You need to market.

The challenge, as identified by Alan Horowitz at “The Profitable Practice”, is to sign up enough patients to sustain this new model.  Depending upon the size of the practice and your rate of conversion, the number of patients you must attract will vary.

The more patients who can find you, the faster the transition.

Before you get started with your marketing campaign, you must answer these 3 simple questions:

1. What do you do?
2. What makes you better?
3. Who are you?

Provide Value (What you do)

With concierge medicine, you’ll need to provide value over and above the usual diagnosis, education and treatment of disease.  Treating disease is now expected.  What you do in addition to playing doctor is your value.

What do you do to provide value to your patients to merit the added expense of the concierge annual membership?

Do you have flexible office hours, more timely appointments, availability of doctors, have more specialists?  How about faster and guaranteed call back times, etc.?  Are you networked with other concierge practices locally?  nationally?

Part of marketing is understanding your patients’ needs.  Fulfill their needs and you’ll be providing value.

Branding (How you are better)

Branding is simply your reputation.  Your practice has a reputation for something.  Is it quality care, service with a smile, clean and comfortable waiting rooms, computerized medical records, the best staff?

However you distinguish yourself from your competition is your brand, or your reputation.

Transparency (Who you are)

More than ever, your new patients will require you exhibit some personal transparency.  While not exactly your bedside manner, personal transparency does involve revealing a bit of your personality.

Patients are looking for people who are doctors.  Are you willing to share who you are as a person?

Transparency can also mean your approach to medicine and your new practice…and you should be willing to discuss.

How to Market Your Concierge Practice

1.  External Marketing:  You must have a website.  Critical to the success of your marketing plans is the presence of an up-to-date, relevant website.  It should contain enough information so that a prospective patient can find your answers the the 3 questions above.  If you don’t have a website, you don’t exist.

The About Us page should answer the questions about the goal of the practice and how you are different than other similar practices.  The “About Me” page should be more personal, listing a few of your achievements, but also likes, dislikes and hobbies.

Your website will serve as both a reference and powerful marketing tool once it starts to rank with Google, Bing and Yahoo.

2.  Internal Marketing:  Take advantage of patients already familiar with you.  Email and/or hard-paper newsletters are great way to internally market your new changes.  Communicate to your existing patients how your practice will be changing.  Keep them up to date, they may not sign on immediately, may never, but may likely tell someone else!

3.  Maintain Communication -  This should be a gradual but continual process.  Implementing your new communication and marketing strategy won’t happen over night.  Your goal should be to slowly transition your practice from traditional to concierge.

Keep your website fresh with new information about the practice so that a prospective patient doesn’t really need to interview…they just have to read.  Offer the chance to subscribe to your website and newsletter with a subscription box.  This “opt-in” keeps them interested in your practice news.

Make your newsletters relevant and consistent.  Keep your existing patients and email subscribers current with news and events of the office.

You’ll maintain the website for those searching for you on Google and you’ll maintain the newsletter for those who already know you.

To your success!

Randy

Randall V. Wong, M.D.
Medical Website Optimization
www.MedicalMarketingEnterprises.com

It can help you develop your brand.

Sending email newsletters inform your closest followers news about your practice.  Make it easy for your biggest fans to know what’s happening!

Maintaining an email newsletter is easy, completely automated and cheap (free).

Why Do You Need an Email List

Permission based communication.  By giving you their email address, you have permission to communicate with them.  For many, this is a tighter and more meaningful bond/relationship compared to Twitter and Facebook where many of your patients never visit.

Ownership.  You own this list.  You’ve collected addresses via an opt-in subscription box or a generated a list during a patient encounter (you should be collecting email addresses as part of your initial intake encounter, that is, when a new patient is visiting for the first time).  Unlike social media platforms where changes in policy could cause you to lose access to  your followers, you’ll always have this list.

