Without a doubt, your life as a dentist is a busy one. You have a lot on your plate running your practice, seeing patients and a million other things to do. But there’s one more task you'll want to make time for: blogging. Yes, blogging. Why would you want to start a dentist blog, you ask?
Here are 3 reasons why dentists should blog:
Increase traffic to your website. Having a blog allows you to provide content, such as brushing, flossing, and oral hygiene tips as well as other related topics. Aside from helping patients, this drives traffic to your website, which means more potential new patients. And, if you’ve put your practice on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social media sites (and if you haven’t, you need to!), you can post links directly to your blog articles from these social media sites. This will help drive traffic between your site, social media platforms and these visitors could become new patients for your practice!
Be an industry leader. Original content written by you sets you apart as a leader in your field. By creating blog posts that show your knowledge, you are marketing yourself as a trusted source. And, building trust—particularly with patients and would-be patients—is important. The more you can educate readers, the more they will come to view you as a trusted source (and as a dentist by whom they’ll want to be treated by!). Keep in mind: blogging can be done from anywhere — your office, on your commute or in the comfort of your home.
Cultivate relationships. Blogs are another way to deepen the connection with your patients. Your content generation allows them to get to know you and your practice. Again, you’re building trust by being a source of information. Consumers appreciate being informed, and it goes a long way that you are the one teaching them.
Also, make sure you respond to comments on your posts. Interacting with your readers is important—and engaging. If they have questions about something you’ve written, respond to them directly. Others will see your interactions which may spark more interaction as well.
Getting started is easy. You can go onto a free blogging platform, such as Blogger or Wordpress, set up an account and start writing! Your topics can vary, as can your audience (this blog suggests writing for patients, but you can also write blogs geared toward your peers in the dental industry, different dental industry findings, etc. which would also set you up as an expert in your field). Happy writing!
