Off the Cusp - Patterson Dental blog
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Now that you have a website it’s time to get down to business and create some awesome blog content.
What was that you just said?
You don’t have time to write?
…oh, you said, you HATE writing!
Yeah, I know! Writing is a struggle for most people , especially dentists who already don’t have enough hours in the day to run their practices. And don’t ask your office manager to do the writing because they’re slammed as well.
The truth is, writing blog posts can be very simple and quick, if you have an outlined process. In this post I’m going to give you the steps and a download for…
Several blog post templates to help kick off your dental blog .
At the end of this post, you should be able to write an engaging and captivating blog post in minutes. Let’s get started.
What’s a dental blog and why is it important?
Originally the name came from the phrase ‘Web Log’ and got squished into Blog . Say “web log” real fast ten times and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
A blog post is any article, news piece or guide that’s published in the blog section of a website. A blog post typically covers a specific topic or query, is educational in natur e, ranges from 650 to 2,000+ words, and has other media types such as images, videos, infographics and interactive charts.
When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), blogging is key . An informative blog post boosts your SEO by positioning your dental practice website as a relevant source of information in your area. With a little bit of direction, each of your blog posts can be optimized for search engines.
Blogging works in tandem with email marketing
Why write an email and send it out to your patient database, when you can write it as a blog first and then share the link to the blog in an email. Emails disappear, whereas blogs stay online forever. Blogging to support email is a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone idea.
Doing this will increase your dental practice brand, awareness, search engine rankings and online reputation.
So, if you have an event coming up, or you purchased some new equipment, and you want to announce it, write it as a blog post first . Then shoot off an email to your database with a link to the post.
Steps to getting started with dental blogging
1. Add a blog to your website
To begin blogging, you need a place to put the content . If you don’t already have a blog on your website, you can add one. Depending on who and how your website was built could make this simple or complicated.
IT’S SIMPLE IF… you happen to have a website built on WordPress, which many websites are built on now-a-days. Adding a blog to a WordPress site is really easy and only takes about 30 minutes.
IT’S SIMPLE IF… you have an awesome dental website company that answers your phone calls, doesn’t charge exorbitant fees, and gets tasks done quickly.
IT’S COMPLICATED IF… your website was built by a marketing company that used their own proprietary website platform that is difficult to understand . In this case you may have to ask the marketing company to add one for you.
IT’S COMPLICATED IF… you can’t remember who built your website. You can remember who built your website, but it was a long-lost nephew or patient that you can’t get ahold of anymore. Or if the dental website company that built your website never returns your calls .
FOR PATTERSON CLIENTS… if you don’t have a blog on your website, or are not sure where to go to get help, contact us and we’ll build you a new website or add a blog to your WordPress site for free . Just remember to mention this article when you call.
2. Decide on a dental blog topic
You shouldn’t get stuck here. This is my favorite part of the process. Here are a few tricks:
Use a blog template if you have one . If you don’t have any templates download these 7 dental practice templates and get started. All you do is answer a few questions and the post is done . I’ve included images and videos to help design the post. We recently created five blog post templates for cosmetic dental topics for the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). Check it out! Read blog posts from other dental practices . It’s worth looking at high-ranking blog posts because whatever strategy they’ve used, it’s working. This is not a suggestion to copy anyone’s content . You should never copy someone else’s content, but you should use it to gain better insight into how your post should be written. Base your topics on services that you want to rank for in search engines . Writing blog posts for ranking is a dental SEO tactic. For example, if you want to rank for the phrase “best dentist near me,” then you need to write content related to that phrase. One of the easiest ways to optimize , one that won’t cost a fortune, is to use an SEO plugin like Yoast or RankMath . Create a blog post schedule that you can repeat each month or week. For example, write a monthly post titled, “Dental Updates from Doctor (Name),” or “Our New Dental Patient of The Month.” A consistent and repetitive blog post will become easier and easier to write, while requiring less time.
After landing on an idea, think about a unique approach, something relevant and original . For example, let’s say you want to focus on a dental SEO strategy and attract dental implant patients. Your first post can be a dental implant patient story (remember to get HIPAA authorization from your patient ).
