Dog Star Media Blog

Hottest topic: Mobile Sites

2012-01-24T15:03:00.002-06:00

Everyone is talking about mobile web sites these days. I think we have finally reached a tipping point on business owners recognizing the importance of mobile sites and, thus, how they are different from standard web sites. Maybe we are past the early adopter stage because so many people are seeing between 15-25% of their traffic coming in on mobile devices. If 1 in 4 people who view your site are doing so on mobile hardware, yes, you had better be meeting their browsing needs.

The Dog Star Media plan for mobile sites has been long-sighted. We recommend early adoption of smart phone mobile sites at 5% traffic. The recommended mobile site is a 7-page starter mobile site that can be expanded when there is more traffic. When traffic reaches 10%, we think this is a must have.

As traffic inches up to 20%, we recommend building out the site more, adding between 5-7 more pages to make sure all critical content is on the site. Now, for many of our clients, mobile traffic is on its way to 25%. This is the point where we recommend fully building out your mobile site with all the content of your current site. It will look vastly different on the smart phone site, but its vital that this content is presented properly for the hardware being used... especially when such a large percentage of site users are using mobile hardware.

So, when do you add in a iPad site? Just look at your Google Analytics for the answer. Apply the same criteria to the iPad users and you will have your answer. Probably, if you are a cosmetic surgeon or cosmetic dentist, you need to have an smart phone, iPad and standard site if you are going to going to meet the browsing preferences of your site visitors.

So, are you ready to make improvements in this area? Chances are you need to do so. Start by looking at your Google Analytics which will detail your mobile device use. Don’t have that or need help figuring it out? Do you know it and know what you need to do? Ready for a smart phone and/or iPad site? Just email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com. We were ahead of the curve on this and have been doing mobile sites for more than two years now. We can help.

SEO - Don’t be confused

2012-01-17T15:10:00.002-06:00

Frequently, I am reminded how confusing search engine optimization (SEO) can be. It is a highly technical concept that is complicated with unrealistic expectations and assumptions about how things work. When there is this much confusion, people tend to sell on fear and insecurity. If you have doubts about logical processes being used for your SEO, you should know it can be very logical if you re realistic about what is possible.

Our SEO process begins with the selection of Efficient Keywords. These are keywords on which you can realistically be ranked more highly more quickly. They are also terms that are confirmed as those being searched. More than likely, a vastly popular term is not going to be an efficient keyword because of the amount of competition. So, Reality Check #1: get ranked where you can and build up your traffic. Traffic the one thing you cannot fake. If you have it, you are going to be considered more relevant.

Reality Check #2: Just because you think a keyword is valuable doesn’t mean that it is. If a keyword is not being searched, we cycle it out and replace it with a keyword that is being used. Many clients get enamored with certain words with which they identify. There are online tools that tell you if words are being searched. These are much more accurate in determining value of the keywords than opinion.

Reality Check #3: Just because you are not optimizing for a given term does not mean you cannot get relevant on it. Most people do not realize that their reports only detail the words that are being optimized. That is not all keywords.... just the ones being reported on. A good way to look at this is the words on your SEO reports are being worked and prioritized for effort. They are not your exhaustive list.

Reality Check #4: Sticking with a consistent organic strategy is the best way to go. A great deal of the strategy is selecting keywords. Any time you make changes, you open up the chance of going backward before going forward. If your SEO company can’t tell you why they are choosing certain words or employing certain strategies, you may have a problem in this area.

Reality Check #5: Focus on traffic. The goal of an SEO program is increased traffic. Don’t get sidetracked by a fixation about appearing ranked on certain terms. The effort to get there (which is often futile on the clearly most popular terms) will not be worth the cost in time and money and still no results are assured. Your SEO goal should be to increase traffic and by doing that your relevance as it relates to other, more hard to get terms. Sure higher placement on some terms should yield more traffic... in theory. What we know for sure is that sometimes taking the path of least resistance gets you what you want the most: more traffic. As far as the high value words... that is what paid search is for!

If you are looking for logical, methodical and sensible SEO strategy, try our Efficient Keyword strategy. Just email at donald@dogstarmedia.com for details.

What’s New on The Cosmetic Channel

2012-01-10T16:11:00.002-06:00

The Cosmetic Channel kicks off 2o12 with more than 300 doctors enrolled, many of whom are linking all sorts of video from YouTube. The Cosmetic Channel is becoming a great site to visit to learn about procedures and the doctors who do them. Subscription is free and the site continues to rise in the rankings. New doctors find us and join each month.

So, with new year, how about some new video. If you are a CosmeticChannel.com subscriber, here is a special offer. If you are not a CosmeticChannel.com subscriber, why not join for free so you can get this offer, too?

Here is our special offer:

Make a new 3-minute video for YouTube, use on your web site and to link to The Cosmetic Channel. Any format for $3600. Interview, facility tour, chromakey studio, shot on location or in our Dallas studio. Two 3-minute videos: $5400. Three 3-minute videos: $7200.

What story do you want to tell on video? What message can you use over and over in different ways online and on DVD? Marketing is becoming more and more about video, so how do you want to make your video this year?

If you are interested in learning more about making updated 2012 video for YouTube, The Cosmetic Channel and more, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com. And, join TheCosmeticChannel.com to be part of the most varied cosmetic procedure video site on line.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-20T11:54:00.002-06:00

It’s holiday season and I want to offer everyone my wishes for a happy, healthy safe and fun-filled holiday season. I hope each of you takes some quiet time to be grateful for what you have, what you have done this year and for the potential in front of you. Here is a tip from a great book called Creative Visualization. It’s my gift to you this holiday season.

