First Impression: How To Effectively Engage With New Dental Patients

Melissa LuVisi
May 20, 2019 | 4 min read

If you think a patient’s engagement with your dental practice starts with the moment they call for an appointment, you could be missing out on many opportunities to capture high-quality leads and convert them into patients.corinne-kutz-211251-unsplash

Did you know that 97% of consumers search online to find a local business and 88% that look up local businesses on a mobile device either call or visit within 24 hours?

Prospective patients’ engagement with your practice often starts with these online interactions, and it’s important that you capture their attention at this early stage.

Patient Engagement Starts With Your Brand

In order to establish a positive first impression in those initial encounters, you need to deliver a memorable and consistent experience across all touchpoints by having a strong online brand presence.

Whether a prospect is looking up your information on Google, your website, or other third-party sites (e.g., Yelp, Zocdoc), you need to deliver a brand image that inspires trust and communicates credibility.

In fact, most prospective patients only look at a dental practice’s information on a Google ad or its website for an average of 10 seconds before they decide whether to further engage with the business.

Not to mention, most people would need to see a brand (e.g., on ads, search results, social media) at least 7 times before interacting with it.

In order to stay top of mind and attract more prospective patients to your practice, you need to have a consistent brand presence across various platforms.

How To Build a Consistent Omnichannel Brand Presence

Consumers expect an omnichannel brand experience -- the ability to interact with a brand seamlessly across multiple touchpoints -- such as paid and organic search, online review sites, social media, and website at different stages of their decision-making process.

For example, they may find your practice on Google, look up reviews on Yelp, and then visit your website to learn more. Or, they may come across your listing on Yelp, visit your website, and look you up on social media to see if others have good experiences with your practice.

If you look and sound different on these touchpoints, not only will your brand become less memorable but the lack of consistency can also erode trust.

You need to deliver a consistent message across all channels to reinforce your brand presence. Here’s how:

Know Your Audience

Understand the most common ways your prospective patients search for a dental practice to identify the channels on which you should focus your efforts.

In addition, research how they talk about their challenges and the search terms that drive the highest quality traffic to your website, so you can create content and write ad copy that speaks to your ideal audience and increase click-through-rates.

Up Your SEO Game

Getting found on Google searches is the key to getting more exposure to high-quality leads that are actively looking for a dentist.

Optimize your website by making sure that it’s mobile-friendly, simplifying navigation, using the appropriate keywords, and publishing fresh and relevant content regularly (e.g., blog posts.) You can also increase the chances that it will show up on local searches by optimizing your Google My Business listing.

Get Testimonials On Review Sites

85% of people trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations while 73% of consumers trust a business more after reading positive reviews.

Getting great reviews on third-party sites (e.g., BBB, Yelp, Google) can boost your brand’s credibility and make a positive first impression. Claim your listing on these sites, complete your profile information to align with your brand message, and monitor the reviews regularly to ensure that they’re portraying your practice in a positive light.

Set Up Social Media and Other Online Profiles

Your prospective patients are likely to engage with your brand across different online channels, so make sure the profile information is consistent across all the sites (e.g., social media, online directories.)

Whenever possible, upload your logo, add photos, and use a color palette consistent with your website. Include a link to your website so visitors can learn more and book an appointment through your cloud dental software.

Deliver an Outstanding Website Experience

Your website is your online storefront. Whether visitors are coming from search, social media, or review sites, their user experience should be consistent.

From copy and visual design to the interface with your dental management software for frictionless appointment setting, make sure every interaction has a look and feel, as well as the right tone, that reinforces your brand image.

Conclusion

No matter how prospective patients come across your information, they’ll likely be interacting with your brand on multiple touchpoints. A consistent brand experience will help build trust and credibility to increase conversion.

However, attracting prospects to your website is just the first step in delivering an outstanding patient experience.

tab32 allows you to automate workflows and streamline patient interactions, so you can provide a high-quality patient experience that boosts conversion, improves patient retention, and increases referrals.

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