How Your Small Private Practice Can Navigate The World Of Social Media

Private Practice Physical Therapy Practice Navigating Social Media

Let’s face it: social media is all around us. Everywhere you look it’s “Like Us On Facebook” here and “Tweet Us” there. We are surrounded by social media networks, and new ones are springing up constantly. While some businesses have seen the value of social media, many more have failed to grasp the effect it’s having on the way businesses need to market themselves.

Effective marketing relies on being able to target and reach the greatest possible number of potential customers. If traditional marketing methods become ineffective or outdated, what should a business do?

In the past, most people would read a newspaper daily. So when a business took out an advert, it was seen by most people. Today, many people catch up with current events either through news apps or from the latest hot topics circulating around in social media conversations, many of which don’t use advertisements. Where does this leave small businesses like private physical therapy practices?

[note_box]If you can’t get your marketing materials seen by your target audience, then not only will you be wasting your money, but you will see a big fall in your revenue. Your only option is to go where the people are—and that’s on social media.[/note_box]

The time people spend on social media networks is growing, almost on a daily basis. They interact with people globally, make friends there, ask others for advice there, even shop there. Because of the options given to people within the social network communities, people are much more savvy about the products and services they want to buy. How do you get the voice of your practice heard among the literally millions of other voices that are talking daily on social media?

There is no such thing as a “captive audience” within these social networks. Physical therapy practices need to relearn how to reach out and engage with potential patients, but they need to approach it in the right way. People need a good reason to investigate a business page on social media and an even better one to come back for more.

You don’t need to make mistakes to learn. Instead, you can benefit from looking at the mistakes people have made in the past so you don’t repeat them. Here are some lessons others before you have learned the hard way.

The Ostrich

There are two main reasons for ignoring social media: Businesses either think it to be a fad that only kids use to chat on and pass funny photos around, or they don’t take it seriously as an option, thinking that there are better ways to spend their marketing time than talking to teenagers.

The facts show social media is here to stay:

  • August 2013, ExportedRamblings.com reported Facebook had clocked up 1.15 BILLION active users.
  • 21st March 2013, on its 7th Birthday, Twitter announced that it had over 200 million active users creating over 400 million tweets daily.
  • In July 2013, Semiocast revealed Pinterest had over 70 million users.

What’s more, the user figures for each of these and other social media networks show no sign of waning. Social media networks continue to grow month on month. Every practice owner should ask itself the serious question: “Can my practice afford not to be using social media?” (The answer, of course, should be no!)

Jump On In…The Water’s Fine

So that’s it. You’ve decided to take the plunge into the pool of social media. So you’re going to tell people about your vacation and then—wait for it—hit them with your sales pitch. Not the smartest approach. That would be like jumping into a swimming pool when you can’t swim; you would just sink without a trace.

Each social media network is different. They have their own individual user profile, their own way for users to interact with each other, their own communities, their own rules and social etiquette, and their own way of getting users to engage with one another. Unless you investigate each network, you can’t be sure which ones are going to be the best fit for your practice. As we said before, you need to market directly to potential customers in order to promote more sales, so you need to be sure your customers are actually there before you start.

Is It The One For Me?

People will tell you that you should be on this social network or that social network. Really? You need a presence on every network going?  Considering the growing number of social networks out there, you would need days and days worth of time to keep each one of your accounts active, engaging and ticking over. So unless you have an army of employees to do it for you, you would have to choose between running your business or running your social media empire.

We all know that time is money. So rather than trying to be a jack-of-all-trades, start off with a manageable number of social networks that have a broader user profile. The popular networks of Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest are a good place to begin. There is much advice available to businesses on how to use these networks to good effect. We can also help you work out a good, effective marketing strategy to promote your practice on these platforms.

Once you are comfortable with the weekly routine of keeping these running, you can then take the time to look at other social networks to see if there are any other networks that offer your practice the chance to make contact with other sections of your potential patient base.

Aimless Participation

Social media is a vast digital landscape that is easy to get lost in if you don’t have a map or purpose for being there. You need to have a good individual marketing strategy for whatever platform you are on, as well as knowing the best way of engaging users in that network. That way you will always be focused on what you want to achieve, as well as how you are going to achieve it.

It’s Not Just Business

Imagine you met someone that you really clicked with as a friend. You spend two weeks together speaking all the time and you build up a really good rapport.  Then, without any warning, they disappear. One month passes without a word, then another and another. Six months later, they get back in touch as if nothing has happened and try to pick up where they left off. How would you feel? What if they tried to sell you something in that first conversation with you? How would you feel then? Used? Misled? Could you really see them as a friend or would you see someone who was just pretending to be friendly to get money or a favor out of you?

This is how social media differs from regular marketing. Before you can start to benefit from the connections you are making to people on each network, you need to build up a trust and rapport with them. This means being a regular part of the network community, something that can’t be done by dipping in and out every 3-4 months. The connections your business makes on these social networks need tending just like any other offline customer relationship.

The clue is in the name: social media. These networks aren’t somewhere people come to shop. There are shopping malls and digital department stores offline for that. People come to social media to engage with and socialize with other like-minded people. Being social, you find fun things to look at, interesting people to chat with, amusing anecdotes and videos, and a peek into the lives of others around the world. So if you are dull and stiff and business-like, and just in it for the sales, then people will avoid you like the plague.

As a small business, you need to strike a happy medium between staying professional and letting your potential patients see the human side of your practice. So don’t be afraid to share some of your personal side with other users. Letting your personality out gives others something about your practice they can relate to and will make them more likely to come to you for treatment.

By posting daily, commenting and contributing to the social fabric of the social media networks your practice is a part of, it keeps you and your practice visible to others and builds up their trust in you as someone more than just another company trying to sell them something.

Keeping It Real, But Not Too Real

There are horror stories galore about companies who have either pretended to be a customer to leave themselves a glowing testimonial or have paid people to put their name to a glowing review the company has actually written itself. These types of deceptive actions shatter the confidence or trust customers may have in any business caught doing it.

So the best advice for any private practice owner is to keep all the information in your posts as genuine and reliable as possible.  Talk about your day (trying to make it interesting), or maybe describe a new service you’ve recently introduced, but be sure to intersperse it with some lighter, more personal details: a vacation maybe, or something that happened while driving.

There is a fine line between personal and too much information, especially since what you post reflects on your practice.  Try to stay away from details of your life that reveal too much or details of your business relationships that may show you in a negative light.  If people see you representing your patients negatively, for example if you perceived them to be a bad or rude patient, they may assume the issue lies with your attitude, which ultimately is damaging to your reputation.

So be honest when you post, but not too honest.

Social Media Marketing: It Costs

Social media networks cost nothing to join, so businesses think that they are just a free outlet to rake sales in from without having to spend a penny doing it. Well let me ask you: How are prospective patients going to find your small practice among all the other thousand of businesses out there?

For any marketing campaign to be successful, there needs to be a well thought out, focused strategy targeting who it’s aimed at, where those prospective customers are located and how to build up communication through social media that will result in them becoming one of your patients.  You also need to know how much time and effort you need to set aside not only to implement the campaign but also to oversee it and analyze the results, and if you can use any other resources to increase the effectiveness of your posts on each of the social media networks you are using.

So while the initial cost of social media is free, there is a time and energy cost to the individuals who need to spend time cultivating and developing online relationships inside each network.

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We Can Help

We know just how busy the life of a private practice owner is. It can take a lot of time and effort just to keep the business running from week to week, and you just may not have enough time to sit down and plan out which of the social media networks will benefit your practice the most and then work out how to use each one.

We can help you with this. We have been involved in marketing small practices like yours on social media for many years and have many valuable ways to increase both the visibility of your company and its profits.

Feel free to give us a call, and we can show you how we can help market your practice on social media to produce great results.
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Understanding the Importance of Search Engine Optimization For Your Practice

Seo ChalkboardThe Internet has had a profound effect on the way that people communicate and interact with each other. The changes have also had a dramatic influence on the business world by altering the way that consumers make purchases and seek out services.

Until about ten years ago, companies reached out to consumers through trade shows, print advertising and other traditional marketing methods.

Times have changed significantly since then. Today, people start their shopping experience by looking on the Internet. In most cases they will visit a search engine, most likely Google, and begin to do their product research from there.

Your patients, both current and prospective, are no different. If they’re looking for physical therapy in their local region, they will expect to find you in the search engines and on the Internet.

This is very exciting and creates the opportunity for your private practice to use the Internet to your advantage and reach out to a wide range of patients in your local area.

