Key Wins With a Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategy:
- Increased sales by 29% (Had their largest annual revenue in 2021)
- Grew monthly website traffic by 115%
- Lead offer generated 237 new prospects
- Client calls outsourced marketing, “life-changing”
An orthodontist with more than 35 years of experience, Fred Piper, DDS, has treated every type of malocclusion (when the teeth don’t fit together properly) and has served thousands of patients, primarily through his practice, Piper Orthodontics.
Our relationship with Piper Orthodontics, an established Memphis orthodontic practice, spans more than a decade. When we first met the Pipers, they had built their business primarily through what they called “referral courting.” Dentists they had relationships with would refer their patients for an orthodontic evaluation.
However, co-owner Jill Piper noted, “as the practitioner ages, the practice ages with them.” Dr. Fred Piper’s contemporaries were beginning to retire, and the next generation referred to orthodontists in their peer group.
“We could no longer count on traditional referral sources to the extent we had the first 25 years,” said Jill.
The Pipers knew to grow their audience they needed to look beyond their own circles to attract new patients. It was time to explore a digital marketing and social media strategy.
From Sideline Referrals to Digital Lead Generation
In addition to professional referrals, personal referrals from satisfied patients were also a practice-builder. And while taking donuts to dental offices and writing thank-you notes to patients were great gestures before digital marketing, they were no longer effective tactics.
“For years and years, you found your orthodontist from the parent next to you at the t-ball game, or in the carpool lane,” Jill says.
A writer by trade, Jill was comfortable creating content for their website. She was also adept at translating complex clinical jargon into everyday language for patients. However, she lacked the know-how to take their online presence to the next level.
“When half of our traffic moved to smartphones around 2016, I realized I was out of my depth technically so I turned to Wayfind for help,” added Jill.
“While we dabbled in posting on Facebook, posts were creative but inconsistent,” Jill said. I had little feel for brand awareness and even less for audience building.”
“I could feel things shifting to a digitized environment,” Jill reflects. ”I began to see that I was going to have to ramp up my skill set quite a bit.”
From In-House Marketing to Digital and Social Media Marketing
The Pipers realized that people considering braces were now likely to pick up their phone and search, “orthodontist near me.”
And even patients referred by a friend or dentist were still likely to scope out the practice’s website first or scan online reviews before making an appointment. (Nearly three-fourths of patients look at online ratings and reviews when choosing a new healthcare provider.)
When things began to move from the desktop to the phone there was a critical point for the practice. It became more crucial than ever to be on page one.
-Jill Piper, co-owner, Piper Orthodontics
Jill was right. Position matters on the search engine results page (SERP.) Consider these stats from Backlinko’s analysis of data on organic click-thru rates (CTR):
- Only 63% of Google searchers click on something from the second page.
- The #1 result in Google’s organic search results has an average CTR of 27.6%.
- The #1 organic result is 10x more likely to receive a click than a page in the #10 spot.
While the Pipers recognized the importance of an orthodontic marketing strategy, Jill was responsible for other tasks at the practice, and frankly, handling all of their marketing meant biting off more than she could chew.
“We didn’t have anyone we could turn loose to learn tools such as MailChimp, Facebook, and Instagram and create a newsletter, graphics, and fresh weekly content.”
SEO-Marketing Plan Leads to Growth
We met with the Pipers and brainstormed a digital marketing and social media strategy. This custom plan included a data-driven website design, as well as adding custom marketing emails, compelling testimonial videos, and dynamic keyword-focused content to their marketing toolbox.
To build the brand awareness they were looking for, we ensured all the graphics on social channels, the newsletter, and the website were consistent. Jill called the result “intentional, attractive, and cohesive.”
With new content being added to the web every second and Google’s regular algorithm updates impacting SERP, we optimized both their new website and their new and prior content for SEO (search engine optimization).
They saw a 115% growth in average monthly web visits during our partnership.
Not only did Piper Orthodontics start to see more patients citing “online” when asked how they found their practice, but in 2021 they saw a 29% increase in their sales, their largest in more than five years!
Let’s face it, the idea of getting braces can cause some anxiety for prospective patients and their families. To tackle those fears head-on, we created a lead offer that answered the most common questions the Pipers answer about braces generating 237 new leads.
In addition to growing their patient base, the Pipers also believe their visibility and reputation in the market were an asset when it came time to sell their practice in 2022.
Outsourced Content Marketing Gives Business Owners Their Time Back
As we took care of their marketing, the Pipers could focus on other aspects of the business, freeing them up to do what they did best. “It’s too much for one person to keep up with and be a good clinician,” says Jill.
“Outsourcing our marketing was life-changing.” -Jill Piper, Piper Orthodontics
“I don’t know how doctors are being coached when they come out of school now, but if they are not equipped to market their businesses someone should sit them down for about three hours and say, ‘Hire a firm like Wayfind, because you’re going to need them.’”
Outsource Content Marketing (And Get Your Time Back)
You don’t have to figure out how to market your business yourself. SEO, SERP, CTR, PPC…today’s content marketing jargon can be confusing. Let us be your guide when it comes to a digital marketing and social media strategy that drives results. Schedule a call today to get started!
