Archive for the ‘SEO’ Category
Market Your Expertise! The Dental Professional’s Guide to Q&A Websites
January 31st, 2012
Posted in Dental Internet Marketing, Dental Link Building, Online Marketing, SEO
If you are a dental professional who understands the impact that a successful internet marketing campaign can potentially have on your bottom line, no doubt you are looking for every possible avenue to enhance your exposure on the web. Well, at Roadside Multimedia, we’re here to help!
Time and again, we’ve extolled the advantages of sharing your dental expertise in blog posts and social updates, as a way to gain credibility and convert web users into new patients. Another area that you might consider, however, is the Q&A site. Websites like Yahoo! Answers, or Ask afford persons with real expertise in their field the opportunity to share that knowledge in a meaningful way, with individuals who are in need of such help! While you’re not likely to experience any tidal-wave-like influx of new patients after adding Q&A sites to your marketing strategy, doing so can nonetheless help to build your status as an authority online, possibly build a few external links, and round out an already formidable web presence.
When it comes to using Q&A sites to answer questions, among the simplest and most effective may be Yahoo! Answers. Simply create an account by registering, click through “Browse Open Questions,” then follow the links to the category that best describes your expertise (for most of our readers, this will be “Health,” then “Dental”). You may be surprised by the multitude of questions you’ll encounter! But who better to provide helpful, meaningful answers than someone with your training and experience?
Here are a few tips from your dental marketing experts at Roadside Multimedia:
- Be genuine. Answer questions in the Q&A forum exactly as you would face-to-face with a patient sitting in your own chair. Be kind and helpful, rather than serving up a canned advertisement for your practice.
- Be picky. As mentioned above, you will likely find many hundreds of questions in your field of expertise awaiting an answer. Instead of attempting to answer a great many, focus on providing very high-quality answers to just a handful. Doing so will ensure that your presence on the forum doesn’t become a nuisance.
- Be smart. Market your practice without abusing the intended purpose of the Q&A site. When the opportunity arises, you may give a frank answer to an open question, and then invite the reader to get a fuller understanding by providing a link to your blog or website. By doing this, you’ll provide the user with the opportunity to learn more about his/her question, and you’ll also boost your linking power and overall SEO.
- Be courteous. After providing an answer, sign off graciously: “Warm Regards, Dr. Smith.” Many of the questions relate to upcoming dental work, (i.e. “I have a crown appointment next week, and I’m scared. Is it gonna hurt?”), and the posters would no doubt love to hear the feedback of an actual dental professional such as yourself!
We hope this gives you a good jump-start to adding Q&A websites to your marketing strategy. If you have any questions, or for more information on how Roadside Multimedia provides expert marketing for dentists, contact us today!
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!
QR Codes: Take Your Dental Marketing to the Next Level!
January 3rd, 2012
Posted in Dental Internet Marketing, Mobile Commerce, SEO
QR (short for quick response) codes are steadily gaining steam as an extremely effective marketing tool. These simple yet ingenious bar-codes work by allowing anyone with a smartphone (nearly a third of the population) to instantly access whatever URL you designate directly from their mobile device with a free QR code scanning application. Major brands are utilizing QR codes in print ads and fliers to direct more web traffic from mobile users to their sites and social platforms, and you can too!
Two exceptionally exciting uses for QR code marketing in the dental office involve directing traffic to Facebook and Google Reviews. A common concern among Roadside’s valued clients is, “How do I get my patients to find me on Facebook and click ‘Like’?” Or, “How do I get more positive online reviews to enhance my SEO?” Well, QR codes can help you to bridge the gap!
By prominently displaying QR codes and then getting your team members involved in actively encouraging the patients they treat to utilize those codes, you can see a drastic increase in your Facebook fans and positive online reviews!
With smartphone adoption increasing, more and more of your patient base will be able to make use of these displays in your office. For the patients who don’t yet have a mobile device capable of scanning a QR code, it would be wise to have some print marketing materials on hand. This way, when they are intrigued by your QR code display, but unable to scan the code right there, you can avoid causing a feeling of alienation by simply handing them a small card which allows them to find the same URLs from the convenience of their home computer.
At Roadside Multimedia, we’ve seen terrific results with clients integrating QR codes into their in-office displays and print marketing materials, possibly in conjunction with incentives for the patient (such as specials or promotions), and always with a willingness to engage patients in a discussion about how and why to utilize such codes.
For help with making QR codes work to increase traffic to your online review forums and social media pages, contact your experts in online marketing for dentists at Roadside Multimedia. Also, stay tuned for some exciting information on an upcoming special on QR code marketing packages from Roadside Multimedia!
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.
Let’s Get Ready to Rumble: HTML vs. Flash, Part 2
December 16th, 2011
Posted in Conversion, Dental Internet Marketing, SEO
Recently, we posted about the benefits of upgrading from an older Flash-based website to a gorgeous, fully searchable, and optimized HTML dental marketing website. Flash websites were, at one time, an ideal choice for engaging and attracting web users. Times have changed and technology is constantly moving forward, and HTML is now the choice for a professional, beautiful, and informative website. The benefits of updating an older site to a Roadside HTML custom site are many:
- A fresh and current look attracts new patients.
