*Please note: in this article I’ll use “Google” in place of “search engines.” This is simply because Google is by far the market share leader, and if your website ranks highly with Google it’ll most likely rank highly on other search engines, such as Yahoo and Bing. The tips mentioned below apply to all search engines.

There have, however, been a couple changes within Google’s algorithm worth mentioning. The first is Google’s ability to detect black hat tactics. ‘Back in the day’ you could get away with things like cloaking and keyword stuffing to achieve high search engine rankings, and now that is all but impossible to do. The second change, or improvement, directly coincides with the growth of blogs on the Internet, and that is the importance of producing quality, unique content.

In this article I’ll simplify the SEO approach, and explain how your medical practice can achieve high rankings. These high search engine rankings will help make your practice more visible online and drive more traffic to your website. Here’s a concise breakdown of everything you need to focus on:

1) Quality content (blogging): Perhaps the most important element of this entire list. Google has even adjusted itself to not penalize websites that don’t know very much about SEO, and subsequently don’t follow #2 below, but produce top notch articles. Google is doing a better job of determining the quality of an article, and whether or not the content has been duplicated. You need to have a blog and you need to be using it to produce quality articles at least a few times a month, if not more. Here are some tips for writing quality blog articles for your medical practice.

2) Internal Optimization (Title Tags, Meta descriptions, Image Tags, H1 tags, sitemaps, etc):  Once you have the content you need to make sure that search engines can index it appropriately. Your page title tag and meta description summarize to Google what that particular page is all about. If it’s an article about skin rejuvenation, then you would not only want to include “skin rejuvenation” in the title tag & meta description, but you’ll want to enter the city or area near your practice. For example, “St. Louis skin rejuvenation.” Combining the city or area with the topic of the article will help you achieve high rankings in your area. Also, check out the above example to see how the title tag & meta description appear in search results.

There are other tools to use to optimize your website or a blog article. Any images that you add to your website or blog can be optimized to also rank highly. The H1 tag is a header tag and it designates the heading of an article. Make sure your blog articles have the same, or similar, keyword phrase in the title tag, meta description, image tags and H1 tag. The sitemap is also an important part of your website. An HTML sitemap can help visitors see the category structure, but more importantly, an XML sitemap will help search engines see your category structure, which will help each page get indexed. Finally, inter-linking pages frequently throughout your website will also help each page get indexed.

3) External Optimization (Backlinking): Another very important part of any optimization strategy. You want to steadily grow the number of external hyperlinks from outside websites to yours. In Google’s eyes, this makes your website more popular and more credible, helping you achieve higher rankings. Social networking sites, directories, blogs and forums are good ways to start generating backlinks. The higher quality the website that’s linking to you the better.

There isn’t a secret formula or large amount of money you have to pay Google to ranking highly in search engines (organically). In fact, if you follow the simple steps listed above, over time you will see improvement in your rankings. Of course, you’ll want to do keyword research to help you with your optimization, as well as utilize a self-hosted blog, such as WordPress.

If you have any questions about SEO, including blogging, keyword research, internal optimization or external optimization, then leave us a note here, or feel free to call us directly at 877-673-7096 x2.

Here are some ideas for what to use for your cover photo:

Photos: You can always start by finding your favorite photo of your practice. This may be a view of the practice building, a photo of your staff or an image of inside your practice. If you feel like any of the aforementioned examples really capture the essence of what your practice is about then that might be a great photo to use. Keep in mind that this section is 851×315 pixels, so a panoramic photo would be best. Also, given the size, it goes without saying that you’ll want to use the highest quality photo possible. Finally, if you have the skill, and a photo editing software such as Photoshop, you can combine multiple images into one large image.

Pre-made designs: If you can’t seem to find a photo that would work the next thing to consider is a pre-made design. Start by looking at the background of your website. Maybe there is a certain color and pattern that is consistent throughout your branding. You can always research other websites that specialize in cover art designs, such as myprofilecover.com and coverphotofinder.com. Or, you can use a website such as sitecanvas.com to create a unique design by choosing a pre-made template and then plugging in your photos.

