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fcajon 24th August 2009 09:19 PM

Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
I'm a practicing chiropractor who is looking for creative ideas to improve my online marketing. I am new to this forum, but so far I've really liked what I've seen!

What would be some recommended online marketing strategies? So far I have a practice blog (ocalachiropractic.com), as well as condition specific sites (ocalaspinaldecompression.com, ocalabackpain.com, ocalaneckpain.com, and ocalawhiplashcare.com). My main practice web site is under renovation.

I have a facebook fan page (facebook.com/ocalaimed), but haven't really done much with it yet.

What are the most logical steps for me to take from here?

Thanks in advance!

Dr. Jon

Jeannie Crabtree 24th August 2009 09:41 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Welcome Dr Jon, I'm a certified acupuncturist and TBM (Victor Frank) practitioner, among other credentials. Pretty well retired now.

You have keyword search terms in your url's so that will help you attract the right kind of visitor. So now make sure to get plenty of backlinks to your sites. Not a huge amount all at once but just keep then trickling in. There is a lot of posts about this, just use the search function

You could try some article marketing, and there is a lot of posts about this as well.

Something you may consider is to give away coupons for so much off your first office visit. Be sure to collect the email and name first. They can print out the coupon and make an appointment.

Just a couple thoughts for you tonight.

Enjoy the forum.

Jeannie Crabtree

KPKP 24th August 2009 11:30 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Definitely write articles. These get picked up nicely by Google if it contains the key words your potential clients would use to find you. But some of the best ways to market local businesses like yours are now in the Local Search and Review sites. Check out ours in the signature line below, amongst others such as Yelp and RateMDs.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Jillian Slack 24th August 2009 11:35 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Dan Kennedy has a whole program designed for chiropractors. Definitely worth taking a look since it would save you the time and effort of reinventing the wheel.

Plus, DK is one of the best marketing minds out there.

MacFreddie 24th August 2009 11:59 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Normally I would ask for a big check upfront, but in this case I'll give you some Freebies.

I see you have an Opt in on your blog so you're off to a good start. Do the same on your website.

Get every patient on your List/Autoresponder, nothing you do on the Internet will ever be better for your practice.

I see you claimed your Local listing, that's good. Add Video and pics to Local and your blog. Right now your organically ranked 7th, that's no good. Must be in Top 3 or forget it. Always stay above the fold. Add video.

Your site needs work, look in my signature and go to Website design. Those 2 guys are the gurus.

I would Immediately make the following changes:
  • Make the phone # BIG
  • Place method of payments accepted in Header
  • Hours of operation
  • BBB logo or something else that offers 3rd party credibility
  • How about a pic of yourself
  • RSS feed
Your website sucks, time to update. Don't make me think. Place the most important items on the Home page. Phone, Address, Hours, Payment, etc.. links are NOT the same.

Testimonials, Testimonials, Testimonials, with Pics or Video is best. Make at least 30% of every page Testimonials. Give a FREE visit to every Policeman, Fireman, Nurse, Schoolteacher, in your area and get their Picture and Testimonial. Personally drop off cheap fliers at the stations, School, etc... Instant TRUST & CREDIBILITY when you have these people on board.

You won't need NO stinkin Internet, TRUST ME.

You need more Onpage SEO, start here first.

Buy more domains and have them point at your site.

I don't like you're "5 things your doctor..." aren't you a Dr? Change it.

Start looking at Banner ads on local merchant sites, maybe ValPak, etc...

Is there Yelp in your area. Get listed and have your BEST(must be orgasmic) patients make comments. After a patient is done, send them a $5 Starbucks card with a 2 paragraph letter and ask them to give you a review. Only do 1-2 reviews at MOST per week. Do NOT abuse.

Get listed in all the Free Directories.

Setup a Voice Broadcast system immediately.

I would consider a Direct Mail campaign and give away a Free visit. Keep it limited to say the first 100 patients to respond. Have a sense of urgency, only good till Sept 30th, etc...

That's it for free advice. If you want more take out a 2nd mortgage.:p

Don't spend too much time with this Internet stuff, it's simply another Media, that's it. Spend more time doing all the stuff I mentioned above and the money will flow. You'll be cussing me out in 6 months ;-)

Word of mouth for Doctors works best.

Hope this helps,

Mac

Quote:

Originally Posted by fcajon (Post 1114885)
I'm a practicing chiropractor who is looking for creative ideas to improve my online marketing. I am new to this forum, but so far I've really liked what I've seen!

What would be some recommended online marketing strategies? So far I have a practice blog (ocalachiropractic.com), as well as condition specific sites (ocalaspinaldecompression.com, ocalabackpain.com, ocalaneckpain.com, and ocalawhiplashcare.com). My main practice web site is under renovation.

