NEW PATIENTS … That’s the goal, isn’t it.  Getting more of the kinds of new patients you want.

Every dental office needs new patients to grow and thrive. Let’s face it: Competition in any market is growing at an astounding rate.

That’s not to mention the number of chain practices popping up on every corner, offering ridiculously low-priced dentistry or mail-order braces you can get from home.

If you go on coupon or deal sites, you will find a large number of dental offices offering low-cost exams, cleanings, and whitening to attract potential patients. These unsuspecting price shoppers are often disappointed by the quality of care they receive.

You will always have those who are concerned only about price, and you will never be able to build a solid practice in that market segment. 

We have tracked and tested it for years now. Those who come in on special offers such as a low-cost exam and cleaning never follow through on a treatment plan. This means you have either lost money or broke even getting them in the door, only for them to never come back, and in many cases, they never show up the first time.

Don’t Make Price Your Focus

Do not devalue your dentistry and hard work by being known as the discount dentist in your area.  It’s not worth it.

Countless new practices have opened and closed within a year because they tried to compete by focusing on price. Yes, patients are concerned about cost, but you have to learn to sell your dentistry to those who need it without dropping the price so low you cannot afford to stay open.

Time and again, doctors have tried competing with well-established practices by playing the price game, only to find out it doesn’t work and the results are dismal. 

This is why you need to change your focus from price to authority.

So what does that mean?

Authority Is Your Positioning Tool

If you are going to succeed in your market and become the go-to dentist everyone is talking about, you are going to have to develop authority in your market. 

Authority is developed when you provide your audience the best and most helpful content.  Notice we didn’t say sales… we said helpfully.

The best marketing is helpful and educational. It includes content that helps potential patients make better decisions about their health and shows that you understand them and their families.

Creating Genuinely Helpful Content

You might have heard someone say that content is king.  However, it is not just how much content you put out, but the quality of it.

Quality of content trumps quantity every time.

People are more sophisticated when they search now than they were even a year ago. They type in more questions and longer search phrases, anticipating a more precise answer. Google has made search intent a priority in returning results.

The key to great content that a searcher finds and converts well is ensuring that content is relevant. 

For instance, many people search for “at-home teeth whitening.”  There are several quality articles and blog posts that can be written around this topic.  Here are a couple of ideas:

• At-home teeth whitening remedies
• Quickest ways to whiten your teeth at home
• Best over-the-counter products for teeth
  whitening

Some doctors wouldn’t think of having this type of content on their websites but a smart doctor will. 

Why?  Because it is bait content.

You are providing content that people are searching for and, at the same time, exposing your practice to them.  You are also showing them you understand what the market is looking for and what it is concerned about.

More than 95% of dental websites have very limited content that people actually search for. Your website needs to have content on over 30 questions on teeth whitening alone, but most websites only answer maybe 5 of these questions.

Your website needs to answer at least 40 questions about gum disease. Most dental websites don’t answer anywhere near 40.

The more authoritative your content, you will attract fantastic search engine results and position yourself as the go-to doctor in your area.

Building Authority With Reviews

Over the last few years, reviews have become very important to the overall success of a local dental office.  It is estimated that over 75% of patients make decisions based on the reviews of a particular practice.

When patients leave reviews for your dental office, Google learns about your practice, services, and the experience people had when they visited you.

This has an influence of your positioning in the search results.  Never underestimate the power of a review, and for a dental practice, they are simply gold.

Google wants to see a wide range of reviews. If you have a bunch of 5-star reviews and no negatives from time to time, you are going to send a red flag to Google. It’s how you respond to those negative reviews that matters.

Never be vicious or defensive in responding to a review. Always put the ball back in their court by offering to resolve the issue in some way. People tend to side with consumers, so being careful when responding is crucial.

It’s also important to take time and respond to the reviews you do get.  By responding, you show your audience that you are paying attention to them and what they say.

Don’t make the response cookie-cutter, either. When we respond to reviews, we always try to mention the person’s name and reflect that we actually read what they said.

A Content Strategy That Works

We have tested it repeatedly. We create excellent client content centered around actual searched-out phrases and questions, and the traffic pours in.

It’s simple … If you create content that actually gets searched for and someone in your area searches for that subject, who will Google show in the results? You and your practice.

Want More of New Patients And The Kind of Cases You Want

If you are looking to grow your practice predictably and attract more new patients, then we can help. Call us today for a consultation and let us show you a path to success that you can actually understand and see.  337-446-2765