Digital marketing strategies for dentists

One of the most pressing things dentists face is the need to consistently draw new dental patients to the practice. With the dental industry continuing to become more competitive, dentists should create a comprehensive dental marketing plan. A major part of any effective dental marketing strategy should be the digital marketing plan.

What makes an effective dental digital marketing strategy?

Dentists and their practices must have a robust online presence and reputation, including online reviews, social media accounts, a modern dental website and search engine optimization (SEO).

The goal of any effective digital marketing efforts should be to showcase your online reputation, nurture relationships with current patients and produce high-quality leads for prospective patients.

What are the best ways to advertise your dentistry practice?

While digital marketing can seem overwhelming, there are online marketing tactics and strategies that your dental practice can easily use to keep finding new patients while nurturing your current patient base. Here are a few ways to scale your business through digital marketing.

Google pay-per-click (PPC) ads

Pay-per-click (PPC) ads drive traffic to your website by placing you higher than or to the right of the organic search results.

Google is the largest search engine in the world, so showing up on the first page of search results is crucial. Even more effective is appearing above the top search results — the first thing potential new patients see when searching for a local dental clinic.

With Google Ads, dentists and other local businesses pay per the number of times it is clicked rather than how many times it shows up in the Google search.

Facebook ads

Another popular search directory that potential patients use is Facebook. Facebook has become much more than a social media platform: It’s a great platform for new patient acquisition and lead generation and is often where consumers go to decide on their next buying decision.

Facebook ads allow you to reach a specific target audience and are relatively cost-effective compared to more traditional marketing channels.

Instagram ads

You should have an overall social media presence and social media marketing plan with accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and perhaps YouTube.

Specifically, Instagram ads allow you to advertise your dental services to people who are in your area and may be looking for a new dental office or dental healthcare. With Instagram ads, you can format different types of ads like images, stories, videos and collections.

Content marketing

Content marketing is a great tool to advertise your dental practice. Typically, content marketing includes the creation of blogs, videos or social posts. The content doesn’t explicitly promote a particular product or service. Instead, it offers advice and helpful information for potential customers to foster interest in your dental services without directly promoting them.

The key to effective content marketing is ensuring that the content you’re creating is valuable on its own for your potential and current customers.

Reputation management

Online reviews and reputation management are critical parts of any digital marketing strategy. When new patients search for a dentist in their area, one of the major ways they decide is by looking through your online reviews. Gathering testimonials and reviews from current patients is critical, but you also need to do reputation management.

Most dentists work with a dental reputation management platform or service to manage their online reviews and presence. It is critical to respond to all reviews of your dental clinic, both positive and negative. This shows potential patients that you care about the patient experience.

What is SEO for dentists?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a great tool for dentists trying to boost their rankings on search engines and get in front of more potential new customers. There are two main types of SEO:

Organic SEO

Organic SEO is focused on improving your search engine rankings using several techniques. The primary method is optimizing your website content for keywords, including on landing pages, blogs and video content. You want to use the keywords people search for when looking for a dentist.

Local SEO

Local dental SEO aims to optimize your search rankings based on your location instead of simply your content. When new patients are looking for dental health services nearby, local SEO helps your listing rank higher in the results for your area.

Manage your dental digital marketing strategy with Broadly

Broadly can help dentists build a strong, lasting online reputation, improve patient experience, implement an online marketing strategy and increase lead generation.

The platform has tools for you and your team to manage your online reviews, add Web Chat functionality, create custom email marketing campaigns and improve your website design.

Take your dental practice to the next level.