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

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

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

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

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

We have tracked and tested it for years now.  Those who come in off of 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 many cases they never show up the first time.

Don’t Make Price Your Focus

Do not devalue your dentistry and your 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 this is where you have to learn to sale your dentistry to those who need it without dropping the price so low you cannot afford to stay open.

Time and time again, doctors have tried competing with practices that are well established 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 that everyone is talking about, you are going to have to develop authority in your market. 

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

The best marketing is helpful and educational.  It is content that helps potential patients make better decisions about their health.  It’s content that shows 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 content you put out.

Quality of content trumps quantity every time.

People are more sophisticated when they do a search now than when they did it 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 gets found by a searcher and converts well is making sure that content is relevant. 

For instance, many people search for “at home teeth whitening.”  There are several quality articles and blog post 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 actually are searching for and at the same time exposing your practice to them.  You are also showing them that you understand what the market is looking for and concerned about.

More than 95% of the dental websites out there have very limited amounts of content that people actually search for.  There are over 30 questions on teeth whitening alone that your website needs to have content on.  Most websites only answer maybe 5 of these questions.

There are at least 40 questions your website needs to answer on gum disease.  Most dental websites don’t answer anywhere close to 40.

The more authoritative you content, you will attract amazing search engine results and you will 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 a review for your dental office, it gives Google an understanding of your practice, services and the experience that 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 matter.

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 to respond is crucial.

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

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

A Content Strategy That Works

We have tested it over and over again.  We create really good content for our clients centered around actual searched out phrases and questions, and the traffic pours in.

It’s simple … If you create content that has actual searches and someone in your area searches for that subject, who is Google going to 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 in a predictable way 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