What do dentists get from starting a blog or doing email marketing? A lot. This blog post enumerates the many content marketing benefits for dental practices.
5 Reasons Dentists Should Write and Publish Content
Content marketing demands blood, sweat, and tears. Creating a 500-word article alone can take an hour. It might be longer if you want to go in-depth.
And the job does not end there. To ensure this strategy works all the time, identify and keep track of your metrics, refine or polish techniques, and publish content consistently.
So why should dentists bother doing it? It is because the rewards are also huge. Below are the primary advantages of content marketing to your practice.
1. Content Marketing Supports Every Sales Funnel Stage
The sales funnel is one of the most fundamental marketing concepts. It perfectly describes the journey patients (or, in this case, patients) go through before they call to inquire or book an appointment. It also suggests what you probably know all along: not everyone will be a client.
But according to Digital Authority Partners (DAP), content marketing ensures that you give your clinic the best chance to convert regardless of your lead’s stage. Consider these points, for instance:
- Awareness stage. Leads here are not in the buying mindset—far from it. Instead, they are interested in dental care or general wellness. You can publish blog posts here about “10 Dental Problems You Did Not Know You Had” or “How to Properly Care for Your Teeth.”
- Interest stage. Now that you have prospects’ attention, it is time to turn the interaction into active engagement. Use articles to encourage them to subscribe to the mailing list, tell them to subscribe to your YouTube channel, or follow you back on social media.
- Consideration stage. We assume you have done well with content that engaged leads are ready to do business with you. The goal now is to persuade them to pick you, among other options. Showcase expertise and knowledge with case studies or testimonials.
- Action stage. Finally, your lead has decided to book an appointment with you. You can give them a freebie or a discount on their first visit to push them further down the sales funnel. Then, you can follow up with a thank-you note or an email asking for feedback.
2. Content Is the Foundation of Virtually All Digital Marketing Tactics
In other words, you cannot do search engine optimization (SEO), paid advertising, or social media marketing without content.
Here is how various content types help dentists create a cohesive online marketing campaign:
- Most search engine ranking signals deal with content. These include backlinks, domain authority, keywords, topical authority, and meta and alt tags. The E-A-T guidelines, which you should follow if you want to rank on Google, focus on copy quality. So do recent Google updates such as helpful content, spam policy, and online reviews.
- Social media shares content. These platforms would be a barren wasteland without content, from videos to photos, sound bytes, posts, and article links. Even better, these materials promote engagement. The more people like, comment, and share them, the higher your chances of conversion go.
- Paid media converts through compelling ads. You can have the most eye-catching copy in the world. But if the content is weak, you will struggle to get people to engage with it. Further, much of your ad rank score revolves around whether users have a good experience or whether the keyword is relevant to your ad.
3. It Raises Your Brand Equity by Fostering an Emotional Connection
Most marketers know that brand equity is the set of assets and liabilities linked to your brand name. But what drives it? The answer is human emotion, such as compassion and empathy.
These two are specifically vital in your field, considering the thousands of children (and even adults) frightened of people in white coats. And you can use the right content to allay fears, apprehensions, questions, and concerns:
- Publish social proof and user-generated content (UGC) to show that you provide quality, satisfying medical and customer service.
- Launch podcasts, webinars, and e-courses to show off your expertise or share more information that empowers patients.
- Engage in video marketing to display vulnerability. Talk about your dental journey, introduce your team, or walk them through the clinic.
- Create social media channels where leads and existing patients can ask questions, leave reviews, or give suggestions.
- Localize content to fit your audience’s culture, preferences, beliefs, and needs.
- Develop white papers to show that you are an authority in your field.
4. It Is a Powerful Online Marketing Strategy for Growth
While other marketing channels are important, they do not have the same reach as content marketing. In fact, it is one of your weapons for sustainable, long-term business growth:
Here is why:
- It builds relationships. Good-quality content establishes trust between you and your target market. In the process, it boosts customer retention, driving marketing costs down while increasing returns.
- Content marketing captures new markets. By creating helpful and informative content, you attract relevant leads who did not know about your brand before. You also nurture relationships with them, eventually turning them into paying customers or clients.
- Targeted content generates more sales. With well-crafted copy that connects with readers emotionally, you can persuade even fence-sitters to commit to your product or service.
5. Dental Content Marketing Is Affordable but Effective
Small businesses have a hard time building brand awareness. They do not have the same marketing budget as big corporations.
Content marketing levels the playing field by giving people a cheap and effective way to reach more people. Check out these numbers:
- You can start a blog for as little as $3 per month.
- Creating and maintaining social media accounts is usually free. The only time you need to spend money is on paid ads.
- For around $100, you can already record high-quality audio files.
- E-books and whitepapers are easy to produce if you have the time and skills.
- Have you checked out TikTok and Instagram reels? All you need is a phone camera and creativity. Even better, you can repurpose content to save time and money.
- A basic email marketing platform costs around $10 a month.
Summing Up
Content marketing should be an integral part of your dental marketing strategy. After all, it drives traffic to your website, attracts new patients, nurtures relationships, and boosts sales.
Besides, it is a cost-effective way to market your business, whether you are just starting out or have been in the industry for years.
If you are not sure where to start, consider partnering with a dental content marketing agency to help you create a solid content strategy tailored to your needs and goals.
