What is content marketing?

Content marketing is a strategic approach to captivating and retaining an audience by publishing relevant content like articles, videos, and podcasts. This technique establishes expertise and makes sure your dental practice is top of mind when people are ready to find a dentist. 

Content marketing has become more than a buzzword in today’s dental marketing strategies. In fact, according to the Content Marketing Institute, 70% of B2C marketers use content marketing as a key part of their strategies. And you guessed it: Videos, blogs, and images lead the content-creation pack. 

This isn’t just a trend for dental practices—it’s a lifeline. This article unveils 5 actionable ways you as a dental practice owner can capitalize on the power of content marketing to engage your ideal audience and elevate your online presence.

From blogs and newsletters to social media posts and videos, content marketing is about delivering valuable information to your current and potential patients. Here’s what content marketing done right can do for your practice:

• Enhance online presence: Elevate online visibility by offering educational content that addresses patients’ pain points through your website or social media.
• Establish authority: Build trust and position your practice as the go-to authority in your community on specific dental topics.
• Generate quality leads: Drive traffic through informative content that converts leads into patients.

5 Ways To Engage Your Audience With Valuable Content

Blogs serve as SEO-rich resources that boost search engine rankings. But content of value can also include videos, podcasts, infographics, and more. Videos, for example, stand out as a powerful engagement tool.

Whether crafting blogs or videos or anything in between, these tips will help you maximize your efforts:

1. Quality Over Quantity

Many experts recommend posting new content at least once a week, twice if possible. Prioritize putting out high-quality content that answers readers’ real-life questions. Engaging material establishes credibility and fosters lasting connections with your audience. So if you’re just starting out, focus on quality first. You can work up to a higher volume later.

2. Storytelling

A compelling narrative not only inspires action but also connects patients with your brand. This is why storytelling is a favorite content marketing strategy for many dental practices. By harnessing the emotional impact of storytelling, your practice can establish a profound connection with patients. 

OneSpot found that 92% of consumers express a desire for content that unfolds like stories. Moreover, 55% are more inclined to remember a narrative over a list of facts. Storytelling proves to be an effective way to evoke emotions, forge connections, and leave a lasting impression on both new and existing patients.

3. Visual Content

Visual aids not only capture attention but also convey information more effectively. Boost engagement by incorporating elements like images, infographics, and videos. Research shows that the information-retention rate for visual learning is around 35% after 72 hours. However, the real power lies in combining audio and visual aspects for an impressive 65% retention rate after the same time frame. 

This highlights the effectiveness of a multimedia approach in information retention. Consider integrating both auditory and visual elements into your content marketing efforts for optimal impact.

4. Consistency

Maintaining a consistent social media posting schedule demonstrates your dedication to generating engaging content and offers your audience a continual source of interest and entertainment. In contrast, irregular posting, especially when limited to promotional or sponsored content, erodes trust over time. 

To build a strong connection with your audience, it’s crucial to consistently deliver valuable and varied content, showcasing your commitment to their interests and enjoyment.

5. Audience-Centric Approach

Neglecting to grasp patients’ preferences might inadvertently repel them due to disjointed data points. It’s important to form your content around a unified, customer-centric strategy to guarantee its relevance. By aligning content production with a comprehensive understanding of what your target audience is looking for, you create a seamless, tailored experience that resonates effectively.

What To Prioritize First in Your Content Marketing 

As you set out to execute your new strategy, avoid overwhelming yourself. Set realistic goals that align with your target audience and prioritize relevant topics and platforms. 

We recommend considering these SEO-friendly and dental practice-centric tips:

• Conduct dental-specific keyword research. Make it a high-priority, low-effort task to discover keywords relevant to your practice.
• Analyze dental competitors. Evaluate the strategies of competing practices within your geographical area to refine your approach.
• Maintain a dental editorial calendar. Keep your dental content organized and strategic with a well-maintained editorial calendar. This form of calendar typically includes tactics such as social media updates, blog posts, marketing campaigns, and video content.
• Create dental content for each marketing-funnel stage. Tailor content to address dental needs at different stages of patient engagement.
• Update and repurpose content. Maximize efforts by refreshing and repurposing existing dental content for ongoing relevance.
• Balance evergreen content with trending topics. Maintain a balance between timeless information and current trends to appeal to a broad audience.

Measure dental content analytics. 

In addition, make sure to regularly assess the performance of your dental content through analytics to refine your strategy. Keep an eye on content-marketing metrics such as traffic source, click-through rate, content shares, backlinks, bounce rate, and keyword rankings.

Develop dental content hubs.

Organize content into dental-centric hubs for easy navigation and enhanced user experience. A content hub is a thoughtful collection of branded content centered around a particular topic. It allows readers to explore an area where your practice has expertise. Unlike promotional platforms, content hubs are not for selling products or services. 

Elevate your practice’s engagement through strategic dental marketing.

To get the most out of your marketing efforts, you must embrace content marketing as a key growth strategy. Set realistic goals, focus on audience-aligned topics, and utilize effective platforms. Then by conducting keyword research, analyzing competitors, and maintaining an editorial calendar, you can enhance your dental practice’s online presence even further. 

Once you get started, be sure to include a mix of evergreen and trending content, periodically update your existing materials, and create content hubs around specific dental needs. Consult with our dental marketing leaders at Jameson Management & Marketing for personalized guidance on maximizing your content marketing strategy.