I have a facebook fan page (facebook.com/ocalaimed), but haven't really done much with it yet.

What are the most logical steps for me to take from here?

Thanks in advance!

Dr. Jon


morry 25th August 2009 12:39 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
I'm going to echo Jillian and say go and get Dan Kennedy's program for chiropractors. I can't remember what it's called, but do a quick google search and just go buy it. Dan's stuff is gold.

Sean

Richard Tunnah 25th August 2009 01:00 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by fcajon (Post 1114885)
I'm a practicing chiropractor who is looking for creative ideas to improve my online marketing. I am new to this forum, but so far I've really liked what I've seen!

What would be some recommended online marketing strategies? So far I have a practice blog (ocalachiropractic.com), as well as condition specific sites (ocalaspinaldecompression.com, ocalabackpain.com, ocalaneckpain.com, and ocalawhiplashcare.com). My main practice web site is under renovation.

I have a facebook fan page (facebook.com/ocalaimed), but haven't really done much with it yet.

What are the most logical steps for me to take from here?

Thanks in advance!

Dr. Jon

I'd set-up an autoresponder giving away a short report away (ie.7 things to keep a healthy back). Building a relationship with potential clients.

Rich

Martin Luxton 25th August 2009 01:06 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Dr Jon

Number one - based on that website I wouldn't even consider visiting you.

Quote:

This post if from the blog of Jay Parkinson M.D., a doctor who is on the forefront of healthcare reform. Read the list carefully, and ponder the implications this has on the way we view sickness and true health. Please feel free to post answers you’ve found in the comments section- I look forward to seeing some diverse opinions!
Quote:

Incidentally, these substances that are found in virtually all of the milk and meat we consume are emerging as a culprit for the rapid onset of puberty we are seeing in children.
You sound like you're talking to a medical convention.

One of the most important reasons people keep going to alternative practitioners is they feel their previous allopathic doctor was treating them like a machine rather than a human being.

You need photos and videos of a happy smiling Dr Jon (added to the great advice from McFreddie).

You should have something like this post

How On Earth Does Chiropractic Actually Work? Ocala Chiropractic

on your navigation bar with a title like "What Does A Chiropractor Do?". Many people don't know. A good FAQ will give people the confidence to phone you if this is their first experience of this type of treatment.

Nearly forgot. Your popup is too quick. I arrived at your page, saw shedloads of boring looking text and straightaway got hit by a sales pitch. I remember reading a couple of weeks ago about a marketer who tested to find the best time to activate a popup and he got something like a 400% increase in optins by putting it a few seconds later.

Martin

jsherloc 25th August 2009 01:39 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
You should DEFINETLY look into distributing your short videos to the major video sharing sites as well. Put your desired keyword/location in the title. Put the link in the beginning of the description (it will be live in some of the sites), and include the keyword a bit more for good measure, don't stuff it though....try and write 100% for the READER...not the search engines and you'll get a better click through rate.

If your location is not that competitive, you might show up ont he front page QUICK.

Nick Brighton 25th August 2009 01:44 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by MacFreddie (Post 1115229)

Testimonials, Testimonials, Testimonials, with Pics or Video is best. Make at least 30% of every page Testimonials. Give a FREE visit to every Policeman, Fireman, Nurse, Schoolteacher, in your area and get their Picture and Testimonial. Personally drop off cheap fliers at the stations, School, etc... Instant TRUST & CREDIBILITY when you have these people on board.

Spot on advice here. This should be your #1 priority bar none. Nothing beats growing a business like solid social proof from credible sources.

I'd go for the jugular and get as many other health professionals to use your service. Then, after collecting their testimonials, put up a headline like this...

"Why more doctors back Dr Jon's Chiropractors over anyone else..."

Although, that's probably being a bit "cute" with double entendre, you get the idea.

rosetrees 25th August 2009 02:52 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
You say your main site is "under renovation". Without seeing that it's hard to comment.

Does your local town/city/village have a local website you could list or advertise on? You will want to target a few obvious keywords, such as "chiropractor in Mytown" - local listings should help you there.

As a (potential) client - I use my local chiropractor - I would want to see a photo of you, a photo of your practice and some information on what happens when I come to see you. Include reassurances - such as partners are welcome, etc - to reassure the nervous. It's easy to forget that therapies such as chiropractic can appear quite intimate and daunting to those unfamiliar with them.

Carol

Vikuna2009+ 25th August 2009 06:59 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Gosh, talk about a FREE education here, awesome stuff! Was just going to push the button to McFreddie but re-read the thread again and realized that the combination of all advise is worth GOLD.

I have nothing to contribute myself, still a learner but if I might suggest, social media such as twitter, facebook, myspace etc. might be a good addition. A friendly-cute-funny video submitted to tubemogul.com about the benefits and bodily relief, might also be a good idea.