[note_box]In order to have the competitive edge and to ensure that other physical therapy practices don’t steal potential patients, search engine optimization (SEO) is now more important than ever. It is not an exaggeration to say that businesses that don’t practice SEO are in a dangerous situation compared to other local businesses investing in search engine marketing.[/note_box]

What is SEO?

This is the bit when we talk to small practice owners that we see their eyes glaze over and they try to stifle a yawn. But bear with us, as search engine optimization (SEO) is very important and could literally save and transform your practice.

Simply put…

  • SEO is helping the search engine find you.
  • SEO is making your website more visible and transparent to the search engines. The most important goal of SEO should be connecting your site to the search engine.
  • SEO is helping people find you in the search engine.

Social media has made everything on the Internet more personal. People don’t want to look hard for your site. People don’t want to do hours and hours of research in order to find information. They want it quick, 1-2-3 boom! SEO makes it possible by making your site more direct and focused on certain keywords that people would most likely go looking for when they want information provided by your site.

That is the point of SEO and that is why your practice needs it.

The benefits of SEO for your practice

The Internet has provided a level playing field for businesses no matter what the size. Small companies can have a viable online presence just as much as the large corporations, but just like in the offline world, the competition is huge and you need to have the competitive edge in order to get a good share of the market.

Search engines are there to help you. They serve millions of users every day looking for answers and solutions to their problems. If you have a website or online store, SEO will help your practice grow.

Search engine optimization is essential because:

  • The majority of search engine users are much more likely to choose one of the top five suggestions at the top of the results page. They are unlikely to continue past page 1 or trawl their way through hundreds of search results. This means that if you want potential patients to find you, click on the link and visit your site, you need to rank as high up the search engine page as possible.
  • SEO is not just about being ranked in the search engines. It also improves the user experience and usability of your site, making the viewing experience much more enjoyable for them so that they view you in a good light and will strongly consider coming to you for treatment.
  • Users place a great deal of trust in the search engines and it gives them confidence and helps build up trust in your practice if they see you occupying the top results.
  • SEO is perfect for the social promotion of your website. People who find your site by searching in the search engines are much more likely to promote it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social media channels.
  • SEO puts you way ahead of your competition. If two physical therapy websites offer the same services, the search engine-optimized site is much more likely to attract more patients and increase business.

As you can see, small practices have a lot to benefit from SEO. It can literally transform your site into a sales marketing machine. Let’s explore the benefits in a bit more detail.

SEO forces you to create a better and more user-friendly website (more business for you)

Implementing SEO strategies will help you to create a better, faster and much more user-friendly site for your patients.

How, you may ask? Well, despite the name, search engine optimization is not just about search engines but it also focuses on the user. If your users have a good experience on your site, then the search engines will be happy too. Everybody wins.

The same user is also more likely to come back to visit your site more often and tell their friends about how good your site was.

The search engines will recognize that people like your site and will want to refer other users to it when they use the relevant search phrases to find your practice.

You win because you have lots more traffic, bigger profits and happy, loyal patients.

Find new patients and watch your business grow

If you have invested in a website, it’s because you want to increase your patient base and get more business. It is a fact that businesses that have a website grow twice as fast as those that don’t.

SEO will help you to rank higher in the search engines, which will in turn give you more targeted visits and more patients.

Reach a whole new market

As we mentioned earlier, having a website makes excellent business sense because the Internet is growing so quickly. However, SEO will help you to find brand new patients that would normally have never known about you by substantially increasing your traffic levels within social media platforms and mobile marketplaces. There is a revolution going on and you can be part of it.

Increase your visitor-to-customer conversions

A search engine optimized-website means that your site is fast, easy to use and is compatible on mobile and tablet devices. Visitors coming to your website are much more likely to become patients, subscribers or loyal visitors. All of this translates into better conversions for you: more business.

Build brand awareness

If you have top rankings in the search engines, this is going to help build better brand awareness for you and your practice. Users are more likely to trust brands that are near the top of the search engines than those who don’t have a prominent web presence.

If you are a small practice that needs to build brand awareness because, for example, you want to target local markets, then you need to invest in SEO in order to gain the top rankings to enable you to reach your target audience.

The search engines play a very important role in building or destroying a brand.

Beat Your Competition

Imagine you have two private physical therapy practices in the same area. They both offer similar services and charge similar prices. They are both almost identical in every way. Now let’s imagine that one of them has a search engine optimized-website but the other decides not to invest in an optimized site. Which one do you think will be more successful? Which practice will gain more patients from local SEO and which one will grow faster?

It’s obvious. In this day and age you can’t afford to underestimate the power of the search engines. Your practice needs them.

If your competition is on the Internet and they are investing in SEO and social media marketing, you have to as well. If you don’t, your practice is going to be left behind and they will take all of the potential patients that should have gone to you.

If, on the other hand, they are not doing any SEO and they are slipping down the search results page, then now is the ideal opportunity to differentiate your practice and grab the top rankings.

Your business will be a 24/7 sales generating machine

A business that gets sent lots of traffic by the search engines is like a store that is open 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. That is the power of the Internet and SEO.

If you invest time and money to get your website on top of the search engines, you will attract new patients interested in your practice even when your bricks and mortar practice is closed and you are fast asleep in bed.

How Can You Take Advantage Of All of these Benefits?

    1. The first thing you need is a website. This may sound obvious but there is still a high percentage of businesses who don’t have a website (we are shocked too).If you don’t already have a website or you have a website that is tired and dated, then you can contact us free of charge and we can give you expert advice on how to take your practice online and reach a wider audience.
    2. You need somebody with SEO experience and expertise to plan your marketing campaign. Remember, money spent on SEO is an investment and not a cost. A good online marketing campaign will always bring in more profits than what you spend.
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SEO is a must for every website

In summary, SEO is a way to optimize your web site so that search engines will understand it better and give you higher rankings. It is important because a good SEO approach can drive more traffic to your website and drastically improve business to your practice.

Let us help you to build your brand and turn your website into a 24 hours sales generating machine. Contact us at E-Rehab for more advice on how to transform your practice.[/colored_box]

5 Scary Website Mistakes Your Private Practice Should Avoid

WebsiteGreat news: somebody has visited your website. Hurrah! Perhaps they might look around and decide to schedule an appointment for treatment…but wait…oh no!  Now they are leaving. “What? They only stayed for five seconds.” Yes, it’s very possible that they stayed long enough to be appalled by your website and then made a quick exit to one of your competitors. If your site is not converting visitors into patients, then you might be committing one of these deadly website mistakes:

  1. Flash-Driven Design

    Search engines hate Flash-driven design. In fact they hate them so much that they will completely ignore your site no matter how pretty you think it looks. So what if it is clever and it contains beautiful, state-of-the-art design?  Nobody is ever going to see it. Google is just going to skip right past your site as if you are the invisible man. And those millions of iPhone and iPad users who use their mobile devices instead of their desktops certainly won’t see it because they can’t see Flash on their phones. It’s pointless to annoy Google to the point where they choose to ignore you. You’re your site that won’t get any visitors. Just because you can add whistles and bells doesn’t mean that you should.

  2. The Annoying “Welcome to our Website”

    How long do you think you have to grab your visitor’s attention?  Here’s a hint: It isn’t 2 minutes, 1 minute or even 30 seconds. It is more like 10 seconds. That is all the time you have, so don’t waste it with a boring introduction. Most people don’t like to read much online, so when they first visit your website, they are probably just going to quickly scan it to see if anything catches their eye. Why would you want to squander an already-tiny attention span by reminding people which site they are visiting? Instead, use an attention-grabbing headline. People should already know where they are just from glancing at the top of your site, where they should see your logo and a snappy tagline, or a short description of your site, so there is absolutely no need for stating the obvious with a banal “welcome to our website” message. Yawn!

  3. “We…. We… We… We… We…zzzzzzzz”

    “We have a team of…” “We plan to…” “We have been in business for…” Sorry to sound blunt but…NOBODY CARES! Visitors to your website are only interested in one thing: “What is in it for me?” If your site doesn’t answer this question pretty quickly, they will probably leave. Instead of just talking about you and your site or your business, imagine that you are talking one to one with one of your typical customers and ‘speak’ to them as an individual. Tell them how your product or service is going to benefit them.

  4. Tech Speak

    Every industry and business sector has its own tech speak and industry-only words that nobody else understands. Try talking to friends and family about autoresponders, SEO and long-tail keywords and you’ll see their eyes glaze over as they slip into a coma. If you use words, terms and phrases that mean something to you but go straight over your visitors’ heads, then you are going to lose them.  We’ve already said visitors are going to scan over much of the content on your website anyway, so you should try to make it as easy as possible for them to be able to pick out and understand the main points from the bits that they do read.

