For dental offices, digital marketing is essential to staying competitive. Using both an unpaid and a paid digital advertising strategy can be an effective way to stay in the game. “Paid digital advertising strategy” most often refers to internet ads—those ads you see in search results, either on the right margin or as the top 3 search results, also called Google’s “3-pack.”

For example, Google AdWords, a digital marketing platform, is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising technique, which means you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. By developing a focused PPC ad campaign, you can drive targeted traffic to your website and generate more new patient appointments.
When utilizing digital advertising in your marketing strategy, it’s important to track your ad performance to understand which campaigns are converting—that is, which ads are actually getting new patients in the door. One way to do this is to use call tracking. This feature provides a dedicated phone number, making it easy to track how many calls and new appointments your practice received as a result of clicking on a paid ad.
Another part of your digital marketing strategy should be A/B testing, also called split or bucket testing. A/B testing is the comparison of two ads, landing pages, apps, etc. against each other to determine the highest performer. If you use Google AdWords you can execute A/B testing by making changes to the following factors:

• Ad copy: Headline, URL, call to action, description, images, colors, and ad extensions.
• Targeting: Demographics, ad groups, and devices.
• Final URL (landing page): Test alternate landing pages for specific ad groups.

To enhance your digital strategy and marketing efforts, we’ve put together a list of dos and don’ts for search engine marketing for dental practices.

DON’T: Ignore your target audience
Identify and focus on the target audience for your search engine marketing. For instance, two distinct target audiences for a dental practice are often:

• Adults between the ages of 27 and 39, both male and female, who are concerned about their appearance. Average income is over $45,000 per year and includes professionals but also includes stay-at-home parents who do have a full-time job outside the home. This group is likely to consider cosmetic procedures, but they are also health conscious.
• Seniors have more time and money, and they are also interested in improving appearance. Average income is over $50,000, usually retirement income, and they don’t have the busy schedule of younger adults with full-time jobs.

DO: Invest money and time
Yes, the internet and social media is basically free to use, but gone are the days when it’s easy to get in front of your target audience on the World Wide Web. With all of the competition taking over the web space, investing money will help you not only get eyes on your content but will allow you to streamline and target who you are reaching, where they want to be reached.

Paid investments such as Google AdWords and Facebook advertising allow you to send a strategically-placed message to your specific target market at a time and a place where they are already spending their time.

A dental offices’ paid search strategy might involve targeting patients who are searching for teeth whitening services, emergency dental care, or pediatric dentistry to enhance their search engine marketing efforts.

DON’T: Skip social media
Engagement on social media has an influence on your Google ranking. The number of shares and the usefulness of content on social media can affect this.

People are highly influenced by a recommendation from someone they know, and social media is one of the best ways to leverage word-of-mouth advertising through ratings and referrals. Encourage patients to follow your practice on Facebook or Twitter and check-in by posting reminders in your waiting room or including it on appointment cards. On Instagram, encourage patients to “show us your smile” and tag your practice in their smile photos. Post videos on a regular basis and integrate personal content with dental-related information to increase engagement and help with search engine marketing efforts.

DO: Create quality content
The most important rule for marketing on social media is to create quality content that your followers want to see, matched to clearly defined objectives in alignment with your marketing strategy. If your objective is to find more patients, your content should reflect how your practice stands out from your competitors and utilize great reviews from past clients. On the other hand, perhaps you want to increase interest in your cosmetic procedures. In that case, provide content that makes patients aware of the services you offer. Always keep your target audience in mind your and make sure your content defines how your practice will meet their needs.

Consistent blogging can help to establish you as a thought leader and attract new patients by demonstrating that your practice has the knowledge and expertise they’re looking for to solve their particular problem. Ensure that your posts include keywords—dental practice, teeth whitening, dental impacts, for example—to improve search engine rankings. To find keywords, do a search for words or phrases related to your services. Google AdWords as well as keyword.io provides a Keyword Planner to help you find keywords. Or, you can ask for help. Once you’ve selected the words you like, you can add them to your content, working them into the title, text, and description of the post.

