Now I know why it takes so long to get a website updated! We approved the project July 2012 and we’re almost ready to publish now – so, about one year to get a new website. I never thought it would take this long, but I have to say I’m extremely pleased. I’ve learned a ton along the way, so thought I’d share the heavy hitters with you.
Share what makes you different
Its pretty easy for my group practice to stand out – I have the advantage of marketing ‘the most dental specialists and general dentists working together’ in the region. So, I write about how that makes a difference for our patients with features they just can’t find anywhere else. So, what makes your practice different? Do you offer an early morning, evening or weekend hours? Do you share what specific treatments you offer – especially if they are popular, like dental implants? Do you offer special financing or payment plans? How about extras such as massage pads in your hygiene chairs or prizes for the kids who have no cavities? Write all you have to offer on your website – you’ll have some great content!
Use photos
I’m learning more about photography from watching the advertising agency that redesigned our website. They take super close up photos at interesting angles. So, one day, I wandered around the office with our SLR camera and took a boatload of pictures. Several of these have made their way into our website. Others grace the channel art on our Google+ page. The more photos you have, the better. It helps to personalize your practice and gives frightened patients a feel for what they’re walking into. Plus, you can set up keywords in each photo you use online and that helps your SEO also.
Use videos
My staff does an amazing job at recording videos. We bought a small videocamera with tripod and microphone and keep it in a drawer where anyone can grab it anytime. So, we have videos of cute kids getting balloons at their visit, parents talking about why they chose sealants for their child, testimonials from patients about their invisalign case, all sorts of videos. My job is to edit them to keep them at less than 2 minutes and then use them on our blog and website.
Create people pages
Of course, every dentist should have a page in your website. People want to see a bit about his background, some photos and even better, a video of him or her saying hello and coming across as friendly and welcoming. Even for nervous dentists, this video is huge! My senior dentist ended up with the best intro video because we were laughing about how strange this felt and I left the camera on so I was able to capture the perfect smile right before he introduced himself. On top of content, photos and video, adding a testimonial to each people page can help future patients find out why this dentist is so special.
Beyond dentist pages – how about creating pages for key staff members? Perhaps you have an insurance manager that’s been with you for years and she knows dental insurance inside and out. This would be a real benefit for patients to choose your practice when they know you have an expert willing and ready to help them get the most out of their plan. What about your hygienists? Hopefully, each of your hygienists has quite a following – featuring them on a full page in your website helps new patients choose the hygienist that they feel fits best.
Describe your services
This takes some work, but creating a page for each of the services you offer shows patients how comprehensive your practice is – and gives you a great opportunity to attract new patients that are looking for a specific treatment. I’ve heard about stories of patients that had a regular dentist and went elsewhere for dental implants or dentures because they didn’t realize their dentist offered these services. In fact, in our group, this is our major challenge – we offer just about every dental service under the sun but if the patient only comes to us for general dentistry, sometimes they don’t even realize we have an orthodontist in the building!
Updating your dental practice website is just one way you can run a successful dental practice. If you’re interested in new ideas on running a dental practice, please subscribe to my weekly blog. One of the biggest challenges to managing a dental practice is managing dental insurance. With dental insurance handled, then dental marketing for new patients becomes a primary focus. In today’s day of online reviews, handling patient complaints well is essential. As your practice grows, hiring dental staff becomes more important. With 16+ years of dental practice management experience, I’m open to your questions to help you run a successful dental office.
Feel free to email me.