In this dynamic and multifaceted marketing and communications environment, it is insufficient to understand the total number of visitors to your website at a given time, or to track your new patients solely. Those visitors only tell part of the story regarding the health of your website. Additionally, it is important to understand “where” your patients are coming from and not simply that more patients are coming through the door (as terrific as that is!).
Here are six figures to know right now to support your most robust marketing and communications strategy.
1- 81% of Canadians use social media
This is the percentage of Canadians who use social media. In other words, around 33.8 million of our nearly 42 million fellow Canadians are social media users. There seems to be no sign of social media fatigue, as user numbers have grown every year since 2020, when 26 million Canadians were on social media platforms. Social media usage is projected to reach a new peak of 36.79 million users in 2029. This means you need to continue investing in your social media efforts. It remains a relevant tool to engage in a way that is not possible through other or more “traditional” marketing means.
2- 16 key metrics to track
This represents the 16 key metrics that should be tracked when assessing the performance of your website. These aspects of your website go well beyond new visitors. They also account for elements such as those who return to your website (returning visitor sessions), total number of views per page, average time on page and average time spent on your website, and conversion rates. All of these additional details reveal a great deal about how visitors are engaging with your website and provide valuable insights into the pages that are being read and acted upon. Information is powerful, as it supports your ability to make positive changes based on the insights it provides.
Related: 5 must-have elements every successful dental website needs
3- Max time a page should take to load: 3 seconds
This represents the maximum amount of time that each of your pages should take to load. Longer page loading times are associated with higher “bounce” rates as well as lower conversion rates. Since you want the opposite – lower bounce rates and higher conversions – this is not an ideal scenario. By regularly assessing all aspects of your website beyond the type and quality of its content, you can foster a favourable user environment that will attract visitors who will stick around and take action, or “convert.” In fact, improving your page loading time by just one second can significantly lower your bounce rate.
4- Average bounce rate is 40.94%
This is the average bounce rate for the health care industry. Bounce rates indicate how much and how well visitors are engaging with your content. You can determine your bounce rate by measuring the percentage of visitors who load a page but then do not interact with it – they leave your website without visiting any other pages on your site. Bounce rates across industries vary, with the lowest in apparel and footwear (35.76%) and the highest in construction (45.28%). A high bounce rate can provide clues that you may need to rethink or rework the design, layout, or copy on your pages – or it may mean that the wrong visitors are finding your website. Either way, understanding your bounce rate and how it changes can be beneficial, providing insights that may be used to make meaningful and positive adjustments to your website.
Related: Operational efficiency and authentic leadership are reshaping the future of dentistry
5- 10:1 and 36:1 is your ROI in email marketing
The above ratios refer to the return on investment (ROI) in email marketing campaigns. Litmus reports that 35% of companies see a return of between $10 and $36 for every $1 spent on emails, which they describe as “unmatched” marketing ROI. We mention this as email may seem like a “dinosaur” to you, but it remains a highly relevant way to reach out to your patients and community. If you are not using email communications or have not used email in a while, consider revising some of your website content or other communications to create an email promo or newsletter that resonates and gets read.
6- 50% is average engagement rate for videos under 60 seconds
The above percentage refers to the average engagement rate for marketing/communications videos that are under 60 seconds in length. The longer the video, the less engaged the visitor to your site. For instance, videos between one and three minutes in length had an engagement rate of 46%, while videos between five and 30 minutes in length had an engagement rate of 38%. Engagement drops precipitously from there. We end with video marketing to reinforce that it is not just about what your potential patient reads. It is also important to mind the visuals – what visitors to your site or social media channels see and hear.
With all types of content, for maximum impact, it is not just enough to test the waters and throw something out there to your community. There is an art to crafting content that gets seen, understood, and ultimately translates into more calls to your office and more traffic through your doors.
About the Author:
Naren Arulrajah is the president and chief executive officer of Ekwa Marketing, a company that has specialized in digital marketing for medical and dental professionals for more than a decade. If you’re looking for ways to boost your marketing results, call 855-598-3320 for a free strategy session with Naren. You may also schedule a session at your convenience with the Senior Director of Marketing – Lila.