Unless you have been in hiding the past 10 years, you will be aware of the internet phenomenon that is online marketing. But for those that are not computer savvy or confident, the online world can seem daunting.
If you run or own a hotel or restaurant, you know already that it is a highly competitive business. Not only do places compete as the best places to stay or eat, but now they compete to have the best or most interesting online presence.
The truth is that online marketing is complex. The good news is that there are some simple and effective tips that can make a big difference. Having an online presence can be fun and interactive for your fans or customers. Even more importantly it generates those critical sales and bookings.
Read on to find 5 effective online marketing tips that you can start applying to your business today.
1. Chat with your website’s visitors
Do you chat with your website’s visitors? I’m assuming the answer is no.
My observation is that less than 5% of all the dental websites I’ve ever worked with have an online-chat feature.
So I still don’t understand why not so many people are leveraging on that. You have visitors on your website who are somehow interested in your services. Nobody browses through your hotel or a restaurant website because he/she is bored, right?
The faster you address their issues, the bigger is the chance for you to convert these visitors into actual patients.
Having a live chat on your website is the easiest way to accomplish that. There are also services like JivoChat that allow you to consolidate all your chats (Facebook, web chat, WhatsApp, viber, etc.) into one single chat window. That means if the customer sends you a message from Facebook, Viber, WhatsApp, or your website, their message goes to one single chat box, so you can manage it in a breeze.
2. Ask for reviews
Google likes businesses that have a social presence. But you know what else Google loves even more? Businesses that have active social profiles and good reviews.
Not only will Google eventually rank your listing higher, but also that’s a great way to boost your practice’s authority and trustworthiness. This is one of the best results you get with effective online marketing tips for dentists.
The easiest way do this is to ask all your patients to digitally check into your clinic and leave feedback for you. Suggest to them they make this a habit. You can also encourage them with discounts or a free checkup once a year. It’s totally worth it.
3. Highlight your promos
Do you have a current promo you want everybody to know about?
You could post it on social media, or you could spread the word to your in-store clients. But wouldn’t it be nice if you can highlight the news about the promo everywhere on your website?
For that, an app like Hello Bar can very helpful. You can install it very easily, and it will appear on the top sidewide of your website. This will help you make sure none of your visitors miss knowing about the promo.
4. Active Social Media
Remember, the content you are posting is important, no question about it, but what really matters most is the consistency.
Even if you have the greatest posts on the planet but you post only once a month, you’ve lost the battle. Actually, in that case, it’s more likely the users will either block you or unsubscribe from you. You wouldn’t want that to happen.
There are tools like Hootsuite that will make your posting easier. You can post on all the platforms all at once, and you can schedule posts.
Find something interesting or quirky that your business offers that others don’t. Advertise your deals and let your potential customer base know why they should be visiting you. Offer competitions.
Here you can find out more on how to use social media for resturants.
5. Register With Local Directories
Everyone who uses the internet knows about Google maps, but businesses should know more and understand how to get their accurate up to date information online. To do this they need to have Google places. This is specifically important for a hotel or restaurant as they have a physical location in which people visit. If someone is in the local area and they Google where is a good place to eat or stay, you want your address and information there ready for them to find.
But Google isn’t the only local directory there are others such as Tripadvisor, Yelp and Yahoo.
Google is not enough. There are thousands of other directories where you can get clients from. These are local directories like Yelp, Foursquare, Whitepages, etc.
The popular local listings vary in every country, but you have to make sure you’re on these three:
- Google Local Business
- Yahoo! Local
- Yelp
If you’ve noticed, most effective online marketing tips for dentists encourage you to get listed on as many local directories as you can. Exposure is essential if you want to boost up your dental SEO marketing.