Dentist Marketing SEO Piece by Piece

Part 2: METADATA for DENTISTS

Please note: We do not look like the nerds in this photo. We are much cooler.

This is part two in our series on dental marketing SEO.

Another important factor is metadata, thought it’s not quite as important as dental website content and blogs. There are three primary components to metadata: title tag, description, and keywords. You’ll hear some techies say that keywords are not important, and to Google, they aren’t. However, keywords are important to Yahoo and Bing. Sure, Google has 65% of the search engine market, but if you can please all the search engines all the time, why not?

What is a title tag? This is like a page title.

In the code, it looks something like this: <title>Modern Dental Practice Marketing</title>.

Your title tag should have your main business name and location, if you provide local service (which most dentists do).

What is a meta description? A description is the text that shows up in a search engine results page. Read More

Rule #1: Everyone’s time is important, not just yours!

No Time to Say Hello, Goodbye, I’m Late, I’m Late, I’m Late!!!

Do you ever feel like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland?

We all have busy schedules, and sometimes we wake up early, go to bed late, and fill every free minute with work. It’s all part of investing yourself in your business. Today, communication is “easier” than ever; we have smart phones with email and texting; we have instant messenger; and we have social networking. While these tools make communicating more convenient, they can be a mixed blessing. If it’s easy for your patients, colleagues, contractors, employees, family, and friends to get in touch with you, you’re going to have a lot of people expecting your response.

When it comes to customer service, empathy for the client or patient is imperative. While your time is invaluable to you, theirs is also to them. Here are a few tips to help you stay on top of communication and keep everyone feeling special, without sacrificing all of your precious time:

On your website, don’t include your personal phone number or email address. Funnel calls through your office line. Hire an after-hours service so that a human handles calls when you are not in the office, or you can invest in an office cell phone and pay employees an on-call wage for answering calls after hours. If a caller has an emergency, the person answering the phone can use their best judgement for offering your cell phone number. As for emails, funnel them through a main office account. I recommend you set up a Google email account for the office, since Google never fails. Domain-based email can be a real headache. Read More

Are Dentists’ Facebook Fans Local?

Some interesting information hit my email box this morning, thanks to Dr. Emmott’s blog. An article at www.pcmag.com tells us “Most Facebook Fans of Small Businesses Aren’t Local, Study Finds.” I know that’s the case with the MDPM Facebook page. We have fans from all over the globe — but we also have a client in Australia, so it’s to be expected. For a dentist, however, even if he has a patient from Australia or Timbuktu, you’d expect most of his Facebook fans to be local.

The study was conducted by Roost Local Scorecard, and it covered 800 small businesses on Facebook. Get this: For those surveyed, just 15% of fans were local.

We rarely see data for these types of trends in dentistry, it’s too granular to attract much attention, so there’s no indicator that the research holds true for dentists.

Just this morning, I was asked by a client what we do to SEO Facebook. That question makes me realize, more than ever, dentists generally do not know what Facebook can do for them. I recently worked with a high-end cosmetic practice that held a contest that attracted 500 visitors to their Facebook page in about a week. The client was disappointed when the second week brought fewer lookers — and then traffic dropped to normal levels.

I want to share some truths with you — these are what I’ve witnessed. You can be an exception, but it will take work, and I’m not sure the ROI is there… Read More

Naming A Business (Or A Practice): How Does That Happen?

Today’s guest blogger is James J. Eischen, Jr. of Eischen Law Group, APLC.

So you want to name your medical or dental practice something different than “Dr. Arnold Palmer, A Tasteful General Practice?”

A quick story: a business partner and I decided to create a private medical business to help private fee physicians and patients better connect, and to deliver basic private medical practice administrative services. We wanted to use a business name that suggests “connection” but we did not want to use a descriptive name or a name too similar to competitors (like “ConnectMD”). We sat in a crowded bar during a loud happy hour in San Diego with smart phones in hand as we did rapid internet searches for each clever name we fell in love with, only to discover again and again that the name we loved (or something very close) was already in use and therefore unavailable. I discovered that virtually every cool name you can think of in Latin or Greek is already snapped up by the pharmaceutical industry or other health care businesses. Frustrated, we decided to plow the fields of another language—Punjabi (my girlfriend’s parents are from Punjab). I searched Punjabi for a name that referred to “connection” but also had something of a lyrical feel. I struck out on my own but then enlisted the help of my girlfriend’s very literate and well-educated father via a quick email. He rapidly suggested “Jorna.” Interesting. We searched the internet and found nothing of note. We then searched the California business portal for corporations and limited partnerships/LLCs—no Jorna. Success. So we formed a California corporation called “JornaSolutions” as an initial holding company, and then we registered every version of “Jorna” we intend to use as domain names on the Internet. Time will tell if that name connects to a successful business. I am guessing it is a better name than “Doctor Helpers” or “Find U Patients.”