Everyone Uses Email.  It’s an easy way to communicate news of the office and to keep your readers current on your blog.  They don’t have to visit your site or figure out how RSS works, let alone what it means.

Email doesn’t disappear.  Unlike FB or Twitter where your message likely gets missed or buried.

Highly targeted List.  This list is composed of patients and readers interested in what you have to say.  Let them keep up to date with events of your office and blog as easily as possible.

Email Lists are Fully Automated

Creating an email list is easy.  The whole process can be completely automated;

1.  Collect Email Address:  This is the standard “subscription” box you see on most sites.  Your reader has the ability “opt-in” to receive your emails.  This is a crucial step to avoiding liability for spamming.  The best is a double “opt-in” process.

After completing the subscription box, an email is sent to confirm and verify the reader’s desire to receive future emails from you.  This two step process is called a double “opt-in.”

That’s it.  You have a new subscriber!

2.  Send Email Notification:  Each and every time you write a post, you’re entire email list gets notified via email!  Best of all, it’s done automatically!  Every blog automatically generates an RSS feed every time a new post is published on your site.

NOTE:  RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a digital announcement of your new post and contains all the basic information about your new publication.  Many people follow websites by subscribing to the RSS feed.

For your purposes, the RSS feed automatically fills in information about your new article on your email newsletter.  No extra work!

Next Post:  Email Services:  Feedburner, aWeber and MailChimp

Randall V. Wong, M.D.
Medical Website Optimization
www.MedicalMarketingEnterprises.com

Webinar Marketing RX:  Quick Facts

1.    Create a Memorable Experience that will move your viewers to action.

2.    Use compelling content to support your “call to action.”

3.    Practice using the gotowebinar.com service BEFORE your first “real” webinar with actual viewers….you can ask Randy why this point is hereJ

What is a Webinar?

Simply put a webinar is a broadcast that is sent to individuals or posted to a website that allows viewers (like your patients or prospective patients) to simply watch or, at their option, participate during a live webcast.  All that is needed is a computer and an Internet connection.  A webinar may also be referred to as a webcast, online event, or web seminar.

What can you do on a Webinar?

A webinar typically includes both an audio and a visual component.  This allows you to use videos or PowerPoint presentations to convey your message.  Your patients get to hear you convey your message and your prospective patients get to see how you interact with people and provide medical information … this is just one more tool to help them decide whether you are someone they should “trust” with their health care.

Webinars are a powerful way to get in front of prospective patients and do not require a huge outlay of time and money.  In fact, your staff could do simple webinars that show patients how to download forms from your site and complete necessary pieces of paperwork for new visits or surgical procedures.

How do I Create Content for my Webinar?

Webinars are a huge promotional tool used by businesses to sell a product or convert website visitors into subscribers.  Surprisingly, many health professionals forget that they are a business and they are selling a product….Your Services are your PRODUCT.  As such, you should structure your webinar in the same way as an on-line business would structure their sales offer.

Reverse Engineering

Step 1:  Start with your offer.  Your offer is the action you want your viewer to take, a.k.a “call to action.”  Once you know what your offer is you work from there to create your introduction.

Step 2:  Introduction.  You want to create an introduction that gives you credibility and keeps your viewer interested.

Step 3:  Body or foundation for your call to action.  This is the place that you educate and plant the seed as to why they must take whatever “call to action” you have requested.

Step 4:  Closing.  (really step 1)  What is your call to action?  What do you want your viewer to do?  Perhaps, it is to call the office to schedule an appointment or subscribe to your newsletter …whatever it might be don’t forget to include it in your closing.

Do you have a website, but no time to create written content? 

Some of our clients who don’t have time to create written content or, in the alternative, they don’t own their website…meaning they have to pay someone every time they want to add something to their website are choosing to create webinars.  Others are simply choosing to increase their exposure by adding webcasts to their site.  Whatever your situation you can’t go wrong by trying something new.  We will be adding a new webinar tab to our site that will contain valuable information for getting you started on your first webinar.