Thank you all, Eva

MacFreddie 25th August 2009 05:13 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Hey Doc,

You pulled a Houdini!

Any thoughts on what the WF members offered?

Feedback to all would be appreciated.

Mac



Quote:

Originally Posted by fcajon (Post 1114885)
I'm a practicing chiropractor who is looking for creative ideas to improve my online marketing. I am new to this forum, but so far I've really liked what I've seen!

What would be some recommended online marketing strategies? So far I have a practice blog (ocalachiropractic.com), as well as condition specific sites (ocalaspinaldecompression.com, ocalabackpain.com, ocalaneckpain.com, and ocalawhiplashcare.com). My main practice web site is under renovation.

I have a facebook fan page (facebook.com/ocalaimed), but haven't really done much with it yet.

What are the most logical steps for me to take from here?

Thanks in advance!

Dr. Jon


fcajon 25th August 2009 07:21 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
No Houdini...just a hard days work at the office!

As far as the criticism, I really appreciate all of the advice...especially from MacFreddie.

First, let me show you the guts for the site that will be used as the main practice site. Content is not up yet, but the home page is:

richlandesolutions.com/ocala/

The blank box will be a picture/video. What are the opinion on the board re: videos on the home page? Personally, I HATE videos that play automatically when you are on a page, but I see a lot of them, so maybe they work.

As far as the blog goes....
The audience is current patients/potential patients. The goal is to be as interesting and informative as possible, and hope potential patients sign up for the free report.

I can see what you mean about writing with too much of a scientific feel. This is something I struggle with, as I'm more accustomed to writing for other doctors, attorneys, etc, so this is definitely an area I'll work on improving.

The tips on SEO and article marketing are great! I am in the process of gathering video testimonials of patients as well as shooting some videos of myself and the doctor I work with in the practice.

Did anyone go to ocalaspinaldecompression.com or ocalawhiplashcare.com? I'd like to get opinions on these sites as well- they are more geared towards marketing than the blog.

steveweber 25th August 2009 07:24 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Yes, like Jillian said, you need to check out Dan Kennedy's material. There's a whole new world there waiting for you and your practice.

Lance K 25th August 2009 07:29 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkAndrews IMCopywriting (Post 1114931)
Who is your blog aimed at?


Just a thought, but you may want to kill that link. It's possible that Dr. Jon doesn't want Warrior Forum to be indexed in association with his blog.

fcajon 25th August 2009 07:37 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
I'll take any association I can get at this point if it helps my SEO!

fcajon 25th August 2009 07:40 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
By the way, is there any way to subscribe to a thread without posting on it?

Maria Gudelis 25th August 2009 08:19 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Dr. Jon, you've got tons of advice here all great and just implementing MacFreddie's - well you have received thousands of advice here and Dan Kennedy...yes - awesome!

Only few quick things to add - to your SEO

noticed your blog isn't SEO optimized with your permalinks and your not using categories to maximize your SEO....

1. so once logged into your admin panel, under Settings/Permalinks - set your permalink structure to 'custom' and enter

/%category%/%postname%


2.....also looks like you need to do some keyword analysis as well to also help with that (kinda like building a house - need an architecture plan before building...same with your website - helps to know the keywords you will target - then build your categories, titles of each blog post and content based on that...

So to the category and post name - that way

if you create categories as per your keywords and make sure you only pick one category per blog post...the url will be seo optimized

e.g - right now - your url for one of your blog posts is:

ocalachiropractic.com/?cat=6 :( not so good for SEO :(

if you create a category say called 'help for back pain'

and a blog post called 'How to Get Help for Back Pain in Ocala'

then your url structure once you set the permalinks would be:

http://ocalachiropractic.com/help-fo...-pain-in-ocala

-

3. and backlinks as well based on hyperlinks of those keywords..you can start right here in this high authority site - the WF!

- so right now -add in your WF sig "Ocala Chiropractor" as the text which links back to your site (as I sure assume that is one of your targeted keywords! ;)

- then maybe add - "Help For Back Pain in Ocala" and link it to your 'about me' page (a bit of a deeper link to your site)

****
There is so much more you can do...and for now - take the steps in all of the great posts here and start implementing....

welcome to the WF! :)

Cheers, Maria Gudelis

fcajon 25th August 2009 08:33 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
That's great! I have taught myself how to build the wordpress blogs, but I know NOTHING about the SEO process on the backend of the blog.

How do I add a sig to my posts? I've looked around a bit but can't figure out how to do it!

Kevin_Hutto 25th August 2009 08:41 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Do everything that MacFreddie said... That is really gold. The only other simple thing that I would add is to run an adwords campaign once your site is remade. The nice thing about adwords is that you can geo target it around your business. So, if someone within 10 miles of your office searches Google for a Chiropractor then your PPC ad will show up...

