The most recent Practice Management Bulletin published by the American Association of Orthodontists has as it’s focus, internet trends in orthodontics and how they should influence the digital marketing that we use as practicing orthodontists. Katie Maassen, AAO Director of Marketing and Communications, reports the following.
- In 2008, the average time American adults spent with digital media was 2.7 hours and by 2016, it had risen to over 5.6 hours per day.
- In 2013, due to increased access to smartphones, tablets, and laptops, time spent with digital media had already surpassed time spent watching TV.
- YouTube, with over a billion active users, reports that it reaches more 18-49 year olds than any cable network in the US.
Alright, so what do these figures mean to those of us in the trenches of orthodontic practice day in and day out? How can we interpret the information provided and use it to our advantage as we take on the digital marketing world? How can we leverage our patients’ love affair with digital media?
First, it is vital that our websites are engaging and up-to-date. Up-to-date in today’s jargon really means that it needs to use a responsive design. We’ve all heard this term thrown around at meetings. It means that regardless of the size of the screen on which you view your website, it has been optimized to fit that screen. It is also critical to update your site with quality content on a regular basis and to share that information rather than hope someone randomly finds it on the internet.
Okay, now that we all possess the best websites known to man, what’s next? Unfortunately, it is no longer true that if you build it, they will come. You have built it, and now you must make it dance.
As we all know from our daily interaction with our patients, they always, repeat, always have their phones in their hands. Often, you can’t even get them to tear their eyes away from them long enough to complete their planned treatment for that day’s appointment. This is what you need to use to your advantage. Give them a reason to interact with you and your practice on their phone with your very own custom app!
What can your Docs With Apps compliance app and marketing video do for you and your practice?
How can they help you stay current with today’s internet trends in orthodontics and take your marketing efforts to the next level?
It takes your level of care to the next level
If your patients are already on their phones, let’s interact with them directly. Let’s help them help themselves by improving compliance with elastic wear and as a result, complete their treatment on time. Let’s extend our patient care beyond the four walls of our office. Let’s boost our patient care quotient.
It takes your competitive edge to the next level
Is your competition providing their patients with a customized compliance app? If they’re not, they soon will be. This is the way our world is turning. Every store, every website, every everything has an app. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to say to your patients, “There’s an app for that.”
It takes your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to the next level
Your updated, responsive website, your customized compliance app, and your YouTube video presence, are all things that will move you to the top of the list when patients are searching for an orthodontist. In order for your online marketing to be most effective, you need to be on the first page of the search. If you’re stuck on page 2, you may as well not even exist.
