Wanna know why dental practices don’t blog? Well, to be fair, some do, but many don’t, and I, for one, just don’t get it!
You see, in my line of work, I get to see a lot of dental practice websites. It’s true! I probably view over a hundred sites a week.
Yet the one common theme that runs through many of them is that they don’t have a site blog. Even when they do, many are sadly lacking updated content. In some cases, they maybe have a ‘news’ section which is great, but more often than not, the last thing that was posted was the details of last year’s Christmas party or awards ceremony 🙁
I know this is sounding like I’m having a dig at dentists, but I’m really not. I love working with you guys, and I understand how difficult it is to keep all the plates spinning at the same time. And that’s simply just to keep up! So it got me thinking….
There must be common underlying reasons why dental practices don’t blog. I mean the benefits of maintaining an updated business blog are plentiful. In fact, I’ve written on this subject before.
I’m talking about advantages like….
- Improved search visibility
- The ability to drive more traffic to your website
- The ability to convert traffic into leads
- Establishing authority and…
- Driving long-term results
all of which would surely be enough to have everyone scrambling to their keyboards and cranking out dental blogs.
Well, you’d think so anyway!
However, for one reason or another, it just ain’t happening, as many practices still choose not to blog.
While it’s easy for me to say to dentists that if you want to stay ahead of the game, “you’ve gotta blog“, I’m going to try to put myself in their shoes for one minute and consider reasons why dental practices don’t blog.
So here goes…..
Reason #1 – It’s way down on my list of priorities!
Okay, I get it. You’ve got patients to see, staff to organise, sales reps to deal with, not to mention a whole heap of admin that goes with the territory. So I have to ask myself…
Would I really consider writing a post on the advantages of, say… dental implants over conventional dentures a priority if I had all that other stuff to do?
In all honesty…probably not!
However, I know the importance of running a current blog, and what it can do for your business therefore, I would still be looking to get it done somehow.
I guess it’s like the child who told his teacher that he didn’t have the time to do the homework that she’d set him because… well… he had a busy social life after school and couldn’t manage to fit it in!
I guess it’s all down to how important you view marketing and where it fits on your priority task-o-meter! (Not sure that’s really a word, but hey, ho!)
If writing really isn’t your bag, then you might want to consider outsourcing that task to a competent individual or team. In doing so, you can get all the important patient-centred stuff done while still having regular weekly blogs added to your site. Why would you not want to do that?
Reason #2 – Why dental practices don’t blog – I’m likely to get the same regurgitated crap if I outsource, so it’s better not to bother.
It’s true that there are a gazillion and one blog posts on the subject of dental treatments, many of which have been regurgitated to death. As a result, I’d be slightly worried that the blogs I received aren’t going to be…
(A) Sufficiently meaningful to my patients and/or
(B) Unique to my practice
With this in mind, if I were in your shoes (which, for the purposes of this post, I am), I might be inclined to try to write them myself or not bother.
Let’s address these points one by one…
The issue is that when you do look to blog yourself, you should remember that it’s a big HUGE commitment. It isn’t just about writing one post. It’s about doing it consistently week after week, month after month, year after year. Trust me…that isn’t easy!
Secondly, not bothering isn’t really an option – remember the advantages of blogging above?
So what’s the answer?
Look to find a member of your team who is happy to commit to writing dental-related content. This way, you stand a far greater chance of receiving quality, meaningful content that speaks to your target audience. No one knows your audience better, after all!
Alternatively (and this is a shameless plug), you can always outsource this task to people like me 🙂
Reason #3 – I’m not convinced that people read blogs when looking for a dentist!
Okay, I’m with ya…. After all, why would a potential patient bother to read a blog on, say…. the history of dental implants… when all they really need to do is to find the number of a reputable local dentist?
The simple answer is that they wouldn’t, and this is one of the main reasons why dental practices don’t blog!
Let’s face it…. if I had tooth pain, I wouldn’t be wading through a blog post on the benefits of dental implants because… well… it really hurts, and no amount of reading is going to solve my excruciating problem.
Instead, I’d go straight to Google, find a contact address for ’emergency dentist in {insert area of choice here}’ and call them up. Job done!
However…. let’s change the scenario around a little.
Let’s imagine I had a missing tooth or teeth and was considering replacement options. So I start searching the internet. Upon browsing, I come across a detailed blog extolling the virtues of dental implants. At the bottom of this informative post, there is a strong call to action giving details of how that particular dental practice can help. Chances are I’d want to book a no-obligation consultation to find out more, right?
That’s what a well-written dental blog post can do!
It has the ability to connect with readers looking for more information on a specific treatment or problem and gives them the answers – namely, to seek treatment with you!
Excuse Reason #4 – Why dental practices don’t blog- I don’t have a blog/news section on my practice website, so I can’t!
Maybe you’ve previously considered running a practice blog but don’t have a relevant section on your site. The truth is that if your site was built in WordPress or any other similar content management system, you’ll have full blog functionality.
If you can’t find it, contact your site developer, who should be able to locate it and activate it for you. Conversely, you can always post a gig on Fiverr.com, and for a few dollars, someone will do it for you.
Alternatively, if you are unfortunate enough to have a site built inside a framework that doesn’t entertain a blog, then don’t worry… there is a ‘workaround‘. Use a blogging platform such as Blogger.com, Tumblr, or WordPress.com and link it back to your site. These sites are free and easy to use and offer a ‘workable’ alternative to having a blog on your site.
As you can see, there really is no reason why dental practices shouldn’t blog… Oh, wait…
Maybe this one!
Reason #5 -I’ve heard that blogging takes years to come to fruition. I need instant results!
Yep, I get it…In a world where pretty much everything is at our fingertips, people demand instant results.
After all, if you want to know something – you Google it!
If you want to buy something without leaving your home – No problem – log into your Amazon Prime account, place the order and watch it arrive just 3-4 hours later.
So, if I was told that blogging doesn’t deliver overnight results and that I probably won’t see any significant change for 6 months or more, I too may be inclined not to bother.
Especially when I could start a campaign with Google Ads and be seeing increased traffic within hours.
However, the point is this…
Once a blog is written and is out there in the blogosphere, it remains an active link to your dental website for many years to come. In fact, long after you even remembered writing it and certainly long after that Google Ad has tapered off.
The more blogs you create over time, the better and stronger your foundations, and the more they’ll collectively drive traffic.
In other words, blogging is like playing a long game. You’re putting foundations in place now for business success 2-3 years down the line. Unlike Google adwords, with blogging, you’re not paying every time someone clicks on a link. In that respect, blogging offers one of the best returns your marketing money can buy.
So there we go…hopefully, this has addressed some of the reasons why dental practices don’t blog and how they can be overcome.
So what are you waiting for?..Get blogging – There’s never a better time to get started than right now!
If you need assistance kick-starting your dental practice blog, then the Dental Writer’s team can help you to breathe life into it. Contact me for further information, and let’s do some epic stuff together.