On word of caution though, you have to be very careful with adwords as you can make big mistakes and waste big $$ if you're not careful.

jjebfafl 25th August 2009 08:58 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Hi Dr. Jon,

To add a signature to your posts...

Login in to the WF as usual. Click on your 'fcajon' username link that shows in the upper right corner area after you login. Now your profile page shows with your username, website address etc. and right underneath that there is a red bar that has at least 3 white links in it.. the very right link should say "customize profile".

Click that and then scroll down on the left side to the 3rd box for settings and you should see a "edit signature" link text. Click on that and they you can put in your quick 1 sentence summary and a link below that.... then save it!

FYI, below the "field" area you will find a helps section that tells you how you can add bold, underline, etc to your text, etc.

This is some great info being shared so take advantage of it Dr. Jon!

Many Blessings,
Jerold

MarkR 25th August 2009 08:59 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Dr. Jon,

Quote:

How do I add a sig to my posts? I've looked around a bit but can't figure out how to do it!
Click on the link at the top left part of the WF page that says User CP, then click on Edit Signature.

Quote:

By the way, is there any way to subscribe to a thread without posting on it?
Also, to subscribe, click on Thread Tools at the top right of the post.

EDIT: Doh! Jerold - you type too fast! LOL

jimbo3891 25th August 2009 09:05 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
First off, Maria - heart of gold. You not only gave the good Dr. WHAT to do, but HOW to do it - far and above what many would have done.

Great info here in this post from many good marketers. I've learned several good things, but can't add too much as most of what I usually do has been noted here.

Definitely use some type of video on your first page of your site - preferably live video with your smiling face on there. People need to "meet" you and get comfortable with you BEFORE they will even consider coming to see you. This is one of those unwritten rules about customers - people do business with people that they're comfortable with. If their first opportunity to get comfortable with you is their first office visit, then that may be too late for most people. Also, unless your voice is completely awful (and your opinion doesn't count because we all think our own voice sounds awful), be sure to be the one speaking on your video - that will add to that comfort level that you're trying to achieve.

Be sure to have all your team members on your site - preferably video shorts of them introducing themselves, what they do, and potentially some video/stills of them doing it. That gets clients comfortable with not just you, but your entire office team.

You'll notice I use team. Personally, I hate the word "staff" - it's such a derogatory term. I had a business partner years back that would sit in his office at his desk and shout at the top of his lungs, "STAFF!!!!" and expect everyone to come running. That created my personal bias against that term, so I teach all my business owners to use the word "team> Then, a few years back when I was working with a business coach teaching other business owners how to work ON their business, not IN it, he was teaching the same thing - use "team" not "staff".

You ask about your signature - you can do that in your profile - set it once and every post from now on has that signature until you change it. Then your posts will have your new signature.

One additional thing. I noticed that you reference different sites. It appears that you've got different sites set up with different content depending upon the intended viewer. I ran into a vet just last week that had three sites and he was doing the same thing. One site was keyword rich, but the other two were basically some obscure site name. There was different content on each site and there was no reference fromone to the other - they never got connected together in any way. I'm sure someone here can offer some thoughts on this, but this would seem to water down the potential to get higher rankings. Am I wrong? For the vet, I recommended that we get all his content to ONE site, point the other two at that site, and then we could optimize the site. I also recommended that we could have different entry portals for current clients, potential clients, and even special marketing that he may run in the future. Any ideas from anyone???

Wow, for not having much to say, I had a lot to say. Sorry, I'm rarely at a loss for words. Good luck with your site and keep us informed here because we can all learn from what you accomplish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fcajon (Post 1118553)
That's great! I have taught myself how to build the wordpress blogs, but I know NOTHING about the SEO process on the backend of the blog.

How do I add a sig to my posts? I've looked around a bit but can't figure out how to do it!


DukeNasty 25th August 2009 09:07 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by fcajon (Post 1118413)
By the way, is there any way to subscribe to a thread without posting on it?


Go to the first post of anh thread you want to subscribe to, and look in the middle right portion immediately above that post and you will see a box that says "THREAD TOOLS". Click on this and the drop down menu will allow you to select the option of "Subscribe To This Thread". Once you subcribe to different threads, you can categorize them. For example, I have Article Marketing, Backlinks, Offline Marketing, Etc. as categories that I can put these subcriptions into.

To view your subscriptions, look at the upper left portion of every page in the red horizontal menu area and click on "USER CP". This allows you to view and categorize your subscriptions like I mentioned above. Now, I need to finish my Budweiser. :D Enjoy!

E.

melanied 25th August 2009 09:23 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
I absolutely second the advice about actively collecting testimonials. Testimonials are king in the service business! Video testimonials distributed to top video sharing directories with keyword targeted descriptions and titles could be extremely effective.

fcajon 25th August 2009 09:23 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
You guys are great! I really appreciate everyone going above and beyond walking me through some of the steps!

