Top 5 Dental Marketing Predictions for 2015

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Top 5 Dental Marketing Predictions for 2015

As we look towards 2015, many people get the mentality of “out with the old and in with the new.” Things are constantly changing and evolving all around us, including marketing strategies. What may have worked for your dental practice five years ago, two years ago or even six months ago may not work now or in the future.

As we forge into the New Year, here are five predictions marketers are watching that you should be too. Find out how you can prepare to update your marketing plan for next year.

1. More people will book appointments online

Patients are picking up the phone to call a dental office to make an appointment less and less. Instead, they are turning towards the internet to research dentists, look up local information, such as your address, and then to book appointments online. Many patients feel more comfortable using a computer instead of speaking directly to a person. Marketers are predicting this type of activity will increase in the coming months.

So what can you do now? You can start looking into scheduling software to add to your website. Services such as Setmore can get you set up where you just add their appointment button and patients never have to leave your website to schedule their next visit.

There are also websites such as ZocDoc and DentalWorks that work like local listing sites where patients can find a dentist and book an appointment online instantly. You just have to join the sites and give your information.

2. The power of patient reviews will be even stronger

By now you should know reviews are extremely powerful for dental practices. However, marketers are predicting they will be even more important in the coming year. It’s estimated that 78% of buyers are influenced by what they read online.

So what can you do now? If you are not already receiving reviews from your patients, then you need to start. Don’t be afraid to ask your patients before they leave to get on Google or Yelp to give you a nice review. You can mention that you’re on social media and ask for reviews there. You can also entice reviewers with gift cards to local restaurants or shops if they write something about you online or give you a testimonial to use on your website. Now is the time to start paying attention to your reviews and make them top priority to help grow your business next year.

3. We will see an increase in visual content and multimedia

Content marketers are preparing to increase the amount of visual content they are using and the richness of the content, moving beyond basic designs. They are predicting we will see more slideshows, animated graphics, 3D infographics, parallax website designs, creative videos and podcasts. Businesses will be increasing the stakes to stand out among the crowd and create a “wow” factor to gain more customers.

So what can you do now? Start brainstorming about visual content that will engage your audience and can be created to make your dental practice stand out against the competition. You can hire a marketing agency or graphic designer and videographer to help you with your content marketing strategy, or you can make your own visual graphics and videos with the assistance of a few helpful websites. However you decide to approach creating these visuals, you need to start thinking about it now and plan to use a variety across multiple channels.

4. Content marketing will focus more on storytelling and relevance

As patients become more internet savvy and numb to the typical stale marketing messages, it will be even more important for businesses to engage with their audience. People want to know your story. They want to know more about you, the dentist, not just as a doctor and business owner, but as a person. Many marketers are predicting a shift in the content we will see to more relevant information and personal marketing messages that are more interesting and entertaining to read.

So what can you do now? Think strategically about your marketing messages and how you want to communicate with your audience. Try the humanistic approach and write creative, entertaining content, and then post it to multiple platforms and see how people react. Don’t be afraid to share your story, open yourself up to people and get down to their level. The whole point of storytelling is to connect with your audience and evoke some kind of emotion within them.

5. Mobile marketing will be a main focus

This year mobile search, and usage, exploded and it is promising to be even bigger next year. We are getting to the point where desktop and laptop computers are becoming things of the past. Today, it’s all about smartphones and other mobile devices as people are constantly “on the go” and we transition to a mobile world. Marketers are predicting that we will see mobile traffic accelerate as more people access websites, search engines and mobile apps through their mobile devices more frequently.

So what can you do now? If your website isn’t responsive or mobile-ready, then you are already behind the eight ball. Your patients and potential patients need to be able to access your website from their Smartphone or digital tablet. Then you need to create a mobile marketing strategy that includes content marketing for mobile devices, being on the social media platforms your patients are on and creating visual graphics that can be viewed via mobile. If you’re unfamiliar with mobile marketing, then you will need to do some research and learn how to communicate with your patients through this new marketing channel.

Many business owners, including dentists, want to know what’s going to be the “hot” thing to do in marketing in the New Year, so use these predictions as a starting point to tweak your current marketing plan and help grow your practice in 2015.

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