Everyone knows that you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. But for a dental implant lead, where do you think the first impression occurs?

The common thought is that it starts in the lobby. In your lobby, you need to have the right sights, sounds, smells, and a warm smile on your face when you greet them. After all, they’re going to form their impression within seconds. This calls for making sure your team and lobby feel welcoming and trustworthy.

But did you know that your true first impression actually starts much, much earlier? In the age of digital marketing, the first impression often comes from your social media or search engine advertisements.

Making sure your lobby leaves a good impression is important, to be sure. But it pales in comparison to your online impression. This post talks about how to make a good first impression and then design the rest of the implant lead’s journey to match it.

Determine your message.

Before a lead sees your ad, you need to determine what your message will be. Can you sum up the value your practice provides in a sentence or two? Do you have an “elevator speech” to convince an on-the-fence patient to commit?

This is your marketing message. Everything you do surrounds this core component, in order to ensure consistency and impact throughout. In this sense, your message forms the roots underneath your marketing tree.

You can determine your message by conceptualizing your ideal patient, and the problems or concerns they have. Your message serves to show them a solution and overcome their concerns.

For example, one practice’s message could be: “We transform the lives of our patients by providing VIP-level treatment.”

While another’s message could be “We provide high-quality implants at convenient times to make sure nobody goes without.”

Match your ads to your message.

Now, we reverse-engineer the rest of our customer experience based on the core message. Your ads on Facebook and Google should contain words and images that appeal to your ideal patient and align with your message.

Are you professional, sleek, and modern? Or are you convenient and casual? Or something different altogether?

Make sure that your images and ad copy match the impression you want to make.

Match your landing page with your ad.

After the dental implant lead sees your ad, they may decide to click through to your website. During this step, your experience needs two things:

For one, make sure that the patient lands on a page specifically dedicated to dental implants, not your main website. If a patient sees an ad for your implant services and then gets sent to your main site that discusses your practice in general, they will feel a disconnect. They clicked to learn more about implants, so make sure the webpage talks instantly and convincingly about implants.

For two, make sure that the images and wording on that page match the theme of the advertisements’ core message. If you have integrity between your ads and website, then the lead will begin forming the correct impression. Matching your ad to your website creates a consistency that search engines like, as well.

Another note on websites: Make sure that your entire website matches the marketing message. You want to relate to the kind of person you want to attract. For example, if you want to position yourself as a high-end practice, then don’t have a website that looks old-school.

Make the in-person experience match the digital experience.

The final step is to make the traditional “first impressions” match your overall message. This is the look and feel of your lobby. If you have marketed yourself as sleek and modern, then you don’t want a lobby that looks casual and cozy.

You also want to look at the way your team answers the phone and greets people as they come in the door. The more consistent you are in the small details, the more control you will have over the impression formed.

Audit your patient experience.

After designing your experience around a core message, have yourself or a team member go through the process as if they are a new lead. Look at the process through their point of view to see what you otherwise might not see.

You could also have a friend or a family member go through the process for a fresh perspective. Don’t tell them what to look for; just tell them to take notes about the impression they get.

In order to make the best impression possible, take a step back and think about the overall message you want to convey. Then, engineer the dental implant lead’s experience based on that message. After you’re done, bring in some outside eyes to evaluate how you did.

For help developing your message or making the most of your first impression, book a free strategy call with us.