I was recently impressed with a blog post authored by Giselle Abramovich at Adobe entitled, “Make the Shift from Digital Marketing to Marketing in a Digital World.” Here’s a quote from that article:
“Savvy marketers … have begun to think of all marketing as digital – or, at least, having a huge digital component. Marketing strategies and tactics must be conceived with the new digital nature of today’s audiences in mind; it is not a bolt-on or adjunct to some other marketing plan.”
Indeed, Dental Marketing Has Changed Forever
Back in the olden days people had few choices and limited ways in which to find and buy goods and services. And, they believed advertising. Ten years ago, they were also impressed by (and believed) that slick brochure your marketing agency designed and printed for your practice. Not today.
People are paying far less attention to your traditional advertising and marketing. It still has its place, but people have many more choices now when it comes to evaluating your business. They filter and “opt in” to the messages they want to receive.
Today’s dental patients constantly move between their online and offline worlds. Social media has become deeply embedded in this very fluid space. It doesn’t matter how prospective patients hear about your practice… Whether it’s from a direct mail campaign or from a trusted friend over lunch, the first thing they do is pull out their smartphone to check you out! Even when you make face-to-face treatment recommendations inside your practice, as soon as your patient walks out the door she uses social media to ask her friends about those recommendations – and about you.
People Don’t Believe Your Static Website Either
Your dental website provides certain important functions – primarily related to search. But in terms of communicating your practice culture and brand, your static website is merely a gussied up snapshot in time – and people know it. Don’t kid yourself. They don’t believe that anymore either. It’s not real and they don’t trust it.
What people DO trust is your fluid, honest, transparent social media posts and the ways in which you interact with people day to day, in real time.
Integrating Your Digital “Footprint” with Activity Inside Your Practice
No longer can there be a disconnect between your public-facing marketing and what actually happens inside your practice. Social media has blurred this line of demarcation.
Likewise, there should no longer be a disconnect between your various digital properties, like your website, social media accounts, SEO/PPC strategy, and reviews. Today, a huge transformation is taking place as search engines begin incorporating “social signals” (Likes, +1’s, shares, retweets, etc.) into the algorithms that rank websites.
So how do you integrate these various digital properties – together with what actually goes on inside your practice – into a cohesive digital marketing plan? How do you make this plan effective in growing your practice, without having to consume too much of your time and resources?
Announcing the First Ever Dental Digital Marketing Conference
If you’re confused about how all this fits together, you may want to consider attending the first ever Dental Digital Marketing Conference.
Successful marketing strategies and tactics must be implemented with the new digital nature of today’s audiences in mind. Some of the former tried-and-true marketing methods are no longer enough. Some of the old rules may still apply – and many just don’t. For purposes of full disclosure, I want to be sure you know that I’m speaking at this event and that our company is one of the event sponsors.
Take Advantage of Marketing Synergy
As Giselle Abramovich said, digital marketing is no longer “a bolt-on or adjunct to some other marketing plan.” As you embrace today’s opportunities to integrate digital marketing with your daily, face-to-face efforts inside your practice you’ll begin to harness “new” marketing’s power.
It need not be overwhelming, and you’ll have fun doing it. Baby steps!
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