The Hottest Buzz: Social Media Marketing

Chiropractic Marketing

Social Media is the “hottest” topic on the Internet today. If you’ve been thinking about getting on board, but you’re not sure where the platform is, let’s take a minute to talk about the “Who, What, When, Where, and How” of social media and you, that’s “Who.” Then you can make up your mind whether or not to add Social Media to your chiropractic marketing strategy.

Social media marketing may seem familiar in some respects to other chiropractic marketing strategies you’ve thought about in the past, but also unfamiliar at the same time. In the “familiar” category, you’d never consider trying any type of marketing plan without taking the time to understand what it is and what you want to get from it. What are your goals? Once you know what you want, it’ll be easier for you to use social media to your biggest advantage.

Before you begin your social media venture, you will need to make sure that you “own your name” on all the social media outlets, i.e., make sure that your name or your clinic’s name is available so that you can use the exact same name on all of the social channels you desire to use. When you’re ready, there’s a service, which is entirely free, that can assist you with your search. That who is knowem.com. Knowem.com will research where your name is and/or if it’s available for use or not on a sufficient number of social media sites.

When you have secured all of your social media accounts, the next step is to choose where you want to be active. Because you have a clinic to run and patients to see, in the beginning only a few social media sites is preferable and may end up being all you’ll need. That way you won’t get unduly busy in too many channels. How do decide which sites are best for you? The big ones (where most of the action is) are facebook, twitter, linkedin, and Youtube.

 What your social media activity goal should be is to build a true presence in your community. What is definitely ill-advised is for you to try to “sell” on your social media sites, in other words don’t sell your chiropractic services, don’t sell products, don’t sell anything! The purpose of social media is for you to have an addition channel through which to network with the community. Sure, inform them about what you do, but do it by becoming a participant. Social media works the same way as social networking offline. People on social media sites don’t want to be sold to, plain and simply. What might be useful to think of social media sites like a neighborhood backyard barbecue. People are standing around having a conversation about who they are and what they do, and then someone asks you what you do. Or, perhaps you begin the conversation by (just) saying, “Hi, I’m Dr. ____. The same dynamics apply with social media. Social media sites should be handled the same way you’d “work” offline networking opportunities to promote yourself, i.e., answer the questions and concerns that get potential patients interested in the who that’s you!

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May 19, 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Closed

Chiropractic Internet Marketing Strategy: Do it Yourself or Outsource?

Here’s an interesting question for you to consider: Do you want to keep your chiropractic internet marketing in-house or do you want to hire a professional? There are pros and cons to both, and the answer lies in your particular situation. Let’s check out the advantages and  disadvantages of both.

Advantages of in-house chiropractic internet marketing

  1. There is a lower monthly cost involved in using someone already employed by you.
  2. The staff knows your practice intimately.  Your staff has a good understanding of your clinic’s particular services and, therefore, is able to describe your specialties easier than those who don’t know the specifics of your particular practice.
  3. You can communicate anytime. Being in-house it is easier to set up times to have meetings or just to chat about situations on the fly.

Disadvantages of in-house chiropractic website marketing

  1. The staff may not be fully aware of what SEO (search engine optimization) is, let alone how to accomplish it. In that case, a lot of education and training will be needed to make sure SEO gets done right.
  2. The staff may be overworked. Sometimes the time it takes to do SEO can be underestimated. It is an ongoing process that can actually be a full-time job.  If a marketing manager has been told to do SEO as well as his or her full time job, obviously that person will be overworked and feel overwhelmed.
  3. Attention needs to be paid to detail. This goes together with Point #2. If the staff is overworked, they have no time to check out search engine news and keep up-to-date on how the search engines have changed the game each week and what needs to be done to implement those changes to keep your clinic internet presence up in the rankings.

Advantages of using an outside professional

  1. Chiropractic marketing companies are specialists in the field.  They have experience in working on numerous clinics and their websites and optimizing them for SEO.  They know, first hand, what works effectively and what doesn’t.
  2. There is a dedicated team at the company who will be working on your site and can give it the attention it requires.
  3. The company has a specific plan and won’t be just jumping around, going from short term tactic to short term tactic with no organized strategy and no clear way to reach your desired goals. In other words, they have an “integrated” internet marketing strategy.

Disadvantages of a chiropractic internet marketing company

  1. Let’s face it, it can get expensive, but costs vary widely from company to company. Some companies out there are charging $600-$700 a month for their services. It is definitely worth your while to shop around and research before you buy.
  2. There is usually a commitment. Most chiropractic internet marketing companies will want you to sign up for at least six months to a year.
  3. Account management can be a problem. With high turnover rates at many companies, especially the big ones, there may be a chance that you’ll get handed from account manager to account manager just when you were building a relationship of trust. You may have to start over again, maybe even have to redesign and reiterate your strategy with the new manager.