Medical Marketing Enterprises, LLC uses gotwebinar.com

We use gotowebinar.com for our webinars.  If you are ready to automate your medical practice (while keeping it personal) try gotowebinar.com for a month.   The first month is free and you can cancel if it’s not for you.  If you use our link we will get a small (very smallJ) affiliate commission.  If you have used gotowebinar.com and have points, tips or concerns, please comment below so our whole community can benefit from your experience!

To Your Success,

Amy

Want to watch one of Randy’s first videos?

Every Website Must Provide Value

Every website must provide value.  Contrary to popular belief, most people are surfing the Internet with a specific purpose.  They are in search of an answer to a question or solution to a problem (really the same thing).

Remember the 3 types of websites?  Resource, Marketing and Interactive.   Regardless of the type of website you have, your website already provides value.  For instance, a basic “resource” site containing hours of operation, insurance information and directions provides value to your existing patients who know they can find this type of information on your site.

To improve your value and to turn your site into a powerful marketing tool, write articles on your site to answer your patients’ questions and solve their problems.  This is the best way your site can provide value and to rank you highly at the same time.

Value Breeds Trust

The more value you provide, and for free, the more trust you will develop.

Trust in you does not develop with one article.  It builds after several articles and over time.  Trust allows patients to leave comments and ask questions on your site.  Trust motivates “readers” to become real patients.

Credibility and Authority

Your degree gives you a certain level of credibility, hence, it will be easier and faster for you to develop trust compared to those without a degree.  You are, therefore, able to provide tremendous value to your readers by sharing your knowledge as an authority.

Remember, who else would be better to provide health information than you?

What Can You Do?

Don’t advertise.  Prove your authority and develop your trust by writing consistently and regularly.  It’s no different than educating our patients in an office setting.  Writing knowledgeably about what you do will provide tremendous value to your future patients.  Providing credible information establishes your authority and will accelerate the development of trust.

To Your Growth And Success!

Randy

Randall V. Wong, M.D.
Medical Website Optimization
www.MedicalMarketingEnterprises.com

Listening to  the comedy channel on XM radio gave me confidence and taught me a framework for learning to copy-write (i.e. writing blogposts).  While they technically didn’t invent blogging, I found the process to be the same.

Joke vs. Post

Comedians write jokes, we create posts, or articles.  Both start with a concept which must be refined for a specific audience.  The comic will rehearse to maximize the impact of the punch line while the copywriter will rewrite and edit her article hoping to convey her message in a clear, concise manner.

I usually write the rough copy as fast as I think of my points, not taking time to spell check or even write in complete sentences.  I’ll rewrite to expand some ideas and cut out the repetitive, meaningless words.  Subheadings come last.  When I get stuck, I’ll work on something else.  There is a process, and just like a great joke, a great article shouldn’t be rushed.

When ready, the comedian incorporates the joke in a new routine.  So, too, the blogger “publishes” her article.

Speak to One Audience

No joke is funny to everyone., just as your post will not resonate with all of your readers.  Just as you may laugh at a joke, the person sitting next to you may not.  With the next joke, however, the reverse may happen…she laughs and you don’t.

Jokes create laughter, blog posts answer questions or solve problems (e.g. “How do I….?).

Your articles should answer one question or solve one problem at a time.  Doing so, will allow you to be most relevant to those with that same exact problem.  It’s too hard to write an answer for several problems at the same time.  You’ll lose relevance.

Some articles will work, some won’t.  You can not appeal to everyone.

As the comedian can not tell more than one joke at a time, your articles should be focused on one answer at a time.  One post should contain one message.

Becoming a Fan

Every comedian has hundreds of jokes in her arsenal, just as a blogger has many posts (articles).

Building a following for your blog is the same as listening to a comedian run through her routine.  You’ll like some of the jokes and your neighbor likes others, but you both become a fan as, overall, the jokes are funny and appreciated by both of you.