  5. No Clear Call to Action

    As well as telling your visitors “what’s in it for them,” your next job is to tell them what they need to do now. It is absolutely pointless to give them great reasons why they should come to your practice for treatment, and then not tell them what they need to do next to in order to schedule an appointment. You need to have a clear call to action and make it blatantly obvious how they can make it happen. Do you want them to call you if they have any additional questions or if they’re ready to book an appointment?  Then tell them. However, telling them to call you and then hiding your number somewhere on your website is another big fail. If your call to action is telling them to “call us now,” then make sure you put your telephone number right next to it. Never assume that your visitors will know what to do next. Spell it out for them. Tell them what you want them to do. If you make it difficult for them, they will leave. Yes, they probably could figure it out, but sometimes they won’t. They will move on to the next site in the blink of an eye.

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You invest a lot of time and money encouraging people to visit your website, so why scare them off by making one of these fatal mistakes?

For more information on protecting your website from common pitfalls and encouraging potential patients to stick around and come to you for treatment, contact E-Rehab and we’ll be glad to offer you our assistance.[/colored_box]

Online Video Marketing Could be an Effective Tool to Help Your Practice Grow

Is video marketing really that important?

SAN BRUNO, CA - MAY 26: YouTube turned 6 years old this month anWith over 1 billion unique users every month from around the world, YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world, and also happens to be owned by Google.

The figures are mind-boggling. Over 4 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube.

To break it down even further and emphasize just how popular YouTube is, let us explain it another way: every day 500 years of YouTube videos are watched on social media sites and over 700 YouTube videos are shared on Twitter every minute.

To show you what this means for businesses, consider the case study of Red Bull. It holds the record for the brand with the most-watched YouTube channel of all time. Its videos have received a total of almost 550 million views and the channel has attracted a total of over 1.5 million subscribers.

[note_box]There is no getting away from it: video marketing is becoming more and more important as your next big marketing tool.[/note_box]

However, you may be thinking, “those figures are all very well and good but my business will never be as a big as a global brand like Red Bull. How will my small physical therapy practice benefit?”

What Your Practice Stands to Gain by Using Online Video Marketing

Your patients are spending their time watching online videos: According to TechCrunch, at the end of 2013, 90% of all web traffic was video. And global consumer and media insights company Neilsen released figures that in the US alone, over 13 million Americans watched about 3 hours of video on their mobile phones each month. That information combined with the figures presented at the start of this article should be a huge motivation for you to at least consider using online marketing for your private practice.

Your competition may already be using and benefiting from online marketing videos, as more and more companies are realizing what a fantastic marketing opportunity this is and are using videos as part of their marketing strategies. In fact, 81% of all senior marketing executives are using online marketing videos. That’s up 11% from just a couple of years ago.

If you don’t use video marketing your practice will miss out: Let me ask you a question: If one of your prospective patients was looking for information regarding physical therapy in their local area, where is the first place that they’ll go? In most cases, it will be Google or one of the other search engines. You already know that if your site can’t be found in the search engines, you’ll miss out on their business and it will go to somebody else, probably your competitor. As YouTube is the second biggest search engine, if your practice doesn’t have a presence there, again you will miss out.

Video is easy to search: Try this as an experiment. Search for a product or service on Google and see how many results come back that are video-related. When it comes to searching on Google, 70% of the top 100 searches are videos. Consumers these days are very savvy. They are searching for information on products and services and they are ready to buy when they find out what they want. YouTube is easy to search and if your business can be found then you will attract many more customers.

Consumers find videos educational, entertaining and inspiring: Over 60% of consumers spend at least 2 minutes watching a video about a product they are thinking of buying. Video is excellent for marketing because it engages your potential patients. It provides them with a visual example of the type of environment they could receive treatment in and will make it easier for them to quickly decide if they want to come to you for physical therapy. Combined with reviews and demonstrations of the treatments you offer, you will help make their decision an easier one and bring their business to your practice.

What an Online Marketing video can do for your practice

A video is a powerful tool that allows you to introduce your company to millions of potential new patients and show you in a positive light. You have full control of how you want to present your practice on a much smaller budget than traditional advertising.

When creating your online video, focus on how you can show your patients that you are an expert in the field of physical therapy by discussing some of the major treatments offered. This is much easier to do than having to rely on them reading the information on your website. Your video will establish you as an expert and show that you know what you’re talking about. This will build trust and confidence in your patients and help them to decide to come to your practice for treatment instead of your competitor.

Online marketing videos will help hugely with your ranking in the search engines. Nowadays videos are more than fifty times more likely to be on the first page of a search engine. Here’s why:

  1. There is less competition with video compared to text-only content. There are literally millions of text pages competing for the top search engine ranking. In comparison, there are only thousands of video pages competing for the same space, so your practice has a far greater of chance of getting the pole positions.
  2. Videos are ranked far more quickly than text content. It takes hours for video content to be listed in the search engines compared to weeks for text content. This gives you even more power as the content patients clients will see will be current and up-to-date.
  3. Videos go viral. It is much more likely for people on social media sites to share a video than text. This is especially true if you put together a really good video.

In addition to how much of a difference video marketing could make for your practice, it’s also affordable and requires only a webcam/or video device, a microphone and a good script to enjoy the benefits.

Online marketing videos are the hottest tool business owners have at their fingertips. In today’s environment, a video is far more likely to lead to a sale than even the best sales page on a website. It is too good of an opportunity to pass by.

Not Sure What to Include in Your Videos?

Okay, so you are convinced that video marketing is a good idea but what if you don’t have a clue what to include in your videos? Here are some suggestions to get you started making some informative and entertaining videos for your practice:

Educate your viewers about the wide range of services and treatments offered: Tell them all about the potential benefits that treatment from your practice can have for them. Show them some common exercises performed for the most prevalent conditions treated, and let them know exactly what type of treatment they’ll be receiving when they come to your practice.

Tell a story: This is a great way to get people to relate to you. Weave in lessons that your viewers can take away from it. You can talk about a past event that shaped the person you have become today. You could talk about why you decided to become a physical therapist in the first place, perhaps because you experienced an injury and grew interested in the field during your rehabilitation process. Whatever it is, your viewers will find it interesting and it will help them to relate to you and feel that they know you better. This nurtures loyalty from your patients.

Expose the myths of the physical therapy industry: Every industry and market has its own myths and misconceptions. You can debunk some of these myths and offer real-life examples that expose them for what they are. You will educate your viewers and help them to see the facts. For example, explain to patients that numerous studies show physical therapy can be just as effective as surgery for treating certain types of injuries and conditions. By seeing the potential benefits physical therapy can provide and hearing it from you, they will respect you more and feel more confident coming to you for treatment.

Ask questions and then answer them: No doubt you get asked the same questions over and over again about some of your services. Why not create a video for each question and then provide the answer. This would be an extremely popular feature of your site and will be excellent for the search engines who will send everybody who asks the same question to your website.

You could even ask your viewers to ask a question that they have about your product or service and then answer them in your next video. This is a perfect way to engage with your patients and start a discussion with them.

Feature Case Studies: Most people love real-life case studies, especially if they can see the direct results that patients experience from treatment. You could even read out testimonials from some of your happy patients.

Create a video tutorial: This is an excellent way to create video content that will be searched for regularly in the search engines and attract more visitors to your website. Many viewers love step-by-step tutorials and they are so easy to create because nobody knows your services and treatments better than you.

Show them how to perform exercises: A marketing video should sell your vision while also showing the viewer how they can keep up with exercises at home. If you can show your viewers examples of these exercises and encourage them to follow them when performing home-based programs, they’ll be more likely to do them correctly and give you their respect for helping them in this process.

Respond to your patients with video: You won’t be the only one who will create a tutorial or review video about your services.

[note_box]YouTube is full of these kinds of videos from consumers who want to share their comments with the world. So if a consumer does take the time to create a video about your practice to either praise it, highlight certain features or even to criticize it, you have an excellent opportunity to interact and engage with that patient in conversation. You can thank them, expand on what they have highlighted or even attempt to change their mind.

Remember that this conversation could potentially be watched by millions of people and they will be very impressed with how you handle the matter and you will win many more fans and patients.[/note_box]

Create a video series: A single video is fine but if you create a number of them on the same or related topic, then you are going to bring back a lot of viewers who want to see your next video in the series. Plan each video to connect with the previous video. This is going to translate into more views, more likes and more business for you.

So Are You Ready to Make A Successful Marketing Video?

