You need to drive traffic to your dental website in order to maintain a successful online presence. Fact!
Yet despite this, it may surprise you to know that more than half of all content placed on dental websites or blogs isn’t actually driving new patient traffic. In other words….it’s totally unproductive.
With this in mind, I guess the important question to ask is…. how do you know what types of content will drive traffic to your dental website?
Well, the good news is that there are certain types of content which have been proven to
- Engage readers
- Deliver higher conversion rates and
- Turn readers into bone fide dental patients
more than others. So without further ado, here are 5 of the best.
Infographics
An infographic presents information or data in a visual way. It’s well known that in general, humans are visual learners, hence the saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ So it comes as no surprise to learn that readers enjoy looking at infographics and are also more likely to remember them.
That’s not all…
Did you know that infographics are liked, shared, and viewed more than most other types of online content?
This means that they’re a really powerful way to get your dental message out there. Infographics work especially well with research findings or statistics, such as the percentage of adults with gum disease and associated risks.
How to do it…
There are a few free tools available for creating infographics, but it may be best to leave it to the professionals. If it’s within your marketing budget, you may consider hiring a graphic designer because the key to a great infographic is visual appeal and quality.
Another point to keep in mind is that it’s worth the effort to create fresh and unique infographic content that hasn’t been seen or used before. This way it presents new, current, and interesting information for your readers which they are more likely to share.
Videos
Awesome content doesn’t just have to be about written text. A well-executed video can be used to get your message across in a concise and memorable way. What’s more, it’s a great way of connecting with your target audience. With people spending billions of hours watching YouTube each month, it’s not hard to see why this type of content is successful. So instead of a written post, try creating a video instead.
How to do it…
Think about what message you are trying to get across and how a video can help you to do this. A few ideas to begin with are;
- A tour of your dental practice
- A video showing a particular procedure or patient testimonials.
- A how-to video explaining a popular dental procedure
Don’t forget that if you’re not comfortable being in front of the camera, an animated video will work just as well. Keep in mind that videos are best kept short, 2-3 minutes is ideal. To produce a video, you can start small and film it yourself with a good camera, or if your budget allows, hire a video creation specialist. Remember the more concise and informative the video, the more it’s likely to drive traffic to your dental website.
Lists
You might be surprised to know that list-type articles (more commonly known as listicles) are a great way to drive traffic to your dental website. Aside from making presented information easier to read and digest, people can’t seem to get enough of them.
How to do it…
How about headlines such as ‘10 reasons why you should visit the hygienist regularly’ or ‘5 sure signs you need root canal treatment.’ Choose your topic first and then pick how many points you want to create on the subject. While ‘top 10’ lists are popular, there’s no real set number to use. Odd or even, long or short, they all work well. You can even use a countdown-style format for say…” the most popular cosmetic dental treatments of all time.” Try this easy format:
- Introduce your chosen topic
- list the points you want to cover
- Sum it up in a conclusion.
How-to Guides
A guide is a detailed post that goes into depth about a particular point or subject. It’s usually quite long in comparison to an ordinary post. In this case, the more in-depth you go the better, with around 3000 -10,000 words being best. The longer and more detailed it is the greater the chance of it being shared.
The good thing is that dentistry lends itself nicely to this type of content. The reason?
Because patients are always looking for further information on dental procedures. A well-written quality guide gives a patient all the information they need in one place.
For example, detailed patient-friendly guides on ‘how to prevent decay’, ‘a patient’s guide to tooth whitening’ or ‘everything you need to know about dental implants’ are an excellent way to drive traffic to your dental website.
How to do it…
Being a longer post than usual, writing a how-to guide requires a good idea and a good writer. It must be something that your target audience wants to know. Think about the questions your patients ask you on a regular basis and use these as a foundation for your guide. Make sure your guide is laid out nicely, is patient-friendly, and reads well.
You may decide to make your guide a downloadable PDF. This can also be a great way of obtaining email addresses because readers submit their details in return for your helpful information. Here’s an article I wrote on patient friendly guides a while back that explains them in greater detail.
Case Studies
Providing case studies shows viewers how you’ve helped your patients improve their dental health or confidence while at the same time, allowing you to show off your expertise. A good case study provides viewers with a glimpse of what you do, how you do it, and what results are to be expected. Using real-life examples a case study gives a more personalised feel, is more relative to readers looking for information on a particular treatment, and helps cement you as the ‘go to’ dentist in your area.
How to do it….
Make it all about the patient. A case study isn’t about you or your practice. Instead, a good case study helps to drive traffic to your dental website by emphasising the benefits of how a particular treatment or service has helped a patient and has improved their smile.
Remember this isn’t supposed to look like a marketing effort so ensure the focus is kept well and truly on the patient. You may decide to turn your case study into a success story. This being the case be sure to include the journey, discuss the challenges faced, the solution you provided, the steps that were taken and the final outcome. Also include before and after photos of your patients (with their permission) and conclude with a great call to action.
As you can see, there’s plenty of scope for awesome content that will drive traffic to your dental website. So why not give them a try and see what works for you?
Dental Writers provide content that both interests and engages your online audience using many of the above points. To find out how we can help you drive traffic to your dental website with our well-written content, contact us on +34 605 45 73 42 or visit www.dentalwriters.com.