The more thoroughly you can visualize what you want, in detail, the more you can manifest it. So, in terms of your business, take a few minutes each day over the holiday break and start doing this. Set a goal and begin to think about it. Visualize the details of what things will be like and how things will work and be once your goal has been achieved. Focus on the details. What do you see? How does it look? What details are present? The more time you can spend visualizing in this space, the more detail you will bring to making it happen.

So, what are your goals for 2012? Are they just on-paper goals or have you visualized the final manifestation of your goals? Start 5-10 minutes at a time per goal while things are quiet and work up to putting some real time into this. And, if you need help with some details on what you want, please feel free to email me for any advice you need at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Content Managed Web Sites

2011-12-06T11:02:00.002-06:00

I’ve had several discussion with clients over the past few weeks about the advantages of having a content managed web site. In the most general terms, this is a site designed in a program that has a content manager. Wordpress is a low end solution. Dog Star Media uses Joomla for its robust capabilities and wide number of free and paid plug-ins to extend capability. There are other content managers out there, too.

The first thing I should mention about content managers is to watch out for the “Golden Handcuff.” There are companies out there that will design you a site with a content manager makes it impossible to move the site from their server. This “Golden Handcuff” keeps you obligated to them until you decide to move somewhere else, causing you to build a whole new site. Dog Star Media does not believe in the Golden Handcuff so when we design a Joomla-based site, you can take it anywhere you want or work with anyone you want.

Secondly, most clients are enamored with the idea of being able to make changes themselves. Content managers make it an easy process to change text, pictures and even add pages. For more advanced users, you can completely manipulate the site if you want. However, our experience is most clients do not do this. They want it but they never use it.

This brings me to the most important point: If you have a content managed site, you should be making regular updates. Adding relevant content helps with your optimization and relevance for certain terms. If you add pages and text and other content related to these words you help. With a content manager you can extend the size and scope of your site.

If you are interested in a content managed web site for your practice, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com. We will get you one that comes without the golden handcuff.

Enhanced Statistics for Mobile Use on Google.

2011-11-29T11:08:00.002-06:00

If there was even a question about the importance of understanding mobile traffic statistics, Google announced last week that and enhanced version of their Analytics program was on the way. One of the features is upgraded and more thorough reporting on mobile use.

This is sure to help anyone who is paying attention to fine tune their web strategies to maximize visits that come in via mobile devices. Before I wrote this, I took a quick look at a few of our clients’ Analytics dashboards. All were up over 20% mobile traffic. This time last year, 12-15% was high. Now, almost everyone is near 20% with many over and on their way to the next benchmark of 25%.

Anyone following this blog knows we are offering a mobile site special until the end of the year: a 15-page smart phone site for only $1000 (an $800 savings). The reason for this special is to draw attention to the importance of having a mobile site specialized for smart phones AT THE LEAST. For years, the focus has been on driving more traffic to web sites, then the expectation of refined traffic (or better traffic) made its way into the equation. Now, just about everyone with some experience as a web site owner knows the value of more and better traffic. However, the market seems very slow to adopt the idea that there is a huge difference in site presentation based on the hardware used to view the site. On a smart phone, standard sites are more difficult to use, read and navigate. Some elements don’t even show up.

All the work you have done to make sure you are getting more, better traffic is undermined if you do not have a mobile site. One in five viewers is likely on a mobile device. And, that is today’s norm. Next year, if the trends hold, we will be talking about almost one in three coming to your site via a mobile device. The tipping point is here. 20% is a very significant statistic. And, we want you to be prepared. If you need a mobile site or have questions about how this works, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Everyone should use tracking phone numbers

2011-11-22T13:20:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving is this week so I thought I would focus on what most of my clients are thankful for: accurate measurements. Yes, this is the gift that keeps on giving.

Marketing is both an art and a science. The science part, just like any other science, begins with measurements. And, it does not matter how much time and resources you spend on marketing, if you do not know what the results are, then you are spinning your wheels. And, I mean real results... the results you want to know... how much of the results turned into business.

There are a lot of ways to measure marketing. On the web it is impressions, site visits, pages visited, time on site, bounce rate, etc. There are a lot of stats. But the primary stat you want to know is: How many calls were generated? The only way to know that for sure in ANY medium is to measure incoming calls with technology. This can only be done with tracking telephone numbers.

Tracking telephone numbers are the least expensive service we offer but they are by far the most valuable tool we have at our disposal. A tracking number is a unique number placed in one location, for instance on your web site. Calls on that number route electronically and immediately to your real phone number and in the process all details of the call are recorded. You learn who called (Caller ID), how long the call lasted, was it answered or not, time of day the call was made and you can even record the call to hear how it went. This is a MAJOR advantage that allows you to make adjustments and refinements to your big picture marketing plan and evaluate how your selling is going over the phone.

In my world, tracking numbers are must! At only $480/year or $40/month, if you are not using tracking numbers at least on your main sources of incoming calls, you must not want to know the real numbers. I am so committed to the use of these numbers, I have the following offer to make.

All of our tracking numbers come up for renewal on Feb. 1 of each year. If you order one mid-year, the price is pro-rated. So, since we are near the renewal date, I will pay the December and January fees for any new tracking numbers that are ordered before the Feb. 1 renewal date. So, in essence I will give you two months on me to test out how this service can be a major eye-opener.

If you are interested in ordering a tracking number with no payment until February, essentially two months at no cost to you, please email me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com. I will be happy to get you set up with the most effective marketing tool out there... the simple tracking telephone number.

So, what is your holiday gift to your business?

