North Texas Dentistry Volume 7 Issue 2 NTD 2017 ISSUE 2 DE | Page 14

Websites that Beat the Corporate Dental Machine practice marketing 7 keys to a website that will help you win against corporate dentistry by Marc Fowler Are you different than the corporate dental outlet down the street? How would a prospective patient know? Before a new patient calls or steps into your office, research shows that they will already have a first impression of your practice. It’s probably why they called you. Sometimes it is from word of mouth, but increasingly that impression is formed online. Most dentists understand that their phys- ical office is important to their brand image. You want it to be professional, clean and make patients feel comfortable. So, you invest a lot of time and money in your office, rightly so. Yet, the majority of your new patients will visit your website before they ever step foot in your office. So, it would make sense to invest in your website just as you do your office. Your website is as large a part of your brand image as your office. YOUR WEBSITE IS YOUR VIRTUAL FRONT OFFICE Stop reading for a minute. Put down this magazine, pick up your phone, and go to your website. If you were a new patient, would you be impressed by what you see? Would you call? Simply having a website isn’t enough. To beat the big budget corporate dentist down the street, your website must connect with potential patients and show why you are a better choice. YOUR WEBSITE IS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION Wouldn’t it be nice to meet all potential patients before they choose a dentist and have a conversation about why you are the best provider for them? While you can’t do that in person, it hap- pens every day online. More and more, people connect online, watch TV online, work online, shop online, date online, and yes, choose their dentist online. YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT AN ONLINE BROCHURE Choosing a dentist is often a personal de- cision. Do they feel comfortable that you will be right for them – quality, service, convenience and cost? The purpose of your website is to connect to your ideal patient and to convince them to make an appointment. When building their website, many dentists fall into the trap of listing every service they ever have or ever may provide in an effort to appeal to as many patients as possible. Be careful trying to be all things to all people, or you may end up appealing to no one. 14 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com 7 STEPS TO AN AWESOME STEPS TO AN AWESOME DENTAL WEBSITE DENTAL WEBSITE So, what is the secret to transforming an ordinary website into an awesome virtual office? Over the course of the past 11 years design- ing hundreds of dental websites, we’ve dis- covered seven keys to creating an effective dental website that will help you stand out from the cookie-cutter corporate office and get more new patients. 1. Be clear about what makes your practice the best choice. If you’re a dentist in North Texas, you have a lot of competition. To beat them, your website has to stand out. But before you start designing, you need to be clear why you are a better choice than the dentist up the street – your brand positioning. Are you the “eco-friendly” dentist? The “fam- ily” dentist? The “modern” cosmetic den- tist? Find out what makes you special and own it. When you are crafting your website, this should guide the entire design. We clarify brand positioning with every client before we start work on design.