The Web vs. Traditional Print Advertising

The effectiveness of traditional direct-mail, and print advertising continues to decrease as more and more people turn to the web to search for local businesses. The first place people go to find a dentist is the internet, using search engines like Google or Yahoo.

Dental Websites - Passive vs. Active Searching

In the online world, patients are actively looking to do business with you! Compare this to the days of direct-mail, print, TV, and radio marketing, where businesses try to connect with a passive audience. An interactive website that caters to an active audience will drive lots of new patients to your practice.

There’s also no way to measure how many people see a print ad or how many people call to inquire because of it, so you’re essentially spending blindly and hoping for the best. Conversely, the internet allows you to see how many prospects visit your site, track specifically how many people call your practice from the website, and even what parts of your website are converting the most website visitors into new patients. You’ll always know whether or not your website is providing a return on your investment.

Learn about how Dentaware uses Google Analytics to track & measure everything. We even email detailed reports to our clients on a monthly or weekly basis.

Spending thousands of dollars per month on traditional advertising sounds absurd when you can display so much more persuasive content to a targetted and actively listening audience, at a fraction of the price.

As the saying goes, an image is worth a thousand words. Whether it be sophistication, professionalism, or comfort, a photo can dramatically convey the message you are trying to send out about your practice.

Eliminate Perceived Risk

Going to the dentist is a scary idea for many people, so the more you can do to eliminate the perceived risk involved, the better. Great photos show new patients what to expect when they come for a visit, eliminating ‘fear of the unknown’ or ‘buyers fear’.

Beautiful Interior? Carry Your Investment Onto Your Website

If your practice has outstanding interior design, or a spa-like atmosphere, photos can be used as a tool to attract more patients on your website. If you’ve invested in a beautiful practice interior, you should carry that investment onto your website where it can work even harder for you. It’s all part of your practice image, one of the first things people judge when choosing a dental professional.

What is Quality Photography?

Just as poorly-written text on your website can either enhance or detract from the effectiveness of your website, there is nothing more damaging to the image of your practice than a low-quality photograph. Low quality means pixelated, blurred, stretched, or too-small photos on your website.

You Are in the Image Business

As a dental professional, you are in the image business. Potential patients are constantly judging you. You need to show potential patients that you take yourself seriously enough to invest in quality photography, especially if the dentist up the street has great photos on her site already.

Professional vs. Amateur… Prospects can See the Difference

Secondly, you need to make sure that your photos are not only quality, but that they look professional. Your prospects can tell the difference between amateur photos you shot with your personal camera, versus professional photos that enhance the look of your practice. Crisp, high-resolution, well-lit professional photos will display the interior of your practice in a flattering way, reducing ‘buyers fear’ and showcase your practice in a beautiful light.

Below is a list of the 4 general types of people dental websites must cater to:

1. Those who know exactly what they came for. These people have come to your website for a specific reason - to find an address, read about a specific procedure, or determine your hours of operation. Your website navigation must get these people quickly to where they want to go without making them jump through any unneccessary hoops. This is why a clear main navigation menu is so important. These buttons allow your visitor to quickly access the specific information he/she needs - all at one click of a mouse.
2. Those who are browsing with a general interest. These people know what they want, but they’re still in the process of narrowing down the search criteria. They are looking for a practice, and probably comparing based on image, services, etc. You must help them get to the relevant information they need to complete the decision-making process. Why on earth would they want to click those top navigation buttons? - there is risk involved because they have to click, wait for a page to load, and figure out if that’s the information they’re looking for. They don’t know what to expect. When it comes to the internet, people are lazy and loose interest fast, so you’d better make sure your homepage is telling them everything they need to know!
   Often these visitors don’t even know what they’re looking for. You must take them by the hand and guide them (funnel them) into the appropriate place on your website. This is accomplished by showing them a ’snippet’ or summarized preview of what information lies deeper in the site. Make it as easy as possible for them to flow through your sales process.
3. Those who are looking for something, but not sure what they want. You must provide a comprehensive, benefit-oriented overview of what you offer. Again, the snippets of information on the home page can help to accomplish this. Window shoppers don’t care enough to click buttons and enter deep into your site, so you must present an overview of relevant information like a window display to draw visitors into your site.
4. Accidental visitors. They stumbled upon your website by accident and aren’t really prospects. You should tell them quickly that they are in the wrong place and be happy when they go away.

Following is a list of the 3 most important things a home page must do:

1. Let your visitors know they are in the right place. Answer the questions: “Who are you, and what do you do?”
2. Communicate your unique value proposition. Answer the questions: “How are you different than any other practice, and why should I do business with you?”
3. Engage your visitors and get them moving deeper into the site. Answer the questions: “Where is the information I am looking for, and why should I click?”

Every user has different needs, and has come to the site for his/her own reason. In providing a relevant link for each type of visitor, you don’t have to worry about prospects navigating away from your home page.  Anticipating the types of questions they are going to ask about your office and services, and communicating the answers effectively, facilitates momentum. This momentum causes visitors to “click” - to enter deeper into your site, and learn more about you.

Give visitors a reason to stay!  Grab their attention from the beginning, with a dynamic and engaging home page.