Archive for the ‘Blogging & Social Media’ Category

Create Exceptional Web Content: You Have the Tools

February 1st, 2012

Posted in Blogging & Social Media, Online Marketing

When it comes to internet marketing for dentists, creating content for use on your website, blog and other social platforms can make or break your marketing strategy. The good news is that as a dental professional, you have all the tools in your toolbox to allow you to create web content that converts readers into new patients!

Exactly what does this mean? Read on to learn why dentists and their staff are qualified to create blog posts, Facebook updates, and even YouTube videos that better business and really influence people:

Your education and expertise. Your credibility as a long term provider of excellent dental care, coupled with your extensive training qualify you to expertly field questions that web readers need answers to. Credibility in your field qualifies you to create valuable web content!

The ability and drive to better the lives of those you treat. Isn’t this why you pursued a career in dentistry? Your website and social media sites enable you to provide the same tips for better oral health that you do to your regular clientele, but on a grander scale. This kind of actionable content establishes you as an authority, increasing your chances of converting readers, and ultimately helping them improve their health!

You know what your audience needs. What are the questions you hear day after day from patients sitting in your dental chair? These are the same questions that countless of web users are typing into their browser right now! Using your online platforms to provide the answers they need increases your marketability by allowing you to create valuable content!

So, have you been inspired to log in to your blog or Facebook and start typing, or perhaps even start recording a video? Terrific! For more information on the specifics of creating such content, remember to check back here regularly, and contact your experts in dental website design and internet marketing for dentists at Roadside Multimedia today.

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A Simple Way to Increase Likes on Facebook!

January 11th, 2012

Posted in Blogging & Social Media, Online Marketing

Getting “likes” for your Facebook page is huge. The more fans your business page has, the more opportunity you have to interact with current and future patients and the more ability you have to reach a wider audience. You need at least 25 likes in order to get a vanity URL on Facebook. (A vanity URL is a web address that can be your business name instead of a long string of numbers and letters.) If your patients don’t know that you have a Facebook page, it may be difficult to do this.

Roadside Multimedia recommends you to add “Like us on Facebook!” to your email signature. This simple line can convert a large number of fans to your page, especially if you send email blasts to your patients, your friends, and your family. An important thing to remember is to make sure the line links to your Facebook page.

I will outline how exactly to add a signature and make it a hyperlink to your page in Gmail and Outlook.

Gmail:

Sign into your Gmail account
Clink on the Settings wheel at the top right hand corner of the Gmail page.
Scroll down to the Signature box, put in your signature and underneath “Like us on Facebook!”.
Highlight the “Like us on Facebook!” There will be a button at the top of the signature box that resembles XX. Click on this button and in the web address section type in the URL to your Facebook Page.
Click Save Changes.

Outlook:

Select Tools under Options from Outlook’s main menu.
Go to the Mail Format tab, click Signature under Signatures.
Go to the Email Signature tab, click New.
Type the Signatures desired name.
Click OK
Write your signature under Edit Signature with “Like us on Facebook!” underneath.
Highlight “Like us on Facebook!” there will be a button that resembles XX, and type in your Facebook page under web address here.
Click OK
Click OK again.

If you have a different email provider than the ones outlined above or have any further questions regarding this, please don’t hesitate to contact your account manager or any of the social media experts here at Roadside!

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Use Your Dental Expertise to Create Meaningful Online Content

January 10th, 2012

Posted in Blogging & Social Media, Dental Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, SEO

If you are a marketing client of Roadside Multimedia, you’ve likely heard our frequent and enthusiastic encouragement of creating fresh, engaging, interesting content for your blogs, Facebook posts, Twitter feeds, etc. We’d like to complement those of you who’ve taken the initiative to create fun blog articles and social media posts that are brilliantly showcasing the personality of your practice and building lasting relationships with your valued patients. Kudos!

In today’s blog post, we want to focus on another category of online content that you create: Information designed to educate your current and potential clients. The fact is, search engines regularly field a multitude of queries regarding dental health issues (and no doubt your patients have questions of their own as well). Who better to answer these than a qualified dental professional such as yourself?

So, are you using your greatest assets – your training, experience, and knowledge– to generate content for your blog and social media platforms? Here are some great tips for creating useful content from your experts in online marketing for dentists at Roadside Multimedia:

Give them what they want. Naturally, patients and those in your community already see you as an authority in your field, and they have questions they want answered. These are the questions you hear in your office every day: “How can I get my teeth whiter? Do I really need a crown? How do I know if I grind my teeth? What is causing my tooth pain?” Using your blog, YouTube channel, and other social media forums to provide helpful answers is giving web users what they want! And ultimately, it makes good marketing sense too.

