When we use the word “Digital Marketing”, we are actually referring to online marketing efforts from a brand.Therefore, if you are asking what is Digital Marketing (DM), here is your answer:This is a practice in Business through which advertising messages are delivered through online channels such as websites, mobile apps, search engines, social media and emails. It helps a brand generate interest in their products among their consumers.Though DM started gaining popularity in the year 2000. In the last couple of years it has revolutionised marketing communication.In a real sense:It is brand messaging (Advertisements) delivered through electronic channels such as Television, Radio, Internet etc. Electronic channels generate, store and transmit data in the series of the number 0 or 1.Therefore,It can happen both Online and Offline.If the above is true, thenIt existed ever since Guglielmo Marconi sent first wireless signals in 1896.Isn’t that crazy!However, the simple definition of DM does not say enough about the practice of digital marketing in today’s world.This meaning is useless as technology is just the enabler of digital marketing. So let us understand what exactly digital marketing is?What is Digital Marketing in Today’s Context?In today’s context:It is a set of interactive marketing promotion activities which are done online. These activities help an individual or organization reach its target audience and achieve its business & financial objectives.Therefore when we say digital marketing, we are essentially referring to Online Digital Marketing.The other form of DM is offline digital marketing, which happens on other electronic devices such as Radio or Television.I know you are not here to read about radio or TV, so I will spare you (though I have invested millions of dollars on Offline marketing during my career).Going forward in this article when I say “DM”, I am actually referring to “Online Digital marketing”, as that is what you intend to read here, right?

It is a set of marketing activities and not just one activity.

It is Interactive and not just one way. It enables two-way communication and is much more engaging compared to the other marketing methods. Interactivity is what distinguishes it from advertising on Television, which is also electronic but not interactive.

It happens online. What it essentially means is that the activity is carried out on the Internet or telecom networks. Though it happens online, it can empower both the virtual or offline world. An example of DM in the virtual or online world is email marketing or social media marketing or search engine marketing. In the colloquial sense when we say digital marketing we refer to virtual or online marketing only. An example of this in the offline world is the use of tablets to showcase product offerings at a retail store.

It helps an individual or organization. It is useful not only for large companies but also for individuals as well, unlike TV or newspaper advertising. One can take advantage of digital advertising on small budgets as well.

It helps reach and engage the target audience. It is focused, and one can use multiple targeting methods to reach their audience.

It helps achieve business and financial objectives. It is measurable & ROI driven. It helps achieve business & financial goals.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need any further info!

Here are the not so common but very creative marketing strategies that you can utilize in your dental practice:1. Launch a referral program – It is and should be the number one strategy to use especially in healthcare related service as it is believed that 92% of people trust personal recommendations more than all other forms of marketing. It is simple but extremely powerful and has the potential to significantly increase new patient generation to your dental practice. I have listed some ideas on how you can kickstart this program:

Launch a Patient Loyalty Program – This is designed in a way where you would be able to collect email addresses & cell phone number for future marketing strategies like email marketing, social media campaign or mobile marketing. This is also letting your patients know that you are thankful for their business.

Launch a Patient Review Program – This is designed to increase your online reputation. You can selectively hand out cards to patients so they can leave reviews on your social networking sites or other websites like yelp, your Google business page or on your website so that they can claim their rewards.

Ask for a Patient Referral

Here is a 3 step guide on how to ask light-heartedly for a referral:

Selectively asking – ask only those who you know and who you like, an example is a long-term patient whom you have developed a good rapport.

When a patient has had a good experience – when a patient is being graceful in letting you know that they have had a great experience, you can tell them in a way that is not pressuring like, “It’s excellent to hear that you had a wonderful experience. When your friends or family tell you how bad their experience was, you can send them here.”

Use a script – Thank you for your feedback! I am very proud of our team and It is part of our goal to give a positive experience for patients like you who appreciate what we do. We know that not everyone has a positive experience like this with their dentists. If you have any family or friends who might enjoy the same experience you’ve had, we would love for you to recommend them to us.

2. Turn your product or service into a challenge – What problem do your services solve? Do not go with the flow of explaining the services that you offer. Instead, make your product the focal point and create a challenge for that. For example, you can ask patients dental related questions or even better is make a quiz on who they think is following good dental hygiene. It forces them to engage and your business will be unique and top of mind.3. Use popular hashtags on social media – Utilizing popular hash tags such as #FlashbackFriday or #ThrowbackThursday can increase the number of views you want for your business especially those that are in the millennial age group. You could also use this so that you could target person looking for a particular topic or service so you never know because it can also be a good source of how you can get new patients to check out your service.More Dental Marketing IdeasWhen it comes to dental marketing there’s no shortage of good ways to start. Here are a few more suggestions for marketing your dental practice. Take a look and see what you think will work for your practice.Get Local with SEOWhen people in your target area start searching online for a dentist do you show up? An easy way to check is to grab your phone, type in “Dentist near me” and see what comes up. If you’re not at the head of the pack you’re missing out on a lot of new patients and leads.A goal for your dental marketing efforts is to rank on local search, like when you typed “Dentist near me”, and get found by people in your target market.Leverage Existing PatientsIn addition to the above suggestions, working with what your dental practice already has, like existing patients, is an excellent place to start. For example in idea number one we discussed creating a patient loyalty program. Not only does this leverage existing patients, it’s good business that can (and will) drive referrals to your practice.Dental Marketing: It’s Not Rocket ScienceMarketing a dental practice can feel like rocket science, but it isn’t, using a little creativity and common sense can go a long way. Thinking about how to please your patients is one way to get more of them!To Social Media or Not to Social MediaIf you’re going to use Social Media to market you dental practice I recommend taking a moment to think about it.Social media is a great dental marketing tool but it requires time, effort and tact. Consistent effort and quality content are a must for social media to work for dental marketing. If you or your staff do not have the time to market your practice, the right way, on social media it may be best to look at other options. Other options for engaging social users are hiring an agency, training someone in your office to do it or using paid ads to reach social media users.Other ways to use social mediaAdditionally, when using paid ads to target new patients for your practice, be sure that you’re only targeting patients in your geographic area. If you’re in New York City you don’t want to be marketing to people in Los Angeles, right? It’s an easy and costly mistake to make.Make a contest and go viralUsing contests is a great way to grow your dental practice. Everyone wants whiter teeth, right? Create a grand prize, as an example, of teeth whitening for life (or whatever you want to offer).When your prize is something everyone wants you’ll have no trouble getting people to join your contest. Digital contests can boost your dental practices marketing exposure for pennies. Adding bonus actions to increase entrants chances to win is another way to squeeze a little more out of your contest.There’s a 1,001 ways to market your dental practice. Most of them you can do yourself. Sometimes, it’s better to hire an expert to do it right, the first time. You can learn more about hiring a dental marketing expert in the box below.