Examples of blog post ideas include dental tips, end-of-year reminders to use insurance benefits, issues your older patients should be aware of, and the different types of dentists and dental specialists, to name a few.

DO: Use a landing page to capture visitor information
A landing page is the destination of a lead that has clicked on your digital ad. Effective landing pages provide the lead with information promoted by the ad, info about your business, and a form where they enter information that your business wants to capture, and an effective CTA, or call to action. Examples of landing pages include:

• An appointment request form
• Contact Us form
• Promotional offers
• Blog or newsletter sign-up page on your website
• Downloadable material, such as a “Guide to Cleaning Your Braces” or “How Invisalign Works”

DON’T: Overlook SEO on-page optimization
It’s important to develop effective marketing strategies for your dental office, including search engine optimization (SEO) to increase your website’s online visibility. Improving your Google ranking is critical. Effective SEO can help you rank higher when people search the internet for your services. When searching for a new dentist, more than 70% of people begin their search on Google, but they rarely look beyond the first page of search results, so you want to make an effort to rank on the first page.

On-page SEO optimization is essential for targeting a local audience. Ensure that your website makes it clear where your practice is located. Include it on your homepage, your contact page, and other pages of your website. Identify and use keywords that will help reveal your dental practice in organic search results. In other words, you might seed your website content and metadata with words and phrases like teeth whitening, cosmetic dentistry, dental implant costs, and cost of braces. However, be careful not to overdo it. “Keyword stuffing” is not  necessary

Use variations of phrasing to optimize for keywords. For example:

• Dentist in Virginia Beach
• Virginia Beach dentist
• Virginia Beach, VA., dentist

In addition to effective SEO, be sure to accurately complete Local Business Claiming at Google My Business for all of your dental offices.

It takes time and effort to attract new dental patients. Ensure that you are deploying your resources in the most effective way for both organic and paid search by developing a strategic search engine marketing approach.

Get started today!

• Identify your target market.
• Determine your advertising budget and how much you will spend on paid search efforts.
• Establish or grow your social media presence with a focused effort on increasing engagement.
• Identify blog post topics and create an editorial calendar.
• Determine the type of landing pages that will be most effective in helping achieve your specific objectives.
• Research keywords and review existing web content for effective dental practice SEO.

Need help with your dental office marketing strategy? Contact your local Valpak representative today!

For the past several years, automakers have experienced record sales growth fueled by discounts, rebates, and attractive financing terms. Consumers who have held off on buying a new vehicle during the recession—the average vehicle on American roads is 12 years old—may be motivated to help dealers continue the trend of sales growth in 2017.

Along with rollbacks in regulations, a cut in corporate taxes, and new investments in infrastructure, the auto industry could be poised to reap the benefits of an improving economy. This is not to suggest that dealerships can relax, however. Continuing the trend of sales growth will require savvy marketing to stay competitive.

We say “may” and “could” because more than ever, consumers have access to a tremendous amount of information and knowledge. It’s essential that your car dealership marketing taps into this information flow. You need to produce relevant and useful content you need to consistently connect with consumers to increase awareness, create desire, and influence purchase decisions through convenience and offers.

Direct Mail
Even in the age of digital marketing, direct mail remains a powerful way to influence consumers. Direct mail pieces that use rich images are more likely to attract your customer’s attention. Additionally, consumers are more likely to respond to direct mail advertising that includes information on options, financing, and leasing information, as well as special offers.

Use direct mail to send current offers to surrounding neighborhoods or target car owners of vehicles that are over 5 years old. With direct mail, you can promote special offers inside a mailer like the Valpak Blue Envelope®, on an oversized postcard, or even in a circular that displays severals models in your inventory.

Online Reviews
Don’t underestimate the importance of online reviews. Millennials, in particular, rely on reviews from their peers when making purchase decisions. It’s important to monitor your dealership’s reviews on Facebook, Google, and other platforms, as well as to follow up with replies. Good reviews are valuable. Use them as testimonials on your website, on social media, and in your advertising materials.