Don’t be afraid to highlight the source of your expertise. As you grow in your field and continue to learn and be shaped by courses you take, newly released studies, and professional journals, why not share some of what you are learning with your readers and fans? Sharing helpful links and articles relating to dental health issues communicates to the reader that you have their best interests at heart, and only solidifies your status as an authority in your field!

Be gentle. For the online user who has a genuine concern relating to their own dental health, or perhaps a family member’s, they could be facing real pain and even embarrassment. With this in mind, articles and posts relating to sensitive dental health issues should be handled delicately, written in a manner that shows dignity and respect to the audience.

Your position as an excellent dental healthcare provider offers you a unique opportunity to create helpful, meaningful online content. Such content can actually serve to better the lives of those who connect with you online. And when done properly, this can enhance your social media marketing and SEO in a way that improves your bottom line!

Consider tapping into our expertise as well – many of the writers and bloggers here at Roadside come from a dental background, and stay up to date on current research on what patients are searching for online. If maintaining your blog or social media on a regular basis seems like it might be too time-consuming, we have a team in place that can help you out! For more information on marketing your dental practice online, contact the team of experts at Roadside Multimedia today!

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Protect Your Dental Practice from Becoming a Casualty of a Down Economy

December 20th, 2011

Posted in Blogging & Social Media, Conversion, Dental Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, SEO

As the American economy continues to struggle, perhaps you’ve found that your dental practice is seeing monthly production numbers lower than in years past. If this is the case, you certainly are not alone. In fact, according to a recent article published in the LA Times: “In the first nine months of 2011, dentists have reported an average 3% decline in revenue and profit.”

What your friendly experts at Roadside Multimedia found especially intriguing in the above mentioned article is what the Times reported what many forward-thinking dental practitioners are doing to counter the effects of the down economy: “The economic downturn has taken a big bite out of dentists’ revenue and profits, forcing them to hire experts to help increase sales. They’re redesigning websites, pampering their clients, and using social media.”

How can you set yourself apart from the competition, and help to ensure that your practice continually sees growth?

Perform excellent dentistry, provide the cosmetic procedures patients want, and emphasize exceptional customer care.

Build loyal patient relationships, and reach out to potential new patients in your area through social media.

Make sure your dental website adequately represents your practice and is useful and helpful to web users.

Take control of how internet shoppers find your office online by utilizing the latest in proven SEO and online dental marketing techniques.

If bullet points 2-4 left you scratching your head, contact Roadside Multimedia today! It is our business and our passion to provide dental offices such as your own with the necessary tools to utilize web design, SEO, and social media marketing for dentists to ultimately see an increase in new patients and a notable rise in production!

Read the full LA Times article entitled, “Dentists Turn to Marketing after Getting the Brush Off from Patients” by clicking here.

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Use Facebook to Build Relationships in Your Community

December 13th, 2011

Posted in Blogging & Social Media, Dental Link Building, Online Marketing, SEO

Combining social media marketing with good ol’ fashioned face-to-face networking is a strategy that really works! In today’s blog post from your experts in dental internet marketing at Roadside Multimedia, we share some inspiring tips to help get you motivated to build relationships in your own local community, utilizing your business Facebook page, and ultimately garnering you tons of marketing exposure in your area.

It’s a simple formula that can be reworked in almost endless ways, and here’s how: First, brainstorm a list of businesses in your town that reflect the interests and attitude of your practice. These may be swanky boutiques, cool coffee shops, restaurants, spas, plastic surgery centers, and any company whose employees you would love to see more of in your office chairs! These are the organizations that you will be networking with and featuring on your Facebook page, so it’s ideal if they also have a Facebook page. Get everyone on your team of staff members included in the idea phase by offering a reward for the employee who suggests the “winning” business.

Now, for the foot-work. Visit the shop or business you plan to feature, camera in hand! It would make a tremendous impression if the Doctor could do this in person, but if that’s not possible, choose a qualified committee of representatives from your team. Bring an appropriate gift, and ask to speak to the shop manager or owner (perhaps it would be pertinent to set up an appointment ahead of time, depending on the type of business). Explain who you are, and that your dental practice wishes to feature this excellent business on your Facebook page. Make good use of pictures, asking names and getting permission to tag these stand-out employees when you post your pictures (contact us if you need guidance on photo tagging). Be sure to find out if they have a special offer, charitable drive, or signature service they want you to include in your Facebook feature post. Make sure that you leave a great impression, with an ample amount of smiles, compliments and genuine flattery.

