It is impossible to implement every program presented today; no one has the time. It can also be tricky to determine what programs or ideas will work best in your particular practice for ROI. And if you implement a new program, which programs do you let go to allow your staff time to manage new programs successfully?  Each practice is different and consequently so are its best marketing tactics.

My recommendations to all my clients is based on many factors.  Staff training and skill set, time to invest in marketing to achieve best results, and budget are at the top the list.

Orthopreneur will now be offering  periodic updates and information on Internet marketing, social media, SEO (search engine optimization), and announcements we feel would be of benefit to you and your team to facilitate your marketing.   Educating doctors and staff on the world of Internet Marketing has always been a primary goal of Orthopreneur.  Subjects will change from week to week,  so watch for my posts. Every marketing pearl counts!

Also…Feel free to forward me posts and info you feel will be of interest to others. Email mk@orthopreneur.com.

Orthopreneur's Tips, Tricks and Tools  March 10, 2012

1. Kaleidoscope™  In my opinion, Best New Marketing Product so Far in 2012 for Internal Marketing. Thumbs up for ROI for both saving staff time and $$$ – Introduced at Damon Forum and Ortho2 Users Meeting.

Have a monitor screen mounted on the wall of your office taking up space that few people are viewing? Need to promote your practice more to patients? Here is the answer!  Digital marketing tool constantly changing with random and personalized content designed to attract the attention of current patients while in your office with up to date news, entertainment, weather, and more.

Check it out on their website!  Inexpensive way to promote your business.  Set it up once a month and forget it.  Tell Charis Santille that Mary Kay Miller sent you.

2. I am frequently asked how to write a good blog post.  Whether you do it yourself or outsource to someone else, this is great advice.

12 Things That Will Kill Your Blog Post Every Time by The Daily SEO Blog

3. Did YouTube Redesign Rearrange Your Site? - Supposedly this new update is more user friendly.  I am not sure I agree from a business standpoint, but it may be for viewers.  If you haven't checked out your Youtube page lately… take a look.  You made need to make some adjustments.  YouTube's Announcement

4.  Facebook is Changing Its Look Again – New Timeline Update? I am not a Facebook expert but I am receiving many questions on the latest update that will go into affect soon.  Many Facebook users and especially business owners are very frustrated. Here are a few posts that may help make the transition easier.

How To Create a Facebook Cover – Includes exactly how to upload and dimensions needed for artwork

Here is another link on how to make the best use of  Timeline Pages.

Feel free to forward my email to your friends and colleagues. Comments are also welcome below.

Google’s all-seeing search robots still can’t find comments on private pages within Facebook, but now any time you use a Facebook comment form on other sites, or a public page within Facebook, those comments will be indexed by Google.  What does this mean for you and your Facebook privacy online?  Nothing if you have privacy controls setup on your Facebook page which is recommended for any business and personal site.  I do not recommend changing these security settings to allow your patients comments to be indexed. It would open your Facebook page to spamming and negative comments you can't control.

However, if you comment on other sites or public pages within Facebook, what you say can now haunt you in the future.  When in doubt whether to speak out or not , say nothing.  Error on the side of caution. Before this update, Google's bots were unable to crawl the comments section of sites that used third-party commenting engines such as Disqus, Facebook, and Intense Debate. This is no longer true –and a potentially sticky situation for people who are hyper-sensitive about privacy issues.

As adults, hopefully we understand the consequences of our actions online but adolescents and teens today may not grasp the long term ramifications of what they say online today and how it could negatively impact them in the future.  Food for thought… especially if the Googlebots can go back and index previous comments.

Here are two links to interesting blog posts explaining the update sent to me today by one of my exclusive clients Dr. Derek Sanders at Orthodontics Only in Miami, FL.  Thanks Derek for keeping us all in the loop.  This latest Google update is creating quite a stir.  Where will it all end in the future?

If you find something online you would like to share with everyone, send me an email at mk@orthopreneur.com or comment below.  This is what social media is all about and a great way to help each other.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/243011/google_now_indexes_facebook_comments_paranoid_can_relax.html

http://www.webmonkey.com/2011/11/your-facebook-comments-coming-soon-to-a-google-search-near-you/

Here is the link to Google's latest announcement about the changes in Google Places announced on 7/21/11.  http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/07/ongoing-evolution-of-place-pages.html  This is a must read.

