Dental website platform

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How to Add Some “Suspense” to Your Dental Marketing Content and Increase Your Influence

cat-351926_1280Out of the corner of my eye, all I saw was a dark flash outside my studio window. And then a few tufts of feathers floating upward in the breeze.

The suspense hung in the air as I searched for the cause of all the commotion.

It’s easy to miss the point of why you create content for your dental marketing. And the bigger issue might be what’s really missing.

As far as I could tell the bird never saw it coming. The “it,” was apparently the small white cat with said bird in its mouth (Poor, lil’ thing…the bird that is).

The plot unfolding outside my studio window was thick. Suspense works that way.

What’s the point of your dental marketing content? Even more revealing – what’s the plot?

A random flash of dental speak here and there isn’t a plot.

Why?

People expect that. So, let’s talk expectations for a moment.

Web searches turn up hundreds, even thousands, of results for dental services. Depending on the size of your locale those search results can be even higher.

I write a lot of dental website content for clients. And my curiosity remains high about how effective it really is when all’s-said-and-done.

Potential dental patients, new patients, or those seeking your dental services, etc., arrive at on your website for one reason.

Something worked in their search query.

Keyword rich copy is essential. But…

I’m realizing there must be more to keep them ON your website. And more important – returning again and again.

Don’t cop out saying – “Well, they scheduled…or hired us…so my website must have done it’s job.”

Sure, a scheduled appointment adds to your dental digital marketing win-column. I’ll give you that.

What is of equal importance is the relationship you’ve only begun to develop with that new patient or client.

Is the suspense (or lack of it) “killing” you?

Who is helped by typical, outdated, status-quo, overly technical, feature-heavy, dental web content? And why is that a necessary question?

Imagine someone arriving on you dental website and experiencing something entirely fresh, out-of-the-box. What would that look like?

Glad you asked!

The new brand of dental web copy that adds a little suspense, keeps them returning for more, and sharing what they found so your dental practice or dental industry business achieves greater influence.

That’s a lot to comprehend. Allow me to break it down.

Your new brand of dental website copy or digital marketing content isn’t about your services.

“But I’m in the business of providing dental services,” you say. Correct! You are.

Yet, that’s not the only reason why people do business with YOU!

Remember those thousands of web search results?

You are hopefully among them. And the only reason you or another local practice or business showed up where you did in the rankings has everything to do with this.

One, you paid for your ranking with ads or any of the common, trendy approaches that work but also devour time and cash flow.

Or…

Two, you’re nowhere near the top of the search pile because you didn’t invest in the latest, trendy SEO technique.

Or…

Three (and here’s something to think about and repeat lavishly), you achieved a higher ranking than most because you know the value of a content-rich website that consistently provides useful, relevant content for those searching for your services.

It’s not only what you do or provide. It’s also about showing up consistently with information that showcases your authority or expertise.

  • Launch or re-launch your dental blog or dental articles page. It’s the most cost-effective and long-term beneficial strategy to maximize all that dental-speak that you think can only be posted on your services pages.
  • Use your blog to communicate the information potential patients or clients are searching for about solutions for their dental health or dental business.

Your new brand of dental website copy isn’t really about YOU.

“But I’m the founder, the dentist.” Right. You are!

And everyone expects you to talk about you.

How about your About Us page? You know, that page where you talk about qualifications, educational achievements, CE credits, and on and on.

There has to be more.

  • Tell readers less about your qualifications and more about what it’s like to do “business” with you. For example, what does an appointment look like from start to finish? What’s your personal treatment philosophy? How does a consultation move step by step? And what are the outcomes people can expect?
  • Invest your dental marketing copy in those descriptive processes that build the “suspense” about what it’s like to work with you and your team. The return on that investment has the potential to be greater than a quick glance and…”Oh, sounds like every other dentist or dental service provider in my search results.”

Suspense can transform your dental marketing efforts. Use a bit of it to increase your value in the eyes of those searching for precisely what you provide.

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The Use-it-or-Lose-It Factor That Attracts People to Your Dental Marketing

http://pixabay.com/en/archimedes-lever-quarryman-worker-148273/
Image courtesy: Pixabay

We have two young adult daughters. The youngest (in her early twenties) was involved in a car accident that totaled her newly purchased vehicle.

Yeah. I know! Bummer.

The frustration she’s experienced reaching an acceptable insurance settlement is proof that having one thing matters.

Leverage.

And leverage is an essential reason why you must be in a position of authority in your dental marketing.

Two fortunate things about my daughter’s accident. One, she wasn’t injured. Two, it wasn’t her fault.

But the no-fault issue isn’t without loads of hassle. Of course, I’ve been the supportive Dad (why wouldn’t I).

My unfortunate experience with auto accidents gives me a certain amount of leverage. I can use it on her behalf to get what she deserves from the at fault’s insurance provider.

Leverage is essential to getting what you want, what you need, or what you’re entitled to.

You have more authority than you’re leveraging as a dental professional.

  • You’re educated.
  • You have solutions to people’s problems and pain.
  • You deliver a valuable and useful service.

The magic of leveraged authority

In a previous post, you discovered how to leverage your expertise via your Platform Content (PC). Revisit the post to understand how your dental website has essential cause and effect value.

It’s time to amp-up your website (PC). And your Authority Content (AC) is the energy you need.

Gone are the days when a mere website is all you need. Sure, it’s a start.

Search engines (e.g. Google) recognizes that you have one. But if you want to vault to a higher ranking as a dental provider you must…I repeat, MUST prove that you’re a useful resource worthy of people’s search.

There’s more to being useful online as a dental professional than common Services and Procedures web pages packed with dental keywords.

PC + AC = “Leverage”: How to leverage your authority into an ongoing stream of profitable relationships.

