3 Dental Digital Marketing Services and Tactics That Help Grow Your Practice

Having a strong online presence is essential for growing your dental practice. When patients find your practice on Google or see your targeted ads, you boost lead generation and attract more new patients.

However, balancing patient care and administrative tasks often leaves little time for digital marketing. That’s where a dental digital marketing agency can make all the difference. In this blog, we’ll guide you through tasks you can handle on your own and when it’s time to bring in experts. Partnering with a marketing agency specialized in dental practices allows you to focus on what matters most—delivering excellent dental care and client service—while they handle your marketing efforts.

Let’s explore three key dental digital marketing services and how they can grow your practice.

1. Boost Online Visibility with Local SEO

When prospective patients are looking for a new dentist, Google is often where they start. If you’re not putting time and effort into building a strong online presence, you’ll fall behind your competitors. 

Local SEO (search engine optimization) is crucial because patients search for dentists in their area, not generic terms. People searching general dentistry terms are often just gathering information rather than seeking dental care. Strong local SEO is critical for ensuring your dental practice appears in relevant local searches like “dentist near me”, “best dentist in [city]”, “emergency dentist in [town]”, etc. 

Here’s how to boost your online visibility with strong local SEO:

• Optimize Your Google Business Profile: A fully optimized Google Business Profile increases your chances of appearing in Google searches (search engine and map). Ensure your profile has accurate information, photos, and keywords to improve your visibility.
• Encourage Reviews and Ratings: You want to collect as many positive Google reviews as possible. The more you have, the more likely Google will show your dental practice’s listing in the top results. Always encourage satisfied patients to leave reviews by asking them in person after their appointments and following up with email or text reminders.

Your internal team can easily get started on both of these SEO tactics, especially with tools like 1-800-DENTIST’s PatientActivator to streamline the process.

Now, let’s look at a few ways a dental digital marketing agency can help your practice increase your visibility online and through local SEO:

• Optimize Content for Relevant Local Keywords: Make sure your website content, including blog content, is optimized for local keywords. Creating content that covers dental topics of interest to your local community makes it easier for patients to find you. For example, Top 10 Things to Look for in a Dentist in [City].
• Optimize Mobile Website: A mobile-friendly website enhances the user experience and boosts your chances of ranking higher on Google search results. Having a mobile-friendly site isn’t mandatory to appear in search results, but it provides a competitive edge since Google prioritizes mobile versions when indexing and ranking sites.
• Get Backlinks from Local Sources: Securing links from reputable local websites, like blogs and news sites, signals to Google that your practice is a trusted local resource. Partnering with local organizations is a great way to earn valuable backlinks and strengthen your authority in search rankings.

Optimizing content and getting backlinks can take time and specialized knowledge, which is why we suggest partnering with an expert to ensure they maximize your results.

2. PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Ads for New Patient Acquisition

Paid ad campaigns are a powerful way to reach new patients. Whether you’re opening a new practice, introducing a new service, or promoting an established one, this tactic helps put your dental practice in front of the right audience.

With PPC ads, you only pay when someone clicks, making it a cost-effective way to attract new patients. The goal is to create compelling ads, targeted to the right people, so they actually want to click and learn more about your services.

There are several types of PPC ads, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. Consult with a dental digital marketing agency to determine which PPC strategy will deliver the best results for your practice. Here are the different types of PPC ads:

• Search: These appear in results on search engines like Google and Bing. For dentists, having your paid ads on Google is a must.
• Display: Ads that are shown on websites or apps to people who have shown an interest in dental services.
• Remarketing: Ads that appear in front of people who have previously visited your website or searched for your specific dental office. These can be on any platform (social media, search, display, etc).
• Video: Ads that appear at the beginning or in the middle of videos or TV shows on streaming services.
• Social media: Ads that appear on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Running PPC ads requires marketing expertise, so partnering with a dental digital marketing agency will maximize the effectiveness of your campaigns. If you’d prefer to handle it in-house, consider hiring an expert or training a staff member to manage your paid media campaigns.