2011-11-14T23:37:00.002-06:00

Just like so many people trying to use the remains of their Health Savings Accounts, many of our clients each year look to make a late-year purchase to get next year’s marketing help on this year’s budget. Dog Star Media has a holiday history of absorbing those last minute tax-inspired purchases.

In the past several years, clients have made the following holiday purchases for their businesses and they were gifts that keep on giving:

- A year of SEO
- A new web site... on Holiday special (just ask)
- A mobile web site to address their mobile traffic
- Video for their web site... on Holiday special (again, just ask).

So, if you are finding yourself at the intersection of needing to make a key business expense for tax reasons and making a needed move that can improve your marketing for all of 2012, why not act now? What is your biggest marketing need right now? As the year ticks down, let’s talk about how we can help you get both a short-term benefit and a long-term benefit with your next purchase. Please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com and let me know how we can help.

Google Analytics and Mobile Stats

2011-11-08T14:46:00.002-06:00

I was at the Tulsa Surgical Arts course last weekend and one of the questions that got a lot of discussion was mobile web sites. So, I thought I would reiterate how to determine your needs regarding mobile sites.

First off, there are three kinds of sites these days in general... standard web sites, smart phone sites and tablet sites. Standard web sites are sites designed for best use on computers and laptops. Smart phone sites show best on smart phones and tablet sites show best on tablets like iPads. And, yes, it is possible for a standard site in HTML to be seen on all three kinds of hardware. But, statistics show that when the site is not built for the hardware, the experience diminishes.

This is why we have established a few benchmarks that are easy to follow. Log into your Google Analtyics and click on the Visitors menu button. Click on Mobile and it will show you your mobile use.

If you 5% of your traffic is via mobile or iPad devices, it’s time to get a starter mobile site. When that number reaches 10%, you should have the site in place. A vast majority of our clients are reaching up to and beyond 20% mobile traffic, so much so that they are requiring both mobile and iPad sites because the percentage of iPad users is so significant.

One thing to consider is the number of users that make up those percentages. If you are a high traffic site, even a low percentage of mobile or iPad users can make up several hundred visits. So, use the percentages as a guideline and use common sense to guide you when deciding to accommodate visitors using these mobile hardwares.

The bottom line is this: you should be most appealing to all users regardless of the hardware they are using. With more and more users going mobile and user trends following right along, it‘s important to not appear outdated because you don’t have a mobile or iPad site that makes the experience as good as possible for the mobile or iPad user.

If you have any questions on mobile or iPad sites or if you want to add these to your Internet strategy, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Web Site Design Special

2011-11-01T14:25:00.002-06:00

Each year at this time, we go to Tulsa Surgical Arts for the best cosmetic breast surgery course going, hosted by Dr. Angelo Cuzalina. When attending the course, we always offer a $1500 course special for HTML/Flash web sites that are ordered during the course.

Here are a couple reasons why, if you are looking for a boost to your Internet strategy that a new web site is a good idea. First off, a good web site redesign takes into consideration what your current traffic finds interesting about your business or practice. We do this by reviewing your analytics before designing your site map. If we have objective knowledge that your site users are interested in certain subject matter on your site, we make it prominent so it is easy to find.

Second, a fresh revision on content can make a big difference in your SEO. New, fresh content can impact your relevance on search terms. It usually is accompanied by a bounce in traffic because clients will tell all their friends and create a wave of interest. That helps your rankings, too.

And, most people are motivated by aesthetics so getting a fresh new look can be a great reason to revise your web site. What starts with updating your look can also include improving your calls to action and your site functions.

If you are thinking about updating your site, getting a new web site or improving your Internet strategy, this $1500 special is the best special we offer each year on our most popular kind of web site for cosmetic surgeons and cosmetic dentists. If you are interested in ordering a site during this special offer (which expires on Saturday at the end of the course at 5PM), please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Special Offer on iPad sites... for a good reason!

2011-10-25T14:09:00.002-06:00

New iPhone... new interest in mobile browsing. With more and more emphasis being placed on capabilities among mobile devices, it has become increasingly important to make sure your mobile web site presence is up to snuff.

iPhones and iPads are leading the way as usual and we are seeing new highs crest up for mobile use. Many of our clients are within or exceeding 20% mobile users among their web visitors. That number got here fast and it continues to grow. Sure, sales of these devices is driving this wave but what is really behind this surge in use?

1) Convenience. The more socialized you are to using your smart phone, iPad or tablet, the more ways you adapt to using it. An increasing number of people are using their mobile devices for their casual use and leaving the bulkier laptops and desktop computers behind on desks for the heavy use.

2) Streamlined use. Smartphones, iPads and tablets all have one thing in common: you can’t do a lot of “heavy lifting” on them. You can write, do some basic excel and use apps for some program-specific functions, but any really sturdy work has been delegated to laptops and desktop computers. This has created streamlined use of mobile devices, which of course includes quickly jumping on the web.

3) Better mobile sites. The early adopters are setting the bar, especially on iPad sites. This is a place where one can make a major image of difference because of the extreme visual nature of the iPad presentation.

So, for the last two months of the year, Dog Star Media wants to give you a chance to join that early adopter group. In November and December, we are offering 15-page iPad web sites for only $1000 (a savings of $500). If you are interested in this special offer, please email me for more information at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Understanding Modes Online

2011-10-10T20:39:00.002-06:00

This year, we noticed an interesting trend that has re-ignited new discussions about establishing brands and making first impressions vs. putting yourself directly in front of apparently ready shoppers.

Several clients tried advertising on Facebook. I already documented how all of them received an unexpectedly high amount of traffic for what they were spending. However, when we measured the actual conversions from those clicks, hardly any resulted in calls or contacts. As this was widespread, we reached the conclusion the clicks from Facebook were kicking tires. Meanwhile paid search clicks recorded consistent results in terms of clicks, calls and emails. The conclusion there: people using search engines were in a more active shopping/buying mode.

