Writing a blog is not only enjoyable but it can be productive too, helping to attract more interest to your website. If you have little or no writing experience, however, the idea of making your words public can be daunting.
Start with something you are passionate about. This could be a new piece of research or a more general topic, such as the fluoridation debate. Be yourself, while keeping the tone professional. Look out for dental news in the press and blog your thoughts to give your posts a current twist.
So blogging doesn’t become a chore, your posts need not be too long. A couple of short paragraphs that get to the point will be better received than sticking to a strict word count. It’s also a good idea to create a schedule, so your readers know when to come back and you to get into the blogging habit.
Get other willing members of the team involved. They will offer new perspectives and help to keep content varied and interesting. Try to switch up the format now and again. With the relevant permissions, you could look at blogging about a patient’s journey through their treatment, for example, including before and after photographs.
Once you have got into a blogging schedule, promote your blog with other social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook. Get involved in the blogging community and look for bloggers writing about similar topics, so you can link them in your posts. Comment on other blogs to get a dialogue going and hopefully they will return the favour; you may even want to invite a ‘guest blogger’ to your site. By networking in this way you will see your blog grow. Similarly, respond to readers’ comments. Even if they have left ‘negative’ feedback, a constructive reply will hopefully lead to a positive conclusion.
One of the main reasons for putting effort into a well-run blog is for what it can do for your practice. Search engines such as Google love new content, so a regularly updated blog can help to boost your practice’s ranking, also known as it Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
With so much to think about, enlist the services of a company that understands how blogging and online dental marketing works. It will help you get started, find the right content management system and refine your first posts. Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’ has years of experience in guiding practices in all aspects of successful blogging, from setting up, to content ideas.
Writing a blog can help you to grow your practice and enhance its reputation. With practice, blogging can help you to build contacts and also find out what your patients think. Not only is it enjoyable, but it should also form a key component of your forward-thinking marketing strategy. Taking expert advice will help to get your started and steer you in the right direction.
For more information call 020 7183 8388, or visit www.dentalfocus.com