This article originally appeared in the November 2020 issue of The Monthly Shift. To recieve The Monthly Shift directly to your inbox sign up for our email newsletter.
93% of consumers recently polled indicated they were more likely to buy from a business that demonstrated empathy. Is your clinic’s marketing strategy leveraging this information?
I recently read through a study commissioned by our favourite accounting system, Xero. It polled over a thousand businesses, and another thousand consumers to learn how their purchasing behaviours have shifted since the pandemic began earlier this year.
Based on this study, there are two marketing tips that I believe could benefit your dental practice. By adding these to your marketing strategy, it's possible your clinic could acquire more patients, even during the pandemic.
Tip #1 Engage in local SEO
Search engine optimization (or SEO) is the process of modifying the content on your website so that search engines like Google can index and find it better. It helps improve the quality and quantity of traffic to your clinic's website by directing patients searching for particular keywords to your site.
Most people have heard about SEO, but not everyone knows it can be localized. You can optimize your website's content to focus on increasing your local traffic on search engines.
For a local dentist, this is a valuable tool. Most of your patients come from your local community, why not target your marketing efforts at them? In fact, 46 percent of Google searches seek local information.
This idea of optimizing locally becomes more powerful when you reflect on the findings of the Xero study that found 39% of consumers purchase from small businesses because they want to contribute to their community.
Tip #2 Focus on empathy
One of the most impressive stats from the Xero study is that 93% of consumers indicated that they would be more likely to buy more from a business that demonstrated empathy.
Furthermore, they'd be more likely to refer additional business to them.
These days, everyone has a fair amount of stress and tension in their lives. Having a higher level of empathy for your patients and the team will go a long way.
So how can you demonstrate empathy with your marketing? By working with your team to improve communication, both over the phone and in the office.
It's also important that your clinic demonstrates your values because 41% of participants in the survey indicates that they'd like to do business with companies that align with their values.
These certainly aren't the only tips that could serve to help you find new clients, but they're a start. The hard part will be implementing them.
I recommend working with a marketing company that can help you achieve your goals.