If so, then these 5 tips will set you off on the right path:

  1. Define who your target audience is: Before you decide what you want to say and what you want your video to look like, you need to know who your audience is so that you can target them with your video. Think about the age of your target audience, their income bracket and other factors such as their sex. Knowing who your market is will help you to create a much better video that will be well received by the people you want to reach.
  2. Set just one goal for your video: Many beginners make the mistake of determining their target audience and then create numerous goals that they want the one video to achieve.Ideally your video will be short and have just one goal to achieve. So choose exactly what it is that you would like your video to do. Do you want to talk about your practice as a whole, give a tutorial on an injury or demonstrate some exercises? You decide what the goal is and stick to it.
  3. Turn another successful format into a video: If you already have content that has been successful, perhaps it was a blog post or a written tutorial on your site, take it and turn it into a working script for a video. Practice by reading it out aloud. Make small adjustments and retune it so the words flow naturally when spoken out loud. Share it with friends and family first to get their feedback and then when you are fully satisfied, start creating your video.
  4. Press record: It’s easy to record a video. All you need is a webcam. In fact, you can even use an iPhone or other mobile device. Don’t over think it. You really don’t need a huge product suite consisting of professional lighting and equipment to make a successful online marketing video.
  5. It’s time to share your video: Once you have created your video, you will want to share it on your website, blog or social media site such as YouTube. Get it out there and take note of the feedback. Find out what people like and dislike about your video. You will improve with every video that you make.

That is all there is to it. It’s not as daunting as you think. In very little time and with hardly any equipment, you too can be making successful marketing videos that will attract thousands of visitors and more patients to your practice.

[colored_box variation=”steelblue”]As you know, E-Rehab is a professional online marketing company and we have lots of advice and tips to share with you that will have a huge impact on your practice. Give us a call and see how we can help you take advantage of this marketing revolution.[/colored_box]

 

Getting Google to Love Your Website and Move Up in Search Engine Results

on-line marketing diagramBefore the Internet, life was so much easier with good old-fashioned phone books. Back in those days businesses were listed in alphabetical order so AadvarkA1 Services was always going to be listed above every other business in their category.

Yes, to be listed above every other business in your niche all you had to do was name your business with as many A’s in the title as you could and there you would be, at the top of the page.

How things have changed. Nowadays search engines like Google have taken over and achieving a top ranking website takes much more effort. However, the results are worth it.

For many companies, Google is their lifeblood. They recognize that Google provides their customers with trusted information from trusted websites and it is every website owner’s goal to be on the first page of Google’s search engine results, preferably sitting right at the top of the page.

The danger for many small practices is that they are too focused on getting their websites featured at the top of Google’s first page that they forget about their patients. In total contrast, Google thinks mainly about your visitors and it wants to deliver the very best information to them relating to whatever search term they use.

Why it is important that Google loves your website

Many small practices make the mistake and think that just because they have a website, that sales will automatically follow. It doesn’t work like that. Your success depends heavily on the search engines. They decide how relevant your website is and whether or not they would recommend it to other users.

It really doesn’t matter how expensive or amazing your website is; without the search engines sending you much needed traffic, you won’t be making any money. That is why pleasing search engines, and in particular Google, should be the aim of all websites. Building a good relationship with Google is not always easy, but as in real life, every good relationship takes time to grow and evolve.

The ingredients to a good relationship with Google

Here is a list of SEO tactics that will not only please Google but keep your patients happy too. This is what you need to do to gain the love and respect of the world’s biggest search engine:

Keep Your Website Fresh

Google hates stale, neglected and unloved websites. Instead, it loves to see a website that contains fresh content and up-to-the-minute news and updates.

[note_box]You need to give Google a reason to promote your website instead of your competition. The best way to do this is by providing high-quality content and updated information about your services.[/note_box]

As a private physical therapy practice, you don’t necessarily have to add new content every day, but you do need to show Google that you have not abandoned your site and you are keeping patients up to date with what’s happening at your practice.

Show That You Are An Authority In Your Niche

Whenever somebody types a search command in the search engine Google wants to make sure that they deliver the most relevant and informative results. If they didn’t, then people would use other search engines instead.

Google is searching for and will only deliver trusted sources, so if you are an expert in the field of physical therapy and have many years experience and a wealth of knowledge about the services you offer, then your site needs to reflect that information.

It’s also important to remember that the Internet is no longer anonymous. You need to show who you are, what you can do and why your customers and followers can trust you. It’s no good trying to hide behind a corporate or faceless style website. If you can convince people to trust you, Google and all of the other search engines will trust you too.

That means that you get so many more visitors resulting in increased sales.

Score 100% when it comes to ‘On Page SEO’

What on earth does that mean? “On Page SEO” is a term that essentially describes everything that needs to be done on your website itself so that it’s optimized and ready for the search engines.

Think of “On Page SEO” as laying the foundations to your online empire. You need to have solid, firm foundations and then build your business on those. Google will love you for it while other sites will be heavily penalized and will lose rankings (and customers).

[note_box]Here at E-Rehab, we can help ensure steps are taken so that your SEO (search engine optimization) is done correctly in order to give you higher rankings.[/note_box]

Never violate Google webmaster guidelines

This is another area where a business like E-Rehab protects you, but if you’re doing all of the SEO yourself you need to make sure that you don’t violate Google webmaster guidelines, as they will drop your site from the rankings in an instant.

In most cases when webmasters do violate the guidelines it isn’t intentional but simply because they were not familiar with the guidelines and did so without even realizing it.

To make sure that you stay on the right side of Google, it’s worth taking the time to read the Google Webmaster Guidelines (enter that phrase into Google and it will direct you to the right place).

As a general rule, don’t try to beat the system. If you read about some supposed fast-track trick to get extra visitors to your site or if the claim sounds too good to be true, then it probably is and it should be avoided. In the long term, you will do a lot of damage to your search engine ranking and your practice might never recover from it.

Be patient. Follow the Google guidelines, which are there to help you. The good results will come.

Be Social

Although there are no specific figures to prove the case, Google has suggested that one of the best ways to promote a website is through social media platforms.

In fact, in their Google webmaster videos, you may have noticed that they frequently mention social media as one of the most appropriate ways to promote a website.

In addition to having a positive effect with your search engine rankings, social media will have other beneficial knock-on effects as using social media will increase customer engagement as you share content that interests your customers. Social media promotes brand awareness and is a perfect way to encourage customers and other website owners alike to know about your content and spread the word by creating relevant links back to your site.

Google wants to help you to stay updated

As we mentioned before, Google wants to deliver the most relevant and helpful results to their visitors. To ensure that they do that, they provide lots of advice and help to webmasters to help keep them abreast with all of the latest trends and developments.

For example, their quality team makes more than 500 changes per year in their algorithm so you need to keep up to date or you will fall behind and your rankings could plummet literally overnight.

Currently, you should be giving special attention to making sure that your website is mobile- and tablet-friendly and looking at being active on the Google+ social media network.

This is something that we can also do as part of our service.

Have Good Titles and Descriptions

Whenever Google writes about SEO, one topic that they keep repeating is the importance of having good titles and descriptions in your website pages. These are the titles and descriptions that you see on the results page when you type in a phrase in Google.

Follow these basic guidelines:

  • Titles should be less than 70 characters (not words) in length.
  • Descriptions should be less than 160 characters.
  • Titles and descriptions should be absolutely unique for every page in your website.

Don’t stuff titles and descriptions with keywords (Keyword stuffing occurs when an article or webpage is chock-full of keywords in an attempt to increase a website’s search engine rank.). Here is an example of keyword stuffing, which will only annoy Google: Are you looking for cheap skinny jeans? If you’re looking for cheap skinny jeans, look no further. Our cheap skinny jeans website is the best place to order your new cheap skinny jeans. Feel free to check out our selection of cheap skinny jeans from our cheap skinny jeans selection.

You can see why Google would hate that but it’s amazing how many websites do it anyways, and then wonder why they don’t get ranked.

If you want to attract local patients then optimize your title and descriptions for local SEO with the name of the towns or cities you provide physical therapy services to.

Conclusion

The most important point to take away from this article is this: if you want to keep Google on your side so they continue to send your website lots of visitors and potential patients every month, you have to play by their rules.

If you don’t have the knowledge, skills or time to keep up-to-date with Google, don’t risk things by trying to do it yourself or by taking shortcuts.

The fact is, without Google it will be very difficult for your practice to succeed and draw in new patients with your online presence.

[colored_box bgColor=”#788794″ textColor=”#ffffff”]We know that SEO can be a confusing subject and it’s both annoying and frustrating when the goalposts are continually being moved. Don’t forget that you don’t need to tackle this alone. At E-Rehab, we’re here to help you and will be happy to explain the benefits and pitfalls as well managing your online marketing for you.

