Don’t be a Dinosaur  

As a society, we’ve acclimated to ordering rideshares and take-out from mobile apps or planning our weekly dinners through online meal kit services. It’s an unfortunate reality that dentistry is still catching up. And although many doctors recognize that digital marketing is necessary in today’s world, there are few dentists who make it possible for their patients to connect virtually with their team. 

If you’re already reaching your current and potential patients online, that’s great! But making it

possible for your patients to connect virtually with your practice gives you an edge over your competition. These opportunities could be just the thing a patient needs to get a question answered, to get to know you a bit better, to encourage that sense of trust that’s so critical in the healthcare space. 

Going virtual is a major differentiator that can maximize the success of your digital marketing campaigns. Here are just a few of the platforms and tools that give your patients easy and convenient ways to connect, and provide you with precious opportunity to build trust and rapport. Implement one of all of these tools, and watch as they help you bridge the gap between computer/cell phone screens and your operatory chairs:

1. Virtual Consults

Patients can put off treatment for any number of reasons, most often because of a lack of information. They may not know what treatment they need, whether or not they can afford it, or what to expect from the procedure, the practice, or the doctor. Virtual consults make it possible for patients to “meet” you before their first visit so you can provide the information they need to make the best decisions for their healthcare.

Virtual consults also offer you a convenient way to connect with prospective new patients, while reducing the risk of no-shows. Now you can protect your time with a more streamlined way to conduct consults, and save your schedule for more of the quality cases you want!

A well-built virtual consultation platform will integrate seamlessly with your digital

marketing campaigns. Expect a conversion-optimized landing page for your ads and a beautifully designed widget or page element for your website. The patient experience should be simple with easy-to-follow instructions, and the doctor’s portal should allow you to easily connect and follow-up with all your leads. 

Looking for a smart and reliable virtual consult platform? Wonderist Agency recommends our sister company, Your Virtual Consult. 

Get an exclusive discount code and join us today! 

Why Virtual Consults? 

• Connect with patients who are apprehensive about going into offices 
• Build trust with patients without obligation or pressure to commit
• Low barrier to entry option for consults or second opinions  
• Lead generator that seamlessly integrates with digital marketing campaigns 

2. Live Chat

Having live chat on your website offers a quick and convenient way for your potential and current patients to speak directly with your practice in real-time. Not all patients want to pick up a phone to ask questions, and live chat helps both your front office team and your patients save time. It also enables your practice to initiate a conversation with someone who might be passively considering your practice, allowing you to build rapport and turn a lead into a new patient. 

Marketing agencies, especially those who specialize in digital marketing, offer customized live chat widgets that are branded to your practice! With a live chat feature, you can build out automatic triggers based on a visitor’s behavior or the pages they’ve visited. If your chat operator isn’t online, live chat also makes it easy to collect contact information for follow-up. 

Why Live Chat? 

• Connect with passive browsers 
• Answer questions in real-time 
• Create automatic responses based on behaviors and queries  
• Seamless integration into existing website 

3. Online Scheduling

Patients look for practices with convenient scheduling options — they’re not always searching during your office’s hours of operation, and they’re not likely to wait until you can answer the phone. Make sure your practice has the most convenient way to book an appointment with online scheduling.

Wonderist (and myself) recommend LocalMed; their product is easy to use and provides your patients a way to schedule directly from your website through a pop-up or embed. Most importantly, LocalMed is the only online scheduling tool that provides data tracking and lead attribution, providing you with additional insights about the marketing campaigns that drive your online appointments. 

Why Online Scheduling? 

• Convenient scheduling option for both patients and team 
• Low barrier to entry for patients 
• No risk of losing a lead/patient due to hours of operation 
• Data tracking and insights for future marketing campaigns 

Written by Wonderist Agency. For further details and to learn more head on over to their website and check them out:  https://www.yourvirtualconsult.com/

Also, if you do decide to use YourVirtual Consult, just know we have a DEAL with them if you use our name: The Dental Marketer

Use code THEDENTALMARKETER to waive your $500 start-up cost and lock in a monthly rate of $199 a month.