So, what about all those clicks from Facebook? Are they worth it since they come at such a low expense. And, what about the exposure, as people are spending so much time on Facebook? It raises the old question about the value of exposure.

We all just came out of a time when economy in marketing meant we got to survive another day. And, in some places around the country, times are still lean. The days of spending just for exposure and awareness seem like a distant memory but Facebook has brought the conversation back with a digital twist. In many cases. $300 means 200-300 clicks. Those are site visits, not just logo views.

Most of our clients have elected to keep the Facebook ads, paying for cheap exposure. And, then one of my oldest and wisest clients reminded me of an old axiom she was taught years ago. It is thought that it takes 11 exposures before most people are moved enough to make first contact. And, these 11 exposures can take place over a short or long period of time. Although I have always questioned that theory, I can’t ignore the importance of being “out there” and visible. The recommendation that I would make is: If you are going to spent simply for branding, do it on the web where you stand a chance to make the best impression. The key to this, of course, is having a great web site. But that is another conversation...

Email Marketing and Blogging

2011-10-04T13:00:00.000-06:00

All I had to do was miss a few blog posts and I was quickly reminded of the importance of email marketing. For more than five years now, I have consistently posted good marketing info into my blog, only missing the odd date here or there over holidays and vacations. Over the past few months, we have had some transitions in the email marketing department. We changed email marketing programs, which has caused us to be unable to email to some addresses and I have simply missed a few weeks as I have been working on a very time-consuming project.

And every day, someone has asked me why they had not received my blog recently.

This reminds me of the first thing I tell clients about email marketing. Offer good information and be consistent. This is how you build a following. You don’t have to offer a lot but, if it is good, people will follow you, expect your contact, anticipate receiving it and miss it if it does not come to them. This is exactly what I experienced.

So, here is my recommitment. Every Tuesday, you will see my marketing blog. We will complete our transition to our new email program and give our email data a good scrub. In a few weeks, the Dog Star Media blog will be back full strength, going out via email but also from Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. As we work on this, let me know from which medium you prefer to receive your blog notifications.

Why not join me? Let’s all be regular in building a good audience for our blog and social network communications.

Lifetime Value

2011-09-20T13:43:00.003-06:00

For my 250th blog, I thought I would write about one of the more accessible 1:1 Marketing strategies, that being Lifetime Value modeling. Under the right conditions for a large organization, Lifetime Value Models can be extremely valuable. And, if you understand the principles, you can simplify this method of evaluating your clients/patients so you can grow and refine your business all at the same time.

The basic principle here is the recognition that each customer is more than a transactional value. So many times we get caught up in cash flow that we don’t take time to look at the big picture, where we can begin to see a customer for the total value they are worth to your business in a lifetime. This includes the transactions they make with you and the referrals they bring to you. If you set up your data management properly and take the time to sort and examine your data, then you can determine who has been of the most value. From there, you can look for similar characteristics and use that profile to seek out customers who are of higher value.

That is a basic application of Lifetime Value. A more sophisticated way of using this strategy that can affect the entire trajectory of your business is to use this method to eliminate the low value customers from taking up your time and resources. In a great book on 1:1 Marketing, Enterprise: One-to-One, they make reference to the Below Zero customer (BZs) who actually cost you money. The following method of marketing helps you identify and eliminate the BZs as well as stabilizes your business for long-term success.

Say you have 100 customers. You divide them into 5 groups of 20, ranking them 1-100 in terms of how much they have spent with you for as long as you have been in business. Then, if you can quantify who referred who, add the value of that referral to the the referring party’s value. This will give you five groups (quintiles) that list all 100 customers in order of the value they have yielded with a gross value, grouped into 5 groups of 20. Now graph the quintiles according to the percentage of the total value of all the customers combined..

The first quintile will have the greatest percentage of the total value and will therefore be the highest on the graph. The second will likely be the next highest but will likely be a significant step lower than the first. Same with the third. The fourth and the fifth will likely be much lower. Now, here is where the business stabilizing effect comes in: Our goal is to equalize the percentage of value in each quintile.

Think about what this means. If you have more customers with higher value, the total value will be distributed more evenly across your quintiles. Seeing your customer value like this has the tendency to make you realize how much you rely on a core few for your business’ survival. It is great motivator to broaden your base of higher value relationships.

Think of the strategies needed to do this. If you identified people in Quintile 2 and 3 that are good customers but could be better if you were able to sell them more value, focusing on improving their value would redistribute the percentages across the model. In doing this, you are not devaluing your leading value customers, you are just focusing on an area of improvement that stregthens your entire model. By simultaneously doing this and identifying your BZs and eliminating them from your customer base, you can achieve a more evenly distributed value model.

This is not a strategy that can occur over night. It is a long-term process but working the process keeps you focused in many ways on things that can make your business healthy. If you have any questions about Lifetime Value Modeling or 1:1 Marketing, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

So now... video

2011-09-13T14:52:00.002-06:00

Just reporting in on a trend we are seeing rising up. It seems every September there is a consistent item that is requested from us and this year... it’s video. We have had more video requests come in over the past few weeks than we have in the last six months.

