5 creative ideas to get reviews for your clinic
In the digital marketing age there is one thing that stands out when prospective patients are trying to decide on a local clinic: positive reviews. If you have a quality online presence with Search Engine Optimization for your clinic, but have not taken advantage of the free positive effects of customer reviews, it can impact your business. Without a solid review base of your clinic, both in-house and third-party your patients are simply going toyour competition. Start thinking about better web design for you clinic with this simple addition. (The Clinic in general could be dental clinic, Medical Clinic, Veterinary Clinic, dermatologist, chiropractor or any other clinic)
Why are reviews important in health care/ clinic marketing.

In a world, when most consumers do online research before deciding on visiting a dental clinic, your lack of positive reviews is offering them no quality assurance. It is this peer-review system that has taken the marketing and advertising system by storm, providing a way for consumers to speak openly and promote their choices.

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By being proactive, you can steer these reviews to be positive.The long-term advantage of building in a positive-based review system can also help your marketing efforts. By engaging clients to provide positive reviews you can often capture them at the height of customer satisfaction. This will ensure positive reviews. These online reviews in Facebook, Google Pages and other places will also help your organic search results , helping you lower your potential online marketing costs.Not only can these reviews lower your long-term marketing costs but if you continuously build in positive reviews, one mediocre or bad review online will not tarnish your overall reputation. Generally, consumers are looking for an overall positive experience when looking at reviews. One bad review among twenty positive reviews often does not affect a potential atient's decision-making process. Most consumers will post negative reviews instantly but it akes prompting for many to post a positive review. Build in positive Google reviews by using the 5 creative ideas below to combat the possible negative review.

Creative Ideas for getting Reviews
The Wi-Fi Request
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Many clinics offer free Wi-Fi to patients while in the waiting room. However, many consumers are happy to fill out an online form, fill out a review or other small task to get free review before connecting them to Wi-Fi.

 

 

 

 

 

The Handout
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Have a 1 page sheet or half-page sheet of instructions for patients on how to fill out anonline review for your business. Most consumers, especially those that are not tech-savvy may not want to figure it out, but are more than willing if they have step-by-step instructions.

 

 

 

 

Leverage Social Media
“The long-term advantage of building in a positive-based review system help’s your brand and reduce marketing cost”
-SAMAD SYED
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By putting out a general call on your clinic's Facebook page for reviews, you will be amazed by how many will be willing to fill out a review. You can even offer a small service or prize to the 10th, 100th or 1000th reviewer to make it worth their while.YouTube It!
Prepare a short 1-2 minute video posted to YouTube on how patients can offer up their reviews on your clinic on both Facebook and Google. Then link the video to your marketing efforts. So simple, yet effective.

 

 

Email Prompts
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A review request and link can be provided on all out-going email sreminding patients that they can provide a valuable service just like your clinic. This simple option can be added into bulk and template emails without causing anymore workload but can net an extra 1-10 reviews per month, building a constant stream of reviews over time.When you are constantly battling your competition for online attention, Google organic search ranking and spending marketing dollars to do it, sometimes the best option is choose as many free effective options as you can. Reviews provide relevancy and long term value. Search engine optimization for dentist in the age of technology is imperative. Start your continued campaign today.
5 website essentials that 99% of clinics miss
Steps that Convert Online Visitors to Patients Never heard before

Let's face it: Websites have replaced first impressions. Instead of an interested prospect coming into your clinic, you're now tasked with creating a dynamic web presence that makes viewers want to further engage with your practice. Unlike websites for digital brands, the purpose of web design for clinics is to provide information and lead prospects directly to your door. How exactly does that work, you ask? Review the top five features your website must have to convert visitors to patients.

1. Define purpose of your website
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Research conducted by the Nielsen Norman Group found that website visitors will leave in 10-20 seconds if the purpose of the site isn't clear. When creating web design for clinics, defining the purpose of the site – and visually communicating it on the home page – is essential to capture and retain a visitor's attention.Whether your practice treats adults, children, or animals, make your website's purpose clear within the first 20 seconds of a user's visit to extend time spent on page and increase the likelihood your visitor will become a patient.

