One professional image – everywhere online.
You have spent a lifetime building your reputation. Don't forget about your online one. Your image is critical for success, especially in attracting new patients online. Today's customers are internet savvy and are using the internet to find you, learn about your Dental Practice, and read reviews about you and your performance. Any channel that you can use to connect with potential patients helps you convert those online visitors into new patients.
What if the information about you online is wrong?
What if your phone number is listed incorrectly? Yikes – no new calls!
Bad email addresses? Missed patients.
Wrong practice areas? You are making a lot of referrals.
Incorrect information about you online loses patients and costs you money. Scan your Dental Practice's online data across the basic general online directories and see how you are doing here. It is not the same as professional directories (like this one), but it is a good way to get started.
What is Digital Profile Management?
Digital Profile Management (also known as local directory marketing or digital information management) is the process of:
Synching your information across all information sources on the web (also called “publishers”) that lead patients to your Practice. This synchronization includes the general directories (like Yellow Pages, for example) and the more focused dentist-specific professional directories, like this directory.
When you market yourself across these online directories, you maximize the amount of information about you that each online business directory contains. Digital directory profiles should include specializations (General Practice, Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics, etc.), information about your Practice, information about you, your office location, office hours, images of you and your offices, and even an invitation video.
You are presenting yourself to the public through these profile directories in the best possible way with pictures, videos, and custom content. It is an online commercial that promotes you and your Dental practice 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Why is Digital Profile Management and Directory Marketing Important?
According to Google searching by location has grown over 146% year over year with “near me” in the search term.
Mobile and desktop searches now deliver results based on your location. Search for a “General Dentist” on your mobile phone when you are walking around, and you will see dentists near you in the results.
Patients searching for a dentist are typically in pain or have a dental issue and are looking for immediate relief. A consistent online profile everywhere reassures patients, and a complete presentation about you and your Practice will convince them to pick up the telephone. The goal is to be that first call.
Google further analyzed these “near me” searches and found that these search types directly impact a business' bottom line, and 76% of users making a location search visit a local business location within one day.
What's even better?
28% of those location searches result in a purchase from a local business!
Your patients are nearby and are searching using their mobile devices. Don't miss your opportunity to get 28% more patients just by helping them find you.
Do People Still Use Local Business Directories?
Yep.
Think about how you search for things and research purchases. Do you look at Yelp reviews when choosing a restaurant, search the Yellow Pages online for vendors, and preview vacation spots on Trip Advisor before making plans? Your patients do.
Patients also research dentists online. Are your offices inviting? (they can see in the online pictures). Was the dental hygenist good? Were you nice? How do you make your last patient feel? (They read reviews.)
Business listings in local, targeted directories get an average of 174% more search impressions than web pages.
That is close to 3 times the traffic!
This statistic even includes store pages, general directory, and locator traffic.
Managing Your Dental Practice Information Online Matters.
Don't think online profile accuracy and completeness matter? Take a look at what your patients saying:
Businesses with complete online profiles are considered 270% more reputable than businesses with incomplete profiles.
That is almost three times higher than businesses with incomplete listings!
Surprisingly, this difference isn't even higher. When shown something that appears “better” right from the start (in this instance, a fully completed dentist profile), the majority of customers will choose the perceived “better” choice.
Perception is the only reality – especially online.
Patients are more likely to visit dentists that have complete online listings.
This increase in patients to your offices makes a lot of sense, seeing that they consider these dentists more reputable than dentists that have incomplete directory listings.
Visitors are 50% more likely to buy from a company with complete online listings.
The perception of quality starts with your patient's first impression.
If you cannot take care of yourself (by at least having complete and correct information about how to find your office), how can you take care of your patients? Generally, the public attaches a negative perception about going to the dentist. Reassure your patients. If they can read about you and your staff, get to know you beforehand, and feel comfortable with you based on your online persona, you will get the calls and the patients.
Complete online profile listings get 600% more clicks than profiles with empty listings.
Would you go see a dentist with old rusty equipment (rusty pliers and rusty drills)?
The answer is no.
The right first impression makes all of the difference in patient choice. They are already nervous, don't give patients a reason to not visit you.
Selling any service, especially dental services, requires instilling trust in your client. Patients want a doctor that understands their issues and can get them well again. (The least painful way possible).
How Can I Get Started?
Present yourself the best way you can everywhere, and don't give a potential patient a reason to go to another dentist. Visit LOCALSYNC, to learn more about getting more clients with local directory marketing.