 What they don't tell you is this:

1. The reviews area is not working in most areas of the US and Canada, even though it is now easier to post a review.  Be Patient!!  I will let everyone know when the reviews area is live again.  
2. In the past week Google reverted back to the old system of only giving out GOLD STARS for Google  Reviews. Reviews from other sites on the Internet can still be found inside your listing from 3rd party services such as Yahoo, Demand Force, Insider Pages, etc. but the stars that help attract attention are gone.  Here is a link from a Sesame Communications  email that highlights the real scoop on what is really going on.   Seems Google is backpeddling at the moment with regards to its reviews tactics.
3. I have also noticed in the past few months, Google Places, after beta testing maps business listings for almost a year, seems to also be reverting back to the old format based on location rather than SEO. Many of my clients that were number one in the maps area with an integrated organic page ranking are now located in a different maps position based on Google's idea of demographic, while retaining  their number one  ranking below in organic search.   Since Google Places is the NEW YELLOW PAGES, this is a significant change and may not be to your advantage, so it is important to know how your listing may have changed and that it may affect you visibility online and new patient referrals.

It is still against Google policy to solicit reviews from patients and they are still tracking IP addresses in their algorithm as far as I know.  Keep this in mind when creating reviews contests.  You don't want to wake up one morning to find all your stars and reviews gone.  Slow and steady… stay the course.  There is no magic bullet when it comes to reviews on Google.  Even they are subject to scrutiny. Be smart with your Internet marketing tactics.  

Now is the time to get your ducks in a row to organize an effective Google reviews marketing strategy and be ready when the doors open again to post reviews.  If this is all Greek to you, feel free to contact me at 877-295-5611 or email mk@orthoprenuer.com for a complimentary Internet marketing consultation to discuss what can be done to improve your online presence.

Next week I will discuss the latest updates with the algorithm that can affect your page ranking in local search.  It's a Google world whether we like it or not and if you want to be affective with your online marketing, seek gold stars and Google reviews.

I find most professionals and their staff do not have a good understanding of how SEO (search engine optimization) and Internet marketing works and integrates correctly to achieve optimum exposure of your Internet marketing programs on local search. There are five pieces to the Internet marketing puzzle. Find out what they are how they will enable you to attract more new patients to build your business.

Make sure you add your name and email address to the right to access video training on how to test your website in your local area. For more information, contact 877-295-5611 or email info@orthopreneur.com to schedule a free online evaluation of your local visibility on Google.

One of the frequently asked questions about Facebook and other social networks is: Where is the return on investment? The truth is, there usually isn’t one. This article supports the argument that social networking nurtures existing relationships but does not create new ones.  Most orthodontic practices I queried agree with this.

As my clients know, I have never been a big fan of Facebook as an Internet marketing tool for an orthodontic practice. People use Facebook to socialize and look at pictures. When it comes to marketing your business, I believe Facebook gives you great ability to build relationships with your current patient base, but it rarely has a tangible effect on new business.

For my money, Facebook has not yet earned a prominent place in well-structured Internet marketing strategies. Its role is secondary, more on the public relations side, with customer retention and brand management. New patients online is generated with clicks to your website, not your Facebook page. Spending time and effort with page ranking on Google and the other search engines with SEO is a better return on Investment.

This article cites a report by the research firm Forrester which states that only about a quarter of businesses surveyed experienced any kind of tangible growth because of social media. The flip side of that statistic is that almost 75% of businesses that invested time and money into social media campaigns saw little or no positive results. The article even states that on a list of ten customer acquisition tactics, social networks ranked last.

The article also has some interesting foresight about the growing popularity of iPads. Apple’s newest creation has been available to consumers for less than a year but the iPad and other tablet devices already represent nearly half of mobile retail traffic. What that means is nearly half of all online shopping not done on a laptop or desktop computer was done on a tablet device. That trend is expected to continue in 2011, which means website designers must now consider how a page will appear on a tablet device. Already, websites have had to adapt to increased Internet use on cell phones and smart phones. Tablets devices like the iPad introduce yet another important wrinkle to website design. 

To read the article, click here.

