by Adam Hyman

There are two particularly nagging problems with marketing and managing a dentistry practice today: 1) not having a grasp on the ROI of search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, and 2) lost revenue resulting from missed appointments. Yet both of these challenges can be solved by two simple voice-based marketing automation solutions.

Measure Appointments Set From SEO Investment

Many dentists recognize the value of investing in SEO because, without it, competitors consistently get the leads simply by virtue of a higher search engine ranking. Indeed, if you choose to use search engine optimization and online ads campaigns to generate leads, it’s imperative to understand the effectiveness of each strategy in order to optimize your marketing budget.

So how do you know which keywords are leading to new appointments, not just higher rankings and more visitors?

Well, you can measure which keywords and search engines actually generate new appointments by using Call Tracking software on your website. By using Call Tracking software to measure calls from specific marketing efforts, you can optimize your website for keywords that are actually generating more appointments, not just more visitors who don’t contact your practice.

Reduce No-Shows By Automating Appointment Confirmation Calls

Another common nuisance is the missed appointment. By the time you realize your patient isn’t coming, it may be too late to schedule another appointment, leaving open space in your schedule. A simple automated reminder call can solve this problem, while keeping your staff free to do other tasks. You can remind patients of their appointments with personalized phone calls.

Ask patients to confirm, and if they need to reschedule, re-route them to the appropriate contact. Some solutions even have the capability to leave live voicemails. It’s a reality that things come up and appointments are cancelled, but the extra reminder can certainly reduce the frequency of no-shows.

Both of these strategies are easily implemented, either within the practice or by an outside company. What’s more, they automate mundane and often time-consuming tasks. In short, these approaches will save the valuable time of your dentists, hygienists and administrative staff, allowing them to spend more time directly caring for patients in the office.

This entry posted Monday, May 23rd, 2011 at 9:21 pm - Filed under Common Interest, Tracking Progress. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.