Video Marketing
Video has become a powerful marketing tool. Consumers are increasingly turning to video for information on brands and products. Develop a video marketing plan to use on your website and on social media. Your dealership marketing video doesn’t have to involve a professional videographer. Consider taking a video that tours a new automobile model from the buyer’s view, pointing out unique aspects of the vehicle.

Website Development
Online car shopping is more prevalent than ever. With competitors like Carvana.com, Carmax, Autotrader, and other surfacing online sites, it’s imperative that your dealership website is constantly updated to reflect actual inventory, current prices and offers, financing options, live chat, home delivery options, and more, in order to compete with the changing terrain.

Finally, keep in mind that consumers want a smooth, easy experience when purchasing a car. Use technology to streamline and improve the finance and insurance process. Your marketing materials should emphasize your dealership’s easy car buying process and provide some specifics on how you’ve implemented new strategies to get customers in and out of the dealership quickly.

By leveraging new technologies, as well as more traditional marketing methods, dealerships can stay competitive and be well positioned to compete in a market that may experience a decline in sales following eight consecutive years of growth. Today’s car buying consumer maintains high expectations for connection, response, trust, and reliability. You can help meet that need through timely and effective marketing.

Hustle and negotiation will remain a critical element of growth, but effective marketing will enable dealerships to leverage an improving economy and the easing of regulations to continue the positive sales trends of recent years.

Get started today:

• Research the ways in which your customer is accessing information and develop a plan for increasing your dealership’s visibility on these platforms.
• Develop a content marketing plan for your website and social media, offering relevant information that consumers will find useful to help keep your brand top of mind and build trust.
• Review your direct mail materials and revise as needed to ensure that you’re using rich images and providing the kind of information that will motivate consumers to purchase.
• Develop a plan for monitoring and responding to online reviews. Have a strategy for handling negative reviews and make use of good reviews by using them as testimonials.
• Brainstorm ideas for video content, such as a behind-the-scenes look at your dealership, an in-depth review of new features (particularly technology that allows drivers to stay connected), or an interview with one of your mechanics or a finance person. Use videos on your website and on social media.
• Develop a plan for streamlining the car-buying process. Once you’ve implemented an improved process, promote it in your marketing materials to let people know that your dealership values their time and will do everything possible to make their car-buying experience a pleasant one.

Need help developing an effective marketing plan for your automotive dealership? Contact your local Valpak marketing coach to find out how our marketing solutions can help drive your automotive sales.

It won’t be much longer before it’s the second Sunday in May and your customers are celebrating another Mother’s Day. This represents a major opportunity to increase profits—after all, there were 85 million moms in the US in 2016, and more than $21 billion was spent on the holiday in 2015. Your advertising campaign can go a long way toward tapping into that, while also strengthening your relationship with your customers.

In today’s post, we’ll discuss tips on how to approach this holiday and share five Mother’s Day marketing ideas you can use for this year’s campaign.

Not Just Flowers and Food
When it comes to buying gifts for mom, there’s the gifts that everyone expects: flowers, food, and jewelry. But the truth is, there’s a lot of room in holiday spending for a mother-load of other options. After all, while 67% of consumers bought flowers for Mother’s Day that only represented a little over $2 billion in spending. Only 35% of American consumers spend on jewelry for the holiday.  The average spend per customer was $172 in 2016.

That means one of the places customers spend for Mother’s Day could be your store, no matter what kind of store that is. In fact, 27% of Americans will shop for their gifts online and another 23% plan to spend at a small or local business. Nearly 30% will shop at specialty stores, and 55% will be looking for special outings. If the holiday isn’t cornered by a particular market or kind of store that means it’s going to come down to your message and the value that you’re offering.

Be Emotionally Creative
It’s important to remember that Mother’s Day is an emotional holiday. While emails that feature “Mother’s Day” as the opening of their subject lines see 16% higher engagement rates, those that evoke emotion see 21% higher open rates in the critical weeks leading up to the holiday itself. Furthermore, 63% of American moms want gifts to include quality time with their families, while a quarter of them want a “gift of experience.”

