helping healthcare organizations grow

Welcome to The Healthcare Marketing Connection! This week we are looking at new media and how and WHY we should be using these tools in our practice. The term "new media" sounds so modern and techie. And it is, but don't be afraid of it. The fact is that 80% of consumers go straight to the internet first when they are searching for health information - they should be finding you. This "new media", which includes an ezine like this one, is inexpensive, easy to use, and is easy to systematize and implement into your weekly practice management efforts.

My friend, David Neagle, the Million Dollar Income Acceleration Coach, is coming to a city near you! He will be hitting three major cities to hold a SPECIAL, one-day live event, called the "X-Country Tour!" These one-day wonders take place in Los Angeles (April 19), Houston (May 3), and Baltimore (June 7). Even if you don't LIVE in one of those cities, the techniques he promises to share make grabbing a plane, train, or automobile just to be sure you are in that room totally worth it! Register and find out more here

Finally, I am thinking about offering a series of group coaching teleclass. Please drop me an email if this is something you may be interested in and what you would like to discuss on the calls if I did put something together. I'm just feeling around to see if there is interest out there Kelly@AMarketingConnection.com

To your success!

Kelly

Using New Media Strategies in Your Practice

What's the first thing people do when they even think they have a health issue?

Studies show over 80% of the American population heads straight for the internet. This is a fact. Whether you or your office is referred by another physician or a friend of the patient, people go straight to the internet to check you out.

Why do people do this? What are they looking for?

They want to know what is wrong with them and who in the world you are. Can they trust you? Are you legitimate? Are you really good at what you do or are you a newbie? Are you reputable? 

Knowing this, doesn't it make sense to have a strong online presence no matter what field of healthcare you are in?

Many practices don't leverage the internet as much as they should. Beyond "should we have a website", practitioners should be doing several things to attract and retain clients. Blogging, publishing educational content (such as how to know if you are having irregular heartbeats), press releases, and more... make it really easy for people to find you and learn about who you are and what you do.

Let me share a story with you. Two years ago my daughter was diagnosed with something scary sounding by our orthopedic doctor (an osteoid osteoma). The orthopedic doctor didn't know much about these and nervously referred us to a specialist in Denver. He assured us "Dr. M" was the best in the state.

Of course I came home and immediately googled "osteoid osteoma", which I couldn't spell and couldn't find it online. Next thing I did was google Dr. M - who I couldn't find either! I had to wait until the next day to call the office to find the name of the practice to look them up. Sure enough, they did have a website and Dr. M was on there and yes, he is a big shot in his field.

But, he should have been much easier for me to find. I shouldn't have to wait, worried and stressed, until the next morning to learn these things. Dr. M's office should have done a much better job of promoting his name (and the name of his practice, even though that wasn't what I was referred to) online.

Can your patients find you?

You don't need expensive pay-per-click advertisements or banner ads to be found easily online. There are several very simple and inexpensive, systematical techniques you can use to be found easily.

(c) 2008, A Marketing Connection

Want to use this article in your ezine or web site? No problem! Just let me know at info@AMarketingConnection.com. I'll send you a short bio to include at the end of the article.

I want to thank you for being a subscriber to the Healthcare Marketing Connection. We've enjoyed putting the newsletter together each week, and from the feedback I get from many of you, I know that it is something that you find valuable. So THANK YOU for being part of this healthcare marketing community.

Please let us know how we can support you in reaching your goals.

To show my appreciation for all of you, I have included a link to my new free report "5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits". You can download it here: www.AMarketingConnection.com/samples/5CriticalMistakesHealthcareMarketersMake.pdf

This 17-page report discusses current trends in healthcare marketing and provides discussion on ways to implement new marketing methods into your practice.

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