With time, your articles will reflect your attitudes, views and your style.  People who like your style become your fans and will begin to follow you.

Feedback

Feedback is important, too.  A comic gets immediate feedback from laughter.  We get feedback from analytics and the comments left on our website.

Just as a comedian drops bad jokes from her routine.  Use analytics to determine what type of articles work and don’t work for your audience.  Write additional or related articles to those that work.  Drop what doesn’t work.

To Your Growth And Success!

Randy

Randall V. Wong, M.D.
Medical Website Optimization
www.MedicalMarketingEnterprises.com

And you know I’m not talking about web design.

Great websites must remain dynamic whether by adding a constant stream of great content or with user generated comment vis-a-vis threads and conversations.

Content Marketing is Best

Blogging, or content marketing, remains the most important marketing strategy for your medical practice or small business.  While many businesses promote their use of a social media marketing strategy, blogging remains #1 in terms of ROI, branding and value.

The success of content marketing can be easily measured.  Visitors, bounce rate, comments, click through rates are all metrics showing the likes and needs of your patients, your customers.

The expense of time spent on a social media campaign is less tangible perhaps only because social media efforts ultimately draw attention to a great website that is “under construction.”

Value, Dedication, Commitment

Your content provides your patients with value.  Your articles provide solutions (answers) to their health specific questions.  Moreover, your consistent writing also displays a level of dedication and commitment that sets you apart from your competitors.

Value is the key to any website, but by continued and consistant writing, your dedication and commitment turns you into an industry expert.

Your content also remains the key factor to obtaining great SEO…unmatched and immesurable with any social media campaign.

What Can You Do?

Develop a long range objectives for your practice, i.e. define your marketing goals.

Write articles consistently on topics related to your long range initiative (SEO best practice).

With time, your articles will begin to reach out to your patients, compelling them to write and leave comments.  Make sure to answer each of the comments in a timely manner, thus creating a dialogue.  This visible interaction and engagement is the heart and soul of a blog and will eclipse any social media based campaign with respect to ROI, branding and providing value to your patients.

Both content marketing and engaging your patients online present time challenges and require consistent and continued publications and responses.  

A great website, therefore, is never completed and, hence, is always “under construction.”

To Your Growth And Success!

Randy

Randall V. Wong, M.D.
Medical Website Optimization
www.MedicalMarketingEnterprises.com

Good – Resource Site

Of the doctors who do have site, most have this type of site.  A resource site contains basic contact information, an about page, insurance participation, hours of operation, etc.  A resource site is not dynamic.  A resource site rarely has content or needs to updated.

A resource site, therefore, has absolutely no marketing value.  Without fresh content, it becomes impossible for this site to become ranked on Google.  No content, no rankings and no visibility.

The only people who visit your website are already familiar with you, that is, your existing patients.

Better – Website as Marketing Tool

A website becomes a marketing tool when it starts to rank highly in SERP (Google results).  Patients search on Google and your webpage becomes visible on the results pages.  Patients click on your site.  Your site is now marketing your practice!

To rise in Google rankings, your website must regularly get updated with relevant content.  This is the principle behind content marketing.  Search engines compare webpages based upon the content.

Websites of this type are dynamic, receiving  fresh new relevant content to the website on a regular basis.  This is the only way to get your website to attain and maintain high rankings.

Best – Interactive Tool

A website can be a dynamic interactive tool for your practice.  It has the same rudimentary contact information as a resource site and is full of relevant content….but it also displays conversations, or threads, between you and your next prospective patient.

This is the basis of social media.

Your articles will gain you exposure in terms of traffic and rankings.  Your willingness to publicly “talk” with your readers on your website is the most compelling component of a blog…the purest form of social media.  It will set you apart from your competitors.

Finding others with the same problems becomes magnetic and provides you with a golden opportunity to show compassion and your “bedside manner.”  Exhibiting this type of transparency builds value and trust.