Essentially, it won’t be enough to declare something is for moms and slap a discount on it. Moms—and the people shopping for them—are looking for something significantly more meaningful. Take the 2016 #OneToughMother campaign from Teleflora. Yes, the industry is one typical to Mother’s Day, but the approach is a powerful one that any industry can learn from. It speaks to the dedication and sacrifices mothers make, acknowledging them with the respect they deserve while stirring a sense of affection and gratitude in their children and spouses.

Marketing Ideas You Can Use
While the most common techniques used for luring in shoppers for Mother’s Day are free shipping and price cuts (55% and 44% respectively), they don’t do much to elevate your brand above the other marketing noise. Take advantage of these five Mother’s Day marketing ideas to set your brand apart and capture the attention of moms and shoppers alike.

1. Distribute a Gift Guide

Personalization, thanks to data, is key to a lot of marketing, and that’s not any different when reaching out to the spouses and children that are shopping for mom. Putting together a personalized gift guide based on mom’s preferences (or even purchase history) to help loved ones pick out gifts not only allows shoppers to pick out something special but shows your business cares about customers as well.

1. Package Products or Services for Mom at a Discount

While technically this works out to a price cut, the impression it makes is more than a mere discount. By combining products or services and discounting the package deal (i.e., it would be more expensive to buy each part individually) just for mom, you provide an element of exclusivity that can be exciting. It also entices a purchase that includes products or services customers may not have otherwise purchased.

1. Offer Tangible Gifts for Mom with Service Purchases

Not every gift can be wrapped, yet the unwrapping of presents creates a special moment shared by the family. If you offer services or experiences (e.g., gym memberships, spa visits, or well-deserved vacations) consider investing in promotional gifts (e.g., a gift basket, a box of chocolates) that can be wrapped or presented to mom.

1. Host Special Events

There are two ways to approach this particular tip. For the first, you can host special events that include mom. For example, customers arriving at your business with mom could grant special access to discounts, samples, or demonstrations. Advertise the event in advance to drum up attendance. The second is to host family-friendly (especially kid-friendly) events leading up to the holiday. With special selections or even discounts especially for kids, you make shopping a fun experience for them and entice spouses to shop with you as well.

1. Run Social Media Contests Recognizing Moms

Social is a key driver for engagement and word of mouth and can be very influential in the early decision-making stages. Tap into social media contests by celebrating moms as part of the entry process. For instance, if you run the contest on Instagram, contestants could enter to win by posting a selfie with their mom and a contest-specific hashtag. Winners could be announced on Mother’s Day, and prizes could include products or services.
Costs per impressions, or CPMs, are actually highest in the two weeks leading up to Mother’s Day, so it’s not too late to develop or improve your holiday campaign with our Mother’s Day marketing ideas. No matter what kind of industry you operate in or what kind of store you run, there’s going to be an effective promotion to help generate engagement and lift sales.

Develop Your Mother’s Day Marketing Strategy Today!

• Be sure to start strategizing your advertising campaign now so you can begin your outreach as your customers are starting their decision-making process. Waiting until the last minute will mean your competitors have one mother of an edge on you.
• Planning now means you’ll be able to schedule and bid on the ad spots you need for digital and direct mail.
• Always remember that if moms are part of your target customer base, you can market specifically to them for Mother’s Day. It comes down to adding value to their experience as customers and strengthening their relationship with your brand.
• Evaluate your Mother’s Day marketing plan in light of the tips in this article. Are you approaching the holiday from the right perspective? Can you apply any of the suggested tactics to your campaign?
• Be sure to connect with mothers emotionally and use your message to make them feel recognized and special. Simply slapping a Mother’s Day discount on products isn’t enough.

​Need help? Valpak can help you promote your Mother’s Day offers using print, digital and direct mail in our 2017 Mother’s Day themed promos. Contact your local Valpak Marketing Coach for details.