DIGITAL STRATEGY STARTER GUIDE
1 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 3 But First, a Few Questions 4 Website Design 5 Search Engine Optimization 7 Content Marketing 9 Social Media 11 Online Reputation Management 14 Online Advertising 15 Prioritizing Your Strategies 17
2 INTRODUCTION
Over the last decade, digital marketing has transformed the world around us. It has changed our approach to marketing and branding, increased the footprint of small businesses and shaped the way people find what they need. But digital marketing is not just about creating flashy websites and cleverly worded ads anymore. It’s about identifying and providing important information, enhancing customer experiences and having a measurable impact on a practice’s bottom line. But as technology and business become more intertwined, it’s important to strike a balance between innovation and experimentation while carefully prioritizing your practice’s digital initiatives.
In our experience, prioritizing a digital strategy takes a huge amount of discipline, as well as a holistic understanding of your challenges and opportunities. We intend for this starter guide to be used as a tool for those in any stage of their marketing program to assess, refresh and implement helpful strategies.
On the following pages, we’ve compiled the basics to help provide you some guidance in determining what might present the greatest potential value to your practice. We’ve developed a corresponding checklist for each strategy so that you can take inventory of what is done and what needs to be done.
Enjoy.
3 BUT FIRST, A FEW QUESTIONS
Before jumping into prioritizing your digital marketing strategy, it’s important to know the answers to some questions. You’ll want to know these specifics as it relates to each tactic outlined so that you can properly prioritize.
1. PURPOSE a. What is the purpose of doing this? b. Does it align with the goals and objectives of the practice?
2. PEOPLE a. Who are the best people to execute on this project? b. How long will it take them to complete the task? c. Do we have the right resources?
3. PRICE a. How much does it cost to successfully implement? b. Is there an ongoing cost associated with it? c. How much are we willing to commit each month?
4. PERFORMANCE a. Have we established baseline metrics to track against? b. What does ongoing tracking look like? c. How will we determine success?
4 WEBSITE DESIGN
The most elegant user experiences online have the simplest design structures. You wouldn’t fill your reception area with reading material from floor to ceiling, so follow suit with your website and make sure photos and videos are impactful and clean. It’s also important that your website works perfectly on all devices, guiding visitors on their journey from research to conversion.
DESIGN & USER EXPERIENCE
• Are headlines informative and quick to read? • Is all the most important content at the top of the page? • Is there enough white space so that my messages are clear? • Do calls to action buttons contrast against the background? • Is navigation menu clear and usable? • Does every link on the site work? • Is it easy for a user to know where they are on the site even if they are a few pages deep?
PHOTOS & IMAGES • Are the photos relevant to the page and high quality? PEOPLE ARE • Are there before & after photos? • Do all images have ALT tags? DITCHING • Could your images be retina-display? So, the text and images being displayed have a higher pixel display DESKTOP and are extremely crisp. COMPUTERS FOR PHONES SO MAKE SURE YOUR WEBSITE WORKS ON ANY DEVICE
5 WEBSITE DESIGN
70% MOBILE OF • Is the website responsive to all devices? CONSUMERS • Is the website content easily consumable on a phone/tablet? USE • Do you have a click-to-call phone number on your website? • Are your images optimized for mobile viewing? CLICK- • Can visitors using mobile get to any page within a few clicks? TO- CALL FEATURES CONTENT ON MOBILE • Is the copy succinct but informative? DEVICES • Does my content solve my audience’s problem? • Is the content focused on results? • Are bodies of text broken into easy-to-read chunks? • Is the font size, colour and spacing easy to read?
WHEN DEVELOPING A FORM, CONVERSION ASK PEOPLE • Is my call to action (CTA) clear and strategic? • Is the CTA visible above the fold on the home page? TO COMPLETE • Is contact information and phone number prominent and ONLY AS easy to find (within a few seconds)? • Is my contact form simple and does it include only MUCH WORK necessary fields? AS YOU • Does my form result in a thank you page that sets expectations for timing and method of follow up? THINK IS FAIR • Do you offer live chat, virtual/remote consultation to save IN EXCHANGE the customer time and answer their questions & queries FOR THE quickly? OFFERING.