Next, compile the information you’ve gathered into a post or series of posts on your practice Facebook page. This should be presented in a way that benefits your followers (i.e., “Look at the awesome spicy tuna rolls you can find at Generic Sushi just a block from our office! Dr. Smith and Mary visited Generic Sushi on Monday and got to know their awesome chef, and guess what? Bento boxes are half off at lunch time!!! Be sure to stop by after your next cleaning with us!”) Utilize tagging wherever possible to maximize the range of your audience.

Finally, regroup, then repeat! Set aside some time every month to choose an appropriate business in your community to network with, and then visit them. As your Facebook fan base of patient followers become accustomed to this regular feature, they will look forward to getting tips on community hotspots from you. Friends and followers of the business you highlight will see your practice name on their walls. The staffers of the companies you visit will likely become Facebook followers, creating that awesome snowball effect of exposure that we love Facebook for!

In the end, you will have built lasting relationships with community members. When they need a dentist, they’ll have a friendly, smiling face in mind! You also will have created interesting, informational Facebook content that will market your practice. This is one tip that, with a little effort, can really set your dental practice apart from the competition.

For more great internet marketing tips for dentists, contact Roadside Multimedia.

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Facebook for Dental Professionals: Your Guide to Making it Work

December 8th, 2011

Posted in Blogging & Social Media, Dental Internet Marketing, Online Marketing

Clients of Roadside Multimedia have heard us shout the praises of social media marketing via Facebook time and time again. Facebook is now the second most popular website in the world. You have the opportunity to get in on the action, marketing to a potentially vast audience, and save money! Perhaps you have a business page already set up, complete with eye-catching profile image, vanity URL, and even keyword-optimized text. (Many of our valued marketing clients have had these steps completed on their behalf by the social media experts at Roadside.)

But this is only just the start! Effective social media marketing for dentists via Facebook takes daily (yes, as in: every day) effort, and to really work, it takes fresh, unique content. Don’t be intimidated; we are here to help!

If you are a monthly Social Media client of Roadside Multimedia, you will be receiving a questionnaire from our Social Management team. Your answers to the questions there will allow us to personalize your posts with some of the following:

Video testimonials from satisfied patients.
Pictures of your office for a virtual tour.
A video chat with the dentist, discussing pertinent dental health issues or answering frequently asked questions.
Feature a staff member of the month.

Additionally, there are some great ways you can actively improve your Social Media right there within your practice:

Assign a team member to check your Facebook page each working day. This can be a rotating assignment, or it can be an easy transition for the team member already responsible for checking office emails.
Respond to all comments and posts to your page. The team member in charge can respond, or help determine which threads are more appropriate for the Doctor to comment on.
Whenever possible, get the Doctor involved. This sends a terrific message to your fan base on Facebook, but we understand it’s not always easy between root canals, hygiene exams, continuing ed., etc. Team members can make this easier by previewing posts, and having the page up and ready to go at a time that will be convenient for the Doc.
Consider networking with local businesses by featuring them in your Facebook posts to expand your social media exposure! (Check back here for a follow up post that will describe exactly how to do this.)

Count on Roadside Multimedia’s Social Management team for fresh ideas to keep your social media engaging and for tips to increase your fan base! Remember, the first word in social media marketing is ‘social.’ Would you socialize with someone who never showed up to engage in the conversation? Make Facebook work to market your exceptional dental practice by showing up for the conversation each day!

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Fill Your Schedule With the Help of Social Media

December 1st, 2011

Posted in Blogging & Social Media, Dental Internet Marketing

When dental professionals and their business staff pore over the numbers, one topic that is sure to come up is that old affliction to production, down time. Whether due to broken appointments or a failure to fill open slots, down time in the schedule means empty chairs, quiet handpieces, and hygienists on payroll not scaling calculus!

No doubt you’ve got some effective methods in place to reduce the number of unappointed slots in your schedule, including an active recall system and possibly even broken appointment fees. However, this scourge is here to stay. That being said, the more down-time busting tools you have in your arsenal, the better!

At Roadside Multimedia, we’ve been touting the benefits of including social media platforms in your marketing strategy. We’ve been touting them loudly and quite often. Today we want to inform you of an unexpected advantage you garner from actively utilizing your social media pages: That is the ability to use them to fill open appointments, even on short notice!

Once you’ve established your base of patient fans and followers on Twitter and Facebook, informing them of appointment slots that have opened up on short notice is a snap. Thanks to the booming popularity of smart phones, many savvy consumers are accessing their social media accounts from a mobile device throughout the day. When high-demand appointments (like late afternoon hygiene) open up on short notice, you can inform a large portion of your patient base in one fell swoop with just a few keystrokes! We have no doubt that your patients will appreciate this service as well, and be more than ready to take advantage of it.

