Targeted Advertising To Reach Ready-To-Book Patients

How do you find those patients who are actively looking for dental work?

Step into the world of digital paid advertising, where your dental practice takes the spotlight for those who are looking for or ready to book their appointments. 

Think of it as a way to wave to people who are actively searching for dental help. With digital paid advertising, you pay only when someone clicks on your ad – a smart way to make every dollar count.

Crafting a Google or Bing Ads campaign is like creating a special invitation. It’s very important to pick the right keywords to not only match what people are looking for but also their intent (this is where most go wrong!), this makes sure your ad reaches exactly the right people

Then, you design an ad that matches what they are looking for and intent – it’s like giving them a reason to say, “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m after and I want to know more!”

In a nutshell, digital paid advertising is like putting up a sign exactly where people are looking. It’s all about making it easier for those ready to book to choose your clinic and take the next step toward better oral health.

Tips to make you stand out from the pack and get you results:

I could talk about the standard items such as a well-organised Google Ads account, targeting the right keywords but you need to do more than this to get ahead of your competitors. Here are some tips:

• Make sure you add negative keywords (specific search terms you wish to exclude) into your Google Ads account. This will refine your audience to focus solely on potential patients ready-to-book. By excluding searches tied to comparisons, at-home kits, competitor queries, or “cheap” keywords, especially if you operate a higher-priced clinic for example, you’ll optimise your budget and effectively target the most promising leads.

• Use ad extensions such as phone number, address (linked to Google Maps), links to specific pages below your ad, Google reviews rating, special offers callouts, and images of your clinic and team. These will help your clinic stand out in search results and increase your chances of a patient clicking your link.

• Make sure your phone number is featured in your ads during your clinic operating hours. You don’t want to direct someone to call when no one is there to talk to them. This could lead to them to going back to searching and finding a different dentist!

• Do you offer distinctive advantages compared to your competitors? For example, do you have extended operating hours on weekends or unique treatment options? Sometimes, running a campaign targeting your competitors as a keyword, and highlighting your unique features against that local competitor in the ads, can be effective in showcasing your differences and attracting new (their) patients.

Magic of Retargeting

I highly recommend leveraging Meta (Facebook & Instagram) advertising, with a primary emphasis on retargeting your website visitors. This is done using a Meta Pixel. 

Think of this type of advertising as your clinic’s friendly post-it notes. Once someone checks out your website, imagine these digital notes following them around online for a week, just like a helpful reminder. These notes are there to gently encourage the patient to make that booking with you so they don’t forget!

This approach significantly boosts conversion chances and reinforces your clinic’s presence in their minds.

BUT! keep in mind, even having the best paid ads strategy is useless unless you are driving these patients to a optimised website designed for them to take ACTION.