6 SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
In simple terms, search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing content in order to increase visibility in search engine results. The reason we put so much effort into SEO both on your website and in other areas of the web is so search engines can generate traffic to relevant content you’ve created.
While it may not be our first instinct, it’s extremely important that your website content is written for humans first and search engines second. Always prepare your website content for your audience, and then optimize it for search. After all, website content is meant to be read, not just ranked.
FOUNDATION
• Can important content be navigated to easily from the home page? • Does the site have an XML sitemap? • Is there a custom 404 page? • Are all page titles relevant and short? • Are page URLs clear, short and pertinent to the page? • Do all pages have body content that is appropriate and relevant to the page? • Is there adequate internal linking to promote other pages on the site?
IMPLEMENTING SEO ON YOUR WEBSITE CAN RESULT IN DOUBLE OR TRIPLE DIGIT IMPROVEMENTS IN CONVERSION
7 SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
PERFORMANCE
• Is the website optimized for mobile devices? • Are files compressed to avoid slow page loading? • Are page load times less than 3 seconds? • Are any pages unresponsive or experiencing page timeouts? • Are all links correct and include titles? • Are robots.txt scanning pages without any crawling issues?
METADATA
• Are all title tags placed within the
tag of the HTML document? • Do all images have ALT text? • Do all pages contain meta descriptions? • Are keywords used in every page’s meta tags? • Is any meta description duplicated on pages within the website? • Is the six-heading tag format followed to give pages structure (i.e. to )?
VISITORS THAT FIND YOUR SITE VIA ORGANIC SEARCH CONVERT AT 8X THE RATE OF VISITORS ATTRACTED BY ADVERTISING 8 CONTENT MARKETING
Content marketing is a long-term strategy that focuses on less immediate results than others. Rather, it focuses on building an ongoing relationship with your audience by regularly providing relevant, quality content.
Content marketing can take many shapes and formats, but some of them include blogs, videos and emails. For example, this Digital Strategy Starter Guide is a piece of content marketing – it provides you valuable content, thus establishing trust in TIO services. Regardless of format, you’ll want your content to be a useful resource that visitors want to share.
BLOGS COMPANIES WITH A BLOG • Is the point of the content established right away? THAT POST • Is the text broken up into short chunks? • Have bullets and headings been used when ONCE PER appropriate? MONTH GET • Is grammar, spelling and punctuation correct on every post? • Is the writing conversational and natural? 55% MORE • Does the post link to other helpful resources or LEADS THAN have a call to action? THOSE THAT • Has the blog been regularly updated? DON’T
9 CONTENT MARKETING
VIDEOS
• If video is not professionally filmed or edited, is it representative of the practice’s professionalism? • Does it feature doctors or key staff that establish expertise? • Is the video under 2 minutes? • Is the file size optimized or is the video streaming from another service? • Has auto-play functionality been turned off?
CONTENT CAN EASILY BE REPURPOSED ACROSS SOCIAL CHANNELS & THROUGH EMAIL CAMPAIGNS
• Is there a strong subject line that encourages readers to open the email? • Do all links work properly? • Do all images load? • Does the email include contact information for the practice? • Is there a purpose for the email and is the CTA clear? • Has the email list been segmented into groups that align with practice strategies? • Are all important KPIs being measured and tracked?
10 SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media allows businesses and orthodontists alike the opportunity to promote products and services in a way that is more informal, casual and fun. Since it’s used by all generations, it’s important to look at the demographics of your following to determine your audience and shape content to be applicable to them. While social media may not be always be used to increase sales directly, it should be viewed as a marketing campaign that can get potential customers to your profile or website where they can convert into a lead. BRANDING
• Is branding consistent across all social channels? • Is tone of voice and language consistent no matter where it’s written? • Does the logo and name match across social platforms? • Is the creative good and quality?
• Is it set up as a business page being managed and owned by someone on the team? • Is the About section completed with a short description and applicable info? • Is the website URL in the about section? • Is the phone number listed and hours outlined correctly? • Is the physical address filled in and are locations being tagged properly? • Is the post content engaging and fun for followers? • Is someone monitoring and responding to comments from followers? • Contests being run? • Are you asking for reviews? • Is someone promoting the page through the website and in the office? • Is the content fun, personal and conversational? • Are there posts at least 4 times a week at a minimum?