 

 

2. Identify Target Audience
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Are you attempting to attract parents, senior citizens,or pet mommies and daddies? Defining your target audience is the best way to create a web design that works to effectively promote your practice. For example, web developers for health care agree that fancy or scripted fonts are difficult to read, which makes this a poor choice for clinics targeting a senior population.
Creating a web presence for your specific users will find easy to navigate is the key to providing a positive user experience. It's a prospect's interaction with your website that will motivate them to take action.

 

 

“Defining ideal customer is extremely important before clinics build website”cost”
-SAMAD SYED

Make Your Website Responsive From vets to dental clinics, health care practices are among the top important before searched businesses online. In a study conducted by Pew Research Center, 72% of adults who use the web report accessing health-related information online. Of these, 77% used a search engine to look for relevant information including local providers.As Smart Insights points out, mobile searchhas overtaken use of desktop and other connected devices to browse the Internet with smart phones being the most popular mobile device. Because this trend is expected to continue, vets and health care providers without a mobile responsive website are destined to become lost in the shuffle.

 

3. Use Visual Content and Cues
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The latest eye-tracking studies reveal that visitors respond to imagery and on-page cues that help direct their attention. According to KISSmetrics, visitors are more likely to find your site and increase their on-page viewing time when a combination of visual elements and cues provide an appealing pathway.

To further boost results, these are 5 musts you must include on your website home page:

 

 

 

  • Clear Description of your services: What you do?
  • Engaging welcome message
  • At least one differentiation point why a patient should visit you
  • Introduction video of your clinic, doctor, staff and testimonials, if possible.
  • Strategic images based on your identified target customers

 

4. Include Irresistible Calls to Action
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Ultimately, what do you want visitors to do after viewing your website? Whether you'd like them to schedule an appointment or sign up for a information-rich newsletter, your request must be unmistakable and easy to complete. Instead of waiting for a visitor to scroll to the bottom of a home page, place your clinic's information or opt-in offer in an easily accessible place. Call to action for a Dental clinic is usually to call and set-up appointment or request appointment through internet. Similarly a veterinary clinic might want people to find address easily as its location specific. Choose your call to action and let the experts decide on best colors, fonts and description. Remember to A/B test .

 

 

5. The Future is Mobile
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Keep in mind that the future of digital engagement rests on the shoulders of mobile technology. It’s extremely important your website is responsive, meaning it should work well with different screen sizes andstop leaks thats costing you.
As health care clinics continue to compete for patients, integration of mobility to your clinic has become essential as part of marketing strategy, you will be missing a huge potential by ignoring mobile. So why are clinics using mobile apps? building brand, coupon distribution, appointment requests and much more.
Author is a digital marketing expert and founder of SRS Web Solutions, Inc. Samad Syed has years of experience in helping healthcare segment grow in digital space.