This is how a website brings patients to your door.

What Can You Do?

Remember to march at your own pace.  No need to be overwhelmed.

Every modern website should be constructed as a blog and the best framework is WordPress.org.  In this way, you can start off with a resource site and add functionality only when you are ready….and it won’t cost anything extra!  A simple resource site gets the ball rolling and does demonstrate to your patients that you are willing to engage the Internet.

With time, you may want to add content.  This will elevate you in the rankings and start to market your practice.  Later on, start to interact with your readers by answering comments and questions.

By using WordPress.org, you can add functions when you are ready and it doesn’t cost anything to increase your function.  All CMS (Content Management System) programs have all of this functionality built in…you just use it when you are ready.  There is no hurry.  Starting out on the most versatile framework in the world…Wordpress.org.

Static sites offer only design….cant’ do this.

Randall V. Wong, M.D.
Medical Website Optimization
www.MedicalMarketingEnterprises.com

Your Google + account will now get you noticed on a Google Places, can aggregate any reviews about your practice (from other sites other than Google), selectively share information via Circles with new and old colleagues and starts your Author Ranking!

Google Local and Business Page

Starting a Google + Business page simply requires a free Gmail email address.  Follow the directions to get your practice indexed on Google +.

As Facebook and Google Plus plan their local search strategies, you want to make sure either you create your business page or claim one which already exists.  Simply make sure your contact information is correct.  With time, you can add more information.

Google Circles: Selective Sharing

A unique feature of Google + are the “circles.”  Circles are different groups of people based upon a common interest or relationship, for example, Friends, Family, Business, etc.

This allows you to pick and choose the group of friends with whom you’d like to share information. You can use “circles” to customize your communications….you can tailor who you’d simply like to follow versus people you’d like to share information.

At the outset, Circles are the same as “Friends” on FaceBook, but Friends lack the ability to share vs. follow and sharing may not reach all of your followers. (Facebook does not share all of your posts with all of your followers).

Circles allows  you to wear several hats yet use the same account.

Author Rank

Author Rank is the newest variable introduced last summer for SEO.  Simply put, author rank, measures your expertise and contribution to the Internet on any particular subject.  How your Author Rank is computed is another post.  The greater your Author Rank, the more credible and trusted you are as an expert.

The higher your PageRank, the higher your rankings.  Now, the better your Author Rank and PageRank, the higher your rankings.

This means two articles with very similar content, i.e. with the same PageRank, will now be ranked differently based upon Author Rank…the article written by the author with the highest rank (i.e. trust and credibility) wins!

Google Authorship via Google Plus Profile

Establish your Google Authorship!  The next goal is to inform Google which is/are your website(s).  Uniting your Google Plus profile with your particular website(s) alerts Google of your Authorship.

In your Google Plus profile, list the website(s) to which you contribute.  In your websites, attach the code to your Google Plus profile.  This is most easily done by creating a hyperlink using your name as anchor text back to your Google Plus profile page, or make sure you are using Genesis on WordPress!

WordPress and Genesis

The newest version of Genesis recognizes author rank and allows you to marry your user profile with your Google + profile by simply entering your profile code into your WordPress user profile….done!

To your Success!

Randall V. Wong, M.D.
Medical Website Optimization
www.MedicalMarketingEnterprises.com

Social media platforms are great and very powerful, but if you are not ready for social media, no need to draw attention to a website that either doesn’t exist or is horribly stale.

Your primary reason for starting is to broaden exposure of your website, thereby marketing your practice…and to get indexed on local search.  Both Google and Facebook have likely already indexed your office address as a local business.  More and more, readers are using FB and GP for “local search,”  that is, looking for doctors and other businesses while logged in to FB and/or Google Plus.

Setup Facebook First

Establish your Facebook first.  It is the largest social media platform filled mostly with friends and family.  Not only will you know many of your new “fans,” but, it will be much easier for you to find someone to help you get started.  Starting will be less onerous!  Chances are that someone in your own home or office can show how to get started.