WHEN USING PAID SOCIAL ADVERTISING, NOT DRIVING POTENTIAL PATIENTS TO YOUR SITE IS A LOST OPPORTUNITY
11 SOCIAL MEDIA
INSTAGRAM YOUTUBE
• Is the username applicable to the • Is the username applicable to the practice? practice? • Is the bio section filled out with a • Do you want to advertise or create description, website URL and address? content for YouTube? • Are appropriate hashtags being used • Do you have the time to create on posts? relevant and regular content? • Is the feed cohesive with similar colours • Is someone regularly checking and composition so that when viewing for comments and responding as on a grid, it looks put together and needed? clean? • Have you invested in editing • Have you tagged photos or videos software to ensure your videos are with vbrands or people slick and cohesive to the brand? featured? • Do all your videos have relevant • Are analytics being regularly titles and optimised descriptions so monitored? they appear in searches? • Are there posts at least 2 times a week at a minimum? • Is someone regularly checking for comments and responding as needed? TIKTOK
• Can you offer quick & reactive entertainment? • Can you create content regularly? SNAPCHAT • Will you create content just for the TikTok platform? • Is the username applicable to the • Will your videos create fast practice? laughs & be relevant to your • Will you be posting regular content? practice? • Will you be creating a brand profile • Do you want to be seen as for your practice? authentic to your customers/ • Will you be posting organically or audience? paid? • Do you want to target the Gen Z • Do you want to target the millennial demographic? generation? • Is someone promoting the page • Is someone promoting the page through the website and in the through the website and in the office? office? 12 SOCIAL MEDIA
• Do you have eye catching content & imagery that can be used? • Is the username applicable to the practice? • Is someone promoting the page through the website and in the office? • Is the feed cohesive with similar colours and composition so that when viewing on a grid, it looks put together and clean?
PAID SOCIAL
• Is paid social advertising being used to promote a specific campaign or specific service? • Do all paid ads link to a conversion page where you can get lead information? • Have all targeting options been explored including custom audiences, lookalike audiences and automatic targeting? • Are all ads being targeted to your geographic location? • Is ad content being A/B tested to determine what performs better on different social channels? • For quality video content, are you using Instagram Stories Ads or Video Ads? • For exceptional photography, are you using Instagram Carousel Ads? • Has a well-performing post been promoted using Facebook Promoted Posts? • Is ad performance being monitored and optimized regularly?
THERE ARE MORE THAN 25 MILLION BUSINESS PROFILES ON INSTAGRAM
13 ONLINE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
Online reputation management for orthodontists and dental practices has never been more important than it is today. Your online reputation consists of testimonials, reviews, feedback, and recommendations that your patients leave on anywhere online.
Online reviews are one of the top factors individuals consider before making a purchasing decision or choosing to visit a local business, so be sure that you’re looking after yours and doing what you can to ensure it’s positive. WEBSITE
• Are there patient reviews/testimonials on the website? • Are there images and videos that support patient testimonials when possible? • Are the reviews featured on multiple pages (margins, headers, footers)? • Does the site feature reviews/testimonials from 3rd party review sources like Google Reviews, Yelp or Facebook Reviews? • Are press mentions, including news stories, featured on the website somewhere?
TESTIMONIALS & REVIEWS
• Is someone at the practice regularly asking happy customers to provide a testimonial or review on external review sites (like Google, Yelp and Facebook)? • Do you have a company or administrator profile that allows you to manage the business on all appropriate review sites? • Is someone regularly monitoring the review sites and responding to customer inquiries and feedback? • Is someone standing by to provide customer service quickly and politely?
88% OF CONSUMERS TRUST ONLINE REVIEWS AS MUCH AS PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS ACCORDING TO SEARCH ENGINE LAND
Paid advertising online has taken the typical marketing mantra of “reaching the right audience at the right time” to new levels. What once used a broad stroke of demographic information (age range, zip code, household income) has now transformed into hyper targeted people-based marketing.
