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A readaer asked me about this one a few days ago.  Here is how I responded:

Setting up a website is definitely a good idea; having a site is becoming more and more the preferred way to attract potential patients to your site - even higher in importance than getting a Yellow Pages ad.  But the website business has gotten much more complicated in the past few years, with the addition of stuff like search engine optimization, flash special effects, and fancy widgets.  I did my own website a few years ago, but I would not attempt to tackle it now.

Here is another important reason why you should hire someone to set up your practice website:  Even if you have the expertise, do you really want to spend the time doing this when you could be doing other things - like talking to prospective patients or doing adjustments?  Setting up a website is a huge “time sucker-upper” and I would suggest you not get sucked into that task.

You can set up a fairly simple site for not much money, with all the information a prospective patient needs - who you are, where to find you, all about chiropractic, your services, the ability to contact you by email, even new patient forms.  If you want to do the “max” (and spend much more money) you can create an interactive “member” site where people can go to interact with you and have lots of information about chiropractic.  It’s up to you, your purpose for your site, and how much money you want to spend.

There are many web designers out there.  Here are some suggestions for getting your site done, depending on your budget and your preferences:

1.  I have been working for several years with a company called VirtualImpax.  The owner, Kathy Hendershot-Hurd, is a marketing guru, book author, and website setter-upper. She has helped many people set up great-looking sites with high ranking in search engines.   She has a service called easychiropracticwebsites.comto help chiropractors set up simple but effective websites.   You can see her main website at VirtualImpax.com and you can email her at kathy[at]virtualimpax.com.

2.  I ran a search on Chiropractic Economics online to see what came up for “website design.”  There were lots of vendors on the list.  (http://www.chiroeco.com/buyersguide/Search/MarketingResults.php  .

3. I also know that Bill Esteb over at Patient Media has a partner website service called PerfectPatients.  They have lots of chiropractic content, if you’re looking for a site with more services.

When you get your site set up, send the link to me at jean@dcpracticesuccess.com - I collect chiropractic websites and I would love to see yours.

This is an unusual website for a chiropractic practice.  It has been running for several years, and I used to use it as an example of what NOT to do in a website, because it took several clicks to get into the site and I didn’t like the sound (personal preference - I don’t like sounds/music on websites).

I recently saw on a group discussion that the chiropractors who saw this site loved it.

My question is this:  Pretend you are NOT a chiropractor.  Would you like this site?  Would you go through the trouble to click to get to the “real” home page?  I know it’s difficult to imagine yourself without a chiropractic background, but as a web user, I’m sure you can look at it like any other site.   Ask family and friends.

Here is the link:  Shephard Chiropractic

Post a comment and let me know what you think of this as a website.  Compare it to other websites you see and like, not just to other chiropractic websites.

Here are a couple of Chiropractic Economics articles on this subject:

Get caught in the Web! 4 Strategies…

Three Secrets to Profiting From Internet Marketing

You know what I’m going to say … “It depends.”  Here is what I told a young DC recently:

I don’t agree that yellow pages ads are a waste of time.  I know a couple of chiropractors who get a respectable number of new patients from YP advertising.  I don’t think $103 a month is very much, if you’re getting in the printed phone book and on yellowpages.com for that price.   

I would think your best advertising (particularly if you’re in a small or medium-sized town) would be community involvement, health fairs, other local events, just getting out where people are, especially women and families.  This doesn’t cost much (the price of a business card and a brochure).  I’m sure you’ve already done some of this. 

This DC also asked about whether to set up a website.  Again, it depends on the area.  In a small town, don’t bother.  In a medium-sized town with several competing chiropractors, it can give you an edge and help new people find you.  In a big city, it’s definitely a good idea. 

Of course, this is all my opinion.  I’d like to hear from you.  What do you think?

For more information, see what Dr. Mark Swerdlick says about essential steps for startup marketiing.

Building relationships with patients is a key to a great patient base.  Read this Lifehack article on building relationships , which contains the 11 rules for self-promotion. 

Second Life is a virtual reality world in which you (actually your online character or “avatar”) can interact with others, socializing and chatting and building your own world.   It is also a place to buy and sell.  You can set up an online business and do transactions in “Linden Dollars” (backed by a credit card.  So why would you want to be on Second Life?  Well, I’ll let the expert tell you.  Simone Brunozzi runs a Second Life blog:  Here is her post about chiropractic students:  http://www.secondlifepros.com/chiropractic-students-do-they-need-a-second-life/

Here is a link to Second Life explaining how you can use the site for publicizing your services: http://secondlifegrid.net/gettingstarted/publicity . 

If you want to know more about Second Life, you might want to check out one of her video tutorials:  http://www.secondlifepros.com/interesting-second-life-video-tutorials/

SCORE recently had some tips for new businesses. One tip stated you should “brand” yourself by getting a logo, business cards, and stationery. But your “brand” is a good deal more than your logo. A brand isn’t just words and pictures; it is what makes your practice unique.

Please take time to go through a process of thinking carefully about the image you want to convey about your practice. To create all of those “branding” materials, you will have to find a graphic artist to create the logo, business card, and stationery. This will cost you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

All of those materials you are creating might be pretty, but what if you create a brand and you change your mind a year later? You will have to completely rework all of those expensive materials and start over.