For cosmetic surgery and dentistry sites, video can be the best way to create an image of difference. I was explaining to a prospective client just yesterday that elective medicine comes down to trust. Does the patient trust the doctor to perform the procedure? A lot of factors go into trust, ranging from first impression to the subjective evaluation of your mannerisms. Traditionally, the patient does not meet the doctor until the end of the process, in the consult room. Thanks to video and the web, cosmetic doctors and dentist can get a jump on this process by speaking to prospective patients directly with video on their web site. Most doctors who have this “web drop” style of video (a Dog Star Media specialty), report that patients say they feel like they know them already when they meet in a consult. This is because they have seen video that was prepared just for a first greeting and web site welcome. All in all, the web drop gives you advantages over competitors who just have flat pictures.

Here are some great examples of web drop video:

http://www.goodsleepseattle.com
http://www.instituto-orbitofacial.com
http://drjackpeterson.com
http://www.dreamsmile.com

If you are interested in learning about how to add web drop video to your web site to begin building trust as early as possible with prospective patients, please email me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Finding a balance among marketing tools

2011-08-30T15:06:00.002-06:00

As most of you know, Dog Star Media loves measurable strategies. You can take for example our insistence on using tracking telephone numbers to measure where calls specifically originate. And, although nothing is better than the certainty of knowing facts like that, the truth is that it is a cocktail of efforts that create a critical mass of exposure and call to action that ultimately results in contacts being generated. And, with that, it is important to understand the value of each part of the cocktail.

A common situation that has arisen over the summer is good evidence of this. A large handful of clients (both cosmetic surgeons and cosmetic dentists) decided to run ads on Facebook this summer. The cost was low at $10/day and the click rates were very high. Some clients experienced more than 300 web site visits in a month from those ads. After seeing this, we redirected the Facebook ads to proxy web sites with tracking telephone numbers to isolate the calls that were originating from the Facebook ads. (A proxy site is a replica of a web site hosted at a unique URL so you can track responses specifically). And, the same result showed up across the board.... almost no calls came from those clicks.

However, all but one client has opted to keep their Facebook ads running. The reason is that the low cost of the traffic had other benefits. In some cases, the added traffic greatly improved the organic rankings and improved our ability to optimize their site. In other cases, the added traffic correlated with sustained increases in emails and calls that did not come from the proxy site, but rather from their regular web site. In other cases, they just liked the additional low-cost exposure.

This reinforces the idea of the marketing cocktail: a blend of strategies that create a critical mass. Every case is different but one thing is consistent. By knowing your benchmarks for web stats, for incoming calls, for conversions, etc. you can better see where you productivity is improved by making changes to the elements in your marketing cocktail. This opens you up to the possibilities of buying exposure simply for awareness like these clients did. And, when you experiment responsibly, every now and then you find a real gem that pays off directly (which we know from the metrics we put on it.) If you are interested in tracking numbers, Facebook ads, or coaching to help you develop a better understanding of the marketing cocktail that is right for you, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Three things to look for in a great web site design

2011-08-24T13:03:00.002-06:00

This year, a lot of doctors and dentists have come to us looking for a new, fresh look for their web site. These days, there is not a lot of variety in the format of the sort of sites preferred by cosmetic surgeons and cosmetic dentists. Nearly all want the same thing: searchable, code-based sites that are highly functional that can also be designed for a high level of aesthetic. Some Flash for aesthetic effect and to show video but otherwise, a coded site.

And, there lies the problem. What is aesthetically pleasing to one person may not be for the next. As custom designers, we tailor our work to our client’s preferences. Our designs are based on fine arts standards. However, some clients play a heavy role in art directing their projects so they turn out for their vision. We offer input when this happens and hope that the client takes into consideration a few of these basic standards that make design work.

1) Good, effective design has a hierarchy. Elements should be placed in an order which guides the eye and does not confuse flow. This has as much to do with the size and placement of elements as it does which elements to use and how they are shaped and positioned.

2) Eye Contact - In advertising (and your web site is a de facto ad) photos of people making eye contact with you draw you in. Sure, an attractive picture works and often works very well but if the model or models in the photo are looking at you, you are more likely to connect with their eyes and stay on the ad longer. Try it yourself next time you look at a magazine full of ads. Find one with a great model shot and one with a great face shot with the eyes looking outward. Which connects with you?

3) Pleasing color palettes are a must. Certain color palettes connote certain feelings. Just because you like a certain color does not mean that it is the best color to promote your business. If you are trying to project a soothing, relaxing, safe image, maybe using alert colors such as red, yellow and orange is not a good idea. The lesson here, choose a look and feel that projects the right image, not necessarily your personal set of preferences.

These elements may seem semi-serious but the fact is that many great designs die on the drawing board because clients don’t embrace some of the very basics. Are you interested in redesigning your web site or designing a new one? We can walk you through these steps and others to help you design a unique look and feel for your site. In September, we are offering a special price on web site design for a limit of four HTML/Flash web sites... first come first served. Please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com for more information.

Mobile Use Tipping Point

2011-08-16T13:35:00.003-06:00

It’s a familiar headline by now that use of mobile devices for Internet use has boomed in the last year. Since November 2009 when Google began tracking mobile device use on its Analytics, we have seen a steady increase in the use of mobile devices to access our clients’ web sites Steady, we have watched statistical ceilings being broken as clients passed the 5%, 10% and even 20% mark. By the end of the year, we expect some clients to be at nearly 25% or more in mobile site visitors.

We don’t have any clients that are less than 5% mobile use and I would expect that this is the case for everyone at this point. So, if you do not have a mobile web site for smart phones (at least), this should be your next purchase. Why? Because with increased adoption, we move closer to a tipping point, not of all-out use but of expectations.

