How to Future Proof Your Marketing Strategy
Everything Is Going Mobile
Not long ago, it was common to encounter spotty mobile coverage and weak signals. Mobile browsers loaded slowly, and videos constantly buffered. It became clear to forward-thinking service providers and developers that something needed to be done because one thing was clear: mobility was not just a trend. Mobile devices were only going to become more complex, and data-heavy images and videos were here to stay. Ultimately, companies that provided a positive mobile user experience would dominate the market. Today, new 5G towers are appearing everywhere, offering users unprecedented mobile speeds. Each year, infrastructure is upgraded to meet the demands of new, more powerful mobile devices and applications.
So what does all this mean for your dental practice? Well, you already understand how important it is to have a responsive mobile version of your website, but is this enough to support your practice into the future? Well, like all technology, it also must be upgraded and improved, and this evolution comes in the form of a dental practice mobile app. Unlike a website, apps store information locally (on mobile devices), which means a faster, more reliable user experience. Apps also provide a growing list of options that ultimately build brand awareness and loyalty.
A Dental Practice Website That Attracts New Patients
Building and Maintaining an Effective Website that Grows Your Practice How Important Is Your Website? Your dental practice website is like a storefront on the internet, and it functions as a hub to which all your efforts are linked. Most importantly, your website domain is the way search engines understand
App Design Options
If building your own mobile application seems beyond your skill level, consider the fact that most app design services offer drag-and-drop builder tools, templates, and professional help. If you can maintain your website, you can build a dental practice mobile app. (Of course, you can also hire a professional to build and maintain your app. Basic app development starts at around $500.)
To see just how easy mobile app development can be, browse the list of service providers below.
Benefits of a Dental Practice Mobile App
- Speed and User Experience: One of the most noticeable benefits of a mobile app is function and speed, which directly correlates to user experience. Because most mobile app data exists on the device itself, it loads very quickly—unlike a website that relies on web servers and mobile signal strength to deliver information to users.
- Communication and Push Notifications: With an app, patients have a more direct line to your office. Not only can you include phone and email links, but you can also integrate a chat feature for real-time communication. Moreover, mobile apps also allow you to create push notifications that send alerts directly to the phone menu. This function can be especially useful for appointment reminders, office closures due to inclement weather, phone service interruption, and other important announcements.
- Peace of Mind: Accessibility to your dentist is critical. Patients can never anticipate a dental emergency, so having many lines of communication is an important part of extraordinary patient care. For example, having a button on your app that links to an emergency contact number is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to 24/7 dental care.
- Security: Mobile apps are generally a more secure way of transmitting sensitive healthcare information as well. Apps can integrate with many dental practice software programs and allow patients to view records, payments, and insurance data.
- Loyalty Programs: Many companies find that mobile apps are an effective way to encourage brand loyalty. They are able to strengthen customer relations with app benefit features like discounts and special offers. In a dental practice, this might include a credit system that provides reward points based on referrals, dentistry completed, and even social media engagement. Rewards points can be redeemed for things like teeth whitening, discounted dental procedures, and dental products like electric toothbrushes. Dental practices can also offer non-dental benefits like electronics, gift certificates, and branded swag.
- Educational Links and Dental Content: One of the best ways to market your practice is through education. Not only does educational dental content (blogs, vlogs, infographics, webinars, podcasts, etc.) demonstrate your professionalism, but this information also shows the Google algorithm that you’re an authority that deserves a more prominent Google Maps ranking, which means more exposure and new patient calls.
- Sell Products: Dental practices can also sell dental products from an app. If you offer dental care products to your patients, this is a great place to build a library of items for your patients, so they can make purchases quickly and securely.
- Contrast with the Competition: Perhaps one of the most vivid reasons for developing a dental practice mobile app is contrast. All marketing is about creating a contrast with your competition, and a mobile app is one of the best ways to stand apart from the competition in town. Although growing in popularity, mobile apps are still somewhat rare. Investing in this new modality is one more way to show that your dental team is pursuing the most cutting-edge technologies.
Distinguish Your Dental Brand and Grow Your Practice
Standing Apart from Other Dentists and Staying Top of Mind Why Your Practice Needs to Be Unique To successfully develop your practice online, you need to consistently distinguish your dental brand and share that unique brand with people living 7-10 miles from your office. The formula for dental marketing success