Jackie Tulos 25th August 2009 10:06 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Not only do you want to optimize your blog, but you need to build up all your social media sites as well, so that free targeted traffic can be sent to your site. Look at building a Twitter following, a YouTube channel , a LlinkedIn page and build up more on your Facebook page.

If you would like more help with this, my company offers a free 30 minute phone consultation to see what your needs may be and how we can set this up for you. This will free you up to see more patients that this process brings to your practice.

selcor 25th August 2009 10:14 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Here are a couple more ideas...
1-keep a cheap video camera at the office and ask each patient if they would mind making a testimonial for you-- when they see it on the website, they get an "inkling" that you will be asking for it when they come it.- or if they are camera shy, ask for a written testimonial and or picture.

2-In SW Florida where i live and work selling medical billing software, one of the most visited website is the local newspaper and they sell small banner and graphic ads to local businesses, check out your local newpaper(s) to see if they do the same.

3-Ditto on dan kennedy's stuff for chiro's..

4-Ditto MacFreddie on not over concentrating on the webstuff, you need good word of mouth, good signage on your building, and an overly friendly office staff- do what you are good at, and thats being a Chiropractor - find someone else thats good at seo and sub that out, your best time spent is billable time and face to face , skin to skin contacts in the community.

5- If you are going to add more sites, get an account here: http://www.webhostforseo.com/ -- don't use hostgator or other cheap hosting... in technical terms, you want as many different websites (your own included) to have links, and links for different domains that are on different IP classes (i know, i'm getting techie, but just get hosting from this website and they'll take care of you and help you)...

6- I would TRASH the skinspa banner -- looks like an "el cheapo" blog..

7- Healthcare reform blog post is awful... you might want to consider making another more interesting post as your permanent FRONT PAGE POST that does not rotate out when new posts are posted.

Online Bliss 25th August 2009 10:43 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Personaly I respond to a catchy slogan like: Get "Back" in the Game
or something that would catch my eye immediately.
so many business sites (especially Corporate) are so sterile.

Just an opinion, don't beat me up warriors!

jimbo3891 25th August 2009 11:01 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by selcor (Post 1118844)
4-Ditto MacFreddie on not over concentrating on the webstuff, you need good word of mouth, good signage on your building, and an overly friendly office staff- do what you are good at, and thats being a Chiropractor - find someone else thats good at seo and sub that out, your best time spent is billable time and face to face , skin to skin contacts in the community.

Now, I definitely agree with the last part of this. This is something that we also used to teach business owners - and believe me, it was hard to get them to understand it and even harder to get them to buy in to it. Do what you do best and hire out the rest. I tell all my business prospects that if they try to run their business AND do the internet marketing (or any type of marketing) for their business, they will more than likely not do well at one of the avenues. I know because I used to try to do both when I was in financial services. Here's how it played out. I got busy marketing and we would get lots of potential clients coming in the door. I needed to see them, so I would get busy on that and the marketing would slow down (or worse STOP). Then, when I got slow on new potential clients, I'd realize that I needed to be marketing. I would get busy on that, but then there were NO clients coming in the door.

I constantly vacillated between the marketing and the actual time spent with clients. I could make FAR MORE money when I was seeing clients, but I knew that I had to market or I would have NO clients to see.

Then, I joined up with another planner and we divided our duties. I primarily became the marketer for our company and he focused primarily on seeing the clients. It worked great and I took my income to levels I had never experienced. A friend of mine - that started in the business at the same time I did - still tries to wear both hats (and numerous others associated with running a business) and he's still struggling every year to make a decent living. He always feels he just doesn't have enough to "hire it out" - but the reality is that if he hired out the right person, they would more than earn their keep on it.

Anyone that wants to take the time to learn IM for their offline business CAN do it. But, why would they want to if they can hire someone else to do it and then focus on their passion (at least their business better be their passion or it's just a J.O.B. just like everyone else that punches a clock). Even if IM is "a" passion, if it's not your primary passion, then you should probably focus on your primary passion and get someone else to do it.

This is truly just my opinion, but I feel very strongly about it - otherwise, I wouldn't be marketing my services to offline businesses.

Good night everyone. I took a client's site down tonight "after hours" and promised to have it up tomorrow morning "before opening hour", so I better check on the progress. I may get very little sleep until this is done.

Gather more profits...

Maria Gudelis 26th August 2009 02:46 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Online Bliss (Post 1118915)
Personaly I respond to a catchy slogan like: Get "Back" in the Game
or something that would catch my eye immediately.
so many business sites (especially Corporate) are so sterile.

Just an opinion, don't beat me up warriors!