With roughly one third of American cell phone users now toting smartphones in their palms, pockets, and purses, your marketing content is accessible to them everywhere they go, any time of day. It seems like an advantage worth exploiting, but how? How can your message make it through all the filters, all the applications, all the text messages, and reach today’s tech-savvy consumer? One way that is sure to gain momentum and is considered trendy is the QR Code.

Short for “Quick Response Code,” it is a small, two-dimensional barcode that prompts the user’s mobile device to display whatever text or URL has been programmed into it. It began in Japan as a way to track auto parts for vehicle manufacturing; now the use is broadening.

Think of it like a UPC tag that can be placed anywhere in the world. Just like cashiers at the grocery store scan your items for price and inventory tracking, scanned QR Codes immediately display the desired information, and the interaction is documented for tracking purposes.

Any camera phone equipped with a barcode scanning application can utilize QR Codes. Most smartphones are equipped with barcode scanning capability right out of the box. With the technology in place to literally scan the world with a cell phone, the possibilities are plentiful.

Mailing out flyers? Print a QR code on them and direct prospects straight to your website. Paying for advertising at a bus stop? Slap a QR Code on your ad and catapult the consumer straight to your marketing content while they wait for their ride.

Because of their small size and simple nature, QR Codes can be placed almost anywhere: business cards, emails, billboards, posters, menus, etc. Already, QR Codes are being printed on merchandise such as t-shirts, hats, and travel mugs – creating a society of mobile marketers in the truest sense of the term.

As for your business, QR Codes can bridge the gap between consumers’ smartphones and your marketing message. The simplicity of the QR Code is perhaps its most appealing feature: point a mobile device at the code, scan the image and you are immediately brought to the desired content.

When you verify your business listing on Google Places, they supply you with a QR Code that directs users to your online listing.

Another perk is the ease with which QR Codes can be tracked. As soon as someone scans your QR Code and zips to your content, it is logged for your monitoring purposes. Any marketing campaign must be tracked to determine whether it is worth continuing or repeating; the QR Code makes that easy to do.

As smartphones become less of a status symbol and more of a standard, comprehensive marketing strategies will undoubtedly include QR Codes to utilize the advanced technology. Don't get left behind; contact Orthopreneur Internet Marketing Solutions for a free consultation to find out how we can help you stand out from the crowd with your internet marketing efforts.

Do you have a creative idea on how to use QR Code? Leave a comment below.

A friend email me this video over the holidays.  How our world has changed in such a short period of time over the past few years.  This video is a testament to our changing digital world. It seems so impersonal, but in reality, very accurate for many, especially the under 30 crowd. Can't imagine where we will go from here.

This format is a fun idea to consider when creating your own practice video to grab attention.    

Any takers??  Send me your videos and I will post on my site.  Time for something different rather than the same old practice overviews. Post a comment below and let me know if you agree.

The percentage is the same as the retail industry and about average at .09%.   Organic page ranking and frequency of visitors to your site are key factors when determining a successful online marketing campaign.  If you rely on online advertising solely for your Internet exposure, especially in major metropolitan areas, the time has come to shift your focus while you still can.   Yellow page advertising, Dex Knows, Super Pages, and PPC, programs take a huge bite of monthly marketing budgets.  With the new year, now is the time to consider how to wisely allocate your 2011 Internet marketing budget to build your business for the future based on consumer habits to build your practice.

Digital Advertising: What to Remember and Forget About the Click

• Clicks on display ads are a misleading metric, and one should only use clicks for direct response ad campaigns (or search).
• Clicks do not reveal information on brand building. Clicks don’t measure all of a campaign’s sales impact nor the cumulative (latent) impact of ads.
• Click-through rates continue to decrease as more content is created and more advertising inventory is available.
• The majority of clicks come from a small percentage of the total population. One of our company studies found that heavy and moderate clickers only represent a combined 8 percent of the U.S. Internet population, yet they account for about 85 percent of all click-throughs.
• Clicks are not the right metric to use for measuring online branding. Better metrics such as ‘reach and frequency’ help establish online media on the same playing field as traditional media to provide continuity in planning.
• Although it might be coined ‘the most measurable medium’, brands need to understand what metrics (and there are many!) are important in measuring their digital success.

