We’ve been hearing this question more and more from clients.   As with most things in life, the answer is not a simple yes or no.  The real question is, should your medical practice use Twitter? One of the first steps you should make when considering Twitter is to create a personal account, and spend some time learning how people use this service.  After signing up, find a variety of people or businesses to follow.... 

After publishing our latest blog post entitled Facebook can be your Friend, we were asked “Hey guys, that’s great, but how do I get started?” Social media speaker and trainer, Mari Smith, wrote a user friendly step-by-step primer on launching a Facebook page for a business over at Social Media Examiner.  Her article, Facebook 101 For Business: Your Complete Guide starts with the assumption that you... 

Dr. Katherine Cretian wrote an excellent op-ed piece in USA Today on the potential risks of a physician becoming Facebook friends with a patient. It’s a dangerous two-way street. Would you want your patient to have access to your personal pictures and comments from your friends? Conversely, is it wise for you, as a physician, to have access to your patient’s private life? How would you feel if your patient told you... 

Today, I’m beginning what will be an occasional series of blog posts related to tracking your website traffic. The most popular, powerful, and free tracking tool available is called Google Analytics (GA).  By using this tool to analyze the traffic that comes to your website, you can make improvements to your site and to all of your advertising and marketing campaigns.  Here are some tips to help Medical Practices... 

In my last post, I discussed the idea of a content strategy – using a blog and/or other tools to enhance the online presence of your medical practice.  Today, I’ll provide you with some ideas for creating content.  Not all of these will work for every practice, but if you pick the 3 to 5 techniques that are best for your situation, you’ll be well on your way to creating useful and beneficial content... 

To blog, or not to blog.  This is a question I get from many clients.  In general, my answer is yes.  But, not all blogs are created equal, and not all of them even need to be called a blog. In the most general sense, what every medical practice needs is a content development strategy.   This content can take many forms, such as: a traditional blog, that allows comments from readers, and is called a blog a section... 

Recently, I attended a Google webinar about Landing Pages (you may watch a previous version of this same webinar via the Youtube video at the bottom of this post). A Landing Page is any page on your website where it is common for visitors to land – either because of a search, a link from an ad, or typing in your url. The homepage is the most popular landing page for most websites, but it is rarely the sole landing... 

Ira Pasternack and I were on a web meeting call this week with a rep from an online public relations service. He was scrolling through a list of medical practice types for which they have press contacts. Impressive list…. Anesthesiology…. Cardiology… Dermatology…Emergency Medicine….. Gastroenterology The list seemed endless. Ira asked him to scroll down to the U area as we held our breath.  You guess it….Urology... 

Do you know who owns/controls your domain name?  If the domain is not registered in the name of your practice or the owner of the practice, then there is a risk that you could lose control of the domain. If the domain is registered in the name of your web developer or other outside consultant, then it is possible for them to hold the domain hostage if you ever decide to end your relationship with them.  We have seen... 

In an earlier post about SEO, I described the 4 C’s of SEO, which start with Content.  In this post, I will expand on the importance of content. Earlier this week, AdWeek published an article titled “Marketer Must-Have: Original Editorial“.  If you want your website to serve as a marketing tool, then it must contain quality content that is of interest to your prospects . The reason for this, as this...