If we are not there already, we will be soon. With this much market saturation, users begin to expect a certain norm for their web surfing experience. With more and more users and rising use statistics, that tells us a growing amount of surfing opportunities are being conducted on mobile devices. Along with this grows the expectation that what is seen on the mobile device will perform as it should on a mobile device. In other words, it will present for the best use on the smart phone or mobile device being used. After the tipping point, if your site does not meet expectations on mobile devices, you will be seen as a dinosaur and your online effort will be dismissed by a growing percentage of mobile users.

Here is an example. If any of us expect to find something, we go to a search engine. Prior to the tipping point on search engine use, it wasn’t that big if you were not listed. Now, if you are not listed it is an absolute crisis. Why? Because everyone expects to find what they need by searching.

We may look back soon and say the tipping point on mobile site expectations happened in 2011. Use is up, percentages of users is up and the devices keep getting more web friendly. People on smart phones expect to be able to push to call. This fact alone is compelling enough to make sure your Internet presence is up to date with a mobile site that will appeal to mobile users.

If you want to stay ahead of the tipping point, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com today to get a mobile web site started soon.

The Cosmetic Channel™ passes 300 members

2011-08-03T10:35:00.002-06:00

Every week, more cosmetic surgeons and dentists are creating profiles on TheCosmeticChannel.com. This week, this unique web site enrolled its 300th member, making it one of the largest video directories for cosmetic procedures on the web.

TheCosmeticChannel.com has a simple concept. Cosmetic surgeons and dentists can open a profile at no cost and link video from YouTube to their profiles or make new video using The Cosmetic Channel. In essence, this becomes a filter for YouTube, allowing site visitors to navigate among many doctors and dentists and see all kinds of video all in one place.

Subscriptions are free and the more you add to your profile, the more detailed and competitive your presentation will be. There are very inexpensive options for creating your own video as well. As membership increases, we will be introducing some new and highly beneficial elements to The Cosmetic Channel that will help you take advantage of the power of video in marketing your elective services. For now, though, if you have not signed up for TheCosmeticChannel.com please do. And, if you have and have not completed your profile, log-in to do that soon.

If you have any questions about video production or TheCosmeticChannel.com, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Mobile Stats Way Up

2011-07-26T09:40:00.002-06:00

Mobile sites are on my mind this week as we are launching two new smart phone sites and two new iPad sites this week. As expected, the use of mobile devices for surfing the Internet has increased greatly this year. Most of our clients are well over the 10% traffic mark and the ones with the strongest mobile traffic are up over 20%. When we started to measure this trend, I anticipated that the trend might top out at 25%. But it did not take long for some to get over 20% so the subject needs a little re-examination now and then until it settles.

Clearly the iPhone is the leading source of mobile visits among our clients. In nearly every case, the iPhone is the #1 source of mobile visits. In general, the degree to which the iPhone is #1 is shrinking however. In many cases, the iPad has risen to a strong #2 ranking. This trend began in the spring with the release of the iPad2. However, in general specific terms, the increased use of the iPad does not account for the volume increase mobile use. Across the board, mobile use is up on our clients’ Analytics.

For the first time there are conversations about full site design for smart phones and iPads. When we were at the 5% mark and clients began adding small versions of their sites for smart phones, most of those sites were 7 pages. The most important 7 pages of content were chosen for these starter sites. When clients passed the 10% mark, most added another 5 pages of content. With the emergence of the iPad sites, with their more graphical look, the 12-pages mobile site became the standard. Now as 25% nears, especially with the full graphics capability of the iPad designs, the talk has turned to the design of full web sites for mobile users.

I think 25% is the jumping-in point for this. You are definitely taking a risk in presentation when you are not making a full presentation to 1 of every 4 web visitors. And, another reason why 25% seems like a good buy-in for a full mobile and iPad site is that now it seems like that will be another milestone on the way to the ultimate plateau for mobile use.

Given the forecasts on mobile use for the next 3-4 years by the big tech companies, it now does not seem out of the question for mobile use of your site to be in the 30% range or even more in the next year. If you want to get out ahead of this and are ready to put up a full site for your smart phone or iPad visitors, please let me know at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

How to deal with peaks and valleys

2011-07-12T13:40:00.003-06:00

I had an interesting conversation in a coaching meeting this morning. The client already does a great job managing their data regarding patients. In this case, the practice was a cosmetic surgery practice but the solutions we discussed can apply to a dental practice as well, or really most small businesses.

We talked about peaks and valleys in cash flow. These doctors could easily identify which months were traditionally the slowest, July being one of them. Usually, when someone sees a lull coming, they overcompensate by spending heavily to drive more web traffic and thereby leads or somehow take from future business for cash flow now (such as a sale or a special designed to sell now at all costs). Both of these common scenarios perpetuate cash flow peaks and valleys. But, don’t worry, there is a better way.

It is true that there is immense value locked away in everyone’s databases. The trick is knowing how to extract it and, in the case of patching cash flow valleys, knowing how to do so without disturbing future cashflow. Here is an example.

Let’s say there are two practices that are both slow in July. Practice A decides to go for some easy cashflow and pushes a special on injectables, let’s just say Botox™ Cosmetic for example since that has the best brand recognition. Practice A advertised specials on paid search, puts the special on their web site, email blasts it out to all their contacts, puts up signage for foot traffic to see and promotes the special. They get a broad response that meets their cash flow needs... that is good. However, a lot of Botox™ customers simply move up their future appointments to buy now because of the special. The cash flow valley has been bridged but in a way, it has created a smaller cash flow shortfall in the future. This is a very common scenario when you use a broad sale to bring in business. It is one of the ways that not measuring your business data can cause you to create a cycle of peaks and valleys on top of the natural business cycles you cannot control.