If all of this is overwhelming and too confusing, feel free to contact me at 877-295-5611 or email marykay@orthopreneur.comfor a complimentary online consultation to help you determine what metrics to use in your Internet marketing plan for best results in 2011.

The new Facebook design will also be more popular with advertisers as there are more 'Sponsored' advertisements with images.  I recommend you take advantage of this, even if you don't have a Facebook page.  You can advertise on Facebook and drive them to your website or blog  targeting orthodontic information about your practice.   Very smart Internet marketing tactic on many levels and much less expensive than paid advertising with PPC programs if set up correctly. 

You also can make your Business Facebook profile more personal with photos and written content highlighting your strengths.  Make sure you don't forget the video.  If you aren't creating video testimonials and answering top "consumer orthodontic questions" about your practice…. it is time to get moving.  Equipment is very inexpensive… but make sure you buy the right camera with an external microphone and use a monopod to stabilize.  The kodak zi8 camera is much better than the Flip camera and allows you to add an external microphone for better audio.

The Internet is here to stay and very powerful among consumers as their favorite form of communication.  "It's not the big that eat the small… but the fast that beat the slow! "   Janson Jennings .  Where are you in the race to dominate Google in your local area with an effective Internet marketing strategy?  Give me a call for a free Internet marketing evaluation if you need help.

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about the latest Facebook facelift.

Even though your Internet orthodontic marketing program doesn's sell products online, consumers looking for orthodontic treatment providers and information to make intellegent decisions is HUGE!    See statistics from ComScore about the first day that Internet sales exceeded one BILLION. 

A website alone is no longer enough to market your orthodontic practice in most areas.  Adding a strategic Internet orthodontic marketing program as the umbrella under which you market your current internal and external marketing program is very important to increase new patient referral and the key to online marketing success.  But in order to be successful, it must be setup correctly.

• It must be SEO (search engine optimized) correctly to be found in local search when consumers are looking for you.  This includes your website, Face and YouTube setup, and Blogging.
• Local Maps setup and marketing programs are essential, especially with the latest Google Places updates that have been changing since 10/15/10.  They aren't close to being done yet..  Watch my video on what happened.
• Integrate all the pieces of your Internet marketing program so it works seamlessly to reduce time and effort and increase ROI (return on investment).

Feel free to contact me for a complimentary 1/2 online consultation to review your Internet marketing efforts for optimum results.  Contact me toll free at 877-295-5611 or email me at marykay@orthopreneur.com.  Look forward to hearing from you and helping you increase new patient referrals in 2011.

Leave a comment below regarding you greatest Internet marketing challenges.  Lets discuss what can be done to improve your online presence.

To be direct… I am not a fan.  I was never a fan with printed yellow pages and still feel the same about online marketing with Yellow Pages.  It doesn't make sense to me when you consider consumer search habits.

Consumers today are listening to friends and family when it comes to recommendations for products and services.  They then go online to research what they have heard, looking for a website or social media.  Years ago there was a need for yellow pages since it was the only source of quick and easy contact info. With Internet access in the office, at home, and smart phones, the "Death Nell" is soon approaching for Yellow Pages.  Their usefulness has run its course.

I found this report compiled by Vista Print who works with many small businesses.  Finding reports of this nature are unusual, especially from an objective source looking to gather information of interest for its clients.  See what micro-businesses (under ten employees) are saying when it comes to yellow page advertising.

After reading the report, my only area of concern is the number of businesses looking to begin online paid advertising.  Latest statistic report that paid online advertising (adwords or pay per click ads) is no longer effective as it was a few years ago.  In 2006, 20 -30% of online visitors would click on a paid ad,  2010 statistics report less the 1-2 %.  Consumers have been desensitized to online advertising the same way they fast forward through TV commercials whenever possible.  They even have a name for it…. Banner Blindness.

The most effective exposure online today is page one ranking on search… in first three positions… and a maps listing. This is your goal if you haven't reached it, or if you have… you must work to maintain it.  Targeting your marketing $$$ towards organic search positioning is a much better investment long term for the future of your business.

What is your experience with Yellow Page Advertising today?  Would like your input.  In comparison to other marketing strategies, do you consider it a good return on investment?

Have you heard about the "Firesheep" hack?