Your logo: When all else fails you can always use your logo. Notice in the above example there is a little, square box in the lower left corner. You can opt to put your logo there and use a photo or design for the cover art. Or, you can follow this example’s lead and add a photo in this box and incorporate your logo into the cover photo. Of course, you’ll need some Photoshop skills to be able to do this.

As you can see, there are many ways you can go about enhancing your new Facebook Timeline Fan page. If you need help getting a cover photo created, or have a question about Facebook, then don’t hesitate to leave Turbo a note or call us directly at 877-673-7096 x2.

For starters, you need to make sure each new patient is added to your email marketing platform. If possible, segment, or tag, them as patients that ‘recently purchased group deal.’ This gives you the ability to market exclusively to these patients. Consider setting up an auto-responder sequence that automates the emails sent out to this newly added segment of patients.

So what exactly do you say in the follow up emails or auto-responder messages? Start by introducing them to your Facebook Fan page and Twitter page. Give them an incentive to “like” you, such as a discount off a service or treatment. Also, link to your Yelp page and encourage these patients to write you reviews. Finally, showcase your blog.

Once you’ve successfully followed up with all the new patients via email, what’s next? The next approach to consider is a postcard campaign. You’ll want to design a 4×6 (or larger) postcard with a special, limited time offer for these new patients. If the group deal you previously ran was a laser hair removal, and the majority of the deals were packages of three treatments, a perfect postcard offer would be an additional three treatments, because it typically takes at least six laser treatments to completely get rid of hair in a given area.

If your group offer was for a Photofacial or chemical peel, consider a postcard campaign offering a discount on your skin care products. For nearly every group discount offer you’ll find a complimentary offer you can extend to your new patients.

To get the most out of a successfully run Groupon or Living Social campaign you need to have the follow up process in place. This means that after you’ve managed to schedule and treat each patient, and “wow” them with your service, you need to follow up with them. This starts with email marketing and continues with a direct mail campaign. If you continue to promote your social networks and additional discounts to these new patients you’ll dramatically increase the odds of them returning to your practice.

If you have any questions about running a group deal or how to follow up with new patients after a group deal then leave Turbo a message, or you can call us directly at 877-673-7096 x2.

Friends list limitations vs. “likes”:  Facebook profile pages allow for only five thousand friends.  When you get friend requests, you have to take the time to either approve or deny them.  Now, five thousand may sound like a lot of friends, but not when you are a medial practice competing with businesses that have hundreds of thousands of customers and counting.  When you convert to a Facebook fan page, your “friends list” changes in a couple of ways: first off, the five thousand limit is lifted, and second off, you no longer have to approve new friends.  People simply click the “like” button at the top of your page and they are automatically subscribed. This means everyone on their friends’ lists sees the activity in their news feed.

Advertisements:  Once you have a business fan page set up, you can take advantage of Facebook advertising.  Facebook allows you to customize your ads to target any audience you’d like, including weight loss services, medical spa services and plastic surgery services.  Facebook ads can be highly effective, if used properly, and they can be a great tool for bringing in new patients.

Customized applications:  One cool thing that you can do with a Facebook fan page is create a custom app (or hire an app developer to create one) that allow your page visitors to perform a multitude of tasks right from the Facebook interface.  The options include selling your products directly from your fan page, allowing patients to opt-in to various offers you create, and much more.  There are many different apps that you can use, and a lot of them focus on engaging your audience and generating leads.

As you can see, your practice really cannot afford to be missing out on the plethora of opportunities offered by a Facebook fan page.  The best part is that it is FREE to set up a fan page.  For help designing an effective fan page for your practice, contact Turbo Medical Marketing or call 877-673-7096 x2.

Also, click here to download our FREE Facebook report, “Facebook Timeline Success for Medical Practices,” a must-read for all practices.

I was told that it would be another 3 weeks before the Kindle version would be out, but they surprised me! It’s now available on Kindle (if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle App and view on your computer, iPhone or iPad)!

To celebrate this, I’m including the Kindle Version in the offer. As promised, I want you to get a Free Copy of the book, so simply refer back to this article to learn how!

