In our last blog post we discussed the things you need to do before you start marketing your practice. Following on from that we’re going to look at the platform that forms the core of all your marketing – your website.

That’s right, apart from your clinic phone, your website is your most core element to marketing. Running newspaper ads? Your website should be on there. Giving a talk? Your website should be on the bottom of the slides. Even if you get a personal referral from someone else, most of the time they will check you out online, even if it is just to get your address. Your website is the simplest and easiest way for people to find out more about you.

Therefore having an effective, high converting website should be at the forefront of your marketing efforts.

This is often not the case, with many practice sites still lacking the basic components that can help maximize their marketing, lead generation and patient retention strategies. Let’s look at 4 of what are considered to be critical elements for well-designed and high converting websites.

A Clear Call To Action

What do we mean by a “call to action”? It’s simply an instruction you provide that provokes an immediate response from the user. Examples of effective calls to action for practice sites might include a clear “Find Out More” button on the home page, a contact form that is short but asks for enough information so that you can contact the user, or a sign-up form or download button for a free report. Another useful option could be a direct “Make A Booking” button or link, as this provides returning patients with an easy way to keep using your services.

A call to action should be simple, eye-catching and take pride of place on your home page. It should also not just be added to a page as an after-thought. The call to action you choose should fit in with the overall purpose of the site. As an example, if your site is information-rich and you are targeting new patients, then a call to action that allows users to download a free information report could be appropriate.

Meaningful Headlines And Copy

Again, the purpose of your business website will greatly determine the type of headlines and copy you use. If your website is focused on marketing the different services you provide then the headlines and copy you create should be attention-grabbing and orientated towards benefits for the user. Always ensure that your copy is well written, without mistakes or grammatical errors, and it is a good idea to use dot points to break up large amounts of text. Discussing common problems and talking about solutions you can offer can be a great way to appeal to the market you are targeting.

Contact Information

You might be surprised by the number of business websites out there that still don’t feature their contact information in easy to find locations. Having your contact details – either your phone number or email or both – on the home page is obviously a vital element to lead generation and conversion.

Having A Mobile Responsive Site

Your current and potential patients are using their mobiles more and more to find businesses and to book services online. Is your business website mobile responsive – that is, will it function correctly on mobile devices?   If you haven’t checked or think it’s not important you are probably missing out on a large section of your target market. It is equally important to make sure that your site actually looks good on a mobile device. The best mobile-responsive sites have been thoughtfully designed around what the user wants – for example, is there a clearly defined button where they can book an appointment or a visible menu where they can get more information on your services?

Remember, the purpose of your website is to help the visitor get the information they want or need to take the next step in solving their problem and ideally, booking an appointment with you. Focusing your attention on making sure that your website has the high converting elements will help both your visitor and your practice.

Getting Help

If you’re a small practice with a limited marketing budget, go to www.practiceunleashed.com. It’s an initiative we’re putting together that will be full of resources to help you market your practice online.  Register your interest now and get an exclusive, strictly limited early access rate.

If you’re a larger practice looking to bring in outside help to scale your marketing efforts book a strategy session now.

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