We know digital leads are essential for practices that want to grow, yet they can be very challenging to convert into appointments. As marketing specialists, we understand how important every lead and every lead conversion is to your bottom line. So that begs the question, is your practice converting digital leads effectively?
Digital leads…are a unique beast.
- They come in at different places in the patient journey, and often these leads are not yet ready. They still have questions and need more information.
- How they find your practice varies…it could be from social media, search engines, paid ads or email marketing.
- Digital experts vary in their estimation, but I have heard everything from ten minutes to two hours for the ‘window of opportunity’ to connect with that lead and get an appointment scheduled.
When looking at this from a lead conversion point-of-view, it comes down to this:
- If you don’t answer the phone…you lost them.
- If you don’t respond to a lead form within two hours…you lost them. (Form leads tend to be given the lowest priority in a practice, and many of them go unanswered.)
💡 MARKETING TIP – Formally assign Digital Lead Follow-up & Conversion to a staff member.
Would you like to convert 30% or more of your digital leads into appointments?
YES of course you do! 😊 We know front office staff are juggling a ton of things at once, so it’s understandable that missed calls and contact forms happen. BUT if you want to convert your hard-earned digital leads, there are a few things you can do to improve your lead conversion process:
- Respond quickly. The sooner you respond to an incoming lead, the more likely you are to convert them into an appointment. Set a goal to respond to all leads within 2 hours of receiving them
- Be informative and helpful. Whether by phone or email, your response should answer the lead’s questions and provide them with valuable information. Be sure your response offers to help them solve their problem or achieve their hearing goal.
- Make it easy to book an appointment. Be ready to ‘ask for the appointment’ when connecting with a lead via phone, and work to get them in within a week! If responding via email, include a clear call to action, such as a link to your scheduling page or a button to book an appointment online.
- Follow up consistently. If you don’t hear back from a lead right away, don’t give up. Follow up with them a few times over the next week or two.
- Implement lead nurturing. We know not every lead that contacts you is going to be ready for an appointment, that’s where lead nurturing comes in. Lead nurturing is the process of building relationships with your leads by educating them about your practice and services, this makes them more likely to book an appointment with you when they’re ready.