If you have any questions at all about the book or how to get it for free then either leave us a message or call us directly at 877-673-7096 x2.

So here is how the free book program works:

1. Go to the Amazon.com Book Page and order a copy of the book (you must order from Amazon)

2. Read the book

3. Go back to the book purchase page and write a review of the book. Be candid, because I really hope that you LOVED the book and learned a TON from it. I know the importance of user reviews (something I talk about in the book…hint hint), and want other people who are considering buying the book to hear your opinion!

4. Forward your receipt from Amazon to freebook@turbomedicalmarketing.com. Make sure to include the address where you want your check sent to. Also, include the review you wrote. I will reimburse up to $30 per copy, which should cover the cost of the book as well as shipping. The process can take up to a month on our end, so please be patient!

5. Tell your colleagues and implement the strategies into your practice!

6. Act Fast…This offer is only good through April 17, 2012!

Have a question about how this works? Feel free to leave a comment on this blog, or contact Tom - tom@turbosocialmedia.com or 877-673-7096 x2.

What are you waiting for? There’s nothing to lose!

So…what does this mean for you?  As a subscriber to our email list or blog, current customer, or interested party, we’re going to give you the opportunity to get a free copy of our book.  Of course there are some stipulations, but we’ll be happy to provide all of the details next week.

Enjoy your weekend, and be on the lookout for another blog with details next week!

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of companies out there hoping to be the next Facebook. It seems like every year or so a new social network emerges: Twitter, LinkedIn, Yelp, Pinterest, etc. There’s always something new for early adapters to latch onto, like the newest iPhone that no one has. But as a business owner these websites are simply tools, and tools are useless unless you use them correctly. Furthermore, it’s not even about using all the tools “correctly,” it’s about using the right tools to  implement a successful marketing strategy that works for YOUR practice.

A lot of medical practices are concerned about not being on ALL the social networks. They spend so much time in search of the next big thing that they overlook the strategy that has made (or has started to make) them successful.

Strategy is not tools. Strategy is how to best utilize certain tools, and a successful strategy will to maximize the visibility and credibility of a practice (using these tools), and differentiate themselves from competitors. Marketing 101.

Tools can teach us how to best utilize it once they generate buzz and users, but don’t be confused, tools are not strategy. Like a contractor who has all the tools he needs to build a home, without a blueprint the tools are useless. As a medical practice you need to develop your marketing blueprint.

Your marketing blueprint must specific, like blogging twice a month, video testimonials once a quarter, an email blast once a month, schedule Facebook/Twitter messages every two weeks, the secretary/doctor asking EVERY patient before they leave to write a review on Yelp. This is strategy.

The problem is, most medical practices don’t have a strategy, and this often makes every new tool even more fascinating. Stop thinking about tools and start thinking about your strategy to bring in new patients. You need to be visible online and offline, you need to be credible, and you need to generate repeat business, whenever possible.

I won’t sit here and tell any practice to avoid Google+ or LinkedIn entirely, but rather, get familiar with it and see if it fits into the overall strategy. If that’s where your target market is then tweak your strategy accordingly, but don’t let the search of the next hot tool confuse you with a successful strategy.

If you have any questions about the latest social media tools or about developing your marketing strategy leave Turbo a message, or you can call us directly at 877-673-7096 x2.

Whether you run a plastic surgery center, a med spa, a cosmetic dentistry office or a ophthalmology clinic, here is a comprehensive list of everything you should be doing from an online marketing standpoint:

1) Blogging: If you don’t have a blog, you need one, period. A blog is extremely valuable tool that gives you a dynamic website, better search engine rankings, automated social networking posts and much, much more. To learn more about the importance of a blog for medical practices, click here. If you already have one blog, why not consider adding a second blog, or more? The real key here is time. How much time do you have to spend writing articles. Before you ponder that question, I recommend you read up on some medical blogging tips, and you’ll see how easy it can be to write an article.

Whether the doctor, RN or office manager is writing the articles, the practice should aim to post at least two well optimized articles per month. I would recommend that you aim for closer to four articles per month (per blog), for maximum effectiveness. Don’t have time for that? Well that’s where a qualified medical marketing agency comes into play.