- Stronger calls to action can be implemented to encourage conversion.
- Use of the most current web technology allows greater searchability, resulting in higher page rankings for your desired search terms on Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
- Our dynamic content management system allows greater freedom for quick turnaround on site updates.
- Vital information can load quickly, resulting in lower bounce rates and increased conversion.
You may be reading this and thinking to yourself, “This is great, but realistically, what does it mean for my practice?” Good question. Many Roadside clients have made the transition to HTML, and the result has consistently been an increase in new patient calls and appointments. Consider as an example Dr. Stephen Bjorklund in the following case study.
Case Study | Dr. Stephen Bjorklund | www.mnsmiles.com
Before: Dr. Bjorklund’s flash website, prior to the redesign
Dr. Bjorklund had a Flash site that was built in 2003. Roadside managed the SEO and monthly marketing searches for that older site, which definitely helped his page rank, but only to a certain point. In 2010, Dr. Bjorklund made the decision to update his existing dental website with a new HTML site. The new site is gorgeous, with large photos that evoke emotion and a strong, visible phone number that motivates online visitors to pick up the phone and make an appointment. Clear navigation allows viewers to find the information they need quickly and easily.
After: Dr. Bjorklund’s redesigned HTML website
What was the result of the transition?
During October through December of 2010 (prior to the launch of the new HTML website), Dr. Bjorklund’s site received 547 unique visitors. In January through March of 2011 (immediately following the launch of the new site), the site received 749 unique visitors. That’s an increase in unique visitors by 36% in only three months.
During October through December of 2010 (pre-launch), pageviews for the site were at 1,225. For three months immediately following launch, that number jumped up nearly 300% to 4,864. This shows that not only were more people finding the site, but once they were there, they were viewing more pages and interacting more with the site.
Dr. Bjorklund’s site’s bounce rate before the new site launch was 70%. This means that upon arriving to his old site, 70 visitors out of 100 would leave the site almost immediately. Right after launch, that rate dropped to 42% (which means that more visitors are finding what they want quickly and easily).
Shortly after launch, Dr. Bjorklund was thrilled to report to us that new patient calls had more than doubled. Since then, new patient calls have steadily increased. He is thrilled with his updated site we hope to see it continue to bring new patients into his practice.
If you are interested in more information about our HTML dental web design, please contact us today at team@roadsidemultimedia!
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.
Effective Calls to Action Can Increase New Patients
December 7th, 2011
Posted in Conversion, Dental Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, SEO
Does your website serve its purpose of persuading web users to become patrons of your business? As a client of Roadside Multimedia, you can rest assured that from interest-piquing headlines and images to informational body text, your website has been engineered to represent your practice. If it has been several years since you last reviewed your website however, it may be time to re-evaluate whether the statements on your site that are intended to call the reader to action are as effective as they could be.
Consumer use of the internet to research, decide, and buy continues to increase. As a result, the web is saturated with calls to action like “click here” and “contact us,” which have become easy to overlook. While there certainly is an appropriate time and place for such simple calls to action, in some instances, they can be improved upon. Catchy calls that grip the reader and engage them are your coup d’état, giving you advantage in a sea of forgettable websites!
But where do you start, and how do you know if the calls to action on your site are working to their fullest? Well, first, you need to be sure of what you want web users to do. While the ultimate goal of your website and social media pages is to compel the web user to choose you as their dentist, you may also want potential patients to print and fill out intake forms, become educated on their own dental health by watching your videos, schedule a new patient exam, or more. Once you know what you want the reader to do, tell them! Your calls to action must make it clear (in a fresh, engaging way) what steps the reader needs to take next.
One surefire way to get the most out of your calls to action and increase the number of new patients from the web is to contact Roadside Multimedia and schedule a complimentary marketing review of your existing site. Get in touch with us today by clicking here!
Link Building for Dentists: Why is it Important?
November 30th, 2011
Posted in Dental Link Building
There are hundreds of different factors that affect how a web page is ranked by search engines. Of these, links are one very important factor. But what, you may ask, are links? Links are tools which allow users to navigate from one web page to another, simply by clicking on them.
We see links practically every time we surf the internet. A link can be a long, complex chain of characters, like this: http://www.roadsidemultimedia.com/internet-dental-marketing-about-us.html. Or, it can be something more simple and familiar, like this: click here. Links are important because they affect how your pages are ranked by search engines, such as Google.
Link Building for Dentists
Link Building for dentists involves actively seeking to establish links from other web pages to your web own pages. As search engines crawl the web, they analyze links to learn how pages are related to one another, as well as how important a site is. In this case, a link stands in as a vote, representing the web’s opinion of how important your web page is. The more links you have, the higher your rankings will climb. Each time someone links to your page, they are essentially casting a vote for it. The more people “vote” for your page, the more important it is to search engines. A perfectly built website with no links will not rank highly. On the other hand, a poor website with a surplus of links can still rank well. The Roadside dental marketing team gives you the best of both worlds; we design dental websites that look incredible and attract consumers, and help you get the links that set it apart from the competition.
