Covid-19 and Dentistry
It’s coming…to an end. We are starting to see the end of lockdown, but how has this impacted our businesses? The return post Covid has left a lot of practices having to catch up with backlog. Add this to the increased demand of new patients and it is more overwhelming than ever. Should you really be marketing your dental practice right now?
So, what has changed with the new rules and restrictions and how does it affect you? Restrictions lifted 19/07/21. However not much changes for those working in healthcare settings. Dentist are still likely to remain at about half the usual capacity. In order to adhere to social distancing; some dental practices have had to move around their waiting areas to accommodate. The area and equipment are fully sanitized. This is also reassuring for those that are reluctant to start visiting the dentist again.
Importance of Marketing your Dental Practice
Although taking on more clients right now may seem like too much, you’ll be thanking yourself in the long run. Once the temporary surge starts to deflate you will be up against all your competitors. The whole industry will face a shift and all the dentists will start marketing. This means higher cost and competition for higher paying clients.
How can SEO Help your Dental Practice?
SEO = Search Engine Optimisation, a technique used to increase visibility. When someone is searching for products or services relating to your business in different search engines e.g., Google, Yahoo…etc. Increasing your visibility gains more attention from existing and potential clients which is why it’s fundamental for digital marketing. To allow a site(s) to become established in the search engines you are better off getting it started in advance. In such a competitive business not using SEO could put you at a massive disadvantage. Online presence will give you the edge needed to overtake competitors, allowing more business volume in your practice. Potential clients rarely look past the first page when searching for services, you need to be on that first page.
Digital Marketing
Social media is a means for some of the best marketing tools. The desire to improve dental health over lockdown has rocketed. TikTok has had a knock-on effect to some practices, offering advice, information and fun videos to attract more patients. This platform allows small content creators to grow over night from just one post. It’s a great way to keep your customers up to date with goings on in the practice and encourage engagement. The app also has promotions and the opportunity to do ads with big brands such as Invisalign. Social media is often the first impression for most patients ahead of committing to any services. It's a great way to be marketing your dental practice.
Recruiting for More Talent
The last year has left a lot of talent unsure of what their next steps are in their career. Marketing for new staff could increase your chances of building a bigger and better team. Attracting experienced dental nurses, doctors, reception staff who may have lost their jobs due to business closures. Could your practice be the one to give this fresh talent a starting point?
Dentistry in 5 years…
Technology is said to shape the future of dentistry, the virtual consultations may stick around for a while. Will this help kick kids fears of going to the dentist? Generations growing up on technology, who feel more comfortable with virtual appointments, could improve their oral health with the use of smart toothbrushes with innovative games. Kids will be more likely to pick up the proper brushing technique at a younger age.
Future dentists and dental nurses will learn how to perform procedures through AR (Augmented Reality) receiving feedback on their movement; this will help dental schools all over developing their students’ skills at a faster pace. Virtual Reality will also help students be able to ‘shadow’ operations with a clearer view. Surgeons will be able to stream operations globally, allowing students to attend using VR googles.
Making use of the tools that are available is imperative to building an online presence. SEO should be taken advantage of as it get's you ahead of competitors. Don’t forget, implementing SEO won’t give you overnight results, it’s more of an investment that takes a little while before you start seeing the results. Therefore, by acting now, you are gearing up for what is to come in a few months down the line. As the backlog of patients clears and restrictions get lifted, getting new patients is going to become more and more important.