Yup- fully agree here with online bliss -

you do need to work on your 'slogan' or aka - 'unique selling proposition' and use that across all your marketing material (offline like flyers, business cards, postcards, direct mail etc. and online- social media sites, your site, etc.)

I wrote an magazine article on that recently - have pm'd you the link as not sure if i can insert a link in a post here according to WF rules..

cheers, M

Hackbridge 26th August 2009 03:05 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Now all we need to do is substitute "Chiropractor" with "car sales man" or "Tool Hire" or "Dentist" or any other business and we'll have a solid plan of action to target offline businesses. C'est Ne Pas?

It's certainly a goldmine of information that's for sure.

Thank you.

Brian
ps Thank you Maria G for the heads up on this post :)

BanditSiix 26th August 2009 04:07 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by selcor (Post 1118844)

2-In SW Florida where i live and work selling medical billing software, one of the most visited website is the local newspaper and they sell small banner and graphic ads to local businesses, check out your local newpaper(s) to see if they do the same.

Before you go buying any banner ads at the local newspaper be clear about what your goal is. If it's just to get lots of exposure and have your banner seen by lots of people then go for it. If you're looking for paying customers...do your homework first.

Most newspaper sites do very well with local traffic online.

But the reason I quit working for a MAJOR newspaper in SoCal was that they'll tell you because they get 20 million page views per month (real numbers) that you "should" get some great click-throughs.

In the year I was there and forced to lie to the next chiropractor (and other business owners) the reality was that on average the click through rates were about .001%. Just to be clear that's not 1% That's one thousandth of a percent. So for any noticeable traffic the client really needed one million impressions in order to notice any revenue. Because of the size and name of the paper this was not affordable for most local businesses.

I believe Part of the reason is for this was that:
#1 The people who visit newspaper sites are obviously there to get the latest news and frankly have become immune to all the ads yelling at them to "buy my crap!" (side note: The site was redesigned because an eye tracking study was done and the ads were moved to where the tracking showed the most activity. Guess what it didn't work because the eyes went to where the...you guessed it...content was.)

#2 Even though the paper would design the creative for free, most of the people who were advertising had no clue what they should do. So they think they should do what everyone else does. Make a really cool flashy thingy that annoys these particular visitors with the "buy my crap" message. Wrong.

The best producing banner ads for their medium were ones that were subtle in their message, gentle on the viewer and created a little curiosity either by using the right images or text.

Maybe your local paper has a better handle on their online advertising but just to be safe ask for proof of traffic and here's a grand idea...actually go on their site and click on several local banner ads, pick up the phone and ask them how their ads are doing. You might be surprised.

Good luck!

Glenn Leader 26th August 2009 04:31 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
This thead is Gold!

I'm going to post a link to it from my next
newsletter, as it contains information that
I consider to be important to their business
model development. Thank you all who have
contributed, or will do so after this post.

Glenn

JohnMcCabe 26th August 2009 07:50 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
While I'm mainly in agreement about looking to an outside expert for marketing professional services (gee, ain't that a surprise? :D), I do want to differentiate between "subbing it out" and abdicating responsibility.

I imagine this is even more important for a regulated and licensed service like chiropractic. Giving a marketer free rein and then forgetting about the matter to go back to your practice could be dangerous. If you do hire someone, make darn sure they know what the boundaries are and then check up on them to make sure they stay legal and proper.

Josh Spaulding 26th August 2009 07:53 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by fcajon (Post 1114885)
I'm a practicing chiropractor who is looking for creative ideas to improve my online marketing. I am new to this forum, but so far I've really liked what I've seen!

What would be some recommended online marketing strategies? So far I have a practice blog (ocalachiropractic.com), as well as condition specific sites (ocalaspinaldecompression.com, ocalabackpain.com, ocalaneckpain.com, and ocalawhiplashcare.com). My main practice web site is under renovation.

I have a facebook fan page (facebook.com/ocalaimed), but haven't really done much with it yet.

What are the most logical steps for me to take from here?

Thanks in advance!

Dr. Jon

Shoot me an email and I'll hook you up with a fellow Chiropractor who is a member of my coaching program. He's a VERY sharp guy and has been marketing his chiropractor business online for a while now. He also coaches other Chiro's in Internet Marketing.

joshspaulding1 at gmail dot com

rhino72 26th August 2009 09:52 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Sending you a DM now, but I'd be glad to talk with your more about it.

I have a bunch of other chiros that I'm working with to improve their rankings and clean up their sites to make them more focused.

Now's definitely the time to get more web presence and establish yourself in your community. Looks like you're off to a good start!

I agree with some of the advice on this thread, but some advice I haven't found to work for my area (as far as generating new patients).

The main issue I see on your site is the onpage SEO and it's too hard for a potential new patient to find the information they'd want to know before coming to see you. Like;

Location, office hours and more about you. They'll also want to know how you might be able to help with their problem and if you're on their insurance.

