By Eliana Trabelsie
When I first started my journey with dental digital marketing career, I was bombarded with a painful amount of information that sent me in all different directions and many sleepless nights trying to figure it all out. I came across a number of companies I partnered with to help grow my digital presence only to find months after I’ve already paid them that there were no results! (Myth #3 it takes time)
In the last 9 years I’ve learned more about digital marketing than I did completing my masters in Communications! I’ve heard plenty of Myths along the way, these 5 top them all! A little spoiler alert, I’ve outlined 6 Myths.
Myth#1 Digital Marketing is easy and Free!
Nothing that really will make a difference to you comes for free! I mean think about it, everything that is important to you, down to the smallest things you pay for. Yes you can get some “free” publicity from another site that is not related to your niche, but in the long run you will definitely be ignoring the biggest and most important idea behind it – the reputation of your website. Free, however, means that there’s a cost – either a great deal of time and labor, or outsourcing the project to a professional.
Myth#2 Secret to growing your practice are Referrals
Ha! What a big fat lie. Through extensive studies that I did at our practice the first couple of years, I found that 20% of our patients were through referrals and 80% were through google. You do the math! While happy patients will always refer you when they remember many will forget and rush the aid of Google to help them find the best dental clinic in their area.
Myth#3 All you need is a cool looking website
This Myth has me really worried for most dental practices out there. I’ve come across so many websites that look damn good but rank on the 99th page of Google. What is the benefit of having such a beautiful piece of art sitting on the top shelf collecting dust? Yes having a website that looks good is great for your visitors, but what good is it to you if no one sees it? What matters is what you put on that beautiful website, not the design itself.
Myth#4 No chance to beat established practices
Don’t believe this myth not even for 1 second. You have resources today that are mind blowing! Digital marketing has levelled out the playing field and made it fair for everyone to get their chance, it just depends on how you’re willing to use it. Imagine, with a click of a couple of buttons, you can have your own Channel and spread you message not just locally but all around the world, and guess what, you can send your message through various of sources across the digital world – for free.
Competing with an established dental practice is not as hard as it used to be. You have a big upper hand just by knowing the truth of how powerful the digital world is today. Shape your own message and you’ll start to see big changes not just in your practice but in yourself as well.
Myth#5 Results take time
This is the most annoying Myth I came across and this is due to the horrible experiences I had through my career. Results do not take a long time if what needs to be done is being taken care of in the right way! Follow the rules! Let me add that I learned this the hard way.
Myth#6 Any digital Marketing Agency can bring results
Have I mentioned that this is the biggest Myth of all? Well it is! Being able to put information that is carefully crafted to your specific niche is not an easy task. When I first started I remember thinking that I do not know how to do all of this mumbo jumbo, I prefer to outsource it to the experts and they will bring me the results I need. Honestly, that was the worst choice I could have made! I urge you, please do your homework on who you hire to do this extremely important task, outsource the right person. If you look at the bigger picture you are outsourcing your reputation, your future, give that responsibility to digital marketers who have experience in your niche.
About the Author
Eliana Trabelsie completed her masters in Mass Media and Digital Communications from Dubai. She started building her career around digital marketing in 2008 and has been concentrating on dental digital marketing since 2011. Eliana never thought she would get this far into the dental field due of her fear of dentistry, but working closely with Dr Hodan Gulaid, the owner of the clinic and learning about dentistry has been a true enriching experience.