Even though I have protected wireless in my office and at home, when traveling in hotels,  airports, and coffee shops, laptops are not protected as well as they should be.

Read here about what the author of the hack has to say about it and why it was created.

Quick Solution to the Problem

Here's a quick video just released on YouTube about the need for laptop wireless security and how easy it is for someone to break into your practice social media accounts if you aren't protected accordingly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ahhTnLsIRo

In less than 5 minutes, the problem is explained and several fixes are offered.

If you don't watch it, you'll miss how easy it is to hack someone else's Facebook, Google or Twitter account.

You'll also miss how easy it is to fix. Don't worry, one solution won't cost you a dime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ahhTnLsIRo

I will keep you up to date with the latest and greatest.  Make sure you open my emails when delivered to your email accounts.

Don't let Firesheep get you.

Mary Kay Miller

The latest Google Maps update on October 15th has changed the Internet orthodontic marketing playing field again.

It is critical every practice understands the importance of patient reviews and how it affects your orthodontic marketing efforts on the Internet.  Negative reviews are the silent killer of any business.  If new patients researching online find less than desirable comments about you, your staff,  and your orthodontic treatment and services, it could cost you your reputation and bottom line…. decrease new patient referrals, production, and impact your livelihood.

For the past few months I noticed subtle updates and changes to Google Places, better known as the Google Local Business Center or the "Maps."  A formal announcement was made on October 15th by Google introducing the new layout.  This is a major update that not only affects the look of the maps area to make it easier for visitors to find reviews about any local business, but the underlying architecture of how the area is built.

Although I find the new design much more user friendly for me to administrate as an Internet Marketing specialist,  Google is now indexing database and search engine reviews from all over the Internet that were never available before in one central area.  They slowly updated this feature in beta testing for the past six months.  I first noticed they added healthgrades.com, then routinely others.

Reviews placed on Google Maps have been disappearing and the reappearing over the past months as they were updating the back end.  Many clients have been up in arms with no recourse.  My only advice was to wait it out. Practices have worked hard over the past year asking patients to review their business on Google, only to find them gone in a flash, with nowhere to turn to correct the problem.  YOU CAN"T CALL GOOGLE… nor can you complain about a free service available online.  This is a major downside to Internet marketing.

Updating Google Places has been a massive undertaking  by Google when you think about.  Local listings now show reviews from yahoo, yelp, drmd.com and many more. Google has found a way to centralize reviews that will have a huge impact on the number of visitors to Google Places once they know it is available.  Make sure your marketing message and delivery of customer service and treatment modalities is squeaking clean.  PR no longer means Public Relations…. it is consumer perception and reality of their personal experience in your practice.

AAO Is Concerned Doctors Aren't Paying Attention!

The AAO is warning orthodontists that it is critical to monitor what is being said about you and your business on the Internet.  Make sure you read the December Issue of Orthotown Magazine Online.  (Sign up here for your free subscription.)  They are discussing recommendations and offering information on what you need to know about social media.

It isn't only patients, but disgruntled employees can also use reviews as a form of retaliation.  This is a blog post for another day.  What about competitors?

Google Places is a free service offered to any local business. It is the most effective free Internet marketing tool available today to attract new patients in your local area if you are on page #1 of the maps.   It is important that everyone know what is going on, PAY ATTENTION,  and make sure your Google Places listing is set up correctly for optimum orthodontic online marketing results.  If you aren't sure, contact me for a free evaluation.

Free videos are available on how to setup Google Places,  but nothing is available on troubleshooting, or what it should look like on the back end if verified correctly.  How would you know?  You aren't an Internet marketing expert.  And now that Google has created one central location to air every one's laundry…. BEWARE!   How squeaky clean are you?

Leave your comments below and let me know what problems or positive feedback your are experiencing from Internet marketing on the maps.

You have ten second to engage visitors!

A new study from the digital measurement firm Visible Measures indicates online video watchers have short attention spans, with as many as 19.4 percent clicking away from videos within the first 10 seconds of their running time. This includes orthodontic marketing on the Internet.

As the New York Times notes, the number of consumers who stop watching videos in the first 10 seconds is disproportionately high in comparison to the overall abandonment rate. After a full minute, 44.1 percent of Internet users will have closed the video they are viewing.

