By Peter Mansfield
Can web-focused marketing help you build closer relationships with your target
audiences?
The dot.com bubble has burst. The Internet hype has dissipated. Emerging from
the ashes of the “new economy” is a more refined and realistic set
of possibilities for chiropractors. Using the Internet can bolster or anchor
core relationship-building efforts with your patients, potential patients and
contemporaries in the health-care and business communities. Best of all, chiropractors
can realize these benefits cost effectively if they take a pragmatic and focused
approach.
Where do you start? With Marketing 101. The Internet is no different from other
communications media. Ignore the needs of your target audiences, and your web
site or e-mail marketing campaign will likely fail. Conversely, if you develop
a profile of your patients and gain a sense for the messages and resources that
they will find useful, your electronic marketing program will likely be a win-win
situation for you and them.
Shaping The Site Content
How big a web site do you need?
A half-hearted electronic marketing effort will almost certainly disappoint
you and your patients. That doesn’t mean you have to recruit hordes of
eager, scooter-riding Internet gurus to develop a worthwhile program! Throwing
dollars at a new web site may help, but common sense and an ongoing commitment
of a little time are more valuable determinants of success.
Build your web site in manageable phases, so that you can assess the response
of your target audiences. Start with an informational site that details your
background, credentials, philosophy and facts about your practice (business
hours, contact information, etc.). Larger chiropractic offices may also want
to consider an online scheduling resource. By offering this convenience and
other business procedures online, you can enhance your accessibility to patients
and reduce the pressure on your front office team.
Whatever the size of your business, include a logical way for site visitors
to contact you. This could be a short form or an e-mail link. You may even want
to give incentives to site visitors, such as offering a free assessment for
providing some key details about themselves. This information can be useful
in converting a prospective customer into a paying patient.
Getting Visitors To Your Site
What can you do to attract people to your web site?
Too many web sites live in splendid isolation, coveted by their owners but ignored
by Internet users who are unaware that the sites exist. To prevent this, make
sure your web site address, or Uniform Resource Locator (URL), is on all your
marketing and business materials (advertising, brochures, PR materials, business
cards, appointment reminders, etc.). Display your web site on a PC in your waiting
room. As the member of a chiropractic or local professional/networking organizations,
you may be entitled to a listing of your clinic on their web site directories.
You should also submit your web site to search engines like Yahoo and Google.
Optimizing your site for the search engines and attracting the right Internet
users require “meta tags” (relevant words embedded into your site)
and software that allow you to ensure and track your position on the Internet
directories. It is usually best to leave this task to specialists. You’ll
find them by entering the key words “search engine optimization” on
any search engine or by checking with your service provider or web hosting facility.
E-Mail Options
Can e-mail help you build closer relationships?
Nobody likes spam (of the electronic variety) but that does not eliminate e-mail
from your arsenal. E-mail can be a powerful tool when you develop an inclusive
and non-intrusive approach. For content, use the same topics you would include
in a print newsletter or news release, but keep it brief. People don’t
read online dissertations.
Chiropractors can communicate effectively by sending regular e-mail newsletters
or updates to a qualified list of current and prospective patients. You can
also extend or tailor your e-mails to other health-care or business professionals
in your network. A good starting point is a database program, such as Outlook
or ACT (some chiropractic management software will also work), that allows you
to send bulk e-mails to all your contacts or subsets in categories that you
define.
Do you need professional help?
Web sites and e-mail campaigns can become complicated quickly. You probably
have better things to do than learn FrontPage or Dreamweaver, the standard software
systems for professional web developers. Many web site hosting companies will
not only host your site on their servers, but they will also provide you with
templates or software to create your site.
Alternatively, look for a web development company that can help you create a
well-focused and well-executed electronic marketing program. As with other marketing
vendors, look for a team that understands your business and has excellent references.
This is extremely important in the volatile world of web developers!
About the author: Peter Mansfield, who earned an economics degree at the
University of East Anglia in Great Britain, is the founder of Content Circuit,
a firm that has created the Business Excellence System series of health-care
marketing and business development solutions. Previously, he served as president
of Mansfield + Associates, a leading Los Angeles strategic marketing agency,
and in senior marketing and management roles at Kodak U.K., Ltd., and the John
Lewis Ltd. retail chain. For more information, visit www.contentcircuit.com.
© Copyright 2002 Today's Chiropractic