As a local business owner, it is critical for you to be easy to find so that patients can quickly locate you when they need the service you are offering. To do that online, you need to consider the role of directory listings, which operate on a much larger scale but are similar to a massive phonebook of phone numbers, but also location data, and service information. Directory listings are also a lesser-known but essential part of your local SEO strategy. Are you using them?
Check out a few tips and strategies for directory listing management for dermatologists. Your practice could be flourishing if you take full advantage of this core component of your local marketing efforts.
What Are Directory Listings?
For long-term success, you should learn how directory listings work and how to update your own. First, what are directory listings?
A directory listing is like a large library of information about a business. It includes the NAP – company name, address, and phone number – of the business. Directory listings should also contain your practice’s website URL, company logo, and any other identifiable information that would help someone learn about your business.
When someone visits Google to look for a dermatologist, these directory listings often show up, providing a listing of all available dermatologists in the area. A person who clicks on them goes to a website where not just your information is listed but that of all related providers in the given area.
Often, these listings will display the company’s name and all of the details for you to contact them. Some also incorporate reviews where previous patients can leave comments about the service they received. Their goal is to meet the patient’s needs – by making it easy for the patient to find the service provider they need. They do this by providing ample insight and detail, including photos and added information.
The most common elements of a directory listing for dermatologists include:
- Company name (and it should be spelled the exact same way on all listing sites)
- Business address
- Phone number
- Website URL
- Any photos available of the practice or location
- Videos of the practice or providers there
- Insurance companies that are accepted by your office
- Details about the services you offer
- Details about the types of skin conditions you may provide care for
Directory listings can be very robust, including a great deal of valuable information with a single goal – to give the potential patient all of the information they need to make the decision to contact you (or not to do so!)
The Benefits of Directory Listings
A good starting point when it comes to directory listings management for dermatologists is understanding that these listings most likely already exist, even if you didn’t create them yourself. And for that reason, you’ll want to make sure to claim ownership of them and maintain them, because why would you let anyone else control your business’s presence on these platforms? Doing so provides a few key benefits for your practice as well.
- They increase visibility. When you have directory listings that are up-to-date and accurate, that means your practice’s name, address, phone number, and other details are found at the top of the organic search results. That means people see your results first. Most of the time, patients rely on these first results to decide whom to contact when they need a dermatologist within their area. Having your name there increases your chances of being clicked on.
- Local: Directories are very localized. You are not competing against all of the dermatologists in the state or even the region. Rather, they are based on your location. That means you have a higher chance of ranking towards the top of the list.
- Credibility: Directory listings are a very important part of your credibility. A dermatologist found within these listings is given a higher level of credibility by patients than those who may not be there. Patients view these professionals as real and reputable practices.
- Direct contact. Directories get people right to your website, to call your appointment line, and right to the information they need. There is no middle ground to slow them down in reaching out to you.
With all of these benefits, you may be wondering how you can take full advantage of directories. Keep in mind that directory listing management for dermatologists has to be taken seriously with a careful focus on details.
How Directory Listings Help You Attract More Patients
With good directory listing management, dermatologists are able to increase the number of leads they receive and, as a result, the number of clicks they get that turn into patients. Consider a few ways that they can help you.
Improve your online presence
Directory listings make it easier for patients to find you. These are people who are going to search engines with the specific goal of contacting a provider for the services they need. They are looking for your services online, and you want them to contact you instead of the competition.
Keep in mind that many people who are looking for a dermatologist are looking for specific services or solutions. They may want help for a condition like acne or psoriasis. They may need a skin check for work. Some may be seeking out a specific type of skin treatment or medication. Your directory listing, when it answers these questions, helps people to find you and to realize you can help them.
Strengthen your reputation
Directory listings can also help to strengthen your own reputation. They create a way for you to build your brand. Your prospective clients can see who you are, what you offer, and how much other patients appreciate your services. This way, you become a trusted source for information and guidance. Building your reputation takes some time on all fronts, but with an accurate and updated directory listing, you know that people can find exactly what they need that you can offer. That helps them to learn that you are a solution to their problem, and that is a reputation you want to have.
Increase brand awareness
Directory listings are also a powerful tool when it comes to building up your brand. Brand building is a multi-faceted process with the goal of creating a very specific message, visual image, and overall perspective for patients to see. With directory listings, people who are looking for a dermatologist are instantly able to learn about your practice, and in doing so, they are then able to make adjustments on whether to contact you or not.
Also note that, in the larger picture of building your brand, directories serve as a valuable tool. They should be consistent in terms of imagery, wording, and messages, as well as overall services as the rest of your potential client touchpoints. They can help you to become an established brand.
Grow your local visibility
Another benefit to directory listings is their ability to help you increase your local visibility. If you are in a larger city, this can help you to be found by clients who may not realize that your services are available. More so, with local visibility, directory listings allow prospective clients to compare several providers within a local area, which means that if your directory is up to date and filled out, perhaps well-branded and clearly designed, that is going to help them to decide to contact your practice over the competition.
Get discovered more easily
It is also important to look beyond the simple Google search. Directories today can do more to help your business grow than ever. For example, the days of just using your basic Google search to find a dermatologist in your area is not the only option. Many of your patients, perhaps someone who is busy or juggling home life, may conduct a simple voice search instead of lugging out their laptop to complete a search. Directories allow you to be found in voice search, too.
This helps you to get business from other sources beyond just what you are found for in the search engine results pages and through your paid advertising. Directory listings, then, are one component of a bigger picture. They help you to get the support you need to reach your clients and contribute to your full-circle online marketing efforts.
Attend a Surefire Local Marketing Platform Demo
Directory listings sound like a great tool – and they are – but they can also seem a bit daunting to many people. These are indeed very effective and valuable resources that you can use to build up your local search, increase leads, and build your brand’s reputation. However, there is a big “but” here.
To be effective, directory listings have to be up to date, and they must be accurate. A small mistake here will leave people looking for your competitors and frustrated with the service you offer. If you’re a busy dermatologist, though, you may not be sure you can invest the time into this process. That is where we can help you.
Our business intelligence marketing software allows you to manage the entire marketing process on one platform. Even better, it is only a fraction of the cost you will pay for an agency or a tool to do this work for you otherwise. Use our platform to master all of your online marketing activities in one place. Take a demo now to learn how.