Matt Cutler, head of research at Visible Measures, told the Times that video marketers need to quickly get to the punchline of their ads. For example, an extended Budweiser ad turned away 40 percent of viewers because it took too long to reveal itself. "It took a shocking 12 seconds to get to the conceit," Cutler said.

What does this mean to you when adding orthodontic marketing video to your website?  Engage the consumer with what they want to hear at the beginning of the video with the advantages or benefits of orthodontic treatment BEFORE you start delivering what you want them to hear about your practice.  It is all about them… not you. 

• Why are they listening to your video?  Because they want a beautiful smile.  Example of opening line.  Are you tired of being self conscious about the appearance of your teeth?
• What do they want to know?  Easy non interest Payment plans, hours, locations, accept insurance. Next line – Are you worried about the cost of orthodontic treatment?
• Most are self conscious about have to wear braces – discuss products offered such as Invisalign, clear ceramic braces, and iBraces in addition to the latest treatment options available etc. – Worried about what people will think?

When creating engaging video, acknowledge their concerns.  Online video ads are starting to become integral parts of comprehensive digital marketing campaigns as the number of consumers watching videos through the web grows.

According to recent comScore reports, more than 175 million Americans, 83.9 percent of the total Internet population, viewed videos online in September.

What are you doing to grab your fair share of new patients online?  Start thinking outside the box of industry standard video scripting.  Grab their attention first by validating their emotions in a practice overview will grab their attention…then deliver the one.. two punch about why they should choose you. 

When going to the prom… it's all about the dress!  When running a contest in your office, it's all about the prize – not the contest.  With video,  it's all about the script.

Once new patients have picked up the phone and scheduled the appointment and are in your office, then you can dazzle them with your customer service and delivery of outstanding patient care.  Take off your doctor hat an put on your consumer hat with online marketing.

Just remember… if you don't, your competitor will! 

Leave your thoughts below on the best way to market new patients on the Internet below.  Love to hear your comments

Monday night I turned on Letterman and noted his guests were Bill Clinton and…the Dancing Merengue Dog, from that same video.  I just checked it again and it has over 5.5 million views on YouTube and there is a movement to get the dog a spot on Dancing With The Stars!

So how does a dancing dog fit into your orthodontic marketing plan?  Look at the video.  It was shot in a parking lot!  Production quality is mediocre, but who cares — the video is a worldwide sensation.

Whenever I talk to orthodontists about adding video to their websites or blogs, the first thing I usually hear is, “Professional video isn’t in my marketing budget.” or “ I don’t like being in front of a camera”.

The lesson from the Dancing Merengue Dog is you don’t have to create high end video to create successful marketing video to promote yourself.  All you need is my recommended video camera equipment for under $300 that includes a HD video camera, microphone and accessories and something interesting to say (to your potential patients, not other orthodontists!). Add your name and email address to the right to download my recommended video equipment list along with my free video on how to test Internet visibility in your local area.

Online video is a highly underused marketing tool in orthodontic Internet marketing today that promises a big return on time and minimal investment. Whether you place your video on the homepage of your web site, your blog, Facebook, or upload it to YouTube, the benefits are undeniable.

Video adds value to your orthodontic Internet marketing approach in three ways:

1. It engages the viewer immediately and convinces them to stay awhile and listen to your message
2. It provides the viewer or potential patient with a chance to hear the authority in your voice, to see the sincerity in your face, and ultimately to get to know you, trust you and choose you
3. It enables you to tell the patient precisely what makes you the better choice of orthodontic treatment providers over your competitors

If you are looking for a way to connect with patients and prospects, make online video a part of your orthodontic Internet marketing strategy.

Are you looking for specific Internet marketing strategies you can use in your orthodontic practice?  Contact me to schedule a free online Internet marketing evaluation and find out how Orthopreneur can help you increase your Internet presence visibility to attract new patients today.

With 41 percent of American adults using Facebook* and many more teens utilizing Facebook and other online social networking sites, many orthodontic practices have become active in social networking and others are considering doing so. The FREE, online AAO guide, Making Social Media Work for You, can help you effectively engage with patients, parents and prospective patients.