So how to do it better? Practice B has the same scenario. And, they are going to do a Botox™ promotional sale, too. However, they are going to be selective to whom they make the offer. Instead of borrowing business from the future, they are going to create new business by being smart and aggressive. In their database, they find all Botox™ patients and divide them into two groups: regular patients and infrequent patients. The regular patients come in regularly for their Botox™ and the infrequent patients either do not have a pattern or have come once or rarely. By restricting the promotion to the infrequent patients, Practice B can be generate cash flow on the same promotion without tapping into forecasted business from the near future. The value lies in the database. The trick to avoiding peaks and valleys in this case is knowing how to use it.

This is a 1:1 Marketing principle. If you are interested in learning techniques like this and applying 1:1 Marketing to your practice, please email me today about my coaching program at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

New iPad sites debut

2011-06-28T14:38:00.003-06:00

This week, two new iPad sites were launched here at Dog Star Media. One was for cosmetic surgeon Robert Rho, MD in NYC. If you look on your iPad, you can see his iPad site at labiadoctor.com. The other was for cosmetic dentist Amy Norman, DDS. Using an iPad, you can see her iPad site at dreamsmile.com.

iPad user stats are skyrocketing. In the last six months, we have seen iPad visitors jump on most of our clients’ Google Analytics stats to the #2 most used mobile device to view their web sites. Before the launch of the iPad2, iPads were usually well behind Androids and Blackberries and far behind iPhones, which consistently are the #1 mobile device used to view our clients’ web sites.

But, iPad2 changed everything. And, now that so many mobile visitors are coming to our clients’ sites, we are seeing a lot of interest in iPad-specific sites. Generally, a mobile site will play on an iPad, but it will look small, like it would on a smart phone. iPad sites are designed specifically for display on an iPad, so they are large and graphical while smartphone mobile sites are mostly text and not very graphic.

If you are going to keep up and meeting your viewers’ needs you need to know the difference between the kinds of sites and how they work on mobile devices. Most of our clients are now seeing between 10-20% of their web traffic coming in via mobile devices. This is getting significant and with the explosion of mobile users and the improvement in wireless networks, more and more Internet use will be mobile. So, you have to look right despite the kinds of hardware people are using to view your site.

Standard Web Sites:
Meant to be viewed on computers or laptops. The classic blend between graphics and written content. For cosmetic dentists and cosmetic surgeons, Flash is expected to establish a higher level of aesthetic. Also, in the Flash, many will embed video which plays in the Flash element of the site.

Smart Phone Mobile Sites:
Do not play Flash so you have a problem right there. These devices have web browsers, so it is possible to see most or all of a standard web site, but you have to work at it. Resizing, changing orientation and lots of scrolling occur when you try to view a standard site on a smart phone. This is why so many doctors have moved to having mobile sites designed for smartphones. Users on smart phones are automatically shown the mobile site for their kind of phone and those sites are designed to fit and be used best on smart phones. If you have video you want to show, we reformat the video as Quicktime and it plays just fine on the smart phone site. At this point, smartphone mobile sites are no longer an add-on. It is a necessity if you want to show yourself off properly to every web visitor.

iPad Mobile Sites:
The iPhone smart phone template shows on the iPad as a default, but it does not fit nearly as well as a mobile site designed for an iPad. iPad mobile sites take advantage of the great graphics presentation of the iPad. Flash still does not play on an iPad, but these sites are much more like traditional sites, only formatted well for the iPad. This is the fastest growing segment of mobile device use among our client base and it is accounting for a lot of the increases in mobile use overall.

Are you ready to join the market out here with a mobile site? The numbers are reaching a point where you have an outdated presentation online if you are not accounting for the growing segment that are using new devices to see your online presence. If you do not have a mobile site or an iPad site, now is the time. If you would like information on adding a smart phone web site and a mobile web, please contact me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

New from The Cosmetic Channel

2011-06-21T13:26:00.006-06:00

In the last few weeks, The Cosmetic Channel™ has attracted nearly 200 cosmetic doctors to its new FREE doctor database. Among the hundreds of specific surgical and dental listings, some profiles are featured. Those are the profiles with video attached. Why? Because The Cosmetic Channel is a place to come to watch video. It’s where doctors have a chance to broadcast themselves. Right now, featured profiles on The Cosmetic Channel™ link video from YouTube and other sources.

However, there are a lot of doctors who do not have video of any kind. Video production is well worth the costs but there are many practices that have not made this important investment. Fully produced video is great selling tool and can be used in many venues. Web drops, which are a Dog Star Media specialty, are great for making a direct introduction to the doctor on a web site without creating a full-blown video production. Both are great ways to go but lack spontaneity, which is how video is best used in social media. The ability to post short, informative or interesting videos on demand... now that works with social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter.

The Cosmetic Channel™ wants to encourage use of video on the web... On your web site, on your Facebook profile... Anywhere that you want to be convincing, establish trust or create an image of difference among your competitors. So, now, The Cosmetic Channel™ makes it easy for you to make your quick and easy video for these purposes at a very low price.

If you are a doctor...

who blogs or posts on Facebook and wants to offer more interesting content...
wishing to record patient testimonials on Facebook or your web site....
interested in increasing their search engine optimization for your web site....
interested in increasing the length of time visitors spend on your web site...
interested in making a vast library of procedure discussions on your web site....
interested in keeping fresh, new video content on your web site....
interested in creating fresh consultation-like videos for your web site...

...then sign up today and choose our offering to make your own video on The Cosmetic Channel™’s Make Your Own Video feature. The first 10 subscribers to choose this option can make an unlimited amount of video with this new feature to post on their web sites, social networking sites... Anywhere adding video will help. Just select the Make Your Own Video – Forever Free option when you sign up for The Cosmetic Channel. ACT NOW: Since we offered this yesterday, some slots are already taken. After the first 10 FREE offers are accepted, the cost for this option will go to the special introductory price of $49/month. As always with the Forever Free plan its always FREE to create an account and put your listing into The Cosmetic Channel™. Join our FREE doctor database now!

