As the Internet has evolved, what worked before for dental marketing no longer returns enough ROI.
It used to be possible to use what’s known as programmatic marketing which basically released one static ad to a wide audience. Back in the day, that worked well as there was essentially one channel for an ad – the desktop computer or laptop.
Now, those channels have expanded to include an array of technology that talks to each other: smartphones, watches, pads, weather apps, and much more. And Internet advertising has become more and more personalized.
If you spend much time on the Internet, you may have noticed that if you click on a webpage ad, you can wind up seeing the same or a similar ad on other websites or even on Facebook. You may even see it on your smartphone when you initially clicked on your laptop.
Your ad choice is being communicated between different servers feeding different websites featuring different content. And you may be viewing it across multiple devices.
That’s just one example of how the Internet has evolved, but it shows why the old “spray and pray” approach to web marketing is obsolete. Today’s Internet users expect individualized experiences as they surf, and the savvy dental marketer will give them those experiences.
That doesn’t mean the average dental practice has to be all things to all people, but it does mean that going forward, you’ll have to carefully segment your audience by interest and/or need and target your content specifically to each segment. For instance, people who expressed interest in implants get only content related to that need (as well as a few marketing pieces to build trust in you and your practice). And, each segment gets multiple pieces of interest-specific content over time.
It also means that all of your online marketing has to be compatible across any number of devices and compete against the billions of other pieces of content trying to steal your audience’s attention. And against the professional marketing firms that will be using increasingly sophisticated technology to pinpoint market to individuals.
It’s a tall order for any dental practice to pull off by itself.
Fortunately, you don’t have to. There are any number of marketing firms out there who will swear that they can handle that for you. And a few of them really can. The rest just don’t “get” how dentistry is different than selling electronics or clothes or day spa packages.
SmartBox not only gets dentistry, we were born from dentistry. If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that my dad is a very successful dentist in the greater Louisville, Kentucky area. I virtually grew up in his practice. I have extensive, first-hand knowledge of what dentists face in trying to attract the dental patients they need to grow and succeed.
I turned that experience and my love of web marketing into a company that only works with select dentists. Right now, we’re working with over 500 dentists on three continents to help them get more patients, more profits, and more freedom.
If you’re not getting the new dental patients you want, check out my book “Attract More Patients in the Next 6 Months Than in the Past 6 Years.” The book is the culmination of all my marketing expertise, and it can be yours for only the $4.97 cost of shipping at www.MoreAndBetterPatients.com while supplies last.