If you're a dentist just starting out, letting new patients find you without investing in a proper digital marketing strategy can be tempting. However, the constant growth of the patient base is essential for better functionality of the practice, significantly since patients can move, change providers, or even leave for various reasons. Digital media and the Internet have become indispensable for patients on their way to finding the best option for dental care. Now, more than ever, patients use the Internet before making a purchase decision, especially since the tools they can use to do so are also developing day by day.

The latest studies by Google show that 77% of prospective patients do their research online using search engines and 76% of prospective patients do their research on a provider's website - your patients are online and you should be too. Implementing a marketing strategy for your dental clinic not only keeps your practice busy and increases revenue, but also expands your influence in the community. In the following, Marketiu specialists will highlight the best practices that you must include in your digital marketing strategy.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Optimize your dental clinic website

The first step to promoting your business properly is creating a professional website. When it comes to attracting new clients, the only thing more important than your physical dental office is your online presence. A well-developed website expands your opportunities and allows you to reach as many patients as possible. However, it is not enough that it is created, it needs to present a professional image and provide a user-friendly interface so that potential patients feel confident in the services offered. Take the time to create a modern, mobile-optimized, but also SEO-optimized website that contains useful information for both current and potential users.

Since your website acts as the centerpiece of your digital marketing strategy, this is one thing you'll want to leave to the experts. To ensure that your website is optimized from all points of view, you can contact a marketing agency in Bucharest.

2. Use Local SEO

SEO optimization is the process by which you can ensure that your dental practice appears in the search results when someone searches for dental services near them. This is done by creating written content based on specific keywords or highly used search terms, making sure beforehand that the website is running smoothly. The notion of Local SEO is increasingly exploited these days, being a very useful thing for local businesses that want to attract customers from their area. This is usually also the case with dental offices, which should be easily found by potential patients who are near them.

A great way to do this is to create a page for each area your dental clinic serves if they operate in multiple areas of the city or country. You can attract local users to your website by focusing on keywords that contain cities, such as "dentists Bucharest". Also, dental clinics that appear on the map with reviews and a website are more trustworthy to potential patients, so they will be more likely to be chosen by them.

3. PPC Ads

PPC ads can bring many benefits to your dental clinic. These include increased visibility, with your ads appearing in search engine results, social media feeds, websites, and other places where potential patients might learn about you. Also, with their help, you can stay competitive and bring traffic for the most important keywords but also target the categories of people who might be interested in the dental office. At the same time, PPC allows you to control your expenses because you will only pay when a user clicks on your ad and you can set the budget you want to stick to.

A PPC campaign for a dental office is a powerful marketing tool, but it requires a strategic approach and a lot of know-how. This can be especially suitable for clinics that want immediate results such as those at the beginning of the journey. If you also want to take advantage of all its benefits, you can contact a digital marketing agency right now!

4. Try email marketing 

In the world of digital marketing, email marketing is one of the best investments a business can make. Statistics show that for every dollar you spend on email marketing, you can get an average return of $36.

Your dental clinic can use email marketing to send appointment reminders, ask for online reviews, and more. Consider adding an informative newsletter full of tips, updates, and information about new procedures or technologies you offer. These, when sent regularly, can help ensure you stay on top of your patients and can help build their loyalty.

4. Focus on reviews

Given that every dental practice relies heavily on referrals, it's essential to collect reviews and provide what marketers call "social proof" on your website. When potential customers see reviews, they'll recognize you as an authority and be more likely to choose you. Make sure you encourage patients to give your practice a review. Whether you ask them face-to-face, by text, or by email, the most important thing to remember is that nothing can take the place of good communication and good business practices, in short, keeping your existing customers happy. The more satisfied they are with the services provided, the more excited they will be to leave you a positive review that will benefit newcomers.

5. Don't neglect your current customers

It's more expensive to attract a new customer than to keep an old one. That's why retaining current patients should be an integral part of a dental practice's marketing strategy! While your biggest asset will be having a friendly office and providing excellent customer service, there are other ways to show your appreciation to existing clients. These include constant communication with patients, especially on social media. Responding to their messages, comments, and other questions will show that you have an interest in them. You can also try to post images from consultations with their consent and share various stories or posts in which your brand is mentioned to increase the engagement rate.

A more direct way can be to implement loyalty programs or offer specific discounts for loyal patients. You can even try a referral program to grow your community.

There are many ways to get yourself known through digital marketing. A well-crafted strategy includes all of the above and more, customized to your situation and needs. If you also want to be more visible online, attract more new customers, and take care of the current ones, but also increase your income, then our advice is to contact a digital marketing agency in Bucharest, which will help make your brand voice known.