The investment will be worth it because the amount of traffic and patients that Google sends to your site will give you and your practice significant profits and stop your competitors from stealing business that should be yours.[/colored_box]

 

Physical Therapy Marketing – Secret Tip How To Generate Reviews

How to get a patient review in about 1 minute

When it comes to physical therapy marketing, you should make reputation marketing a high priority.  Here’s why.

Ratings and reviews are the second most trusted form of marketing after word of mouth (i.e. referrals).

Reviews show up all over the place:

  • Your Google Business Listing on Search Results
  • Google Maps
  • Google Local Listings
  • Google+ Local Listings
  • Google Adwords

Reviews can help someone that is comparison shopping choose you over your competition

Patients will look you up online before they come in.  Reviews will reinforce a referral.

Problems Collecting Reviews

Many think that you need a Google+ account and if you want to do a review on an iPhone or Android you also need the Google+ app.  This isn’t the case.

In the video I show you how to use Google Maps to get the job done in under one minute.  The Google Maps app is common on iPhones since Apple Maps just isn’t quite as good (but is improving every month).  The Google Maps apps is installed on all Android devices too.

So, ask your patients for reviews and have them do it on their smartphone right in front of you.

(Note, your patient will need a Google Account).

Action Item
Have patients pull up your listing on Google and post a review. Have patients do this right on their smartphone and guide them through the process. They will need the Google Maps app installed on their smartphone (most have it) and they will need a Google account.

 

 

 

8 Big Online Marketing Ideas for a Practice on a Small Budget

Online Marketing for Physical Therapy
Online Marketing for Physical Therapy

Most small or medium-sized businesses are on a tight budget, especially when it comes to marketing. Times are hard and many companies don’t have a lot of money to invest on advertising and marketing.

The irony is, not marketing your private practice will actually have a detrimental effect on your business.

Take Tom, for example, a hypothetical local business owner of a fireplace store. Tom just put a closing down sign in his window because nobody is visiting his store and he says he can’t afford to advertise anymore.

This year alone he has spent over $6,000 on advertising in his local newspaper with expensive one-time ads, which turned out to be a total waste of time and money.

Although it is sadly too late for Tom, the good news for other companies who are still in business is that online marketing is not only much cheaper, but is also far more effective than traditional methods of marketing. Plus, you can easily track the success of each marketing campaign that you launch.

[note_box]Here are some big online marketing ideas for your practice if you operate on a small marketing budget:[/note_box]

  • Optimize Your Website for the Search Engines

    This should be one of the first things you put on your “to-do” list. Why? Because Google is not only the most popular search engine on the Internet, but it’s also your practice’s best friend.Google and the other search engines want you to rank high in the search results. If their clients are searching for a particular service like physical therapy in their local area, it is Google’s job to tell them about your practice.

    However, you have to make it easy for them by optimizing your site. This doesn’t need to be expensive and yet will be one of the best investments that you could ever make. The return will be phenomenal as a whole new crop of potential patients discovers your practice online.

  • Google Plus Local

    While we are on the subject of Google, we can’t leave out Google+ Local. As mentioned in the previous marketing tip, Google really is on your side and wants to help your practice be found. They make sure that if potential patients are looking for services that you provide, then the results will be completely relevant and your practice should appears in the listings.As a result, search results are becoming much more local and personalized, and companies who claim their Google Plus Local Page and optimize it properly get the best rewards.

  • Start a Blog

    Blogs can be appropriate for any type of business, and private physical therapy practices can particularly benefit from these by providing patients with educational and informative blog posts. In case you don’t know what a blog is, it basically stands for “web log,” and they’re effectively online diaries. If you’re going to create a blog for your practice you need to do the following:

    • Host the blog on your own domain (e.g., YourBusinessWebsite.com/blog)
    • Anyone can set one up, that’s the easy part. Thinking of something interesting to say each time you blog is the tricky bit. You need to write good content that will be interesting for your visitors and patients. People won’t thank you if it’s just going to be one long sales pitch.
    • Create a community and make your visitors feel part of it by responding to each blog comment. If you do, the more people will be inclined to read and comment on your blog more often.

  • Social Networking

    Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus are all popular sites that you can’t ignore. By creating a profile on each of these sites, you will not only create new opportunities for potential patients to find you, but they will also be excellent sources of traffic.Local businesses that use social media sites like these almost always see a significant increase in monthly traffic. The part that excites them the most is the fact that it’s completely free. All it costs is a little of their time, but the results are well worth it.

    By investing a bit of time and effort providing good content that’s relevant to your audience and interacting with your followers you will soon build a loyal following. This will raise your online profile and make your site easier to find in the search engines.

    You can no longer afford to ignore social media marketing. In 2012, 85% of marketers found that social media generated more exposure for their business.

  • Case Studies and testimonials

    If you already have happy patients who love your practice, why not get a testimonial or case study from them?Case studies and testimonials are a perfect way to get brand new patients because they build credibility and give the potential patients the confidence to come to your practice for treatment knowing that other people like it. They will be less inclined to come to you if they don’t see any testimonials or reviews.

    The secret is to get your patients to talk about your why they received treatment in the first place and how it’s helped to improve their lives since they first started coming to you. Most patients will be happy to do this if you ask them.

  • Ask For Referrals

    It is surprising how many companies don’t ask their customers for referrals. Why not? If you have satisfied and happy patients, you really should be asking for referrals as it a very effective way of getting even more patients.Some people feel shy about asking and are afraid that the customer will turn them down. However, you will be surprised at how few people actually will say no. If numerous patients do refuse to introduce you to others, it might be a sign that you’re doing something wrong and could be doing a much better job of making them happy, giving you something to work on.

  • Harness the Power of YouTube

    Companies are latching on to the importance of YouTube in their marketing campaigns. Not only do videos now appear in the search results, but you can also use videos to show how good your services actually are.One suggestion for private physical therapy practices is to post videos of exercises commonly prescribed to patients, so when they attempt to perform them at home, they’ll have a direct reference that is linked to your online persona when they click on it.

    There is no end to the things that you could use for video relating to your practice. Even a tour around your premises could be interesting to your patients.

  • Do Some Online PR

    As you know, getting some good PR is a great free way to get people talking about your practice. The more they talk about you, the more people will come to your website and check out what you’re offering.Most people think of PR coming from major media outlets such as radio and television. While this would be fantastic, it’s not easy to get that sort of attention.

    However, there are easier ways to get PR online which can be just as effective, especially if you have a targeted group of potential patients.

    Getting the attention of blog owners is one way of doing this, especially if it is a popular and attracts the sort of readers that you want to target.

    You can email the blog owner, asking if they would like to interview you. As they are constantly looking for new topics to write about, many will be happy to interview you, especially if it is something that they think that their readers will benefit from.

[colored_box variation=”steelblue”]For more guidance on how you can give your small private practice a big name on the Internet with some cost-effective marketing strategies, contact us at E-Rehab and we’ll be glad to assist you.[/colored_box]

 

Why You Need to Take Advantage of LinkedIn to Help Your Private Practice Grow

LinkedIn for Physical Therapy
LinkedIn for Physical Therapy

When it comes to Internet marketing, most businesses have made the effort to try and have a presence on at least one of the popular social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube.

These sites are viewed as the fun cousins of the social media world, the sites everyone seems to want to play with. But private practices such as yours need to realize that they are not the only networking opportunities worth using.

LinkedIn is a very well known but hugely underrated and underused avenue of opportunity. Most people view LinkedIn as the “stuffed shirt” of networking, and it’s true that if you go to LinkedIn, you won’t find a video of someone falling down or a cute picture of a cat hanging on a washing line.  But that is by no means bad thing. We are talking about professional networking here.

Each networking site attracts a different set of potential clients, and LinkedIn is no different. In fact, you could even find yourself networking and promoting your practice to more important people than you ever thought possible.

If you still need convincing of the power of LinkedIn to help your private practice, then take a few minutes to look through these reasons why your practice should be on LinkedIn too:

LinkedIn: Business, not Pleasure

Google any business or business person, and one of the first page entries in the search results will almost certainly be their LinkedIn profile (if they have one). These profile pages contain everything you want to know about the person or company, their products and services, and more.

[note_box]So when creating a profile for your private practice on LinkedIn, it’s vital to fill out and use every tool offered, including the customized “Products and Business” section. This is a superb opportunity to create a stunningly professional yet informative section that can complement your website. Here, you can market your practice with images, videos, detailed descriptions of treatments offered, links to helpful websites for patients and more. What LinkedIn is really offering you is a virtual, digital brochure with tens of thousands of potential patients waiting to connect with you.[/note_box]

What alternative does a potential patient have if you don’t give them the information they are looking for yourself? Their only option is to go and look for the opinions of others in random blog entries and consumer forums, and you have no control over what is being said there, good or bad.