In the story, you can give some background on the patient and include a quote from them. If you want to send the message that dental implants are not painful, you could mention how the patient thought it was going to be painful but realized it wasn’t.
I recommend including a comment from the dentist with additional information about the topic of the post. This could be a super quick 1-2 sentence comment. It’s important to brand the content by including your dentist(s) within the post .
3. Create an outline
You’re going to want to break down your article into bite-sized sections . It’s easy to do with subheadings, which help you to stay organized.
If your post is going to be a step-by-step guide or a list of tips, build your post outline by listing all the main points. Your patients will value the list format because it breaks down complex ideas into easily readable pieces. Add bulleted notes within your introduction and under each subheading to help formulate your main points.
Here are some clever dental implant blog post titles using different outlines:
A List: Five Reasons Dental Implants Improve Your Life Curated Collection: The Different Types of Dental Implants to Consider Today SlideShare Presentation: Before and After Dental Implants (with pictures) News Piece: New Study Shows Dental Implants Significantly Improve Quality of Life
4. Remember to follow a time-tested writing structure
Great blog post writing includes three main elements: an introduction, the body and a conclusion.
Introduction : The first few sentences of your article is to grab your readers’ attention. Begin with a quote or statistic, tell a story or share a fact. Set the tone for the article by sharing a summary of what you will talk about in the body text.
Body : These are the bullet points beneath each subheading in your outline. The body text is the meat of your post, so it should be compelling. Avoid fluff and repetition, and instead offer value by sharing your knowledge, research and insights .
Conclusion : This section can be helpful in the case of storytelling or when wrapping up a very long article. You can tie your main points together or share some closing thoughts in a few engaging sentences.
5. Craft an irresistible headline
You want a powerful headline that entices your patients to click on your article .
To make this super simple I recommend using a title generator . There are several free options but the one that I like is SEOPressor . You put your title in and it’ll kick back several additional ideas.
Here are some examples of interesting headlines about teeth whitening using SEOPressor:
The History of Teeth Whitening Everything You Need to Know About Teeth Whitening 4 Ways to Keep Your Teeth Pearly White Three Foods to Avoid When Whitening Your Teeth Teeth Whitening and Sensitivity, What’s the Deal? Are You Ready for Professional Teeth Whitening?
6. Enhance your post with images
Writing your blog post may be your priority, but image is everything . Having an article with a solid visual appearance is crucial for striking the proper interest of your readers. If you’re writing a blog about your dental spa, using a natural color palette on your site will give off a Zen-type feeling on the topics you write. Be consistent with your overall image across all platforms.
P ay attention to your featured image as it is the leading photo below your blog’s title and what readers will first see when browsing your blog’s homepage.
7. Include a call-to-action
The purpose of a blog is to motivate readers to take an action, known as a CTA or a call-to-action . The CTA is a link or button that states your objective alluringly. For example, the CTA in this article is to download the blog templates .
Some of the most common call-to-action examples for cosmetic dentistry blogs include “Book Now!,” “ Improve Your Smile Today!” or “Limited Offer. Enquire Today!”
It is not only the words that are important but also the way the CTA is presented. If the CTA is going to be a clickable button, make sure that the design of the button stands out from the website.
Using nicely presented CTAs can help you transform your website traffic into engagement and, eventually, increase your practice’s revenue .
8. Proofread, publish, promote
PROOFREAD… PROOFREAD… PROOFREAD… or make your life simple by using proofread software. Grammarly is a fantastic tool for catching those tiny mistakes and giving suggestions on how to re-write your content.
PUBLISH… Have someone read through your post before it goes live . My recommendation would be to take a break from your writing and come back with fresh eyes later. Once you’re happy with your post, hit publish.
PROMOTE… Two effective ways to promote your blog post are email marketing and social media .
Creating an email that you can send out to your patient database is super simple once your post is live.
Sharing your article on social media, such as Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn can go a long way toward driving more traffic to your article and website. Whichever you choose, be sure to respond to questions and queries from your readers.
About the author
Adrian Lefler is a dental marketing manager at My Social Practice . If you have questions about My Social Practice and how they can help with your website or blogging needs, please contact them here .
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The post Write a captivating dental blog post in 15 minutes [templates included] appeared first on Off the Cusp .
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