How to decode marketing jargon in dentistry

Faye Mear offers a simple guide to deciphering marketing jargon – and explains what it means for your practice.

Marketing is an essential tool for any dental practice looking to attract new patients, retain existing ones, maintain presence and build a strong reputation. However, marketing jargon can seem like an entirely different language! From SEO to PPC to PR and UX – these terms can be mystifying. 

Here’s my guide to some of the key marketing terms and how they apply to dentistry and your practice. Gaining a good understanding of these means you’ll be able to make better informed decisions about what and how to use when promoting your practice.

SEO – search engine optimisation

Contrary to what some believe, you don’t just launch a new website and it magically appears top of the search engines – you need to optimise! 

SEO is the process of optimising your website so that it appears higher in search engine results when potential patients search for keywords or phrases. The higher your website ranks on Google and other search engines, the more likely potential patients are to find your practice. This means more website traffic, more enquiries to the practice and, ultimately, more patients.

SEO is not a one-off project and it is something that needs to be worked on over time. To begin, create a strategy by selecting 10 keywords or terms that you feel are the most important identifiers for your practice. These could be things like ‘emergency dentist’, ‘invisible braces’ or ‘whitening’. Ensure these targeted keywords and phrases are in titles, headings and throughout your website content. 

Other things that help your SEO are ensuring your website is mobile-friendly (ie, it automatically resizes for mobile phones or tablets) and loads quickly by compressing images and allowing browser caching. 

Claim, optimise and regularly update your Google business profile so you appear in local searches. Regularly update your website content by adding blog posts that address common dental concerns. 

Aim for blog posts between 800 and 1,500 words. Shorter posts of around 500 words can work for quick tips, while longer, more detailed posts of more than 1,500+ words help with SEO and provide in-depth value to readers. 

To monitor progress, use Google Analytics to track performance and make improvements based on the insights it provides.

PPC – pay-per-click advertising

PPC is a form of online advertising where you pay a fee each time someone clicks on your ad. Google Ads and Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) are common PPC platforms. 

PPC allows you to target and reach potential patients instantly by placing your practice at the top of search results or in their social media feeds.

Google Ads is best for marketing your practice and raising awareness as a whole. Again, it uses targeted keywords or terms like ‘cosmetic dentist in [your location]’ or ‘24-hour emergency dentist’. 

You can also include words or terms that you don’t want to be included in searches for, such as ‘NHS dentist’, if you are a solely private practice – these are called negative keywords.  

Google Ad campaigns are best run over a sustained period of time as Google algorithms ‘learn’ and improve as they run. Tweaks can be made according to the results you get.

Meta PPC ads that appear on Instagram and Facebook, on the other hand, are fantastic for promoting special offers or patient events. These platforms allow you to target your audience by area, age and interests and has lots of handy optimising tools to help you reach the biggest audience. 

For both Google and Meta, you can set a budget and monitor and control your ad spend while maximising patient enquiries for the things you want. Budgets are dependent on location and campaign, but £10 per day for Google Ads and £20 per day for Meta is a good guide. 

PR – public relations

PR involves managing your reputation and getting positive media coverage to build trust and credibility. Patients are more likely to trust a dentist they see in the media or who is recommended by reputable sources.

Online reviews are a very powerful tool these days because they are so easily accessible. They can work hand-in-hand with your SEO and PPC strategies and it’s important to train every team member to encourage every patient they have contact with to leave a positive review on Google or Facebook.

While it may seem old school, building a relationship with your local media and sending them press releases about news of interest to your community is also effective and provides free local promotion. 

Let them know about new services or treatments you’re introducing, anything you get involved in within the community or for charity fundraising and any awards you achieve. Always include a picture, give them your contact details and practice website to find further information and welcome further enquiries from them. 

You may be able to suggest that you become a regular columnist and comment on all things dental – again, this will further enhance your reputation as an expert. 

UX – user experience

UX refers to how easy and enjoyable it is for visitors to use your website or interact with you online. 

We can all identify with the frustration of a slow or poor website and understand this could drive potential patients away. In fact, it may be that a poor website is worse than no website at all!

Ensure your website is easy to navigate from a patient point of view – use the terms they will use rather than clinical ones. Provide online booking options with a clear ‘book appointment’ button for their convenience. 

Make sure your contact details and opening hours are correct and easy to find and use high-quality images and professional design to create a trustworthy first impression. Remember, it is about them, not you! 

Content marketing

Content marketing involves creating valuable and informative content (like blog posts, videos, or social media updates) to attract and educate potential patients. When you provide useful information, you build trust and position yourself as experts, increasing the likelihood that patients will choose your practice ahead of others.

Write pertinent blog articles such as ‘How to overcome dental anxiety’ or ‘What to expect from your first Invisalign consultation’ and add them to your website. 

Create short educational videos on oral health and post them on Instagram or Tiktok. Share patient testimonials and before and after images (with permission) to showcase your results.

Organic social media marketing

Love them or hate them, using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok is necessary these days. 

A social media presence helps build patient relationships, increase awareness and engages with your community. It’s another way potential patients can ‘check you out’, as well as keeping existing patients on-message with your practice. 

Post regular and authentic engaging content such as patient success stories, dental tips and behind-the-scenes looks at your practice and team. Have some fun with it to create a friendly and approachable impression that will be attractive to patients.

Email (internal) marketing

Often forgotten or disregarded, sending regular e-newsletters to existing patients to keep them informed, engaged and encouraged to attend their next appointment, is a great use of an existing resource.

Sending out email marketing about six times a year helps maintain these important existing patient relationships and ensures they return to you for regular check-ups, as well as remember you when they need treatment or are thinking about any cosmetic procedures. They’re a great way to share any promotions you might be running, too.

Branding

Branding is the process of building a unique identity for your practice. It means more than just your logo, it also includes your colours, tone of voice as well as the overall patient experience. Having a strong brand helps your practice stand out in a competitive market and creates a lasting impression on patients.

Use consistent branding across all your website, social media, emails and marketing materials. Develop a professional and appropriate tone of voice that is used across all these methods of communications too. 

You want to create and project a welcoming and attractive practice environment that reflects your brand identity and, most importantly, how you want your patients to feel.

Proven results

Understanding and using marketing terms like SEO, PPC, PR, UX etc, will help you make smarter decisions. Take time to evaluate where your practice is now, where you want it to be, and what kind of patients you want to attract.

Marketing isn’t just a cost, it’s an investment, and the right strategies will help you grow your patient base, improve retention and enhance your reputation as a trusted dental provider. If this still feels overwhelming, consider working with a marketing agency that specialises in dental. A good marketing agency can help you focus, strategise and get results, so you can keep doing what you do best – taking care of your patients.

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