Engaging Conversations

An essential element of any network is not simply to attract people to your profile, but to engage with and retain your audience for the long term.  But while contact between users on sites such as Facebook and Twitter revolves around relaxed social interaction, LinkedIn is a business-orientated network.  So if you can’t post pictures of cute animals in amusing situations, how can you keep interest in your brand going?

a) Daily Status Update

LinkedIn has many useful features, but none are as easy to use as the “Status Update.”  These status updates appear in the feeds of those who are following your business page and in the feeds of other LinkedIn members who are networked to your followers.  So by posting an update on a daily basis, you are expanding both the exposure of your brand to more potential patients and giving more people the opportunity to network with your practice.

b) Use A Poll

Polls are a simple yet versatile way of gathering useful information from your followers while still keeping them engaged.  You can find out all sorts of relevant information about your potential patients here: what they would like to discuss in the group, information about the group members themselves.  Or you can use them just as a way of starting the conversation.

c) Useful Feedback

As LinkedIn members are business people themselves, use the opportunity to gather useful and significant feedback.  Asking questions which relate directly to your practice can get you some incredibly valuable insights into both how your brand is seen and in learning more about what your potential patients need and want from the services and treatments offered by you.

Don’t Do It Alone: Join A Group

When first joining any network, it’s only natural to start to connect with the people that you know. But in business, you constantly need to be looking for opportunities to increase the number of people you can showcase your practice to. LinkedIn is perfect for that.

As you accept invites from other LinkedIn members, your networking potential and business profile grows.  You don’t have to be shy in extending invitations to other members to connect with you either, especially if you think they will complement your own services.

Remember, it’s not just one connection you are making. Connecting with other LinkedIn members also joins you to their network of contacts, growing both your own associated network of contacts and the amount of potential traffic to your LinkedIn business page.

Groups are a great way to find and join like-minded business people. Look to join various groups associated with physical therapy and rehabilitation in any way.

Once you have the confidence, you can take it further and create your own groups around different aspects of the physical therapy industry.

Not only will you be increasing the number of business contacts you have, but you will be actively taking and spreading the knowledge and awareness of your practice throughout the LinkedIn business network.

[note_box]Companies themselves can’t join a LinkedIn group but individuals can. You, as the owner of your practice, could join yourself, but how much more impressive would it be to your fellow LinkedIn members if some of your employees actively represented your brand within the LinkedIn group discussions and enthusiastically engaged others on behalf of your practice?[/note_box]

The Power of Recommendations

To a potential patient, nothing gives more confidence than to hear someone do more than just praise your services, but to give it an outright recommendation. It says more than “I am happy with it”; it says to someone, “You need to use them too. They helped me recover from my injury so quickly that I had to tell you to use them if you ever need physical therapy.”

The “Recommendation” is a unique feature that separates LinkedIn from other Social networking sites. On LinkedIn, these recommendations, made by both clients and colleagues, allow others to give your practice and professionalism a glowing report.

Get Found

You want your LinkedIn profile to increase your visibility on the Internet and contribute to your rankings in the search engine results.  By adjusting some of your profile wording, you can improve the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of your LinkedIn site.

Inside the “Websites” section, adding keywords to the title descriptions found in the “Other” section will increase your page’s visibility on the Internet searches.

When starting to complete your LinkedIn profile, keep key industry keywords and buzz terms in mind.

Try to subtly add a few key search terms your patients may use when looking for your services, but don’t stuff your profile with them as search engines like Google and Bing can penalize your site if there is an overload of keywords.

Don’t overlook your URLs. When you join and create your LinkedIn profile and pages, LinkedIn automatically creates the URLs with random numbers, not a name, but these links are customizable. Change it to something the search engines can pick up on: your name, job title or location  By being creative, you may even be able to get keywords in.

Statistical Analysis

Studying statistical data may not be everybody’s favourite task, but it gives an impression of how effective your LinkedIn profile is, and within LinkedIn you can get detailed facts and figures on who is visiting your page, how often they come, how many times someone clicks through the “Services” tab, which members are following your page, and a whole wealth of other stats broken down into very useful information.

But there are even more targeted marketing opportunities available to practices like yours on LinkedIn.

The Admin of a business page can set up customized Product and Services pages.

This means when a visitor comes through to your page, the information shown to them will be tailored to them depending on things like: How local they are to your practice; what business they are in; what position they hold in their company.

Being able to modify information in this way enables you to give other LinkedIn members more relevant information about your practice.

Network Your Network

Maximizing your exposure is a fundamental key in getting new followers, so the easier you can make it to follow you the better. LinkedIn has 2 easy ways to do this:

“Follow Company” Button

By putting this button on your site, it lets followers connect quickly, and they can then track your LinkedIn activity easily and conveniently from within their own LinkedIn profile. Once your followers have grown to a decent number, add the number of your followers onto this button.

“Share” Button

By adding this button to the articles and content in your LinkedIn pages, you show your page visitors that they can share articles from your site with their own followers.

By making your articles informative and useful to others, you encourage others to take your knowledge and expertise in the physical therapy field to a much wider audience of potential patients.

Market To A Captive Audience

With a rapidly growing membership of over 175 million business professionals worldwide, it would be a criminal oversight not to consider marketing your practice to such a captive audience inside LinkedIn.

Not only does LinkedIn offer its business users ad campaigns with a massive audience, the ads themselves are immensely flexible and customizable.

Available as Pay Per Click or Pay Per Impression, the ads can be tailored to an exact audience based on a specific customer demographic like the size of the company, the business area, and occupation, to name just a few factors.

These ads can also be shown on specific pages. So you could target profile pages, practice and group pages, member’s inbox or message pages, and more.

This type of targeted approach helps in getting the relevant information to the right sector of your audience: your potential patients.

There is also a choice of Ad Type:

  • Display Ad: An ad that can be placed on the page in a range of shapes and sizes, rather like a classified newspaper ad.
  • Content Ad: An ad that lets you stream several types of contend in one organized packet – like video, Twitter, Status updates, etc.
  • Text Link Ad: A static html link to a specific page or place.
  • Social Ad: Social ads are a highly targeted, highly efficient way to sign up fellow LinkedIn members and to encourage them to share messages and recommend products.

They encourage a particular course of action like the ‘Follow’, ‘Recommend’ or ‘Join Group’ ads.

Upgrade and Expand With Advanced Apps

Once you have a good working knowledge of LinkedIn, it’s time to take your LinkedIn page to the next level with some of the many advanced applications that allow you to give your LinkedIn pages greater appeal and marketing power.

Here are just a few of the great “Advanced Apps” available to use with LinkedIn:

SLIDESHARE

Rather than having a simple static photogallery of business statistics, you can really impress visitors with a professional and visually interesting slideshow presentation.

MY TRAVEL

This app lets you share all your future travel plans and trips with your network, so they can see not only where you are now but where you are going to be and when.

This gives people a great opportunity to arrange to meet up for different events and functions.

BOX.NET

If you have something you’d like to share with your followers, why not make it downloadable?  Box.net lets you share everything from photographs to portfolios, charts and presentations.

BLOG LINK

Linking your blog up to your LinkedIn page is so easy with Blog Link.

If you use WordPress, there are many specialist WordPress app or plug-ins that can do it for you simply and easily.

HUDDLE WORKSPACES

Collaborations can be notoriously tricky things.

Huddle Workspaces is designed to smooth out this rocky road. It lets you give different groups their own workspace, which means you can provide private remote access to documents that only they will see and have access to in their workspace.

TWEET

We couldn’t possibly forget the social network that many businesses use daily.

Tweets lets you access and use your Twitter account from inside LinkedIn.

Do you feel inspired to explore the world of LinkedIn?

Or have you previously registered but didn’t know about many of the features that we mentioned or have not had much success with it? If so, please contact E-Rehab.

So many small private practices have either don’t understand LinkedIn or have not used it to its full potential.  As a result they are missing out on a lot of potential patients and useful connections.

[colored_box bgColor=”#788794 ” textColor=”#ffffff “]We can show you how to get the most from LinkedIn and get the best results from using it as well as all of the other social media platforms.

We look forward to hearing from you and sharing our insider knowledge and ideas with you.[/colored_box]

 

How To Take Control Of Your Physical Therapy Web Design

Magnifying Glass - Web Design

Depending on where you live, you may have taken notice of a trend where big corporations are taking over and moving the small businesses out. Many towns and small cities are now carbon copy of each other, with the same chain of coffee shops, the same clothing retailers, the same chains of DIY and garden care companies and the same electrical outlets.

