It just doesn’t make sense. You invest in proven sleep apnea treatment keywords to drive prospective patients to your website, but you’re not seeing the expected uptick in new patients from these efforts. Your front office staff may unwittingly be to blame.
Keywords like “CPAP alternative” have demonstrated success in getting patients to reach out for more details. However, patients may call to inquire about CPAP alternatives only to get an inaccurate response. In such cases, adequate education for your front office staff is a key to success.
Demand for CPAP Alternatives is High
The significant percentage of patients who have found it impossible to adhere to CPAP therapy is a ripe target for oral appliance therapy as a better alternative. These patients are actively searching the web for some sleep apnea relief that is a better fit for their needs than an unwieldy CPAP.
From month to month (March 4-22, 2021 vs. April 1-19, 2021), we’ve seen a noticeable rise in engagement around keywords like “CPAP alternative” and “sleep apnea alternative” resulting in:
- 92% increase in clicks
- 28% increase in impressions
- 51% increase in CTR (click-through rate)
This increase in activity should correspond to an increase in new oral appliance therapy patients for your practice. But that’s not always happening. Why not? The answer may lie with your front office staff.
Well-Informed Front Office Staff will Contribute to Your Success
This is a typical conversation that can happen when prospective patients call your office looking for information:
Prospective patient: Hi, I’d like to learn more about CPAP alternatives.
Front office staff: We don’t offer CPAPs here.
Prospective patient: (Hangs up in confusion)
Your front office staff is undoubtedly dedicated and skilled at their jobs. However, if they are not fully informed about your marketing efforts, they may be ill-equipped to support those efforts. Fortunately, effective training can help to address this deficit.
Because prospective patients are highly likely to use the specific keywords they searched when calling your office, educating your front office staff about those keywords will be instrumental in your efforts to get these patients into your office.
Think about strategies like creating a script for them to use when fielding requests from people interested in CPAP alternatives or providing them with visual cues, such as signs or even post-it notes, that mention these keywords.
A little additional front office staff training may be the key to converting website visitors to patients. Give it a try and reap the rewards.
Let’s discuss – if you have questions or are thinking about increasing your sleep apnea marketing efforts reach out to us at media@bullseyemediallc.com or (214) 491-6166.
Since 2006, Bullseye Media has helped more than 350 dental offices grow their practices by attracting more patients and increasing revenue per visit.