NewsletterDoes it help in converting website visitors into new patients?
New Patients, Inc. (NPI) has been in business since 1989. They are a full-service marketing firm exclusively for dentists. Thecompany’s stated purpose is to help individual dental practices attract high-quality new patients. In this article thecompany shares their expertise regarding one marketing medium that can work well in this regard.
There’s an old advertising adage that says, “It’s better to SHOW than to TELL.” According to NPI, it’s even better if you can do both. CEO Howie Horrocks maintains that most static or brochure-type websites don’t take full advantage of the fact that the Internet is a very visual medium, much like television—and that not recognizing this can lead to a boring website which can turn away visitors.
In promoting a dentist’s practice to the dental consumer, it’s one thing to describe the vast beneficial changes that can be made in a person’s smile, it’s quite another to show how the changes look. It’s one thing to tell the consumer that the dentist and staff are friendly and caring, but it’s much more effective if they can SEE that for themselves.
This is where video on the webes in. Dentists can now show their before-and-after photographs and videos to their website visitors. Consumers who are searching for a dental practice for themselves or their families can “meet” the doctor and staff and see that they are indeed friendly and caring people. They can also “meet” some current patients who will extol the benefits of being a patient of the practice.
NPI maintains that in its experience the most important action to take when interacting with the dental consumer, especially for the first time, is to build trust and some measure of confidence. President Mark Dilatush has described the attitude of the typical dental consumer thusly: They don’t know who the dentist is or what he/she is like, they don’t know if he/she will hurt them, they don’t know if the dentist will try to sell them treatment they don’t need, and depending on the last name, they may not even know if the dentist speaks English.
Nearly all of these concerns and more can be put to rest in the minds of the consumers with effectively done web video. NPI asserts that a properly scripted and filmed presentation can convert a website visitor into a new patient much faster than an ad, mailer, or any other marketing medium. Thecompany’s results tracking shows that adding properly produced video to a dental website nearly doubles conversion rates. If the website was producing four new patients per month prior to adding video, it will now produce seven or eight after video.
However, there are some caveats to keep in mind. NPI cautions that there are mistakes dentists should seek to avoid when considering adding web video to their websites.
Going Overboard
Having too many videos can distract the viewer. The purpose of video (and in fact the whole website) is to get the potential new patient to pick up the phone and call. NPI advises that not every page on the site needs a video and that this can actually cause viewers to leave the site.
Going On Too Long
Overly long videos (more than 70 seconds) can be overload.
Too Much Dental Speak
Thecompany advises to stay away from technical or clinical terms. According to Horrocks and Dilatush, the average consumer’s “dental IQ” is quite low, so a discussion about impression materials or the intricacies of jaw-tracking technology will often go right over their heads.
Upping the “Ick Factor”
NPI advises dentists to avoid showing any surgical procedures. Consumer web video should never be confused with continuing education clinical instruction.
Underplaying the Benefits to the Consumer
Horrocks and Dilatush share that instead of a clinical focus, dentists should emphasize how convenient the practice is, how beautiful the patient’s smile could be, and how easy and affordable it is to attain his/her dental goals. The dentist and team must.come across as friendly and accessible.
NPI also points out that adding video to a dental website improves their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) positioning because Google and others are now rewarding higher rankings to sites with video content.
With web video, dentists can now make very powerful and convincing audio/visual presentations to prospective new patients and have better results show up on the bottom line.
For more information, contact:
New Patients, Inc.
Phone: 866-336-8237
Web: www.newpatientsinc.com
The preceding material was provided by the manufacturer. The statements and opinions contained therein are solely those of the manufacturer and not of the editors, publisher, or the Editorial Board of Inside Dentistry.
STRAIGHT TO VIDEO (1. Web videos can make your website more dynamic and appealing to visitors, making them more inclined to visit your practice.
Figure 1
