Even in the nicest of “waiting rooms,” who really wants to wait for medical services…or anything else for that matter? And if reducing wait times for medical services is a key to improving patient satisfaction, doctors' offices can now follow hospitals in communicating wait times to patients. To illustrate, we can all relate to the following […]
This is a brief post about a deceptively simple and highly useful idea to help people find you online. Here's how doctors, hospitals and marketing professionals can quickly create a custom splash page—complete with analytics dashboard—to bolster personal reputation and practice branding, and heighten search engine visibility. The first thing you should know about About.Me […]
Last week’s feature newsletter article, Facebook Fundamentals: A Guide to Social Media in Healthcare Marketing, generated a lot of thoughtful comments from our readers. And—since this is part of a continuing series about social media tools in healthcare marketing—here’s a brief follow-up about Facebook:
When you jump into the Twitter stream and “Follow” someone, a Direct Message (DM) “Thank You” is a nice touch of connectivity. Establishing and retaining the initial involvement can help providers, hospitals and other healthcare entities keep their Twitter conversation going. Somehow you feel a little more involved even if the “personal” note is a […]
Why You Need Facebook and What It Can Do For Your Practice, Hospital or Medical Group Editor's Note: This is an installment in our continuing series of articles about the intersection of social media and healthcare marketing. A Facebook presence is a basic component of most social media plans, but the platform-and the way people […]
How to avoid the most serious pitfalls in planning and producing a revenue-generating website. These days, nearly all successful healthcare practitioners have a successful Internet marketing strategy keyed to their website. The Internet has become the tool of choice for many prospective patients in healthcare decisions and selecting a provider.
Editor's Note: The marketing concepts discussed in this article-authored by Healthcare Success for ImagingBiz-also apply to many professional, medical and healthcare marketing situations. ImagingBiz is a unique industry publication that delivers business intelligence for hospitals, imaging centers and radiology practices. This education and information portal offers a wealth of expertise on the rapidly changing world […]
Demystifying Web Analytics brings more patients through your digital doorway. Think of Website Analytics as your most important management tool to understand how your website is performing (or not performing). Free tools are available to track visitor activity and guide changes that improve performance and website results for your practice, hospital or healthcare organization. There's […]
Physicians are both public and private individuals. There’s the inner circle of peers and colleagues, and there’s the outer circle of public and (prospective) patients. And for each of these, there’s a free digital tool that every physician can use to boost productivity, professionally present your “who-you-are-and-what-you-do” message, enhance your reputation and help your career […]
Do doctors see social media in their practice future? Have you (or patients) ever wondered why a particular doctor isn’t using social networks? Some doctor comments are harsh. Of course many healthcare providers actively use social media routinely and effectively. Patients look online for health and healthcare info, and at least a few thoroughly professional […]
Try “Googling” search terms for your practice or hospital. Your healthcare site page ranking may have moved (or may move soon). The world’s biggest search engine has changed the secret formula that it uses to index all that is cyber. And different rules are now producing different results.
There’s little doubt that information is now the new third party in the exam room. We’ve been tracking the surveys that track online and social media use, and individually or collectively, they say patients are increasingly looking online for healthcare information. No surprise there. But what’s new is that their principal resource is social media. […]
Having a branded YouTube channel is like having a second website specifically to showcase your video content. And once you’ve produced several healthcare marketing videos, creating your own YouTube channel is an inexpensive way to expand online visibility, use your video materials in multiple locations and attract additional online visitors for your medical practice, hospital, […]
Here’s a marketing-smart little idea to wring greater value from your Twitter messages. Since micro-blogging in 140 characters or less is precious little space to get acquainted with your followers, consider thanking a new follower and providing a link to a short “getting to know you” online survey. We haven’t seen this often, but it’s […]
Healthcare practices and hospitals have been slow to adopt email as a standard communications tool with patients-most of whom would welcome the connectivity. Bringing email into the mainstream of your office, even for non-clinical matters, is a powerful way to differentiate your business from the competition, increase satisfaction and patient retention...and boost office efficiency. Recently, […]
There's no such thing as a “set-and-forget” Web site. We have yet to find a successful practice Web site that performs well on neglect. We've written several articles that challenge the “If-I-build-it-they-will-come” fantasy of early practice Web sites — and provided practical direction about what to do instead. But if your practice Web site is […]
Keeping your patients connected and your schedule full automatically. Using computer and mobile technology to communicate with busy patients, give back time to the busy office staff, keep the appointment calendar filled, and boost productivity is a win-win-win proposition. Here's a new way to automate a time-intensive task-using a "patient's choice" that keeps them connected […]
Although healthcare marketing is actively embracing social media, we’re looking for examples of genuine, beyond-the-basics innovation. If you’re using online and social media tools in ways that are truly new and different, we want to hear from you. We’ll help tell your story. Here’s a bit of background and some inspiring examples… Someday, with the […]
Editor’s Note: This is an informal round up of iPad healthcare deployment applications that we’ve seen since the product was introduced less than a year ago. Many of the uses listed can be adapted to various professions, specialties and healthcare delivery situations. Most importantly, please help us expand this list. Comment below or send us […]
The AMA’s American Medical News carried an excellent article recently titled: Hospitals' new specialist: Social media manager. It told the tale of how various hospitals—such as Swedish Medical Center (Seattle) and Mayo Clinic—are hiring staff members dedicated exclusively to social and interactive media. What's more, other hospitals, health systems, and medical practices either have someone […]
