|
The
Electronic Shingle
How
to use an internet website to build your practice and stay in
touch with your patients.
The
shingle of the this past century was made of brass, but the "shingle"
of the coming century will be electronic - the internet website.
Like
the brass shingle, it will be the first point of contact for
many of your patients, and it will need to reflect the same ideas
of quality, professionalism and trust. The biggest challenge
is that the audience will be more sophisticated and increasingly
skeptical - so there is still no room for compromise in quality.
The difference
is that the cost-efficiency of this medium as a communication
tool is unequalled for the price of a modest Yellow Pages
ad you can have a professional looking website.
There is now a strong international trend for dental practices
to have their own quality internet presence to enhance relationships
with existing patients and attract new ones. This trend is also
gathering momentum in Australia.
NEW RULES
FAVOUR THE LITTLE MAN
Smaller practices are in the best position to capitalise on this
trend. They can move quickly and familiarise themselves with
the new medium and find new ways to exploit its low cost communication
power. A smart corporate image is vital for your practice, and
the web is the cheapest and fastest medium to broadcast it.
Another
advantage of a website is that it can evolve and grow over time.
A good design and structure will enable you to add new sections
and new pages easily. Take time to plan a good site before construction
starts. Look at other dentist's websites to get ideas. A good
example is at www.irvinesmiles.com.
Firstly,
you will need to purchase a domain name to go with your practice,
e.g. JonesDental.com.au. A domain name is like a personalised
number plate. It needs to be registered, and then payed for annually.
It becomes the address for your website.
TYPES
OF WEBSITE
A standard website typically contains general information about
the practice and the practitioner's qualifications, including
photos of the practice and key staff. Other important elements
are a location map, email address and other contact information.
Prospective
patients will judge the practice by the design of its website,
just as they judge it by the style and colours of the surgery,
so don't cut corners on the design. The website must be clean,
smart and easy to navigate it should convey the qualities
of trust and professionalism that will instill confidence in
visitors.
An advanced
website should contain additional elements that keep your patients
returning to the site for more information and interaction. Many
sites include novelty items for children, vouchers for first-time
visits, dental hygiene tips and jokes pages.
You need
to supply some links to quality medical information on your site,
otherwise your patients will go searching for themselves and
may end up with innappropriate advice.
Some
creative-minded dentists will be tempted to build their own site,
however this must be done with extreme caution. Books and software
that promise to teach you how to put your own website up in 24
hours are appealing, but generally only contain rudimentry technical
advice, with no thought given to interface design. An amateurish
website will reflect poorly on your practice and undermine your
image.
Get quotes
from a variety of local web-design companies, preferably ones
with appropriate experience.
GETTING
PEOPLE TO YOUR WEBSITE
Once you have your website up and running, you need to promote
it to your patients and the community. Advertise your website
address in your stationery, your Yellow Pages ad and in your
local paper. It must also be listed on the Search Engines such
as Anzwers and AltaVista so that people can find you if they
are searching for a local dentist.
Start
building a database of your patients' email addresses, so that
when you launch your site you can let them all know, quickly
and cheaply. You should consider sending out a regular email
newsletter to stay in touch with your patients, build awareness
about your practice, and remind them to visit. The cost of sending
an email to 200 people is the same as sending it to one person,
so take advantage of the savings.
The internet
has changed greatly in the last year and will continue to change
rapidly because of emerging technology and the flood of new users.
Currently 25% of Australian's over 16 have internet access, and
the boom is continuing this year. The internet is taking off
much faster than television did when it was introduced, so it
important to begin planning an internet strategy for your practice.
Martin
Howard is an internet consultant with Media 7, a Design Studio
which specialises in websites and logo design.
|