The blog is great, but you need the main foundation of most needed information easy for the potential new patient to find.

midasman09 26th August 2009 11:05 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
2 ideas;

1)

midasman09 26th August 2009 11:28 AM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
2 Ideas;

1) Place a Line on the Back of your existing biz cards. Have your receptionist hand each patient your card, as they're leaving, and tell them they will receive a $10 Credit on their next visit for each New Patient that comes in with the Card and their name on back.

2) Send a Giant Card (8.5 x 11) to "New Movers" welcoming them to the area and offering $10 OFF their first visit. Get new mover names from www.BrandNewMovers.com

Midas Man

Roncham 26th August 2009 12:46 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Another thing on your pop-up, set it to display only once per visit or once per day.
If I change pages and get hit with the pop-up again.. I'm gone and so will most of your visitors.

msmonline 26th August 2009 01:30 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Thanks Maria for sending info on this post! Great stuff guys

Collette 26th August 2009 02:54 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by fcajon (Post 1114885)
I'm a practicing chiropractor who is looking for creative ideas to improve my online marketing.

What would be some recommended online marketing strategies?...

What are the most logical steps for me to take from here?

Thanks in advance!

Dr. Jon

Wrong questions. Cart before horse.

Better questions:

- Who's looking for you online?
- Why are they looking for you?
- How do you want them to find you? (organic search, PPC, offline referral, all of the above, what?)

- And - most important - what do you want them to do when they find you?

Start by answering those questions, and you won't be wasting time pursuing "logical steps" that aren't taking you towards your goal.

There are lots of ways to market a practice or service. The real question is: What's the best way(s) for YOU to market YOUR practice or service?

MacFreddie 26th August 2009 05:15 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
1 Attachment(s)
Hey Doc,

Make sure you get listed in all these sites (see attachment). I have all of my clients in every single one, including the GPS navigation sites. It's important to have Mapquest, OnStar, TomTom, etc... with all of your info, especially with Mobile technology today.

In a few years websites will place a much smaller role vs Netbooks, smartphones, etc...

Get listed correctly in all these sites ASAP. This is the 1st thing I do for all my clients.

Good Luck, hope the WF helped you.

Mac

Marty S 26th August 2009 05:40 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
There hasn't been much (outside of maria's) mention about keyword research, which to me is a critical oversight of many small businesses I have dealt with. There are many great ideas in this thread, but your FIRST step should be keyword research. Here is one way local businesses can find the keywords pertinent to their local:

http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ver-phone.html

Also, don't forget Google Local Business search and map listings. IT'S FREE, and will show on local searches for people looking for what you are selleng.

intromaster 26th August 2009 06:06 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
You need to check out Dr. Ben Altadonna, king of chiropractor marketing.
Chiropractic Marketing | Marketing for Chiropractic by Ben Altadonna | The Leader in Chiropractic Practice Marketing Solutions

He's in Dan Kennedy's Platinum Mastermind Group too!

MacFreddie 26th August 2009 06:30 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
1 Attachment(s)
Thanks Marty,

I read the thread you directed us to, very good.

I used to do this several years ago, but then you get so Caught up in all this new Technology that you forget the BASICS, which by the way can make you a small fortune as a Bricks & Mortar business owner.

That's why I told the Doc to not get so caught up in this IM stuff. I have found that 100% of ALL businesses I have worked with want to Jump on the Internet Bandwagon immediately.

When I research what they have done, the businesses haven't even done the Basics.

Here is my Basic Starter list:
  • Claim your LBC listing with Google (before I do) :D
  • Get listed with ALL the local directories (see attached)
  • Join the crappy Chamber of Commerce for CREDIBILITY (use their Logo or Link to add in the header of your blog)
  • Get a Blog (only use Wordpress, buy your own domain and host it yourself) I use the Blog format WP for all my sites. I have 5 pages Static and then the Blog. I have the Horizontal Nav bar listed with the 5 pages and then blog at the end. This way when someone visits your blog, your site is a natural part of your site. Every page looks the same.
  • Add Pics and Video
  • Add Testimonials
  • Get an AutoResponder Email Marketing Software, Email Newsletters and Autoresponders by AWeber
  • Place an Opt-In for capturing email addresses on your Blog and give away a FREE report
  • Place your URL on everything (biz cards, letterhead, cars, vans, shirts, invoices, emails, toilet, etc...)
This alone "May" be all you need. You would be amazed how little it takes to keep a small shop busy.