Now that you’ve taken a moment to look at the pros and cons of both keeping your internet marketing in-house or hiring a professional, the solution to SEO and your internet marketing strategy will depend on the size of your practice, the time and staffing you can devote to it, and your overall long-term goals.

Now, of course, we are a chiropractic internet marketing company that specializes in helping chiropractors with their internet presence. So, I will admit that I am a bit biased on the side of your hiring an expert to do it right. If you are thinking of hiring a company to develop and implement your internet marketing strategy, it is tremendously important for you to hire one that specializes in chiropractic clinics. Why? Because we understand the chiropractic profession intimately. Therefore, in the long run it will save you both time and money not having to explain what chiropractic is about to some general SEO company. There are several of us out there.

If you are going to go with an outside company, be sure to read the fine print. Look at the bottom of their page for a disclaimer. If they have one, read about their “typical” results. You don’t want to be fooled by outrageous claims even though such hype can be enticing. Remember, your internet marketing strategy is just one stream of new patient leads. Even though chiropractic internet marketing is fast becoming a great source for new patient leads, and even though internet marketing gets more important with every passing day,  and even though it is a crucial area in which to generate new patient leads, it is still not the only source of marketing you will need to succeed in your practice.

Whether you choose to keep your internet marketing in-house or to hire a professional, you want to be sure that the time and money you spend on SEO gets you where you want to go. A member of your staff that does your internet marketing for “free,” while squeezing those efforts in-between other tasks, may “cost” you in the long run. A professional whose sole focus is internet marketing, won’t lose sight of your goals. Internet marketing is essential to your practice, so choose your chiropractic internet path wisely.

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May 18, 2010 | Tags: , , | Comments Closed

You Say Tomato and I Say…Sunscreen

Aah, summertime. Time to head for the beach or a nice sunny park. So, bring out the picnic basket and blanket, the toys and swimsuits, and the sunscreen and tomatoes. Tomatoes!? Yep, that’s what I said. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, an antioxidant, which not only increases collagen in the skin and adds up to fewer lines and furrows, but actually helps to protect the skin again sunburn. According to Prevention Magazine, a recent study found that volunteers that consumed five tablespoons of tomato paste daily for three months had 25 percent more protection against sunburn.

It’s always nice to come across “natural” alternatives to chemical products, isn’t it? And, in this case, it’s a tasty choice. But, that said, it is always a good idea to cover up and protect your skin if you are going to be out in the sun for extended periods. Because, let’s face it, a juicy tomato or pasta marinara can go just so far!

Posted via email from chiropracticforever’s posterous

May 14, 2010 | Comments Closed

Santa Barbara Chiropractor: ChiropracticTreatment Can Ease The Pain Of Spinal Osteoarthritis (Spondylosis)

Santa Barbara Chiropractor

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Growing old isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative.” But, if the aging process is causing you pain, you know that aging is no joke! As a chiropractor in Santa Barbara, when it comes to musculoskeletal challenges, I see too many age-related breakdowns that likely wouldn’t have occurred if the primary cause had been addressed earlier. Poor posture, improper gait, and repetitive overuse frequently produce needless stress in the back, neck, hip, knees, and even the feet that can result in painful challenges over time. If we only knew then how our aging body would feel today, eh? But, as they say, “hindsight is 20-20.”

As you can see from the list of complaints above, there are plenty of musculoskeletal challenges that can, and frequently do, take place as we age, however back pain is one of the most prevalent. Age-related back pain is generally caused by a degenerative disorder known as Spondylosis (spine osteoarthritis).

Spinal osteoarthritis is caused by prolonged erosion and weight-bearing stress on the spine that eventually damages discs, joints, and surrounding ligaments. The specific area(s) and degree of the degenerative process of spondylosis is individual, varying from person to person. The regions likely to be affected are the cervical (neck), thoriacic (mid-back), or lumbar (low back). Depending on the severity of degeneration, Spondylosis symptoms vary from person-to-person as well, and can extend from minor pain and numbness to severe sensory loss and muscular atrophy.

Repetitive stresses adversely affect the cartilage surrounding the joints and can encourage calcium to deposit in the tissues around the vertebrae. Adjacent nerves, blood vessels, and soft tissue can be constricted by these calcific deposits, also called bone spurs. This particular of compression is at the root of Spondylosis.

Even if you are not suffering from spondylosis, regular chiropractic adjustments and overall chiropractic management can noticably delay the aging process of your spine. Even though “you can’t un-ring a bell” or “turn back the hands of time,” but it’s never too late to give your spine the consideration it deserves. Chiropractors are experts when it comes to treatment of the spine. See your Santa Barbara Chiropractor today, for the health of your spine.