If you’re a Roadside dental marketing client, you’ve likely heard your Account Representative talk about the importance of obtaining links. If you have any questions about how to best build links for your dental website, talk to your Account Representative – they’d be thrilled to give you fresh, practical ideas. If you’re not a Roadside dental marketing client but have questions about the topic, contact us any time for additional information!
Video Content Builds High-Quality Links
November 21st, 2011
Posted in Dental Link Building
There is no doubt that a successful search engine optimization (SEO) campaign must include a strategy for building external links to your website. Such links not only direct traffic back to your site, they also make search engines like Google take notice. And when it comes to creating content that helps to amass high-quality external links, video really packs a punch!
Fortunately for our readers who are dental professionals, your expertise in your field gives you plenty of subject matter to work with. Here are a few suggestions for video topics from Roadside’s team of experts:
- Video testimonials from satisfied patients.
- Proper home-hygiene tutorials.
- Answers to commonly asked dental questions, from the doctor’s own mouth.
- Descriptions of procedures you specialize in such as full mouth restoration, in-office teeth whitening, implants or root canals.
- A video introduction to each team member.
- A tour of your office which allows potential patients to familiarize themselves with the layout of your clinic from the comfort of their own home.
Once you have a video created, proper online management is key to garnering those all-important links. Roadside Multimedia’s marketing clients can rest assured that their video content is positioned optimally for maximum impact. Our video for SEO services include:
- Creation of aesthetically gorgeous videos that dignify the web user and exemplify your dental practice.
- Positioning of such videos across the web, with a focus on popular video-sharing sites.
- Tags and descriptions are engineered according to your personalized keyword strategy, which ensures that as many search queries as possible land on your video.
- A link strategy engineered to ensure that web users are directed back to your site, so potential new patients can be incited to contact you.
- Social media coaching, helping you to get the most out of your videos on your blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
- The assurance that as new avenues of link-building success arrive, Roadside Multimedia will apply them to our marketing efforts on your behalf.
We can’t stress enough the value of using video content to build links and enhance your web presence! For more information on link building, or with any of your questions relating to dental website design and online marketing, contact Roadside Multimedia today!
Let’s Get Ready to Rumble: HTML vs. Flash, Round 1
November 18th, 2011
Posted in Conversion, Dental Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, SEO
If you are a dentist or other professional that has had a presence on the web for several years, you may have hired a professional to design you a beautiful Flash website. It had a spectacular and elegant look and was easy for your clients to navigate. There was an animated intro and even music to accompany it, all lovingly hand-crafted by a designer and developer to fit what your practice is all about. You’ve probably even had many compliments from your patients over the years on how beautiful your website is.
The goal of your website, of course, is to convert those who find you online into patients in your chair. In order to reach that goal, not only does your site need to represent your practice in the best way possible, but it also need to be found!
Technology is always moving forward, and the bad news is, Flash isn’t searchable. This means the content presented, no matter how eloquently expressed, is falling on deaf ears as far as Google, Bing and Yahoo are concerned. If you are a Google user, you may have noticed that many results now have an arrow to the right of them. If you hover your cursor over the arrow, a preview of the page, highlighting where on the page the search results are located, pops up. If you are finding a Flash site (thanks to it’s HTML content), you will most likely see a blank screen. These sites will also show up blank on mobile devices that don’t support Flash, like the popular iPhone and even the iPad.
Another huge factor is that the way people search the web has changed. Patience for intro movies meant to dazzle the user has all but disappeared. The majority of people searching the web are there to hop onto their search engine of choice and quickly find what they need, in their area, for the lowest possible prices. They want you to cut to the chase, but also to provide more information if they want it. What is the best way to accomplish both tasks?
It turns out the solution is none other than our old pal HTML. For years HTML has had a bad reputation as being the ugly way to build a site. The info is there, but it just sits on the page like a slug on a log. That perception is no longer true! Using a combination of styling the website in CSS (which helps in making changes once for all pages on a site) and plugging in jQuery elements (a flashy use of Javascript that integrates right into your web pages), you can now have a full HTML site that looks even more beautiful than older Flash sites. The information to convey is right at the fingertips of your prospective clients in a clean, easy to navigate presentation.
But the pièce de résistance is that sites built in such a way are fully searchable by all the major search engines! This means that you can not only have a site that has great content, but looks fantastic presenting it to the people finding you on search engines. These two components are key in converting online visitors into happy patients. Stay tuned to Round 2 of this topic next week, where we will share examples of Roadside Multimedia clients who have upgraded to a new HTML site and the benefits they’ve seen from the switch. In the meantime, if you have any questions or if you’d like to discuss your current site with one of the dental internet marketing experts here at Roadside, give us a call today at (360) 658-2626!