The guide includes specific how-to information for using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and addresses application of social networking to the orthodontic practice. View the guide by logging into AAOinfo.org. Click on My Practice, then on Marketing, then on Read More under Using Social Media.

What is not included in the guide is how to SEO your Facebook Page during setup for optimum results in your local area.  This allows your Facebook page the opportunity to show on local search when patients are looking for an orthodontist.  This will increase your Facebook visibility exponentially to consumers. 

SEO Your Facebook Page For Optimum Results During Setup

I also recommend a business Welcome page as new visitors enter your site for the first time, linked from you website rather than go directly to the wall.  The wall can be confusing to a new visitor unfamiliar with your practice.  Business Facebook sites are marketed differently than a personal Facebook page.  Offering a welcome page describing who you are and what you are all about, which includes photos, your embedded video, etc. is much more professional and impressive to a new visitor.  Once they join your page, then they can enter at the wall. 

Feel free to contact me at marykay@orthopreneur.com for more information regarding  the correct setup of your Facebook page for better return on investment. 

* According to the Edison Research/Aribitron Internet and Multimedia Series.

How do you feel Social Networking is impacting your current Internet marketing program?  Is it worth it in your opinion? Please leave a comment below.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/article_3b344f2a-a65d-11df-b7a9-001cc4c03286.html

Advertising of this creative nature costs less than many printed newspaper ads and considerably less than a postcard mailing campaign sent to homes.  Few consumers bother reading junk mail anymore and are tired or all the unwanted advertising that arrives in their mailbox.  Who can help reading an ad on the side of a bus while they are driving  down the street or next driving adjacent to it.  How many moms are waiting to put their kids on the bus or off the bus when they get home.  This type of out of the box advertising brands your practice in your local area day after day, while helping the community during tough times.  Phoenix school districts are in big trouble.

Traditional marketing no longer works with today's consumers.  Think outside the box when marketing your orthodontic practice to residents in your area.  Will be interesting to follow up on the results of this marketing campaign a year from now.  I think I will give this practice a call to find out and report back to you at the end of the school year.

Dr Joe Pearson

Not only did the orthodontic marketing promotion contain all the ingredients of a successful internal marketing program for orthodontic patients and external marketing program in the local community, it was then promoted exponentially under the umbrella of the Internet to increase exposure and page ranking for their orthodontic website and blog in Phoenix, Ahwatukee and surrounding areas.

Lisa Ebeln, the marketing coordinator at Pearson Orthodontics, suggested an idea to the team to help underprivileged school kids in the Phoenix area.  Dr Joe Pearson felt is was a great "pay it forward" community project.  What started out as a traditional way of helping others, eventually snowballed into a strategic marketing program that promoted Pearson Orthodontics in local newspapers, television, and on the Internet throughout Phoenix and around the world.

I recommended the architecture of the marketing promotion and the staff ran with it, nurtured it, and let it blossom from there. Their enthusiasm, team work, and follow up every step of way made it work. Kudos to the Pearson Team.

Rather than go into detail, I will let the Internet show what was accomplished.  Lets start with YouTube Channel 5 Local News Video.

The Channel Five Local news posted an article on their website.  Local News Article was printed in papers and posted online.   Joe Pearson was interviewed in promoted in local newspaper and online.  The program was posted on Phoenix Local Facebook Page and on their own Pearson Facebook.  An Internet Press Release was distributed and was picked up World Wide to increase back links to their website.

What started out as an internal marketing community project took on a new life of its own and spiraled into an integrated marketing program that is worth its weight in gold in good will, word of mouth buzz, and free advertising of the highest caliber exponentially.  You can't buy this type of exposure.

Families in Ahwatukee AZ will remember Joe Pearson not only as an orthodontist, but as a good guy who cares about others.  He will reap the benefits of this marketing program for many years to come when parents and families in Ahwatukee are seeking the services of an orthodontist.  It also helped increase his website and blog page rank in Phoenix and surrounding suburbs to promote his practice online.  It was a win… win everywhere.

If you are going to spend the time and money promoting your business, take it to the max whenever you can… especially on the Internet.  This marketing promotion is now found on the Internet 24-7, indefinitely,  There is not better return on investment anywhere for expended time and money.