Whether your focus is on pay per click advertising with Google or Bing or you’re looking to retarget someone who recently visited your website, online advertising affords you the opportunity to be very specific about who is seeing your ad. In turn, this means you’re spending your advertising budget on thoughtfully curated audiences with a better chance of converting.
PAY PER CLICK
• Has your daily and monthly budget been determined for search advertising?
• Has the target audience been defined?
• Has initial keyword selection been defined by what the target audience is searching for?
• Are ads being tracked for how they are performing across devices?
• Have all website pages been reviewed, ensuring a clear CTA on every page that an ad may direct someone who clicks?
• Is new ad content being regularly tested to see what performs the best?
• Are all ad CTAs compelling and targeted?
• Do all keywords, ad copy and landing pages have content that connects?
• Does ad copy focus on your value proposition?
• Does ad copy use urgency or limited availability?
• Does your ad copy focus on satisfaction or a guarantee to alleviate risk for the potential patient?
15 ONLINE ADVERTISING
MOBILE NOW RETARGETING REPRESENTS • Has retargeting code been added to the website? 79% • Have you considered which retargeting platforms are right for the practice? OF DIGITAL • Has dynamic retargeting been applied so MEDIA TIME, that ads are shown for a specific service or treatment the visitor was interested in? ACCORDING TO
• Does your retargeting offer more information A 2020 or incentive to get someone to go with your practice over another? COMSCORE STUDY
16 PRIORITIZING YOUR STRATEGIES
Now that we’ve covered some of the most common digital marketing strategies, it’s time to prioritize and assess which to focus on first. We recommend analysing the path to success first based on benefit versus cost and time using the quadrant below. VALUE vs COST QUADRANT
Complete the checklist in the sections above, noting which strategies and tactics have yet to be addressed in your practice’s digital marketing efforts. Once you have a list of incomplete items and have answered the questions for each (purpose, people, price and performance), begin filling in the quadrant below accordingly.
• Blogging • Google AdWords • Video Content Marketing • Facebook Ads • Yellow Pages Online • Instagram Ads HIGH • Google/Yelp Reviews COST Strategy
• Retargeting • Conversion Focused Website • Organic Social Media • Responding to Social Posts Posts • Lead Management with CRM • Social Media Contests • Optimized Lead Follow Up LOW Processes COST • Marketing Automation Google My Business (Optimization) • Effective Reporting and Analytics
LOW HIGH VALUE VALUE 17 PRIORITIZING YOUR STRATEGIES
PYRAMID OF PRIORITIES
Once you’ve filled in the quadrant assessing value and cost of each tactic, go back and assign a priority level (we use numbers 1 through 3; 1 being the highest and 3 being the lowest). Now, you’ll fill in the Pyramid of Priorities below, adding top priority items to the bottom section, mid priority to the middle section and lowest priority items to the top. This helps to define which tactics to address first and in which order you’ll tackle the other items.
Blogging
Retargeting Campaigns
Video Content Marketing
Social Media Posting & Contents
Google AdWords
Online Review Generation
Reputation Management
Facebook & Instagram Advertising
Google My Business Optimization
Marketing Automation Reporting & Analytics Optimized Lead Follow Up Conversion Focused Website Lead Management with CRM System
18 ABOUT
TIO is an international network of specialist orthodontists who are focused on being clinical experts and world leaders in orthodontic treatment while staying ahead of the curve of industry trends.
This network is supported by TIO’s team of orthodontic, marketing and business growth experts. Working hand-in-hand, our team of industry consultants help each practice build its profile as orthodontic and emerging technology specialist so you can treat more patients and grow your business.
From website design, conversion rate optimization (CRO) and SEO, to managing advertising and retargeting campaigns on Facebook and Google, we work alongside your staff to market your practice and specialist skills. With our proven marketing program, our digital marketing experts work as a seamless part of your team to maximize your exposure and increase your new patient intake.
19 WANT TO KNOW MORE? WORK WITH US
We understand that taking on your own digital marketing can feel overwhelming. Perhaps you’re still not sure where to start or you simply don’t have the time to complete all these tasks. With TIO, we can work with you to transform your online presence into something that will help impact your bottom line.
FIND OUT IF YOUR AREA IS STILL AVAILABLE AT TIOINTERNATIONAL.COM
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