The New Normal for Medical and Hospital Marketing in Tough Economic Times Don't dismiss offer-driven media options automatically. The nation's economic headwinds have produced new, value-sensitive consumer buying patterns and an opportunity to re-consider the way things work in society's "New Normal." The terms "advertising offer" and "healthcare marketing" sometimes seem like misfits. To many, […]
Editor's Note: This is the third article in our three-part series about how to get your hospital or healthcare practice website found by potential patients. The Internet is a powerful tool for marketing. But simply having a web site does not mean that patients will find you. The first two articles in this series presented the […]
Mark Zuckerberg wants you to “get on the bus.” His bus, of course, is Facebook. And Mr. Zuckerberg aimed his comments squarely at companies that have, so far, resisted using social media. His words of encouragement may be a tiny bit self-serving, but with 500 million members, and 250 million daily users, Facebook is a […]
We’re impressed with the new AAE website (aae.org). The American Association of Endodontists has revitalized its online presence with more content and improved endodontic marketing messages for the public and the professional ranks. Refreshing (or completely re-doing) a website is good advice for most healthcare practices, hospitals and organizations. Too often their website is a […]
Two interesting online publications popped-up on the healthcare marketing and advertising radar last week, and they may be useful for hospitals, doctors and communication professionals. Legal Implications of Social Media: The Ohio State Medical Association (OSMA) responded to member inquiries about using social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to help market their practice and engaging patients […]
Everyone wants to be at the top of the results list when a prospective patient (or anyone) does a Google search for "Dentist in Des Moines," but only seven listings are going to make the "local business listings." Many hospitals, urgent care centers, dental offices, and other medical healthcare providers have picked-up on geo-specific advertising […]
The intersection of healthcare marketing and technology is a busy corner with lots of activity – shiny new toys, much fanfare, and an occasional dash of confusion. BUT – and this is a big “but” for marketing and advertising professionals – BUT traditional communications channels still dominate the search for health information over mobile health. […]
It's one of the oldest tools in advertising in America. The various forms of a coupon and coupon offers are well-established and often-used tools in chiropractic marketing and other healthcare products and services. Over time, they’ve moved from print ads and free standing inserts to also include distribution via email and taking a bit of […]
Doctors are talking to doctors—colleague to colleague—just as they always have. But they’re talking online and in a big way. Physician Networking Communities have changed how and where doctors interact, and driven changes in the healthcare and doctor marketing landscape. Virtually all physicians use the Internet for information that’s relevant to their practice. But for […]
Should there be any question about the importance (and the immediacy) of the internet as a dental marketing tool, just ponder the sheer number of online searches: about eight billion — yes, with a b — searches per month. So the real question is: How can my local dental practice Web site capture well-qualified prospective […]
Advertise your website on Google, Yahoo and other platforms to target local patients looking for your services. Editor's note: This article is the first of a series about how to drive traffic to your healthcare practice website. U.S. Internet users conduct 5 billion searches every month directly on major search sites. Furthermore, a recent Harris […]
The “Microhoo” Challenger to Google in Online Search and Internet Advertising If the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance news has fallen off your radar, here’s an update that’s important to SEO / Search Engine Optimization for healthcare marketing & advertising. Microsoft’s Bing is now powering organic search results on Yahoo! Search for the English language […]
Ten tips to putting it all together for success from the start Our previous article about "permission-based e-newsletter" puts you on safe ground in getting started - you know how to compile and safely use your opt-in email list for good marketing and good email etiquette.
How to begin your "permission-based" E-newsletter on safe turf. Some hospitals and healthcare providers periodically mail out a practice newsletter to friends, prospects and patients. These newsletters usually include updates about the organization, new services or procedures, event promotions, and helpful health tips. Many other practices that used to mail these newsletters have discontinued their […]
The effectiveness of online marketing and pay-per-click advertising begin with a plan A page from the real-life-lessons department: How a chance encounter with a marketing-savvy town car driver demonstrates the effectiveness of having a plan and using pay-per-click Internet advertising for success. Turns out the encounter wasn't entirely by chance. I met a town car […]
If you had any doubt, this week’s launch of the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media illustrates how the Internet—and social media in particular—is now a dominant force in healthcare marketing, advertising, public relations and essential communications. Historically, hospitals, healthcare organizations and providers have been considered slow to adopt new marketing approaches. But we’ve been watching […]
How do you measure the value of your blog? What’s the ROI for your Facebook page? How much do your YouTube videos benefit your physician marketing? What's the pay-back on Twitter? A balanced view of benefits gives you the whole picture.
Chances are someone has already invited you to join them on "LinkedIn.com." Your list of suitors may include friends, colleagues, salespeople and maybe even some people you barely know.
What should you do? After all, I am sure you already have plenty to do - do you really need to add something else to your already overcrowded plate?
By Michelle Boyles, Managing Editor (This article was adapted from Optometric Management, though the Internet marketing principles apply to all healthcare practitioners.) A recent Harris Interactive poll shows that 80% of consumers today research health information online. But with the wealth of information out there, how do you drive patients to your Web site? And […]
The Internet has become the tool of choice for prospective patients in making dental and other health–care decisions. But there are a ton of practices that don't have a first–class online marketing tool, and that's a missed opportunity and lost revenue. If it's time to take a critical look at your tired, gen–one version, here's […]