Here’s what’s needed to ensure the efficacy of your ads:

• Research relevant, high-intent keywords: Keyword research is necessary for discovering which potential keywords and phrases patients enter in search engines when looking for a dentist. Patients who are actively looking for a dentist will search high-intent keywords such as “affordable family dentist in [area]”, “Invisalign in [city], or “emergency dentist near me”.
• Link to appropriate landing pages in your ads: If you don’t already have landing pages that reflect the content and messaging in your ads, your digital marketing agency should help you create custom ones. For instance, if you’re promoting dental implants, you’ll need a landing page that provides key information about the procedure, what patients can expect, and how to book an appointment. Linking to a landing page with clear calls to action and targeted content on a service increases conversion rates.
• Target local audiences: Platforms such as Facebook and Google allow for targeting different demographics, such as location, age, sex, and interests. Be as specific as possible to ensure that only qualified leads in your area are seeing your ads, maximizing your ad spend.
• Highlight your unique selling points: Think about what sets you apart from other dentists in the area. Your digital marketing agency should highlight qualities such as decades of experience, proven results, certifications, awards, positive reviews, state-of-the-art equipment, languages spoken to build trust and credibility.
• Optimize ads for calls to action: Encouraging patients to take immediate action in the ad is crucial. You can add a phone number (in the ad and also a clickable link, depending on the platform), a link to a contact form, and/or a link to your appointment booking page.
• Test your ads: Use A/B testing to test different variations of your ads to see which ones perform better. Allocate more budget to the higher-performing ads to maximize clicks and conversions.
• Track clicks and conversions: With analytics tools available, there’s no need to guess how well your ads are performing. Your dental digital marketing agency can easily track how many clicks and conversions your ads receive. Key metrics to track include appointment bookings, the ROI (return on investment) of keywords, cost per click, conversion rate, impressions, and more. Having access to this data allows you to refine your ads, identify which services patients are most interested in, and determine which ads are delivering the best results for your practice.

3. Build Loyalty Through Social Media Marketing

Building community and connection goes beyond the office—it’s important to be active online and engage with both current and potential patients in meaningful ways. If you’re not leveraging social media effectively, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful tools for connecting with current and future patients , so make sure to leverage it to your advantage.

Social media can provide several benefits for your dental practice:

• Strengthen your online presence.
• Foster trust and confidence in your patients.
• Create meaningful connections and community.
• Attract new patients.
• Increase patient retention.

The beauty of social media is that anyone can create and share content. Your team can start by dedicating just 30 minutes each day to create graphics, write captions, and post on your social channels. This helps show your audience that you’re active and allows you to share useful information. However, to truly maximize social media’s potential, consider getting some external help.

Here are some ideas to spark your creativity:

• Educational Content: Share oral hygiene tips, procedure walkthroughs, and “Did you know?” posts to demonstrate your expertise. The goal of each post should be to help your audience in meaningful ways. If you have the resources, create videos that dig a little deeper into dental hygiene and health.
• Before-and-After Photos: Build trust by showcasing results (with patient consent). Before and after photos instill confidence in your dental services. Your audience can see for themselves the quality of care that you provide.
• Team Introductions: Humanize your practice by highlighting the people behind it. Create posts about your team, their community involvement, hobbies, and any team-building events.
• News and Updates: Let your followers know about new services, locations, local events you’re participating in, and introduce new team members to keep them engaged and connected.
• Testimonials: Social proof is a powerful way to attract new patients. Seeing quotes and testimonials from satisfied patients help build patient trust and confidence in your ability to address their needs.
• Referral Incentives: Encourage current patients to refer friends and family with social media-exclusive promotions.
• Partnerships with Influencers: Collaborate with local influencers whose followers are similar to your target demographic. You can offer discounted or free services in exchange for promotion on their social media channels (all parties involved should be upfront with their audience about any discounts or freebies).

A dental digital marketing agency will ensure your content is purposeful—striking a balance between educational, engaging, and personal. They’ll take on the burden of creating posts and brainstorming ideas. Together you can consider what your audience would find helpful and entertaining, and don’t be afraid to get creative!

Digital Marketing is Essential for Dental Lead Generation

Digital marketing services offer dental practices a powerful way to attract new patients, strengthen relationships with existing ones, and stand out in a competitive market. By leveraging strategies like local SEO, PPC advertising, and social media marketing, you can boost your practice’s online presence and attract new patients. Employing these tactics will allow you to meet your patients where they are online, address their needs, and demonstrate how you can solve their problems

Managing these efforts might seem overwhelming initially, but by understanding what your team can handle and how a skilled dental digital marketing agency can elevate your efforts, you’ll significantly ease the burden.

Start with the basics to build the foundation of your online presence, and then enlist the help of digital marketing experts to ensure your practice achieves maximum results. This approach frees up your time, allowing you and your staff to focus on providing superior care to your patients.