Apple’s unveiling of the Apple Watch introduces the tech giant’s entry into internet connected wearables. Many analysts predict that the Apple Watch is poised to bring internet connected watches into the mainstream. Interest in health tracking devices like the Fitbit and Nike’s Fuelband have opened the door to digital wrist wear, while smartwatch pioneers like Samsung and Motorola have had exciting but limited success with their own devices. But regardless of the Apple Watch’s success or failure, the introduction of the Apple Watch represents the continuing shift in the way we use the internet…and the way in which new and current patients are interacting with your dental practice.
The internet has transitioned from desktop to mobile.
A report released from Google in late 2014 revealed that for the first time in internet history, a majority of web traffic came from mobile devices. When new patients are looking at your website for the first time, there’s at least a 60% chance that they’re doing so from a mobile device.
Internet use for social media, viewing video, reading news updates and searching for local businesses is increasingly done on a smartphone rather than a desktop device. This means that everything your practice does, in terms of reaching new patients and serving current ones, must be done with mobile in mind. Is your website current and optimized for this mobile revolution? Use this testing tool from Google to find out.
Interacting with patients has radically changed.
In just a few short years, many dental practices have moved from manually tracking and reminding patients of upcoming appointments to sending emails and text confirmation. The very near future may involve a wide use of instant two-way, text communication becoming more common than phone calls. For now, your patients expect basic services like appointment requests and bill payment to be online and easily accessible from a mobile device. Putting these systems in place respects how your patients are already interacting with other businesses.
Instant reactions have viral implications.
For better or worse, online reviews have become a primary method of finding and evaluating new health providers. In fact, 76% of millennials have said that online reviews were the number one factor they use when selecting a doctor. With the widespread use of smartphones, patients no longer have to wait to get home to leave a review. The Apple Watch represents an even further advance in how quick and easy it has become to review a dentist and how widespread those reviews are now.
All Apple products come preloaded with Apple Maps which uses Yelp reviews in nearly every business listing. Depending on the specifics of the Apple Watch software, your Yelp rating could appear next to your practice address. Dentists need to be sure that their local search listings are accurate and that they are in control of their online reputation as much as possible.
The internet is no longer a destination we go to.
The internet is not the destination it once was. Instead, it simply is. Smartwatches represent a constant state of internet connectedness. For dental practices, this means that successful internet marketing is ready to meet people on the internet where they are. That may be at the grocery store, commuting to work, on the playground or waiting in line. Actively marketing your dental practice on the internet is no longer optional and it’s going to require constantly adapting to new technology.
Smile Savvy can help your practice stay relevant.
Smile Savvy offers the highest standards in web design, including responsive websites that look fantastic regardless of the device they’re viewed on. Further, we provide local search management and optimization through our Practice Promoter tool, along with Review Pro, a powerful reputation management tool that helps build and monitor reviews. Visit the Smile Savvy website or contact us to see how we can help.