All I’m saying is that you need to spend time to really think about and plan your branding statement. It’s worth the time and money to do it right the first time.

Here is a great place to get a brand, logo, or website (or all of these) at a good price. It’s called “Design Contest.”  It works like this:  You set up a contest, and invite designers to create your logo or website.  You pay an “award” for the designer who creates the best logo.  This is a good way to look at potential logos and get some good designers to work for you.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

I was asked that question this week and it took me by surprise. I am so used to thinking about concepts like USP and different types of practices and patients, that I never really thought there was a “typical” or “average” chiropractic patient. Then I checked Chiropractic Economics online and I found an interesting article describing this very person.

The author, Daniel Gonzalez, describes the typical person seeking health information online:

• The typical “health seeker” is female.
• She is between the ages of 30 and 49.
• The top three topics she and other health seekers search are information about disease and conditions (60 percent), medical treatments and procedures (47 percent) vitamins, minerals and supplements (44 percent).

So is this the typical chiropractic patient? Well, maybe. At least, she is the person most aggressively seeking health information, including chiropractic care. The concept here is called “target market.” Here is a good article by Dennis Perman that explains this concept: read down to see the section on “ideal patient.”

If you try to target middle-aged women, that’s what you will get in your practice. Is that who you want? Sure, if you want a family practice, it is known that women buy chiropractic, so target them. But if you want a sports practice, you should look at a different target market.

As a prospective chiropractor, I would think it would be more valuable for you to look at the specific market for your services. What kind of patient do you want in your practice? If you know the answer to this question, you’ll know better how to find that person, either online or in your local community.

When I’m teaching marketing, I talk often about features vs. benefits. This is a really important concept to remember when you’re creating advertising or talking about your practice. If you talk about your technique, don’t say how wonderful it is, and how great the technology is. Talk about how it will benefit your patients. What will it do for their pain? How will it help them?

As an example, I got some cool new shoes. They are called Z-coils. They have a funny heel that looks like a coiled spring; my daughter says I look like Tigger (in Winnie the Pooh). I got them because they help my knee pain (don’t laugh; you guys will be there too some day). So I’m wearing them and someone asks me, “What’s the technology of those things?” My answer was, “I don’t care. They work.” See what I mean? Technology is a feature; the fact that they work is a benefit.

In a classic story, a young salesman is working his first day in an appliance store. He knows everything about all the appliances, so when an elderly lady comes in and asks about the ice maker in a refrigerator, he gives her a half-hour explanation of how the ice maker works. When he’s done talking, the lady leaves in confusion. The boss rushes over and says, “Why did that lady leave?” The salesman explains that he was just telling her how the icemaker worked. The boss says, “Next time a customer asks how the ice maker works, tell them it works at night.”

Features vs. Benefits.  It is not what you think you are selling; it is what your patients think they are buying.  Seriously, if you get this concept, your marketing will start working.

I talked the other day with a new grad who was struggling to figure out where to locate his practice.  He is in a large city in the Midwest, and he was looking at two locations:

1.  One location is on a side street off the “main drag” but still within the area he wanted.  It has limited visibility from the street.  The rent is about $15 a square foot.

2.  The second location is in a highly visible area in the area of a major retail mall.  The office has a large sign on the street, of which he would have a small section.  The rent is over $25 a square foot, including CAM (common area maintenance).

In addition, the first office is 1200 square feet, while the second office is 1700 square feet.  He and his wife will be working together, so he figured the 1700 square feet would be good.

To figure the monthly rent:  Multiply the price per square foot by the number of square feet to get the annual rent, then divide by 12.  So monthly rent on the first office would be  $1500 a month, while the rent on the second would be $3541.

So which would be best for this new DC?  Consider the cost of advertising at the first location, since it’s not so easily visible.  Marketers tell us there is a trade-off between rent and advertising, and this is a classic case of this situation.

Which office should this new DC rent?  Reply by commenting.  Sure, I have an opinion, but that’s all it is.  I would like to hear from you.

A common startup marketing question relates to Yellow Pages ads:  Should I get one? 

I know some practice management companies tell you not to bother, that you will get patients by referrals.  But where do you think the initial patients come from, the ones who refer?  Some of them will be coming to you from a Yellow Pages ad.

As usual, the value of a Yellow Pages ad depends on the area.  If you are advertising in the greater Chicago book, you’ll probably become lost in the pack unless you specify your area FIRST.  For example, “Oakbrook Chiropractor” might be your headline.  In a smaller city or town, a phone book ad might be a great way to get people to come to your office the first time.  I talked with a recent grad who says he gets several people a week from the phone book.

Of course, if you talk with book ad placement “coordinators,” they’ll tell you that you must place the biggest and and in color, because their marketing research shows these ads sell the best.  But don’t forget this research is very generic, covering everything from pizza places to air conditioner repair. 

So what do you think?  Should chiropractors place big ads in the phone book?  Should you place a big ad the first year and cut back?  If you have a positive or negative experience with Yellow Pages ads, let us know.

Next post:  content of YP ads.

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