For example, if you have a 2:00 PM appointment that cancels that morning, write a post on your Facebook wall letting people know there is a 2:00 PM appointment open – consider also offering a discount or incentive to the first person to call to book the slot. Encourage your fan base to share the opening with the friends to reach an even larger audience. The more often you post openings, the more your fan base will start to expect to see these types of posts – which will lead to more individuals taking advantage of the convenience and booking that last-minute appointment.

Check back often for more tips on improving your dental practice or other small business with effective online dental marketing tips from Roadside Multimedia.

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Linking Social Media Platforms for Success

November 29th, 2011

Posted in Blogging & Social Media, Dental Internet Marketing

Here at Roadside Multimedia, we’ve found that social media is essential to online marketing success. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and YouTube allow a business to interact directly with customers and attract new business. They also can help you increase in search engine page rank. We’ve shared tips and tricks to effectively use these to your advantage. However, if you’re a busy professional (which we know you are), this can seem to be too time-consuming.

Without a plan, we could start to find that managing multiple social media platforms can be intimidating and somewhat exhausting. I don’t know about you, but I am constantly asking myself “what derivative of my name did I decide for my username?” and better yet, “what super-secret password did I promise myself I was not going to forget?” I know it’s not just me, it happens to all of us. How can we best simplify our efforts to achieve success without overcomplicating matters?

One solution, for example, is ping.fm – a great site that makes it ridiculously simple to combine your efforts and post to multiple social platforms all at once, saving time and maximizing your reach. With one login, one post, and one click, you will have informed all of your audiences with your new status, photo, or post on Facebook, YouTube, Google+, WordPress, and Twitter. It’s a time-saver, and even better, it’s free!

It is important to remember, however, that the key to social media marketing success is interaction – keeping it social. Once you’ve posted to these various platforms, don’t forget to continue the conversation by responding to comments and initiating conversations with others.

Have you found a way to effectively use your social media to increase business? We’d love to hear your tips – please leave us a comment below! If you have questions about managing social media efficiently and effectively, contact the marketing experts at Roadside today!

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Get Your Patients Smiling With a Winter Whitening Special!

November 25th, 2011

Posted in Blogging & Social Media, Dental Internet Marketing, Online Marketing

It’s late November already, and in case you hadn’t noticed, holiday shopping is in full swing! According to a survey by lab42, Americans plan to spend hundreds of dollars on gift-giving this year, with about a third of respondents planning to spend more than $700. Additionally, on average, Americans spent $107.50 on themselves during the 2010 holiday shopping season!

So how can dental professionals take advantage of all this holiday spending? At Roadside Multimedia, we’ve seen clients experience great success with the offer of a holiday whitening special, and we think it can work for your dental practice too. Here are some reasons why running a special on teeth whitening during the holiday season really works:

With holiday parties, events, and travel coming up, it is likely that many of your patients already have a reason to want to brighten their smile.

A vibrant, white smile makes a terrific gift!

A special on teeth whitening can attract new patients.

Teeth whitening is an accessible cosmetic procedure, but it often encourages patients to value their oral health and the appearance of their smile more than they had before. Some patients who’ve had their teeth whitened go on to pursue more extensive cosmetic dental procedures.

A gorgeous white smile is a walking advertisement for your dental practice. Don’t you want all of your patients wearing their best smile?

Once you’ve decided that a special on teeth whitening during the holiday season is the right choice for your dental office and determined workable parameters, follow these marketing tips from Roadside Multimedia to ensure the highest level of success:

Use your office blog, Facebook, and Twitter to announce your special offer.

Create an attractive flyer to place prominently at your reception desk.

Use your social media platforms to post updates and reminders for the duration of your promotion. Consider getting permission from a patient who has purchased teeth whitening to post before-and-after photos to show their results.
If you have any whitening patients who posted a glowing review about the procedure on Google, Yelp, or another review platform, why not link to and highlight that review on your Facebook page and blog? If you don’t have any reviews specifically about this procedure, try to obtain one from a recent patient.

For many, the holiday season is a time of charitable giving. Why not team up with a local charity by offering your special whitening price when patients bring a donation of non-perishable food items, toys, or clothing to their appointment? Be sure to promote the charity on your social media pages and post pictures of all the donations you gather.

Consider offering a bonus or other incentive to staff members directly tied to the production from your promotion.

A winter whitening special offer is a superb way to market your practice and give your patients what they want! Check back regularly for more tips on successful internet marketing for dentists, and contact Roadside Multimedia today.

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Archive for the ‘Blogging & Social Media’ Category

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