What makes a good business name?

“Xerox” and “Kleenex” are routinely touted as amazing business names. Why? Over time both evolved from obscure names lacking any discernable meaning to nearly universally recognized words. If I ask someone for a “Kleenex” I’m handed a disposable tissue paper product without question. I tell someone I am “Xeroxing” a file they understand am copying the file. If I tell you I “FedEx’d” a letter after I stopped off for lunch at KFC,  you’d have no problem knowing I sent a letter via overnight delivery after eating some version of fried (or grilled) chicken. “Facebook” easily becomes the “F” logo in a blue rectangle on seemingly every electronic media offering on the Internet without triggering confusion (not a grade). And now “facebooked” is a verb, right? On the other hand, if I started a company selling paper products called “Paper” your common sense informs you that the company name will never be truly valuable or protectable. And I probably can’t stop other companies from referring to “paper” by calling my company “Paper.” Read More

Honey, Don’t You Notice Anything Different About Me Today?!

Has MDPM lost weight? New haircut? Nope. We’ve added the Google +1 widget to our sidebar!

Everyone seems interested in Google+ since its launch a few weeks ago. In fact, just yesterday, MedMonthly asked me to write an article on the new social network. (Stay tuned for the article with all the juicy details.)

Just this morning, I read a Google Webmaster News blog post that reminded me, it’s time to add the +1 widget to the website. So, over in the right sidebar, you’ll see a little white box with the Google colors. If you’re already on +1 (you have to be invited, can’t just sign up), click the +1 icon as a special favor to me, your marketing diva. If you’ve not signed up for Google+, but you want to stick  your head in the room and look around a bit, email me, and I’ll add you to my MDPM circle.

Don’t know what a circle is? Circles, IMHO, are what set Google+ apart from Facebook. I’m not insinuating that one is better than the other (we don’t want FB to start pulling G1’s hair), but there differences that make them each special in their own way. Circles are groups that allow you to organize your G+ friends. I have a family circle, MDPM pals circle, friends circle, and an oft untapped circle of cheerleader moms (yikes). These circles let me show certain people what goes on inside my G+ page. If I don’t want my parents to know I’m headed to the lake after work to have a few beers with my old high school friends, I simply don’t let the family circle see that post.

That’s all for today, folks. More to come, I ‘m sure. If you like the tips we share here, subscribe to the blog in the right sidebar. Then you’ll get emails every time this digital diva pens a post. Until next time, peace, love, and good ROI to all of you. Tata.

Top 10 Blog Ideas for Dentists

This morning, Hubspot sent me an email with a guide to spotting bad SEO. In it, buyers were told to beware of ten specific tactics, three of which relate to writing. I strongly agree with all three. So, to blogging dentists, I want to reiterate these points before going into blog topics.

Now, as for blog fodder, blogs should be kept short and sweet. Along that vein, here are 10 effective concepts magazine and blog writers often use for creating great content. You can incorporate these same ideas into your dental blogs.

  1. Top Ten – Everyone wants a quick, worthwhile read. The Top Ten format makes life easier for both blogger and reader. Coming up with 10 reasons, tricks, or tips on the same topic is not difficult. The list you’re reading is a prime example. Listing is also quick for the writer. To the reader, a list can be scanned quickly, digested easily, and lists appeal to busy people. Here are a few Top Tens to get you started: Top Ten Whitening Systems; Top Ten Reasons People Choose Veneers; Top Ten Ways to Improve Heart Health.
  2. The Secret – Want to know a secret? Everyone does! Leverage that to your benefit when blogging. For example: The Secret to Lifelong Teeth Whitening; The Secret to Fresh Breath; The Secret to Keeping Teeth for Life.
  3. Real Stories – People love real stories — it’s like gossip, but without the guilt. Whether you use your own little anecdotes or patient testimonials, real stories are awesome. I remember reading one by a dental hygienist who talked about a little boy she treated and how he loved baseball. I remember that! In writing, we call this resonance. So, try to create blogs that resonate.
  4. Simple Information – What may seem obvious to you isn’t so clear to your potential readers. For instance, you know that crowns can be ceramic — and that porcelain and ceramic are synonyms. Your potential patients may not! Likewise, you know that mall kiosks that offer instant teeth whitening are not run by a dentist. Your potential patients may not! As you see patients today, ask if they knew these things. Read More