  1. Keep your blog updated with fresh, informative content. Answer the questions your patients, clients, or readers are asking via your blog content.
  2. Tap into patient’s or client’s questions with responsive, relevant, quick & easy surveys. Develop your own surveys/questions instead of using standardized approaches.
  3. Avoid “bait-and-switch” tactics when surveying and promoting your content on your website and through social media channels. Do it just-because and be up front about your reason(s).
  4. Re-purpose your blog content into a downloadable e-book. Offer the e-book (free) on your website or via a designated landing page. Share the download link every opportunity you get and you’ll develop a reputation of being a go-to resource.
  5. Start a podcast.  It’s a fresh way to spotlight your “authority.” Check out these resources:
    Pat Flynn’s How to Start a Podcast Tutorial
    Rainmaker.fm – The Showrunner podcast

And who knows…

You might create a passive income stream out of your content development. And who couldn’t use that kind of financial and career leverage?

Stay tuned. In an upcoming post you’ll get the final content piece that increases your influence.

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The First (of 3) Snooze-You-Lose Strategies That Eliminate Panic and Propel Your Dental Marketing

http://pixabay.com/en/family-tree-genealogy-295298/If you’ve ever attended a family reunion you understand. I’ll explain.

At the core, it’s the same principle that connects your dental marketing to the big-picture strategy.

My dad made a statement at our most recent family reunion. I can’t get it out of my mind.

It answers the question, “Why am I here?” And I’m not talking some existential, meaning of life idea.

The essence of his statement to our gathering of nephews, nieces, cousins, spouses, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren defines what it means to be family.

We were circling up prior to our reunion meal. My dad (the current family patriarch) pointed to the displayed, vintage portraits of my grandmother and grandfather.

Then, tearfully gesturing to our gathering, said, “They caused all this…”

Cause and effect

Everything starts somewhere. Before a tree, family or otherwise, extends its branches, there’s a simple seed (the cause).

And your dental marketing impact (the effect) is no different.

What seeds are you planting? And going a step further, do you have a strategy that’s easy to implement?

Reacting isn’t a strategy

You’re accustomed to it. For example, as a dental provider, you react to the pain a patient presents with.

Your education, training, and experience teaches you to diagnose the situation and prescribe a treatment plan. I realize it’s a bit more complicated than that, but you get the imagery.

Reaction can grip you too when there’s a need to market your services.

  • New patient scheduling is down
  • Recare has stalled
  • Web search analytics are showing downward traffic trends

And the dentist down the street is your community’s new rock star with their state-of-the-art…cutting-edge this or that (and if they use “state-of-the-art” or “cutting edge” to describe whatever in their latest postcard mailer or on their newly designed website, you should stop worrying…because no one cares…seriously, nothing says boring, “numbing,” marketing copy than those two phrases…but I digress).

Meanwhile, back to your challenge at hand…

Your marketing dilemma is a different cause for reaction than you’re typically educated, trained, and experienced to handle. You know when a tooth has erupted and what to do to fix it.

Now your marketing presents with pain. What to do?

A road paved with “good intentions” that leads you nowhere

Well intentioned dental professionals do what they know best to do when marketing challenges arise. Right?

You leave a Post-it® note on the desk of your office manager or designated front-office team member that reads, “See me about an email blast…” (or something related to a panic-driven “marketing” blitz).

Is that the best you can do?

Your dental marketing deserves better than a random, reactively conceived, out-of-their-depth (with all due respect reference to the person tasked) email blast. You’re panicked. I get it.

Take a deep breath.

Better…?

Now let’s assess the problem and nail down a more effective solution to your ongoing marketing dilemma.

You WILL be in panic mode again. That is, unless you readjust your perspective and realign your approach.

The first (of 3) marketing content resources you’ll ever need to build your dental practice or dental industry business (and stop burdening an already focused and busy business assistant).

1-Your Platform Content (PC)

Consider your website your office’s front door. Before a new patient or anyone else walks through the door of your dental practice they’ve probably invested a portion of their time hanging around in your digital “lobby.”

This assumes you have a website. If you don’t…well…we need to talk (and we should have that conversation, like, NOW).

Having a website is only the beginning. These days there’s more to an established, effective, useful, search friendly online presence than a mere website.

Home page-check! About us page-check! Services pages-check! Contact us page-check! Social media buttons-check!

I’ll even go so far to say Blog-check! You’d be surprised (perhaps) how few can check that one off the list these days.

And if you do have a blog page, how fresh and/or recent and useful is your content?

More on that later.

How to make your dental website a solid, home-base platform

Consider it the “cause” of your intended “effect” (to borrow from my earlier family reunion story).

If you want to avoid reactionary, panic-stricken marketing make certain your website platform is solid.

  • Visit your website as if you’re searching for a dental provider. How informative is it? Do you know where to go next from page to page? Does it communicate relevant, benefit focused information (rather than “hey, look how great, equipped, educated, etc we are…”)? Are there clear calls to action page to page? Does the content ultimately lead to scheduling an appointment or consultation?
  • Clean up your language. Make sure your entire site is “you” (reader/patient/client) focused. It should read as if you’re having a personal conversation with the person reading your content.
  • Stop talking so much. Reduce your page word count if necessary. You should be able to inform and compel a response with 250 to 500 words per page on average.
  • Keep it real. Evaluate your page header images. If your images look cookie-cutter, your site can appear that way.
    You want to avoid having the reader feel like, “oh, I’ve been here before…just another dental website…” Imagine them feeling instead that your practice story, culture, and voice is different than most…and unique to yours.

Your dental marketing starts somewhere. And your website platform is the most strategic place to begin if you want to solve the panic mode problem in your marketing.

Process and act on this for now. Stay tuned…there’s more to come in an upcoming post.

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