I have yet been able to Implement 3% of my ideas. The phones start ringing and then they don't need me anymore.:(

I had one business owner tell me "whatever you did Mac, I want you to TURN IT OFF." I told him it wasn't easy to turn it Off, It's not a light switch. :D

For all you Offliners out there, the package above can make YOU a lot of $$$

Hope this helps,

Mac

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marty S (Post 1121947)
There hasn't been much (outside of maria's) mention about keyword research, which to me is a critical oversight of many small businesses I have dealt with. There are many great ideas in this thread, but your FIRST step should be keyword research. Here is one way local businesses can find the keywords pertinent to their local:

http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ver-phone.html

Also, don't forget Google Local Business search and map listings. IT'S FREE, and will show on local searches for people looking for what you are selleng.


Evita 26th August 2009 07:18 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Now, see this is why I LOVE the Warrior Forum!!

There are some GREAT suggestions here!

So, I looked into some possible keywords for your business, and it seems to me that organic traffic may be a bit low. ??

You do know about google external keyword tool, yes?
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

I typed in a some thoughts on what folks would be searching for in Ocala. There doesn't seem o be a whole lot of folks searching for "chiropractor in ocala" and such, but then again, one client can become a long stream of income... so may not need to reach a mass of folks.

Your site needs some serious rewamping!!
I concur with Marin Luxton's ideas. Get rid of the nasty pop up... and more.

I'd be looking into how you can get clients offline to visit your site. Offer sth. nice Some free information, a discount on your services, some "secret" thing. Post fliers, add your site to coupon savors, put a sign on your car, anything that will get your site out there!

And, by all means put your face right up front.

Quick story....
20 some years ago when I started my massage business, (just south of you) I sent out some 700 fliers to folks with properties valued at way over average. My friend split the list with me, she copied the flier I had made with one exception.

She did not include a picture of herself, and I did.

She made a total of $70 from her mail out. I made over $200,000 from the same mailout... (repeat business over a number of years)

When you touch people, like you do, and I do, people will be greatly comforted to see you first.

You don't need to be handsome or pretty, just look sorta normal and approcaheable.

Evita

jimbo3891 26th August 2009 07:48 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe (Post 1120157)
While I'm mainly in agreement about looking to an outside expert for marketing professional services (gee, ain't that a surprise? :D), I do want to differentiate between "subbing it out" and abdicating responsibility.

I imagine this is even more important for a regulated and licensed service like chiropractic. Giving a marketer free rein and then forgetting about the matter to go back to your practice could be dangerous. If you do hire someone, make darn sure they know what the boundaries are and then check up on them to make sure they stay legal and proper.

Boy do I agree with you here, John.

I come from the financial services industry where regulation abounds. Insurance agents are pretty easy to do marketing for because what they can and can't do is pretty easy. But try to do IM for someone that has a Securities license (I held several licenses, so I speak from experience). What you can say is pretty small - what you can't say is huge. We used to jokingly say that we should put bars on the windows and doors to keep people out of the office. If they still managed to tear their way into the office and want to buy something, we still needed to have a two hour meeting with them to convince them why they DIDN'T want to buy anything. Even then, we probably would not be in compliance. (Someone remind me why I was in that business????)

Anyway, anyone doing IM should not just charge off doing the online (or offline) marketing for ANY business without learning enough about the business to bring back ideas and strategies that meet all regulations that the business has to meet. To not familiarize yourself with the niche's rules and regs is irresponsible - not to mention a waste of everyone's time.

A business owner should never turn over their marketing without checks on what is being put out in their name. Personally, I'm not willing to take on something that the owner says, "Just do what you think needs to be done." I don't know their business. I don't cut hair, doctor pets, adjust spines, or anything else. I'm a marketer - nothing more. It's my job to understand their business well enough to develop a marketable strategy for them, but I still need to rely on their knowledge of their business to make sure we put the image and knowledge out there this is appropriate for their niche.

My previous post was not to say just "give it up to someone else" - I'm just saying that business owners need to "focus" on their business and hire the brains that can "focus" on their marketing. It's still their business and they still need to be in control of it. If they outsource payroll, they should still monitor it before signing the checks - or at the very least before the payroll company is paid.

That's just smart business on both sides - business owner AND marketer.

fcajon 26th August 2009 08:27 PM

Re: Marketing Ideas For Chiropractor
 
I can't say thanks enough for the outpouring of support!

The site that everyone has been kind enough to critique is my blog. It's basically something I set up to start blogging and see what happens.

Here is the template of the "main" site that is in progress. Please give me some feedback as to your thoughts on this one. I wanted a clean, elegant look that is easy to navigate for seniors (nearly 50% of my practice).

I can still make changes on this site, so give me your thoughts....

richlandesolutions.com/ocala/

The blank white space is where video/pictures will go.

I've also made some of the suggested edits to the ocalachiropractic.com site. I've got a video up just to show where the video will go (this video is off of my ocalaspinaldecompression.com site).

I taped my first 3 patient testimonials today, so we're on the way!

Dr. Jon


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