Focus on ROI: Internet Marketing that Works… and Doesn’t

Just like you keep up with dental technology, research, and techniques by reading industry journals, I make a point to read the latest information about Internet marketing, dental marketing, and marketing trends. For a long time now, I’ve blogged about social networking having poor return on investment (ROI). Sure, subscriptions and participation are free, but time is money, and to build a successful social networking presence, you must invest time. By successful, I mean a presence that has a following – not financial ROI.

In Entrepreneur Magazine online, an article titled “Finding Customers” tells us that social media is not bringing retailers many customers. A report by Forrester Research, “The State of Retailing Online 2011: Marketing, Social & Mobile” shows that retailers are not happy with the results of investing in social marketing, like Facebook and Twitter. Now I know dentists aren’t online retailers, but there is something to learn here. The benefits to social marketing are wrapped around improving brand awareness.

Just this week, I advised a wonderful client of mine that a custom Facebook page will look great, but it will not improve ROI. It may not bring any new patients to the practice. This does not mean that a custom Facebook page is a poor investment. You have to consider your goals. For a high-end cosmetic dental spa, brand awareness and perceived value of services is essential to maintaining high profits. In this case, a custom Facebook page may be well worth the monetary investment.

But if you’re looking for hard, cold cash as a return on your marketing investment, according to the aforementioned report, “A whopping 90 percent of online retailers said search-engine marketing was the most effective source used to acquire customers last year…” Well, that’s great news for dentists! Read More

Dentists as Experts In the Media

Does your dental practice website have a page that features published articles, news clips, and books published by your doctors and team members? If not, it should! We are in the process of compiling archives for our own “Media & Publications” page here on the MDPM website. See our new page here. Along with patient testimonials, a webpage touting your published works is a great adjunct to any online dental marketing strategy.

Do you dream of being the Dr. Oz of dentistry? One of the advantages of Internet marketing is that you can quickly position yourself (and your team members) as an expert in your field of expertise. Adding a page to your website is just one way to start sculpting your expert status.

In addition to sharing a sampling of your published works on your dental website, blogging can give you expert status. Whether the purpose of your dental practice blog is marketing through SEO or providing information to potential and current patients, there’s not any reason in the world that you can’t also leverage your blog to promote yourself as an expert. MDPM writes and posts optimized blogs for our clients. As an adjunct to our SEO-focused strategy, we encourage dentists to send us their own posts. We can then translate the submission into an optimized blog, as well as an article to submit to online distribution sources. The blog post may be picked up by a large publication, local newspaper, or (at the least) read by your potential patients.

To add more power to your post, MDPM can send the text in an email blast to current clients (you provide the email list). We can further enhance your exposure by developing a press release about your expertise and submit it to local news stations and publications.

Don’t be shy about your accolades. In the professional world, those accolades can build your future — only if they’re marketed properly.

For more information, call Jill at 972-781-8861 or email info@moderndentalmarketing.com.

What Sets Your Dental Office Apart?

I have asked this question thousands of times through the years: What sets your dental practice apart from others? Funny thing is, most dentists (if not all) say that one-on-one attention and customer service make their dental practice better.

“Better” is a bad word when discussing dentists. I know that you have a respected peer relationship with other dentists in your area. However, you’re a dentist and I’m a dental marketing expert. One of us has to consider your peers competition. Let it be me.

My point is, the attention and service your team provide to patients may be head and shoulders above your competitors’, but: A) no one will know until they become your patient; B) so the only time it matters is in word-of-mouth or testimonial marketing; C) surely there is something else that truly sets you apart – something measurable or tangible. Find it. Show it off.

Ask yourself:

  • What training and certifications do you have that others may not?
  • What experience do you have (even life, not career, experiences) that others do not?
  • What training and experiences do your team members have that others may not?
  • What technology does your office offer that others may not?
  • Do you have before and after photos or videos for your marketing?
  • Are your labs extraordinary, or do you have an in-office lab?
  • What conveniences do you offer? (parking, online forms, payment plans, kids’ play area, etc.)
  • What comforts do you offer? (anesthesia, sedation, ergonomic chairs, sunglasses, iPods, neck pillows, paraffin hand treatment, etc.) Read More