The world of marketing and finding patients has changed vastly over the last several years. No longer is word-of-mouth, referrals from dental practices, or even checking the phone book enough to get new patients and sustain regular practice growth. A new mindset is needed to project your oral surgery practice into the future with more patient leads.
Using a digital marketing company has been a game changer for many oral surgeons. By revamping your online presence through the various channels (website, social media, ads, and more), you can reach more patients than by simply waiting for that next referral to come along.
Keep reading to learn more of the latest trends and digital marketing strategies for oral surgeons in 2022.
From 2015 to 2016, only 35.6% of oral surgeons saw an increase in patient volume. The other 64.4% either decreased or stayed the same. If you are looking to grow your oral surgery practice, take the next step toward digital marketing!
Digital Marketing for Oral Surgeons
Today’s world has changed. Digital marketing focuses on meeting patients where they are and where they spend most of their time – online!
What It Is
Digital marketing, or online marketing, refers to internet-based marketing strategies. Businesses use digital channels, such as websites, social media platforms, email newsletters, and more, to attract and connect with new and current clients. Strategies and techniques rely on popular keywords, search engine optimization (SEO), ads, user experience, and more.
Digital marketing is not just for shops or stores who have a physical product or item to sell. It is also about brand awareness and connecting with patients. Any business or practice looking to attract new patients can benefit from the right online marketing strategies.
Why Oral Surgeons Need Digital Marketing
When it comes to marketing plans, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. You don’t want to waste your time using the wrong methods. However, simply waiting for a local dentist or orthodontist to send a new referral your way isn’t enough to meet your long-term practice goals.
Perhaps you want to expand, open a new location, hire more staff, or plan for retirement. To be the top oral surgeon and meet your goals, you need to change your marketing methods. Digital marketing produces a consistent sales funnel. Digital marketing channels are regularly generating patient leads and sending them to your website and your practice where you can convert them into new patients.
Boost Your Online Visibility with These Digital Marketing Techniques for Oral Surgeons
However, to even generate those leads, you first must make your oral surgery practice visible. The trends that follow are the top digital marketing strategies for oral surgeons this year.
1. Design, Develop, & Optimize Your Website
In today’s day and age, if a business isn’t online or doesn’t have a website, it essentially doesn’t exist. People spend time online, chatting, browsing, and searching for businesses. In 2021, over 302 million Americans were online.
Having a website is a must for oral surgeons.
Your website can help you beat out big name practices when it is well-optimized, uses the correct keywords, delivers relevant content, and answers popular questions.
Social media is good and boosts your digital footprint, but it isn’t enough. Social media platforms promote and advertise for your oral surgery practice while funneling patients to your website where they can learn more about you. From here, you can further move them into the sales funnel to make an appointment.
2. Reach Your Target Audience with Local SEO
Over 33,000 people in the United States have searched for an oral surgeon in the last month; over 74,000 searched for an oral surgeon near me. Did your website show up in the search results?
Just having a website and hoping it reaches your oral surgery patients isn’t enough. Your competitors are investing in search engine optimization (SEO) to rank higher in search results.
Higher rankings + improved visibility = more potential patients
You cannot simply publish a website and hope for the best. You, too, need to invest in SEO. Your marketing team can help you:
- Target the best keywords for your practice
- Optimize your website pages for better search results
- Create high-quality content
- Attract valuable backlinks to your website
In addition, using local SEO strategies ensures you are reaching more patients in your target demographic, location, age, etc.
3. Use Content Marketing That Relates to Your Patients
Content marketing focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant content to a clearly defined audience.
Content marketing is essential for building authority and authenticity. It gives your practice a voice and helps with branding. Use your digital channels to share your values, mission, services, and more. Personalize it by making it relevant to your practice and your patients’ needs.
For example, consider the reasons patients choose you over a competitor. What makes you stand out? How are you different from the other oral surgeons in town? What questions or concerns do your patients frequently have?
Use these details and questions to your advantage. Answer them in blog posts or on social media. Remember, that patients often search for answers to questions, so your content can expand on a common question to provide background information and create authority on the subject.
Create website content that shows your uniqueness and authenticity. Patients want to see the real you!
4. Utilize Social Media Platforms
Social media is not just for tweens, teens, and millennials. Patients of all ages are on Facebook and social media platforms because they are tools for communication, sharing ideas, and gathering information.
Remember that ‘likes’ don’t necessarily equate to marketing success. Shares and likes simply mean a reader enjoyed your post or liked your words. It does not necessarily mean they will pick up the phone and give you a call.
However, your social posts do boost your visibility, showcase your oral surgery brand, and open up the lines of communication. Social media allows you to socialize or communicate with current and new patients and lets patients feel like they are getting to know you.
When adding social media to your marketing campaign, think of it as a way to funnel potential patients to your practice or to Google to learn more about you. From there, the goal is to convert them into patients. Social media is essentially an appetizer, a teaser making the user want to learn more.
5. Get More Online Reviews from Patients
Even patients who do receive a referral are researching you online before making that phone call. They want to know more about you. Your online presence can make or break that phone call and future appointment.
Make sure your online profiles are up-to-date. This includes your Google My Business (GMB) profile, so that patients have accurate information about you.
Attend or respond to any reviews that patients submit on these sites. (Your marketing team can also help you with this!) Your responses also show your attentiveness and communication with patients.
If possible, generate more patient reviews. Use social media posts, email marketing, and your website to request Google reviews from patients. Positive feedback can help convert more prospective patients.
6. Generate Leads with Google Ads or Social Media Ads
Get in front of more patients with Google, Facebook, and social media ads. Ads are an effective way to generate leads and sales. The ads can be customized and targeted, so they get in front of more of the right potential patients. Your ads should focus on your target keywords and patient demographic.
Google and Facebook ads are a great way to drive website traffic, boost phone calls, and increase patient conversions.
Better yet, you can track and analyze the ads. This lets you know how to improve or expand upon the ads to reach even more patients and meet your marketing goals.
Contact the Oral Surgeon Marketing Experts at Med Rank Interactive
Don’t sit back and wait for competitors to surpass your practice. Let the digital marketing experts at Med Rank Interactive help you with your oral surgery marketing campaigns. Learn how you can take your practice to the next level with our digital marketing strategies.
Book your FREE consultation to learn more about oral surgery marketing!