If you are already listed on The Cosmetic Channel and want this FREE offer, just log in to your account. Go to home page. Select the Make Your Own Video – Forever Free package.

About Make Your Own Video
Use your web cam to record video straight into The Cosmetic Channel™. Fast, easy, blog-style video allows you to make numerous, frequent productions. Replace or enhance written content with video that shows your personality and establishes trust with patients who are shopping and comparing.

We help you make the best quality video by offering:

Examples of successful videos for you to model.
Script templates to get you started.
Direction tips to make sure your presentation looks good.
Easy, step-by-step How-To instructions.
Recommended tips and tricks for maximizing the use of Make Your Own Video in marketing your practice.

By using this tool early, you can be on the leading edge of using video content. There will always be a place for the full production video but how many times can you watch it? Make Your Own Video allows you to make video that is topical and disposable. It gives you a chance to always have something new to say on video. And, there is no better way of instantly catching patient testimonials on video than using this system to record and publish your video to your web site, social media sites and directories. If you would like more information on this feature of TheCosmeticChannel.com or are interested in producing a promotional video, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Video and The Cosmetic Channel™

2011-06-14T14:00:00.002-06:00

The response to the new TheCosmeticChannel.com has been more than expected. In just over a month, more than 160 doctors have signed up for the free directory. All the featured listings in the main section have video links from YouTube... which is the main point of The Cosmetic Channel now. Put your best foot forward with media that people want to see: VIDEO!

Can you have a listing on TheCosmeticChannel.com without linking videos? Yes.

If you have a video or videos on YouTube already, should you link it to your profile on TheCosmeticChannel.com? Absolutely.

If you don’t have video on YouTube, should you have it? Yes, now more than ever.

Why Video Now:
We are getting dozens of new listings on TheCosmeticChannel.com each week. Many of them are linking their video from YouTube to their profiles. This tells us some very important things about marketing cosmetic procedures with social media (Yes, YouTube is a social medium... its not all Facebook and Twitter.) There has never been a doubt that video is the best medium for communication. Many doctors resist having it on their web sites due to the time it takes to load. I have maintained that this is a terrible mistake. However, because YouTube is built to show video, no one seems to have an objection to making their video and putting it there. Ironically, video from YouTube still has to load in your browser just like video from your web site... but either way, it seems that more doctors are making video of all sorts and placing it on YouTube.

Embedding:
YouTube gets a lot of traffic so placing a video there is a really good strategy. However, YouTube videos are easy to embed into other mediums. I post YouTube videos onto Facebook all the time. This is one way to use YouTube video and it is the principle on which the new free directory on TheCosmeticChannel.com is based. On TheCosmeticChannel.com, you can see several doctor‘s videos all in one place, kind of like a filter for YouTube which can be searched locally. Embedding makes the value of having video on YouTube even more valuable.

So, finally, video on the web for cosmetic dentists and cosmetic surgeons is coming into its own. And, judging from the response, TheCosmeticChannel.com is going to be a great filter for this. So, yes, the time is now to have video on the web and to embed it to places where your market can find you such as YouTube, Facebook and The Cosmetic Channel. And, if you find yourself needing to make a video to participate in this new wave of video on the Internet, please let me know. Dog Star Media is well known for video production for cosmetic dentists and cosmetic surgeons. Our talented and experienced video production team can offer you many options for making the best impression on video. If you are interested in TheCosmeticChannel.com or video production for use on the web, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Testing the Productivity of Your Facebook Ads

2011-06-07T10:14:00.003-06:00

The land rush right now is into Facebook advertising. Early numbers from clients advertising on Facebook have caused the a lot of buzz because they have caused an extremely high number of click-throughs to our clients’ web sites. We are seeing a hundreds of clicks for hundreds of dollars, some exceeding the number of clicks generated by thousands of dollars in paid search investment. This is not to say you don’t want to be involved with paid search but it could indicate that there is a lower cost compliment that can double your productivity in the whole paid Internet endeavor.

Reputable paid search companies set up proxy sites to measure the productivity of their results. In other words, one of their paid links goes to a copy of your site on their servers that measures the results. It is closed loop marketing. They attract the prospect for you and deliver them all in a self-contained environment with excellent metrics including who emailed and who called. This is part of the reason I like ReachLocal. You know exactly what you are getting.

We are setting up the same sort of proxy model for our clients who want to measure the exact results of the Facebook clicks. By placing a version of your web site in a separate directory on your site and using a separate tracking telephone number on that proxy site, we can now measure the number of calls generated from all the Facebook driven clicks. In a month’s time, the clients who are blazing this trail now will be able to make strong budgeting choices on how to convert the vastly increased web traffic they are receiving through advertising in social media. My prediction: the call numbers will be as strong or stronger than paid search.

And, how does this affect your SEO? On our proxy site, we place some code that tells search engines to not index those pages so you do not repeat your content, causing SEO issues. This idea is SEO safe.

The model is coming very soon where you will need a balance of organic SEO, paid search and paid Facebook. Using proxy sites and tracking numbers, we will be able to account for productivity and determine what is best for you to spend where. If you are interested in developing a Facebook ad campaign, it is easy to do and can be very affordable. Most clients are spending the minimum which is $10/day. The proxy site is easy to set up and this month tracking numbers are only $320 and will be good through February. If you are interested in this simple and affordable way make your web traffic jump and measure the results, email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.