2) Link Building: The key to great SEO. Link building is simply building the number of quality links from outside websites to your medical practice website (or blog). Unlike writing a blog, which has very clear and consistent steps (come up with the topic, write the article, optimize it and then post it), link building in much more complex. You’ll want links to your site from directories, third party articles, outside blogs and other websites. More importantly though, you need to be consistent with the links you’re building, and you need to always be analyzing your keywords to adjust your strategy accordingly. Running a monthly keyword ranking report is crucial for judging the effectiveness of your link building plan.

3) Social Media Marketing: Be active on Facebook & Twitter. Getting your medical practice started on Facebook is simple, and it can be done in minutes. One concern I run into frequently with medical practices is the amount of time it takes to manage these social networks. Fear not, because you can automate your social media marketing presence with a variety of tools, such as Hootesuite and your blog. Yes, that’s right, you can set up your blog to automatically post to both Facebook and Twitter.

The key with social networking is actively engaging people. Not everything should be promotional. Also, actively promote your networks “in house” and in emails you send out. The more Fans and Followers that your medical practice has the more of an audience you have. The more of an audience you have the more popular you become.

4) Video Production/Marketing: This may seem a little daunting, particularly the production part, but it’s not. In fact, all you need to start is a YouTube channel, a camera, proper lighting, a steady hand (or tri-pod) and a happy patient. Even an iPhone works! Now once you’ve shot the video you can do some very basic editing with a variety of solutions. Once you’ve edited the video, it’s time to optimize it and post it to YouTube, namely your YouTube channel. Now take that video and add it to your website, blog and social networks.

The key here is not only to show these videos to your Fans and website visitors, but also to show them to the world, by getting them to rank highly on search engines. That’s why I mentioned optimizing the videos.  To take this optimization a step further you’ll want to post these videos to other video websites (Viddler, Vimeo, Kewego, etc). Here’s a great article that summarizes how to get your medical videos to rank highly on search engines.

5) Email Marketing: I recommend sending out one email per month to your patients. Any more than that and you run the risk of them unsubscribing (you don’t want to bombard their inbox). Make sure that they opted in to your list and have given you permission to email them. Emails allow you to not only talk about new technology, procedures and upcoming events, they also give you a platform to mention special discounts. The best emails involve a little bit of both: education, updates and promotions. Here’s a great article on how to get started with medical email marketing.

Beyond the list of five, you may want to consider: online advertising, press releases and direct mail campaigns. Online advertising, whether on Facebook or Google, needs to be tracked diligently for ROI, but may be effective (but also expensive). Press releases and direct mail campaigns are marketing strategies you may want to utilize once-a-quarter or a couple times a year.

If you have any questions about what your medical practice should be doing from a monthly marketing perspective, or if you’re interested in learning what Turbo can do for your medical practice, then leave us a message, or call us directly at 877-673-7096 x2.

I’ll assume that you’ve produced and edited the videos accordingly. If you’d like to learn more about video editing check out this article. Next you’ll want to do some keyword research to see which terms people are searching for. After the videos have been edited and the keyword research completed here are the next steps you should take:

1) Login to your Youtube account: upload the video(s) and optimize them with keyword-rich terms in both the title and description. Also include a link to your website at the start of the description

2) Sign up for other video networks: Create a company account on Viddler, Vimeo, Daily Motion, Kewego and others. The more networks the better, as you have more opportunities to generate search engine rankings. Make sure you follow step #1 again with each new video network.

3) Backlinks: This is the key step here. You need as many backlinks as possible going to all the videos. You also want to backlink to the channels themselves. This is a key thing people forget to do when doing video marketing. The channel itself holds all the videos, so it has more “link juice,” much like your home page. You can create backlinks from blogs, press releases, article marketing sites, social networks and much more.

There you have it! Getting your medical videos to rank highly search engines is as easy as 1-2-3!

If you have any questions about medical video marketing or how to get your videos ranking highly on search engines then leave us a message here, or call Turbo directly at 877-673-7096 x2.