook, Google Doc file, etc., – don’t edit them…yet. Let them take root as other related questions will come along and one day a useful piece of content will emerge.
3-Share the information in an easily accessible format.
Most questions you’re asked can be “seeded” into sub-topics. For example, I blog regularly for an implant specialist.
To date I’ve written over 70 blog posts for him. Ninety-eight percent are related to questions about dental implants.
There’s no way to do this unless you sub-topic that content “seed” (dental implant questions). This is among the main reasons I encourage you to not put all your webpage “energy” into lengthy “Services” pages.
You compel more interest (traffic) via an informative blog page where you’ve “chunked” a broader topic (like dental implants, etc.) into sub-topics that answer your audience’s questions.
Ultimately, it’s about compelling interest in your services. A compelled reader who has easy access to informative, useful content is more likely to take the next step.
And that’s good for “business.” Agreed?
How a Minimalist Approach to Your Dental Website Compels a Response
So, my wife cleaned out her closet recently. It prompted my thinking about your dental website.
There’s a significant mindset shift contained in her closet reorganization that can help you streamline your dental website.
Comparisons reveal a lot. Compare my wife’s newly reorganized closet to mine…and…well let’s not!
You get the picture.
Compare your dental website to others. Some pale by comparison while others create a compelling reason to do a reorganization.
Renew or regret
A healthy comparison of your current website with others in your industry is helpful. Be careful not to overthink it (more on that in a moment).
The idea is to compare by first-impressions. For example, I can feel drawn into a website and compelled to explore their content or the opposite.
More isn’t always better (by comparison)
These days, you’ll notice a more minimal approach to standard, main page content (e.g. Home page, About Us, Dental Services/Procedures, etc.). And you’ll see more substance on a blog/article page, social media feeds, etc.
Content “numbing” happens more than you’d like to admit. This means when your readers see a been-there-done-that, feature-heavy Home page or Services pages they’re more likely to dial-out and move on.
I’m not a design expert. But I am intuitive enough to know what numbs and what engages.
Intuition is key
It’s vital to your dental website that you be intuitive. Think like a “reader” or “site visitor.”
Avoid thinking like a dental professional. That’s not to say ignore your expertise or service value.
It simply implies that you should put yourself in the mindset of a person looking for an answer to their question or a solution to their problem. This approach must trump the all-to-common “hey-look-at-our-latest-greatest-state-of-the-art-technology-that-we’re-proud-to-announce” approach.
Provide solutions more than you salivate (gross, I know…)
How to Take a Minimalist Approach to Your Dental Website That Compels a Response
1-Create content that’s readable and relevant
By readable I’m not talking about language and grammar (entirely, though don’t discount them). Readability has more to do with voice, flow, and clarity.
- Write like you talk. Keep the “voice” conversational in tone. Why? It builds a relationship of trust faster than over-the-heads, impressive language.
- Create a story-like thread of thought. Think of “flow” as ease of use. Avoid overcomplicating your message with “fluff-wording” that numbs or sounds like every other industry website you visit. Keep it real, in other words.
- Be clear, above all. Most copy/content online or offline suffers from too many themes. Narrow your page message down to one, clear, compelling BIG IDEA. Ask yourself – “what is the ONE idea we want the reader to know?” Write to that solely and clearly.
2-Review and renew your services pages
Remember as a dental professional that you’re not writing to industry colleagues. It’s more engaging to your reader/site visitor for you to avoid industry-speak.
Words like periodontics, endodontics, orthodontics, prosthodontics, etc., sound impressive and translate well during a CE course or convention conversations. But in the day to day your readers are thinking gums, root canals, braces, and dentures – use words they can relate to.
- Inventory your service pages. Look for industry language. Replace it with a “street” word.
- Get out of your own head as a dental professional. Outsource your website revisions to a skilled web copywriter who knows the dental industry.
3-Repurpose and revise your webpage content
All those pages that are feature-heavy or full of industry-speak…don’t trash them yet! These can be repurposed into benefit oriented, solution-providing content on a blog/article page or a published newsletter.
- Adopt a new mindset about your content. Begin to think about it as a platform and not a stand-alone, one time and done set of webpages.
- Deep dive into your current website. Or ask a trained-eye to do a site audit for you.
You once invested time and dollars to create the content on your webpages. Now’s the time to re-invest some fresh perspective (and perhaps a few more dollars) to renew dated or data-heavy content.
Themes, benefits, new ideas, etc., live between the lines of your current web copy, blog posts, and newsletter archives. Breathe new life into them through some repurposing.
Reorganize and reduce the “fluff” in your digital (web) “closet.” It can give you valuable breathing room to improve your dental marketing content.
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.
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.
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.