The small businesses seem to be fighting a losing battle and the lifeblood is being sucked out of them.

The exciting news is the Internet gives you, a small private practice, a new level playing field where you really can easily become a giant on the Internet and get your share of the business that’s out there.

Increasingly patients are looking online for information with over 80% of patients research health conditions, symptoms, and healthcare brands online. These are local people in your area, and some are potential patients.

[note_box]Don’t just take our word for it. Look at the statistics in any publication (e.g. pewinternet.org) and you will see the trend increasing year after year that the majority of people research products and services online using their mobile phones and tablets but here is the twist: they still buy offline.[/note_box]

That means that your practice should be taking full advantage of the Internet and getting a slice of the action. If you don’t, then your competitors will.

Read on to find out how you can become an online giant.

Getting Started Online – Taking Control Of Your Physical Therapy Web Design

One of the reasons so many local businesses put off promoting themselves on the Internet is because it can be overwhelming. There are so many ways that you can market your practice online that you might not know where to start.

A large number of local businesses dabble in online marketing and then give up after a few weeks because they don’t get the results they expect.

Although the Internet is not a magic wand that instantly makes you rich overnight, you will see results if you know what you are doing.

It‘s true, not all marketing techniques are suitable for all business types, but here are some things that your practice can start to implement to help give you a giant-sized presence on the Internet (and they won’t break the bank either).

Your Website

Your website does not need to be an expensive, all-singing, all-dancing work of art. It should make a great first impression and it should be search-engine friendly and regularly updated .

For many private practices, designing a functional but profitable website can be extremely daunting, so they tend to leave the whole design in the hands of their website designer.

This can turn out to be a very expensive mistake for your practice. Web designers can make some stunning looking websites complete with every bell and whistle imaginable.

However, if you owned a car dealership, it is doubtful that you would trust your car mechanic to have complete control of your marketing campaigns. While he might be a very good car mechanic, it is unlikely he would also be an expert in marketing.  Leave it all up him and pretty soon you would be out of business.

That is in effect what you would be doing if you allowed your web designer to have complete control of your website.

Yes, they might have good design skills, but in most cases, they know very little about marketing. There are very few web designers who understand how to optimize sites for the search engines, or how to write compelling copy or information that effectively describes the services your practice offers.

You really don’t want a website designer who just concentrates on how pretty they can make your site and how they can add a wide range of lovely looking but utterly pointless gimmicks on your site.

So rather than give your web designer free reign, here are some tips that will put you in control and and help you end up with a website that draws more patients to your practice:

1. Be very clear about what you want.

You want a website that works 24/7 and earns its keep, so you need to be clear on exactly what you want each web page to do. When thinking about the function of each page of your website, decide in advance what its purpose is.

For example, will it be used purely as an online brochure for your patients to show off services or do you want to add some general information about physical therapy and common conditions treated by your practice as well?

Will you want your page to collect visitor’s names and addresses or do you just want your site to let people know how they can contact you?

Will you have a blog where you can keep patients updated or will you be sending a newsletter out?

2. Have your offer and call to action clearly visible on your website.

Don’t hide this information away. Put your address and phone number at the top-right of every page.  If you want patients to be able to schedule an appointment on your website, make that clear to them and easy to do.   Do NOT make your call to action or offer a sign up for a free ebook on how to treat their own back.  It devalues your service!

3. When you write your web copy for your site, write it with the reader in mind.

Always remember to clarify what you can do for them. It will make it very boring if the site is all about you and how great you think you are. Nothing turns a visitor away fast enough than the words “we do this…” or “we are…” Talk about your unique benefits.  What makes your practice different from the clinic next door.  Remember, it is not about you, it is about the patient, so show them that you are the type of practice that provides exactly what they need and what they’re looking for.

[colored_box variation=”steelblue”]Click here for a guest blog post I wrote and is posted on WebPT which gives you more tips on how to write copy for your home and about us pages. In summary, think twice about letting your website designer completely take over. Even if you don’t have a technical bone in your body, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have full control over the online presence of your practice.[/colored_box]

Protect Your Private Practice with Online Reputation Management

A website screen showing an online survey for collecting feedbacIf someone were to do an online search on your physical therapy practice, what would they find?

In the old days, if you had one dissatisfied patient who was unhappy with the treatment they received, they may have told on average 7-12 friends about it.

However, times have changed. With the invention of the Internet and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, that one person can now tell hundreds or even thousands of people about their experience.

It’s so easy for your potential patients to type your company name into Google and see anything from quality reviews and recommendations to reputation-damaging complaints and unresolved issues. What is more, all that information stays there for the entire world to see.

It is a company’s worst nightmare for an unhappy customer to start telling the world about their complaints. Many companies have seen their profits wiped out, simply because a group of customers have rallied together and given them a bad name.

[note_box]According to eMarketer, consumers trust other consumer reviews almost 12 times more than they trust the manufacturer’s celebrity-endorsed sales pitches and technical jargon.[/note_box]

Managing your online reputation is no longer optional. If an issue concerns your patient then it should concern you, because if not, they are going to tell the world.

The simple truth is your brand, your reputation and your practice are on the line every time a customer walks away unhappy.

Here are 10 online reputation management facts that you need to know to protect your practice:

1) Professional Marketers Say “Trust” Is Number One Important Factor For Making A Sales-Worthy Impression

The 1×1 Xchange Panel conducted a widespread survey among businesses and a whopping 84% of them believed that building trust online would be the primary focus for marketing efforts in the future.

Most marketers feel that gaining potential customer’s trust is the key to getting a sale. Do you trust somebody with a bad reputation? No? Well neither do your prospective patients.

It is essential that your practice is not only trustworthy but is reflected to be trustworthy online.

2) Most People Use Social Media To Decide What To Buy

It is no secret: social proof is powerful. One good recommendation can generate an inordinate amount of extra sales, but equally, if your social media is lacking and your name is being tarnished, your profits will plummet. To emphasise the importance of social media, Pew Statistics revealed that 4 out 5 people said that they had received advice via social media regarding what product or service to purchase.

3) More and More Large Companies Are Hiring Full-Time Online Reputation Managers

Do you want to know what big companies thing about reputation management? According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, they think highly enough of reputation managers to hire them full-time and pay them handsome salaries. The US Bureau of Labour puts the average salary of an online reputation manager between $38,000 – $72,000.

4) More Adults Are On Social Media Sites Than You Think

You can’t dismiss social media as a young person’s world any more. Again, the Pew Statistics reported that 46% of online adults are actively involved with social networking sites. Yes, the people with the money and the spending power are moving online and making decisions based on what they find there. It is vital that your site is well represented online.

5) The Public Trusts Social Media

The same Pew Statistics report said that almost half of online adults (48%) agree that getting to know new people is easier and more meaningful because you can learn things online about the people that you meet. Do you wish that your patients could get to know you better? If they knew you better then you know that they will be more likely to come to you for treatment. This is where Internet savvy companies involved with social media are doing so well. They interact with their potential customers and get the sales. By becoming involved and looking after your online reputation you will do the same.

6) People Are Using Social Media To Gain An Edge On Their Competition. That Means You.

It could not be easier for your competition to get the edge over you online and snatch the lion’s share of customers. All they need to do is search your name or your practice’s name online and read the paper trail that you have left behind from responding to patients to how you act on social media sites like Facebook. How often do you think that you are being searched online by your competitor or a fellow colleague or employee? It will be more than you care to think. The Pew Statistics report revealed that 31% of employed Internet users have admitted to searching online for information about co-workers, professional colleagues or business competitors. What will they find out if they researched you online? Are you caring for your online reputation as well as you should be? You can no longer be complacent and need to act now.

7) Social Proof Is King And Traditional Advertising Is Dying

It’s true. The results of the Pew Statistics Report showed that a huge 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations but only 14% of them trusted an advertisement. What that means for businesses is that no matter what ads you are running or how many professional-looking shiny banners you put on your website, it will be the recommendations of peers based on your reputation that will bring patients to your door.

Your online reputation goes before you and only social media and reputation management can ensure that your company is well represented online.

As a business owner, you only have one of two choices:

Choice A: You refuse to take your practice online and miss out on the huge potential that so many other businesses are experiencing. The Internet is not going to go away. Online sales are increasing year on year. People—your patients—are addicted to social media sites and now that they have found their voice, they won’t be silenced. If you ignore them or don’t engage with them, then your practice will not reach its full potential.

Choice B: Under the guidance of a professional online reputation manager, you engage with your existing and potential patients by taking your practice online using savvy Internet marketing and reap the massive rewards for doing so. Manage your online reputation and you will bring in more patients and make more money.