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May 13, 2010 | Tags: , , , | Comments Closed

Wichita Chiropractor Reveals How Chiropractic Treatment Can Eliminate The Pain of Sciatica

Wichita Chiropractor

I understand from more than twenty years experience as a Chiropractor in Wichita assisting patients suffering from sciatic pain that the affliction can be extremely disabling. Those who suffer from sciatica are regrettably all too familiar with the deep radiating pain that persists during the day and interferes with almost all of their daily activities.

There is a way to figure out if your low back pain is generated by sciatica. You are more than likely suffering from sciatica if your pain radiates from your low back, through your buttock(s), down the large sciatic nerve in the back of one or both legs, and possibly penetrates into one or both knees. In addition, sitting, as well as motion, can be painful. Frequently lying down will decrease, or occasionally even temporarily get rid of the pain. But, you should be warned that sciatica cannot be corrected without proper care.

Radiculopathy

A radiculopathy is a medical term used to describe a condition where a disc has protruded from its normal position in the vertebral column and is creating pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) that forms part of the sciatic nerve in the lower back. Such pressure can produce excruciating pain.

Added pressure on the intervertebral discs, as well as imbalances in the muscles encasing the spine, can happen during and after prolonged sitting, specifically in an awkward position. Generally, a specific event or injury doesn’t cause sciatica, more often sciatica has a tendency to develop over time due to everyday wear and tear on the vertebrae of the lower spine. Eventually the lower spine can lose its ability to function normally during common stresses.

When this takes place, the intervertebral disc incurs small fissures or cracks that then let the soft nucleus to protrude the disc outward. Pain is produced as the disc pushes on sensitive tissues. This condition is often known as a ruptured, or slipped, disc. If the disc presses on the spinal nerve, an individual can develop sciatica. The good news is that most disc challenges, including sciatica, can be significantly decreased with chiropractic manipulation and therapy that often includes postural exercises.

Periformis Syndrome

Another cause of sciatic pain is periformis syndrome. Periformis syndrome happens when the periformis muscle, which is superficial to the sciatic nerve, goes into spasm and irritates the nerve. In combination with chiropractic adjustments, this kind of sciatica can be significantly relieved by sciatica stretches that your chiropractor can recommend.

If you are experiencing sciatic pain, it is crucial for you to seek chiropractic attention. If you are in the Wichita area, as your Wichita Chiropractor, I look forward to helping you to get out of pain and get your life back!

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May 9, 2010 | Tags: , , , , | Comments Closed

Surgery As a Last Resort at Any Age

As a chiropractor, it is my professional point of view that surgery should be the last resort for conditions of the back, hips, and knees. chiropractic treatment is a conservative, non-invasive and drug-free approach to problems relating to the musculoskeletal system. That said, I am also of the persuasion that surgery for most health problems should be a last resort as well. As I’ve said before, there is no such thing as a “minor” surgery. All surgeries, no matter how small, carry big risks. But, not only is surgery risky, there is no “undoing” this permanent attempt at correcting a problem. However, until just a few years ago, I would not have imagined that weigh loss would fall under the “only have surgery as a last resort” category. But, more and more adults are having bariatric surgery or other weight-loss surgery as an attempt to remedy their obesity. Again, surgery is surgery, and this type of surgery has high risks for already “at risk” obese adults. What has been even more disturbing to me is the fact that some parents are opting for surgery for their obese children, even though the risks of bariatric surgery are not only substantial in general, but the long-term safety and effectiveness in children remain largely unknown.

Now, what I am about to pass along will probably fall into the “duh, you think” category for most of us, but in reviewing studies on the “obesity epidemic,” scientists from Britain and the United States  lifestyle changes such as better diet and more exercise should always be the first option, and treatment with drugs should be used rarely. In other words, bariatric surgery, or weight-loss surgery, such as operations to apply gastric bands to limit the stomach size of severely overweight people, should be a last resort.

 

Yes, it is true that childhood obesity can adversely affect almost every organ in the body and often has serious consequences, including high blood pressure, abnormal blood fats, insulin resistance or diabetes, fatty liver disease, and psychosocial complications, it is also true that parents need education (and perhaps intervention) and schools need to provide better food options and more daily exercise for children, and communities need to support parental efforts as well. No “toys” as a prize for buying high caloric kids meals is just the beginning. In my opinion as a healthcare provider, without education and support, even children who undergo bariatric surgery will continue to crave high caloric foods and still not get the healthy exercise they need.

 

 

Posted via email from chiropracticforever’s posterous

May 6, 2010 | Comments Closed