I know, I know, you don’t have time to write a blog. But a dental blog is probably the single best way to be found because a consistent dental blog will make your website easier to find (move you up to the top of the page) faster than anything else. 
If you are established and you don’t care about being found online than this blog isn’t for you. But if you realize that everyday more and more people are finding their next dentist online than read on.
Without question the dental industry is homogenous. It is hard to stand out from your competitors. One thing a dental blog can do for you is to help you stand out as an expert in your field. People who write consistently are not only perceived as experts but over time can often become thought leaders among their peers.
A regular dental blog forces you to keep up with trends and the latest procedures and equipment in your industry. This parlays very well to your patients. They see you keeping up to date with technology and staying on top of changes in your industry as a great reason to keep coming back as well as refer others to your practice.
A blog gives you a forum to discuss other things besides the technical aspects of your trade. These things can be your philosophy on dental care, charities you support, the state of insurance in the industry, the future of dentistry, to name a few. An added bonus is such articles help patients warm up to you and have more things in common. This adds to their overall patient experience and makes them more likely to forget about their discomfort.
A consistent dental blog shows prospective patients you are dedicated to your trade and are interested in their health and well-being because you took the time to provide them with helpful information about their dental health. It positions you as a real professional who gives back.
A dental blog gives patients a way to interact with you by leaving comments and questions for you to respond back to and build a relationship. These responses can be seen by others and can position you and your practice as open and inviting.
As I alluded to in the first paragraph a regular dental blog with common search terms (keywords) that patients and prospective patients use to find information on dental topics is rewarded by the search engines and helps you rank higher in the search results. This makes you much more likely to be seen and read for the terms you want to be found for.
This is a great way to differentiate you and get more of the work you want and / or help the patients you serve best. I have seen clients show up on the first page within a week of writing about a particular subject.
Don’t forget to leverage your staff to help you write blogs. Each person in your practice has a unique perspective and adds a great deal of value to your patients. You may also ask your vendors or dental specialist to write a guest blog to add interest and take part of the load off you.
If you want more information on how to blog follow and read blogs you like. Subscribe to your competitors blogs or journalist who write about the dental industry. Set up a listening station through Google Alerts to follow these people so you are notified each time they write an article or blog. You can even follow my dental blog by subscribing at:
http://www.redstarmarketing.com/CMS/UI/Modules/BizBlogger/rss.aspx?moduleid=1385262