Dental Advertising tricks that can get you immediate traffic.
No matter how bad the economy becomes or how the costs of health care shift, dental care is a necessity for every child and adult across the country. Finding patients in need, however, can often be a different story. Many dental offices rely on word of mouth advertising or posts in the local paper, but without the right marketing strategy, it's easy to fall behind your competitors. Advertising your dental clinic is an important part of attracting and retaining patients, but the wrong approach can leave your waiting rooms empty. These three tricks can help you drive immediate traffic, drawing new patients in and keeping them coming back, appointment after appointment.
(1) Make the Most of Your Mailings
Despite the rise in digital marketing strategies, mailed postcards are still very effective in the healthcare industry. Many patients will go to the same dentist for years, content with the services they are receiving, until something better comes along. With the right mailer, your practice can be that something better, offering members of the local community something they can't get anywhere else.Simple postcards, even ones that are direct and to the point, are likely to end up in the trash. In order to be effective in your mailing campaign, it's important to be unique and creative in a way that will attract attention and make potential patients remember your name. Effective dental practices send things like coupons and promotional postcards offering patients a bonus, but differentiators are creative, some of the ideas over the years of experience branded small disposable toothbrushes with paste, floss, dental mirror, dental timer and quality guarantees in order to create a memorable impression that offers patients something extra. Don’t forget to add your promotional material with the gift, impact is huge.
(2) Employ Google AdWords
When members of your community search for a local dentist online, who are they going to find first? Ideally, it should be you, but if your SEO tactics are missing the mark, you may not make it to even the first page of the search engine results, let alone the top of the list. Google AdWords can be an effective tool to expand your online visibility, putting your practice front and center when users from your area seek out a new dental practice. As Google AdWords charges on a per-click basis, it's important to streamline your strategies to ensure your keywords and search parameters are focused primarily on your target audience, ensuring that the people who who see your ad are those who are actually in position to use your services. Ads can also use geographical data, making them visible only to those searching from your area in need of a local solution.
(3) Make Sure Your Content Is up to Par
While older patients may still look for a dentist in the phone book, the younger generation does most small business research on the internet, and first impressions can be vitally important. Your practice's site says a great deal about you, and if web users see an old, outdated website, they're likely to assume that you're old and outdated, too.
A professional, high-quality website is a must for small businesses in every industry, including health care fields. Your practice's site should by up to date, providing valuable information for prospective patients, video testimonials, promotional material, and unique, original content. The proper website can be extremely beneficial in ensuring your practice is visible online, and is a great way to let patients learn a little more about you before committing to an appointment. Be sure to provide multiple contact methods, like email, phone, and online scheduling options, to ensure that no one who needs your services will feel excluded.
A steady stream of patients is necessary for a dental practice to survive and staying competitive means the right marketing techniques. If your current advertising strategies are missing the mark, it may be time to try something new. By stepping up the quality of your mailings, taking a new approach to SEO, and improving your web presence, the traffic you need can be closer than ever, giving you the tools you need to help your practice prosper.

5 Terrible Mistakes that Dental Practices make marketing online.

5 terrible mistakes that Dental Practices make while marketing Online. There are crucial factors to consider when setting up an online dental practice marketing strategy. From making sure that you aren't taking more than you can handle to making yourself highly rewarded, marketing your business online is the best way to bring in your local customers. By ensuring that you have a firm grasp on what you need and not do, you will have a good shot at success.

Here are 5 common mistakes, dental practice owners make while marketing their businesses online;
1. Using unprofessional, template websites
As a business owner, you want your business website to stand out and have a lasting impression. Using unprofessional and ill-prepared websites will taunt your professional image and could make your business lose credibility. When you choose to use a website template, you risk losing your authenticity, as there could be a ton of other people using the same template. If it's a very appealing template especially, there may be lots of other dental practices using the very template for their websites. Not to forget that some website templates are not built to be search engine friendly and are limited to customization options. Engage an expert to develop a custom web design that is unique and tailored to your business's needs. It is also important to redefine your purpose by establishing an original idea or selling point that will ensure you are not overwhelmed by competition from the start.
2. Ignoring mobile/tablet users
More and more people are spending larger amounts of time on their mobile devices than ever before. With 40% of the internet's users using these mobile devices currently, the trend is expected to grow even further in the future. Failure to use mobile marketing strategies is a big blunder that could make you lose out on some potential clients. Ignoring the rise of mobile just isn't an option.
3. Lack of awareness on visitor analytics
The ultimate test of the effectiveness of your efforts is whether is whether the behavior of the targeted audience has changed as a result. Inability to clearly understand the website traffic and conversion rates make a business owner unable to create impactful and meaningful business decisions. Most websites use some form of traffic analysis such as Google Analytics, Web Trends or Omniture. Understanding these systems can tell you how many people go to what pages on your site.
4. Failure to make seasonal changes to your website
Don't allow your website to remain too dormant and stagnated such that your visitors feel as though you aren't serious. Keep developing good and quality blog posts for your website and give the visitors something new to experience. Ensure you do not make the website seem too complicated with a busy layout as most visitors find it unappealing. Include contact information and make it easy for visitors to find. Improving on the site's speed and timely feedback for visitors should be constantly executed.
5. Non-engaging marketing campaign strategies
Lack of testimonials or reviews, use of the same promotion/coupon for months are some things that could make your online marketing efforts fail to generate successful leads. Testimonials are a very powerful marketing tool for dental practices and are more effective when photos and videos are added to them. There is the need to use more compelling and power words that engage the potential client such as restore your smile, boost your confidence, overcome dental discomfort etc.