As dental care providers, it’s essential to be active on social media and to take full advantage of the business opportunities and features offered by platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google My Business. One of the best ways to do this is through organic marketing.
After all, according to Pew Research, 72% of the American population uses some type of social platform.
What’s Organic Marketing?
It’s marketing that comes naturally, with no paid advertising. It generates over time, primarily through content such as social media posts, which can range widely from posting staff member shout-outs to holding contests and giveaways to posts about oral hygiene. The more engagement you drive from these types of posts, the more likely you will grow organically and entice people to learn more about your practice. Online reviews and word of mouth are also examples of solid pieces of organic marketing.
Posting regularly on platforms like Facebook and Instagram are great ways to interact with your patients and followers and supercharge patient interest. Online review platforms like Google My Business, Yelp, and Healthgrades, are also great ways to grow organically because everyday prospective new patients are reading through online review sites in anticipation of finding a good dentist. Who knows, they could even be reading one of your reviews right now!
So keep posting on your socials and keep asking current patients for online reviews because you never know, that next person who reads your newest five-star review or follows you because of that new flashy social post could very well become your next patient!
Take advantage of the “CTA Button” on Facebook and Instagram
Now that you have the foundation of organic marketing down, it’s crucial to create a strategy for attracting new patients and converting them. This is where your online booking system comes in. It’s the piece that links your organic marketing efforts to your main goal – booking new patients!
One of the best tools offered by Facebook and Instagram for business pages is the CTA Button Tool. This button allows you to choose from a wide variety of call-to-action “callouts.”
Many business owners use the CTA button opportunity to link to their company websites in hopes of gaining more web traffic and inquiries about their services. You might currently have this functionality set up on your business page.
Use the Book Now button instead!
While using the CTA Callout to link to your website isn’t a bad idea, there’s a better strategy that you might want to take advantage of – linking directly to your online booking system by using Facebook and Instagram’s “Book Now” button option.
Online Booking systems such as YAPI Smart Scheduling aren’t just for your website, but to be used as a CTA link on a number of different channels, social media just being one of them! So, take full advantage by using your direct scheduling link from YAPI as your “Book Now” destination link for your CTA button. It’s a guaranteed way to book more patients, offer a clear and direct call to action, and prequalifies the patient before they even pick up the phone or arrive for their appointment.
Don’t forget the big review site; Google My Business could help you grow exponentially, and, for free!
It’s not just Facebook and Instagram where you want to take advantage of a “Book Now” button, your online review sites could be a goldmine!
Recent studies from BrightLocal have shown that the average conversion rate for a Google My Business Profile is a whopping 5% per month! With the average business listing on Google tallying roughly 1,000 visits per month, that merits an average of 50 conversions in just one single month! Imagine, with the right tools in place, such as linking your online booking system to your Google My Business page, you could experience a significantly high monthly conversion rate for patient bookings!
In the words of Dr. Gina Dorfman, “Patients trust what the reviews have to say about you, more than what you have to say.” So, there’s really no better time for a patient to book an appointment than right after reading an abundant list of positive reviews from your happiest patients. Be sure to take advantage of this great marketing feature in Google My Business by adding your YAPI Smart Scheduling link in the “Appointments” option of your listing.
Don’t forget about Yelp and Healthgrades
- Using Yelp? If you don’t already, you should seriously consider upgrading to an Enhanced Yelp Profile. This upgrade will give you the ability to add a Call to Action button to your page for appointment bookings. While Yelp may not be entirely free, it has proven to be a very powerful review platform.
- The same goes for Healthgrades. Claiming a Healthgrades profile is a good start, but consider the option of upgrading to a premium profile for better results and more customization.
Consider the endless possibilities with YAPI Smart Scheduling
When it comes to booking more patients across a wide variety of social and online review platforms, Smart Scheduling by YAPI has you covered! Your options are endless and more growth for your practice is just a few clicks away.
