As an important part of your comprehensive marketing strategy, a blog does more than just provide your website visitors with something to read. A blog helps build your practice’s brand awareness, relay important information, and attract new patients.
Also, a blog helps boost your search optimization efforts. Google, Bing, and Yahoo reward websites that provide fresh content to index. What’s more, a blog post is where you insert keywords that your patients are using to find you.
Think of your blog as a tactical tool that’s vital to your practice’s growth. Before you start typing, though, consider setting up a strategy for your blog first. It should include guidelines for how, when, and why you are going to invest time and effort into writing one. Here are some key items to set you off on a successful blogging journey.
Consistency
Set goals so you can publish your blog on a regular basis. At least twice a month is recommended. Setting up a simple content calendar so you know what and when to write will help keep you on schedule. Not fond of writing? Assign the task to someone in your office who is interested in writing and managing the blog.
Style
As critical as consistency is, the length of the post matters as well. Keep posts between 300 and 600 words to keep readers engaged without turning them off. Also, keep the writing light and informative. Think about what would be helpful for patients to know about you and your practice, and steer away from technical jargon.
What to Write
Don’t know what to write about? Brainstorm with your team on a few topics that you could rotate from month to month. Having a mix of general dentistry items and posts that are specific to your practice will strike a healthy balance of information. Blog topics may include:
- Treatments: Blog posts on treatments are a great way to educate patients and make them comfortable with procedures. Include the benefits of the treatments so patients can picture themselves with the results you can help them achieve.
- New Equipment & Technology: Like treatments, posting about new equipment is another great way to inform patients as well as acknowledge that you are making investments in your practice. Patients will feel good about going to a dentist that is using up-to-date equipment.
- About Us: You probably have an “About Us” page on your website, but blog posts about you and your team help create a connection with your patients. You can write about continuing education courses, certifications, or conferences you’ve attended. Again, this kind of information helps build trust with patients as they see you as dedicated to your profession.
Time Relevant
Blog posts that focus on holidays, seasons, or life events are a great way to highlight your expertise and tie in treatments that you offer. Write a post about Halloween candy and its effects on dental health. When holiday season approaches, feature your teeth whitening treatment. Everyone wants a nice smile for holiday photos.
Life events like weddings and high school reunions are more examples of when people want to look their best. Blog posts focused on how your practice can help patients achieve a beautiful smile will give them just the right encouragement to call your office for an appointment.
Let your personality shine in your blog posts. It will make for more interesting reading, but also set you apart from other practices, which is the overall goal of your marketing.
With more than a decade of experience in corporate dental laboratory marketing and brand development, Ms. Ulasewich Cullen decided to take her passion for the dental business and marketing to the next level by founding My Dental Agency. Since starting her company, she and her team have helped a wide variety of business owners all over the nation focus their message, reach their target audience, and increase their sales through effective marketing campaigns. She can be reached at (800) 689-6434 or via email at jackie@mydentalagency.com.
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