Although David Letterman may be retiring next year, the top ten list definitely isn’t. As anybody who wanders the Internet knows, lists are here to stay because readers love them.
But should your cosmetic dental practice, or plastic surgery practice, or dermatology practice use lists for content? The answer is . . . it depends.
Pros: Lists are
great for grabbing attention. They mesh with the way today’s Internet users consume content – quickly, often on a smart phone or tablet. Lists provide a quick hit for readers surfing the web and can often draw eyes to your social media or blog.
Cons: Yet lists can and do fail when they don’t provide good content. If clients don’t find valuable, relevant and consistent information on your list, they will look elsewhere – and may never come back. Done poorly, lists could potentially drive future patients away.
So what’s a cosmetic dental or dermatological or surgical practice to do? Use these (you guessed it!) five guiding tips to keep your lists on track – and patient-friendly:
- Make it useful. Nothing annoys a reader more than lists that don’t offer real information. Your readers (i.e. current and future patients) want cutting-edge advice, practical tips, and informed how to’s. Make sure your lists give readers real takeaways.
- Deliver what you promise. If your header reads “Five ways to reduce the appearance of age spots” or “Three things you need to know about tooth bonding,” make sure you deliver the goods. Don’t use fluff as filler.
- Keep it relevant: Skip the pictures of the world’s ten best beaches or the cute cat videos. Yes, they will attract people – just not future patients. Always keep your desired audience in mind, whether that’s a middle-aged mom thinking about Coolsculpt, or a young executive seeking whiter, brighter teeth. Try to entice those kinds of readers, specifically,
- Don’t overdo it: Lists are great. Patients like making them, reading them and sometimes even sharing them. But not all the time. Some topics require more text, more thought and more subtlety than a list can offer. Also, readers like variety. If lists are all you offer, readers will soon get tired and look elsewhere.
We hope this helps you answer the question, To List or Not to List? But if you don’t want to think about lists at all, please remember Crystal Clear can help. Unlike Letterman, we plan to keep creating great content for our clients, including lists, for a long, long time. So call us or write us to learn more.
