In the days before the internet became an open source for information
, finding things like other businesses and useful information was hard to come by. Fast forward to 2018, now everything is accessible in a few clicks. With information being given out so easily, many business owners face the challenge of being noticed among their competition.
Create with a Goal
Blog content creation sounds simple in theory but, in fact, it’s a skill that takes time to master. When creating content for your practice specializing in dental or orthodontic care, consider the following:
- Entertainment: People love to be entertained and come to the internet to do so. Try adding some of your personality to the content you share so that it becomes unique to your brand. Posts that are entertaining also have a higher chance of interaction.
- Information: Give the people the information they’ve come for without all the extras. Write content that is easy to digest and doesn’t waste the reader’s time. Keep in mind that the information can be presented in different ways. Videos, infographics and blog posts all achieve the same goals in different ways.
- Consistency: It goes without saying that humans are creatures of habit. If you’re going to create content, make sure to keep a working schedule. Your followers are always in search of something new – put yourself in a position to deliver that regularly.
- One Topic at a Time: Too often we see brands overloading followers with content on multiple topics. When you find yourself moving to more than one topic, separate it into another piece of content. Why have one video or blog post on 15 different topics when you could create 15 different videos instead. This way, your following has a library of content to browse on the specific topics they’re looking for.
- Directions for What’s Next: You’ve provided the content your followers have engaged with, but what’s the next step? Once your followers have digested what you’ve published, it is up to you to guide them on what to do next. This could be anything from a call to action to your website, a suggestion to read more articles, etc. You decide where you want them to go and make it clear.
- SEO the Blog Post: Many practices are unaware that a blog post requires meta tags to grab the attention of Google. After spending a good amount of time writing your post, if your blog post is not search engine optimized correctly for the topic you are discussing, there is no way it will be found in search. Read this post Your top keywords to be added to a blog post are orthodontist, braces, Invisalign, adult orthodontics, etc. Keep this in mind when search engine optimizing your title, written content and meta tags. For those serious about blogging, more information is available here.
How Long Should My Content Be?
The answer to this question is quite subjective. While almost every publication will suggest written blog content to be between 600-900 words, this can be overkill in orthodontics. 350 – 500 words is acceptable and videos no more than 90 seconds – maximum of 3 minutes to address the attention span of consumers today.
Studies have shown that our attention spans are getting shorter and that must be taken into consideration when creating content. Time limits are subjective. Users will absorb the content you produce, but if they find what they’re looking for, discover they’re in the wrong place, or find the content boring, they’ll leave. Keep this in mind when developing content for your blog and video for your practice.
Let Us Take a Look
Do you have questions about the content on your website? Contact our office to schedule your complimentary consultation. We’ll review your site and propose edits to optimize your content and increase your visibility so that more patients come through your doors.