If there’s one thing that abounds, it’s misinformation. Dentists all over the country are throwing up their hands in despair when they contemplate what they’re actually paying a marketing company to do for them.
That’s not surprising. Getting more new patients in your chairs was a simple prospect before the internet changed everything. Taking out a Yellow Pages ad, doing some mailings, and cultivating referrals from existing patients was about all any dentist needed.
Now, no one looks at Yellow Pages ads; in fact, you may very well not have one, and for good reason. Today’s prospects overwhelmingly begin their search for a dentist online. It’s a completely different marketing landscape, and it can be very confusing.
Let’s simplify things.
There’s Only One Metric That Matters For Dentists
The end goal of all your marketing has to be getting the new patients you want in your chairs. That’s the only way you make money and keep the doors open and the lights on.
All else – likes, shares, clicks, cost-per-click, hits, impressions, audience share, time on page, SEO, links, and so on – are only a means to that end.
Keep this in mind: what you’re paying for is to get more of your preferred paying patients. That’s a very useful thing to remember when your marketing company is burying you in technical terms.
Two Prongs, One Goal
Breaking the crazy lingo down into simple terms, your marketing has to capture the audience’s attention, and influence them to take action.
When someone glances at your ad or post and moves on, you’ve failed to capture their attention effectively. When someone reads your ad or post, but does nothing, you’ve failed to influence them to take action.
On the other hand, when someone likes or shares some of your marketing, they’ve taken action. The problem is that those aren’t the kinds of actions that directly make you any money. There’s still potential value in those actions, as the likes and shares may lead someone else to investigate whether you’re the right dentist for them.
What you really need, though, are actions that lead the reader to learn more about you, your practice, and the services you offer.
Your marketing should influence people to visit your website. That’s the one place where prospects can learn the most and it’s arguably the linchpin of your practice marketing.
Almost any reputable marketing company can get more prospects to call your practice or schedule an appointment online. But, can that company get you enough patients who will stay, pay, and refer?
Here’s A Suggestion
You didn’t spend four long years in dental school to be a marketer… and you shouldn’t. If you’re working with an outside firm, your marketing should pretty much be a black box to you, because the only thing that matters is what comes out of it.
Dr. Kevin McMahon of Edgewood, KY has this to say. “SmartBox puts my marketing on autopilot. That makes it a lot easier for me. It’s something I don’t have to worry about.”
Dr. Jonathan Gilbart of Hagerstown, MA agrees. “I want to focus on my patients and focus on what their needs are. I’ve been very happy with SmartBox and their ability to take all the stuff, put it together, and handle that aspect so I can focus on my patients.”
If that’s what you want, your first step is to schedule a Practice Growth call. Invest the amount of time you need to place a single crown or an implant. We’ll take a deep dive into your success goals, the competitive forces that you have to deal with, and how you’ll accomplish those goals.
Following the call, we’ll send your completely personalized Roadmap to the future you want.
Banish your confusion, simplify your life, and make more money with SmartBox.