Orthodontic Marketing Strategies: Social Media, SEO, Reputation Management, & Websites
Marketing for orthodontists is a critical part of growing your business, but coming up with ideas for new strategies can be exhausting. Whether you’re a new practice or looking to expand to multiple locations, strategic orthodontic marketing will help you get new patients in the door, generate referrals, and boost your reputation.
Post a Social Media Marketing Challenge
A little friendly competition is a great way to engage your audience through social media and get them to share your practice with their friends. Incentivize people to participate with prizes and discounted services.
Some ideas for a social media challenge include:
Caption contest—have followers submit captions for a funny picture of the orthodontist or team members
Flossing challenge—each day a follower flosses and documents it on social media counts as one entry, etc.
Scavenger hunt—post clues for followers to find prizes around your orthodontic practice
Whatever you decide to do, make sure people follow your practice, share with friends, and like and comment on posts to increase engagement.
Collaborate With Local Social Media Influencers
Working with local influencers is an amazing way to reach potential patients in your area. Consider partnering with an influencer by offering free braces or Invisalign treatment, and giving them a contract to sign with a required social media agreement in return. The cost of offering free (or discounted) services to one patient will be made up for generously by getting their local followers interested in your orthodontic practice.
Take Advantage of TikTok’s Reach
Another way to utilize social media for your orthodontic practice is to create a TikTok profile. TikTok is used by over 150 million Americans and is a great place for small businesses to gain traction.
Post at least once per day, and try to create a variety of content. Here are some ideas for orthodontic TikTok content:
Get team members to learn a popular dance
Show a day in the life of a team member
Post your office’s seasonal decor
Debunk orthodontic myths
Demonstrate an appliance
Hop on Trends Before They Get Stale
As you delve into TikTok and other social media platforms, it’s important to remember how short-lived trends can be these days. As soon as you find a trend that resonates with your office, hop on and record your own take as soon as possible.
Creating a video on an old trend can make your practice look out of touch, and the video is much less likely to gain traction or go viral.
Show Off Patient Photos
Another tip for dental marketing is to post pictures of your actual patients. Showing off smile transformations and satisfied patients is a valuable form of social proof. Just make sure you’re staying HIPAA compliant each and every time you share a patient photo. The patient should have signed a release and agreed to the post beforehand.
Improve Your Google Maps Ranking
Did you know that 86% of people use Google Maps to find local businesses? Showing up in the top results for orthodontists in your area is a huge piece of the marketing puzzle. Boost your Google Maps rankings by updating your Google Business Profile regularly, using relevant keywords in your business description, and selecting the proper business categories.
Create a Paid Ad Campaign
Another way to reach locals is to invest some of your marketing budget into Google, Facebook, or Instagram ads. These platforms make it easy for you to target specific demographics, regions, and keyword search terms so that people who are looking for orthodontic care are more likely to see your ads.
Promote Free Consultations
While you’re running a paid ad campaign, consider promoting free consultations in your advertisements. Getting new patients in the door is half the battle in orthodontic marketing, and offering a free initial visit to discuss individual needs is a great way to jump over that hurdle.
You can also promote your free consultations through social media posts, direct mail flyers, community magazines, and over the radio.
Become a Giving Practice
Working with local charities will also increase your practice’s visibility in the community, and show prospective patients that you care and are willing to give back. Find a cause you relate to, and offer to sponsor an event. Some common opportunities for charity events include:
5k race
Charity ball or dance
Auction
Art show
Food drive
Add A Live Chat Option On Your Website
You should provide future patients with several different channels for contacting your practice, including the option to chat instantly on your website. If someone has questions about your orthodontic services or wants to make an appointment online, a live chat option provides them with an easily accessible avenue to communicate with someone right away. You can provide automated responses, and direct users to an appointment form or question form if they need more information.
Create a Blog Worth Reading
Writing SEO blog posts is another great way to improve your website and boost your ranking in search results for orthodontists in the area. However, these blog posts should be web-reader-friendly, full of useful information, expert advice, and compelling writing.
If you’re new to blog writing, check out this guide on how to write a blog post in 15 minutes. You should use keyword research in your blog but also appeal to your local audience with genuine thought leadership.
Use a Unique Logo, Tagline, and Mission Statement
Something else that will help your website stand out online is a unique logo, tagline, and mission statement. Your goal is to stand out from your competition in a sea of digital information, and having a fresh image associated with your practice name can draw a lot of positive attention. Using teeth and braces in imagery is popular, but you can choose your own color scheme and style.
You should also come up with a tagline and an orthodontic mission statement to be featured on your website home page.
Improve Website Rankings with Technical SEO
SEO for orthodontists is vital if you want to grow your practice and be found online. Technical aspects of SEO include things like website loading speeds, mobile-friendly design, alt text, website security, fixing broken links or pages, and increasing your number of backlinks.
This orthodontic SEO guide includes helpful tips on how to make sure your technical SEO is up to date.
Dazzle with a Modern Website Aesthetic
Along with being technically sound, your website should also look great and appeal to a modern audience. Orthodontic website design should be simple, elegant, easy to navigate, and consistent with your brand image.
Focus on Innovative Video Content
Short, digestible video content is becoming one of the most popular forms of media online. People have shorter attention spans and want to be stimulated both visually and audibly. Create innovative orthodontic videos that showcase your expertise, and share these videos on social media as well as your website.
Show Off Your Awesome Team
Post pictures of your team members often! When patients see friendly faces, they’re more likely to feel connected to your practice and comfortable showing up for a first appointment. You can showcase team photos on your orthodontist blog, social media, and your website home page.
Address Common Concerns
One of the best ways to get patients interested in orthodontic care is to point out reasons they may need your services. Most people know that orthodontists offer braces to straighten teeth, but you can educate patients on other issues like jaw alignment, preventative spacing in children, and bite correction.
Use ChatGPT for Ideation
Artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT can also be great for coming up with content ideas. Ask an AI bot for social media ideas, blog post outlines, website copy, and more. Just make sure to edit any results you get, because search engines will penalize AI-generated content against unique content.
Focus on Positive Patients
Focus on your orthodontic reputation management by targeting positive patients. Five-star reviews are a solid sign of social proof and boost your ranking in search results. Ask patients who you know have had good experiences to rate your practice on Google and other review platforms.
Run a Review Campaign
You can also boost your online reputation by starting a campaign for reviews. Make a goal for your practice to reach by the end of the week or month, and get all of your team members involved in asking patients for reviews. You should also send out text and email reminders with a direct link to your Google Business Profile.
Outsource Orthodontic Marketing to Professionals
Last but not least, outsourcing your strategy to a dental marketing company is an easy way to improve your online reputation, and simplify your marketing efforts. Choose a dental marketing company that has experience with orthodontist practices specifically, understands your needs, and will maintain your brand image across all online platforms.
By embracing a blend of innovative social media tactics, community engagement, and advanced online strategies, orthodontists can significantly enhance their visibility and appeal to a broader audience. Emphasizing patient-centric content, leveraging current digital trends, and maintaining an active online presence are key to attracting and retaining patients. Moreover, the integration of professional marketing services ensures a cohesive and impactful approach, solidifying the practice's reputation and success in the competitive field of orthodontics.