THREE TIPS ON PROTECTING YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION

1) Monitor your brand

One Internet writer described not monitoring your online reputation like leaving your 5-year old child unattended at the swimming pool. You just wouldn’t do it. In the same way, it’s irresponsible on today’s social marketing platform to ignore what is being said about your practice. This applies if what is being said is positive as well as negative. Remember that a poor review is always just one tweet away and 40% of these come from mobile devices so you need to be on the ball and monitor your online reputation.

2) Respond Quickly

When a patient is unsatisfied with your services, you still have the opportunity to turn things around. In fact, rather than being a bad thing, you can make a negative situation into a positive one simply by taking the necessary effort to make sure that each patient’s complaint is handled promptly and politely. 90% of disgruntled customers will stay with a company if they feel that their complaint is being taken seriously and resolved promptly. Even more amazingly, 50% of them will even advocate you in the future by telling their online followers how impressed they were with the way the complaint was handled.

3) Personal Attention

If patients make a complaint, they want to know that you care. You only get one shot at preserving your practice’s reputation, so make it count. You know what people say about first impressions, so remember this when you make a response to any complaint or negative feedback because any first impressions will be amplified. Don’t react against the comment but have a proactive approach. Your goal is not only to get the patient back on your side, but to show the potential thousands of other observers that you do care about your customers and that they can trust you.

[colored_box bgColor=”#788794″ textColor=”#ffffff”] Managing reviews can seem like a daunting task. Let E-rehab help you through the process and you’ll see your business thrive.[/colored_box]

 

Some Quick Fixes to Transform Your Website and Draw More Patients in for Treatment

Search Engine Results - Your Site Number OneWhy is it that some websites consistently bring in new business, day in and day out, 365 days a year, while others just sit there, lost in cyberspace, not earning a single penny?

It can be very frustrating for owners of physical therapy practices with a non-performing website, particularly if their site has cost them a lot of money and they aren’t seeing a return for that investment.

This article is for any private practice owner who feels they aren’t getting enough new patients from their website and is wondering if it was worth it to start one in the first place.

[note_box]There a few quick changes that you can make to the content to transform your website to give it a better chance of converting visitors into patients. They will make your website come to life and be a true ambassador for your practice and earn you more money.[/note_box]

Ditch the Corporate Jargon and Make Your Site Patient-Friendly

Your website should focus on the needs of your patients and the benefits of your services. Unfortunately, companies are still using too much corporate jargon or tech-speak on their websites. As a result, most websites in the same business genre all look and sound exactly alike. There is little to distinguish a difference between them, so visitors lose interest very quickly, and many will decide not to venture beyond the first page of the site.

Instead of littering your site with jargon, try to engage your patients. Think of words and phrases they are more likely to use when searching for your services. Use those phrases as headers or key links on your site. When visitors see those phrases, they will know at a glance that your website contains the solution to their problem and they will be more inclined to visit your practice for treatment

Design Your Site Around Your Target Patients by Creating a Patient Persona

The best way to engage with visitors and encourage them to come to you for treatment is to write your site’s information with your patients in mind. You need to know that you are reaching the right people who visit your site and the information they find there is relevant for them.

The way to do that effectively is to create a prospect persona. In other words, you want to build up a clear picture of a typical patient who will come to you for treatment and speak to them through your website.

Creating a persona for your ideal customers helps you to target your message to that persona, making your marketing more effective as you create content and information that is relative to the visitors you are attracting.

This is not as daunting as it might initially sound. After all, you have a good idea what kind of person would be in need of treatment or other services from your practice. So, when thinking about content for your site ask yourself:

  1. Who comes to us for treatment? Is there a particular demographic or industry that would benefit most from physical therapy?  Start to shape the information on your site to speak directly to people in that industry. Chances are likely you will generally come up with more than one answer. That’s okay. More than one persona is good. As you learn who is most likely to come to you for treatment, your content will be more effective and begin to generate higher quality leads and result in more business for your practice.
  2. Why do these patients come to you for treatment? Put yourself in their shoes: sometimes it’s by choice; other times it’s required. What physical problems will physical therapy solve for them? What challenges or obstacles will it help them resolve to make their life easier? As you think about the answers you come up with, you’ll have a much clearer picture of the challenges your prospects are trying to address and how you can create content for your website that speaks directly to them and motivates them to come to you for treatment.
  3. Where do your patients hang out on the Internet? Where do they spend time looking for information? If you can determine their prime locations, it makes it much easier to reach them with the right message. For example, if your visitors mainly use LinkedIn or YouTube, then it doesn’t make sense to spend a lot of time creating content for Facebook.

Building up a patient profile like this helps you to get a better understanding and clearer picture of who your prospects are. It helps you tailor your website content to talk directly to them instead of trying to reach everybody. By shaping your message and content, you’ll be more effective at providing relevant content your prospective patients can relate to and find useful.

Add Testimonials and Real Case Studies

A great way to engage with your visitors is to create an emotional connection with them by featuring other patients who are just like them. It’s time to ditch those old brochures and generic case studies that are not only incredibly boring but a complete turn off for your visitors.

It adds so much more credibility if your website features some of your satisfied patients speaking in their own words, in their own environment and telling their own stories about how they were able to improve their physical condition through treatment received from your practice.

Testimonials are very easy to obtain. Contact your best patients and ask if they would provide you with one. If they are genuinely happy with the treatment you provide, then very few will say no.

If your client wants to write his own testimonial, that is great, but some clients don’t always know how to put their feelings concisely into a powerful statement. They may find it a chore to think of something to write. So although they might be willing to provide a testimonial, you might have to wait a long time to get it, if you get it at all.

A quick tip is to make it easy for them. Interviewing them on the phone or emailing them a short questionnaire of 3-4 questions can help to focus their thoughts, and then you can write the testimonial yourself.

Clients often appreciate you saving them the time and the effort of having to think about what to write or say.

Your questions need to be very specific, aimed at highlighting the benefits of your services and treatments. Ask them what they feel is the most important benefit they received as a result of treatment or an exercise program.

Here are some samples of questions that you could ask:

  • How did treatment directly benefit your physical improvements and overall success?
  • Describe the most outstanding strategy/trait that gave you the best result you were seeking
  • Was our practice: Easy to work with? Accessible? A Team player? “Went that extra mile”? Great with employees/patients?

Remember:

  • You need to write the testimonial from the patients’ perspective and really rave about how great you and your services are, and the dramatic results.
  • Don’t put words into your patients’ mouths. The testimonial needs to accurately reflect their feelings about you, your practice and your services. It needs to be something they are happy to put their names to.
  • Always allow your patient to review his/her testimonial and sign a consent form before you use it. This consent form can be a simple statement that says: “I understand that my testimonial and name may appear in any marketing or promotional materials created by (your practice’s name). I also understand that I will not receive any compensation for its use as stated and I waive my right to inspect or approve any finished product wherein my testimonial appears.”
  • While they may not be gaining any monetary benefit for providing you with a testimonial, they will receive other benefits. For example, it will raise the profile of their business by having their name and company name on your website and promotional materials. So it is a win-win for all concerned.
  • Remember to use testimonials in all your PR strategies, not just on your website. Add them to brochures, ads and sales letters.
  • If your patient agrees, you could even use audio and video formats on your site so people cannot just hear but they can also see how great people think you are.

Add a Phone Number

A telephone contact is such a basic, fundamental way of communication, yet it is surprising how many small practices make it very difficult for customers to contact them this way. Many websites still don’t include a number at all, or if they do it’s hidden away, making it harder for a potential patient to contact them.

Customer Confidence and Usability

Here are some reasons why your phone number should be on your website:

  1. A phone number is an effective way to get your visitors’ instant feedback or to allow them to speak to you before they make their final decision whether to come to you for treatment or not.
  2. A prominent phone number on a website builds the trust and confidence. The Internet is impersonal enough already for some customers. By adding the evidence of real people out there—like a physical address or a phone number—can make some potential patients feel more comfortable.
  3. A telephone number also offers an additional, convenient way to schedule an appointment and, most importantly, it implies that a live person is ready to assist. Your sales will increase as a result of prominently displaying your telephone number.

These quick fixes will significantly increase business for your practice by encouraging more visitors to come to you for treatment.

[colored_box bgColor=”#788794 ” textColor=”#ffffff”]If you have more serious concerns about your website because it simply isn’t making any money and want somebody to cast a professional eye over it, please don’t hesitate to give E-Rehab a call. Sometimes it can just be a very simple change that makes all of the difference to help your website start converting visitors into patients.

E-Rehab is here to help your private practice grow by attracting new patients, so please give us a call or contact us through our website if you need any additional assistance.[/colored_box]