To summarize, SPEED of your website is now being taken into consideration when Google compares your website to all your competitors when determining page rank.  Not only does SEO meta tags, longevity, number of visitors, and back links (just to name a few) determine your page ranking on Google…. now they are looking at how fast your website downloads when a visitor enters your site.

With the continued growth of the world wide web, the explosion in mobile marketing with cell phones, and the addition of the new iPad using mobile 3G technology, Google is smart and being proactive.  They are encouraging web owners to work with them for a more user-friendly Internet environment and attempting to control the amount of web storage necessary to expedite online search.  There is no better way to grab the attention of website owners and encourage them to cooperate with online efficiency than to penalize them for slow download time, which in turn slows down search.

In addition, the vast majority of websites designs today are not mobile ready for easy viewing on either a cell phone or iPad.  Flash websites or flash headers found in many HTML websites can be a problem due to increased loading time and lack of integration with mobile units.  Also, video is not viewable on mobile units or the iPad unless in MPEG4 format or other formats compatible with 3G technology.

Does this mean you have to redesign your website?  The answer is NO… in most cases.  And if you are currently redesigning your website or creating your first website,  it is important to address these issues NOW while in design stage.

So, what do you need to know or do to remain on the "bleeding" edge of Internet marketing?  Have you tested your website on a mobile unit or iPad to see what it looks like?

Here are a Five Tips  on how to optimize your current site to meet the new Google SEO guidelines and how to ramp up your website for mobile technology and the iPad.

1. Check out your website on a cell phonewith Internet access to see what it looks like. If areas are black or text is overlapping or illegible, your website needs some updating to correct.  In some cases you might require a site redesign or separate mobile website created if you have a flash website. Also, video is not viewable on mobile units or the iPad unless in MPEG4 format or other formats compatible with 3G technology.  If content is missing on a cell phone, it will usually be missing on an iPad also.
2. Remove any flash intros and music on your site. Flash of any kind is not viewable on the majority of mobile units and slows down your website load time.  Most consumers don't appreciate flash intros slowing them down when entering your site or listening to the music anyway.  Just contact your webmaster and ask them to remove it.
3. Flash headers are a problem.  Although they are more engaging than stationary headers, they also increase load time and do not show up on most mobile units.  If your contact information is in a flash header, mobile users can't easily find contact info.  There are different options available to address these issues without going through site redesign, so don't panic.
4. Video slows down websites.  However, if your video is embedded from another video site such as YouTube or stored on a separate server it will not affect the speed when downloading as long as it is in a format that can be viewed on mobile technology.  Most website video is not compatible unless embedded or linked from YouTube.
5. Streamline your written content on pages for faster uploads. Remove all the fluff, bullet point wherever you can for easy reading, combine pages where possible, and delete pages consumers don't use or read.  Bigger is not always better…. One Contact/Location page with a map, phone number etc is all you need. Too many pages on different areas of contact not only confuses visitors, but decreases the speed of your site.

For more information on SEO of your website and how to update your orthodontic Internet marketing program to comply with the exploding age of mobile marketing, contact me for a free online consultation to determine your specific needs to update, redesign or create a new website.

In case you haven't noticed, Facebook has decided that "fans" are no longer called fans.  Personal profiles now have the ability to "like" a page instead of become a fan of a page. With that, it appears as though Facebook hopes to be able to integrate with company websites (ie. yelp, pandora,) using your preferences and personal information to create a more personalized way of surfing the web.  While there are only a few sites that do this now (only a few days since the chagne,) this may be something smaller businesses and practices can use to their advantage in the future. 

This affects you now, in that, your fans are no longer fans, but instead "people who like your page."  It also appears as though all ability to tag pictures, videos and notes is now gone.  There are, however, a few ways around this which need to be researched. Tagging promotes you to all of your "pwly's" friends.  It shows them the picture, note or video that you posted on their news feed.

This is probably only the tip of the iceberg in the changes that have been made or will be made soon.  As I learn more about the changes, I will let you know what I find out.

Let me know how facebook is working for you as a marketing tool and anything you would like to share with others.  Leave a comment belows.

FYI – Stop by my Booth #317 at the AAO in Washington.  Look for the "Yellow Umbrella"  Would love to meet you and discuss your Internet marketing strategies…