As the digital marketing industry continues to grow and evolve, it’s getting harder and harder to deny the fact that having an online presence is integral to the success of your dental practice.
Whether you choose to work with an agency like us, have one of your staff members support your digital marketing efforts, or do it yourself, one fact remains the same: you need an online presence.
Once you’ve decided to hire digital marketing support, choosing the right agency for your practice can be overwhelming. While there are many companies out there, and a quick google search can bombard you with hundreds of options, it is essential to choose a company that will fit the needs of your practice and understand your industry.
Understanding the factors that make up an effective digital marketing partnership will make it much easier for you to pick the agency that best fits your goals and ambitions of your dental practice.
Here are a few things to consider when looking for a digital marketing partner.
Understand Your Marketing is an Investment
Even though digital marketing isn’t free, it doesn’t mean you need to view it as an expense. Just as you make investments and improvements to your dental practice, your marketing is an investment too.
It is crucial to see marketing your practice as an investment in its growth, much like an investment advisor. Working with a company like SmileShop, we pair you with an advisor who you will work with throughout your journey with us and someone who is an expert in the dental marketing industry.
Understand Digital Marketing KPI’s
In order to decide which digital marketing company will be the best fit for your practice, it is important to understand the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) the company will be tracking to determine success.
Understanding these metrics and how they impact your business is integral to ensuring you are spending your marketing dollars wisely. At SmileShop, our team meets with you every month to go over our KPI’s, so you always know where your marketing dollars are going and how they affect your business.
Here are a few examples of KPI’s we report on for your website:
- Conversions
- By Channel
- By type – phone call, form fill-out, online store clicks, etc.
- Website visits
- New vs. returning visitors
- Visits by device
- Traffic to each page of your website
There are many other important KPI’s digital marketing companies will need to report on, depending on the services your practice is utilizing. A few examples include Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click Ads (PPC), Social Media, and more. Before starting your digital marketing partnership, check-in and understand how to measure your marketing tactics and how success looks for your dental practice.
Commit to Regular Check-In Meetings
While you may think forming a digital marketing partnership absolves you of all digital marketing responsibilities (which, for the most part, can if that’s your preference), it is vital to have regular meetings with your point of contact at the agency. If the agency you are looking to partner with does not offer regular check-in meetings to walk through the KPI’s and make sure your marketing is on track, this is a big red flag.
At SmileShop, your single point of contact meets with you regularly, so your practice needs to commit to regular check-ins to ensure you get the most out of your marketing investment. During these meetings, your Digital Investment Advisor will walk through all of the KPI’s, and you will have a chance to see if you are gaining a return on your investment (ROI). This helps you and your practice know the value of digital marketing and understand what we are doing for your business and why.
Regular meetings also provide the opportunity to assess your quarterly and yearly goals. Maybe we have completed a goal and need to reassess and create new ones, or perhaps you have seen more patients than your practice can handle, and we need to focus our marketing efforts on other avenues.
It is imperative to work with an agency that understands the dental industry and has your needs at the forefront of every conversation.
Align with an Agency Who Understands Your Needs
We’ve said this a few times throughout the blog because the importance of understanding the dental marketing industry is at the heart of an effective marketing partnership. You can work with a very reputable agency, but your practice will not see results if they don’t understand this industry.
We work with practices like yours every day, and our team takes the time to understand your current business position, as well as your specific practice goals. Your Digital Investment Advisor will set realistic goals and targets for your practice, as well as advise on the best strategies to get your practice where you want it to go. When choosing your digital marketing partner, ensure they are also willing to work with you to create specific business goals, take the time to understand your current position, and advise on the best strategies for growth.
When working with a digital marketing agency, the team should also be providing regular related information, such as blogs or videos, to help build up the confidence and know-how of your practice. To continue seeing paid and organic results, regular educational content is critical in establishing your dental practice as a thought leader in the industry. Working with a marketing partner in assistance with your practice to develop this content ensures results are at the forefront when writing the material for your practice.
There are many factors to consider when choosing an effective digital marketing partner for your dental practice. You first need to understand that marketing is an investment in the growth of your practice and not an expense and ensure you know the key performance indicators needed to show the success of your digital marketing agency. Committing to regular meetings with your marketing partner and choosing an agency that understands your unique needs as a dental practice will help you ensure the success of your marketing efforts.
If you’re a practice looking for a company like this, you’ve found one! Reach out to us to book a demo and learn more about how we achieve results for all of the practices we work with.