Facebook is a great way to politely remind your friends and family the nature of your business and what type of medicine you practice.  Most of us don’t like to “advertise” to our friends, yet most of our friends and family would indeed prefer to use our services because of our relationship.  Your friends may be too bashful to ask you directly about talking shop or are too embarrassed to admit they forgot your specialty,  but they can look you up easily on FB.

Set up a Facebook Page or claim ownership of a pre-existing page (sometimes you’ll find your business is already listed on FB).  You don’t have to duplicate the information on your website, but do make sure you have accurate contact information.  Second, make sure you have a link to your website.

Readers interested in becoming your next patient, as is true for all social media platforms, will find their way to your website.  Your FB page (and other social media platforms) simply draw attention to you and your website.

“Liking” Facebook

In your office and on your website, ask your patients to visit your Facebook page and “Like” you.  “Liking” you ensures that everyone who does so will receive all updates made on your Facebook Page.  Also, the more likes a page receives, the more a business page will be displayed during local search.

Lastly, make sure Facebook Page is linked to an email address.  Comments and “Like” notifications will be emailed to you so you an monitor FB without logging in!

What Do I Write on Facebook?

Announce your most recent articles posted on your website.  You’ve already spent lots of time and energy writing some great content, now use your new social media accounts to share your stuff!  As you gain confidence, you’ll want to add news about the office, media releases about health related events, etc.

The idea is to let people know about your office, the type of medicine you practice, you are willing to engage in social media and you have a website.

With time you’ll find others will take notice and will be following your postings on FB and GP.

To your successs!

Next time…Google Plus!

Randall V. Wong, M.D.
Medical Website Optimization
www.MedicalMarketingEnterprises.com

“Mobile responsive design” really is two different things. “Mobile” design means to design a web site for a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone or tablet). “Responsive design” means to design a web site for a browser window of varying size no matter the device on which the browser is running.

Until the advent of mobile browsers, web sites were designed only for PC / Mac screens of a certain size. In the earlier days of the web, that size was perhaps 500 pixels wide (because computer screens were limited to a width of 600 pixels. Later, the size grew to perhaps 650 or so because screens became capable of displaying 768 pixels width. Later still, screens became capable of displaying more pixels, and the standard web site width became 960 pixels.

Then, mobile devices came along. These devices have much smaller screen widths and so cannot display well a web site designed for a PC / Mac screen. Many web sites initially responded by creating a duplicate of their site but redesigned for a much narrower browser width. These duplicates were not “responsive”, but they were “mobile.”

As mobile device designs proliferated, the number of different device widths increased. So, one mobile site design did not work well on all mobile devices (e.g., phone versus tablet). The need for a “responsive” technology became apparent so that web site developers and designers did not have to design multiple different separate web sites for different devices (e.g., iPhones versus iPads versus MacBook Airs versus large desktop displays).

CSS3 and Javascript provided that technology. (HTML5 and other technologies like jQuery also help.) These technologies allow a web site to “respond” to the size of a web browser and dynamically adjust the size and arrangement of items on the page as the width of the browser changes (wider or narrower) no matter the device on which the browser is running.

The web site developer and designer create only one site and include the CSS3 and Javascript that detects the browser width and changes the CSS3 properties of page elements to adapt to the changing browser size. This kind of web site is a “responsive” web site.

- Howard

While this may seem confusing, the remedy is quite simple.  Mobile responsive designs are simply website designs which can adapt, via mobile browsers, to varying screen sizes.  One website fits a variety of mobile screen sizes.

“Mobile design is really out of vogue.  All design is now “responsive.” says Howard.

Studiopress makes this simple.  The newer themes from Studiopress are all mobile responsive, keeping you way ahead of the game.  All of our customers and our own sites are built upon the sturdy Studiopress themes;  built on WordPress, optimized and now mobile responsive!

Randy