The AAO’s recent move to a digital approach to marketing via the Consumer Awareness Program (CAP) is yielding strong growth in engagement with the association’s consumer website, which provides expanded information about the superior qualifications of orthodontists to straighten teeth and align jaws. CAP materials drive consumers to the consumer website.

From June 2016 to July 2017, monthly total page views increased more than six-fold (from 33,194 to 214,542) while total monthly users increased more than five-fold (from 24,206 to 145,214). Once on the website, consumers may elect to search for nearby AAO members using the Find an Orthodontist search tool. In recent months, searches per month on Find an Orthodontist have averaged 7,600. Your practice is automatically included in the locator if you are active or life active member and have a business address in the AAO database.

Under the new digital CAP program, multiple strategies are in use to leverage large-scale online opportunities for the AAO – including, but not limited to:

● Updates to search engine optimization (SEO) for the consumer website, mylifemysmile.org;
● Expanding reach for social media advertising;
● Creating a presence for the AAO on emerging social media platforms such as Snapchat and Messenger;
● Development of new creative materials for online use.

Podcast Takes a Deeper Look at Recent CAP Data

In a podcast, Drs. Anil Idiculla, chair of the Council on Communications and Myron Guymon, trustee liaison to the council, share data from the Consumer Awareness Program’s new direction with digital advertising. AAO Facebook/Instagram advertising has reached 23.5 million consumers in recent months while 75 percent of searches on the consumer website Find an Orthodontist locator are coming directly from the AAO’s paid marketing efforts.
Hear the Podcast

Make the Find an Orthodontist Locator Work Effectively for Your Practice

The consumer website, mylifemysmile.org, will soon be merged with the member website, aaoinfo.org, under the aaoinfo.org name. Merging the two websites will yield several benefits – in particular, advantages in search engine optimization (SEO). The new home page will display the consumer content and the Find an Orthodontist locator, while members will use a tab at the upper right on the screen to access all of the content currently on aaoinfo.org.

The Council on Communications podcast linked above urges members to update their profiles to include their practice web addresses. By doing so, the member’s web URL will show as a hot link when the member’s name displays on a consumer search of the Find an Orthodontist locator. If you have not yet added your practice web address to your profile, your web address will not be included in your displayed listing. Steps to address this situation are:

First, check to see if you have a web address on file with the AAO. Log onto aaoinfo.org and then:

1. Click on “My AAO” near the top of the page.

2. Mouse over the “More” tab at far right. Click on “AAO Member Profile.”

3. When your profile page opens, scroll down to Contact Information and look to see if your web URL is listed, or if it says, “Practice website is missing!”

4.  If your website is missing, click on “Edit” (in green) next to the Contact Information heading.

5. Then, click on ADD (in green) next to My Websites. When the edit box opens, copy and paste your web URL from your browser display into the website box.  Then, click the SAVE button.