Chiropractic Rescue Plan » Internet Marketing http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:25:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Chiropractic Deal of the Day Marketing Update http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-deal-of-the-day-marketing-update/ http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-deal-of-the-day-marketing-update/#comments Sun, 23 Oct 2011 09:09:52 +0000 Dr. Dan http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/?p=1050 Using deal of the day advertising has changed dramatically since my first post on it last March.   The main change is that these types of sites have sprung up like mushrooms in 2011.  It started with Groupon, then Living Social.  As a result, consumers have access to cheap services, any day of the [...]]]> Using deal of the day advertising has changed dramatically since my first post on it last March.   The main change is that these types of sites have sprung up like mushrooms in 2011.  It started with Groupon, then Living Social.  As a result, consumers have access to cheap services, any day of the week.  There is no scarcity, and this hurts the merchant.

I ran an endermologie deal with Groupon last August.  It caught me off guard, as it sold out (300 coupons) in a few hours and clogged my GenBook online scheduling system.  I also made the mistake of not setting up my GenBook ahead of time properly, which resulted in some double-bookings which my receptionist had to spend lots of time to correct.  But, two months later, things are humming along nicely.  I’m getting about a 15% conversion rate, which is pretty good.  I came up with a “Groupon only” client special, which many are choosing at around $700 a package.

This month, my Living Social Deal landed, and it, too sold out the maximum of 500 coupons.  It was for a choice of a chiropractic visit, one hour massage, or weight loss consultation.   About 90 purchased the chiropractic deal; 6 purchased the weight loss, and the rest the massage deal.  This will probably be the last time I do such a deal, but I don’t regret it.  It’s a lot of work, but it definitely brings in a lot of foot traffic into the office.   Some of the massage clients are converting into chiropractic patients, but most just want a cheap massage and are off.  Not all is lost; though, I am collecting their email addresses, and will launch our FaceBook campaign to penetrate through to their list of contacts.

The bottom line:  the big deal of the day sites (the ones that bring in big numbers; i.e. Groupon and Living Social) will require you to offer a massage deal with your chiropractic offer.  So, if you don’t have the capacity to offer massage therapy in your office, you cannot do a deal with these sites.  Try Google offers, Amazon offers, and Trubates instead.

Secondly, don’t be afraid to negotiate a bigger cut.  After all, you are cutting your services 50% for the deal.  Demand a 70% cut, and go from there.  You have therapists to pay, and laundry service for the sheets; not to mention your regular operating expenses.

Lastly, you must consider using automated, online scheduling.   You want to dedicate as little as possible staff time scheduling these Groupon appointments; zero if possible.  Save your staff for your regular-paying clientele.  Don’t worry, this is the internet age we are living in; get with the times.  After all, these folks are getting word of these deals online and are getting their vouchers emailed to them, so they have a computer, internet access, and are comfortable transacting business online.

Plus, online appointment scheduling systems will handle those appointment requests much faster than even two humans manning the phones.  No busy signals and tied up phone lines; real-time display of available appointment times in seconds; emailed appointment reminders, and an electronic record of customers’ appointments so there is no way they can say you scheduled them at the wrong time.  In fact, I make it a requirement for coupon purchasers to schedule their appointments online (it’s mentioned on the voucher), and I even tell them that if they call the office wanting to make an appointment.  100% of them said “ok, I’ll do it, thanks.”  None have complained about it.

I will be coming out with a new ebook, “Using Deal of the Day Sites to Create a Surge of Patients” very shortly that outlines all the steps necessary to run a profitable deal; and perhaps more importantly, reveals the mistakes I made and what to do instead.  It will include instructions, scripts, and the intake  forms I use that are strategically designed to convert/ upsell.  If you aren’t opted into my email list, make sure to do so to receive word when the ebook is ready.

 

 

]]> http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-deal-of-the-day-marketing-update/feed/ 1 Get an Avalanche of Patients with Groupon http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/get-an-avalanche-of-patients-with-groupon/ http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/get-an-avalanche-of-patients-with-groupon/#comments Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:43:39 +0000 Dr. Dan http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/?p=877 Looks like the current marketing craze in today’s fast-moving technology trends is the deal-of-the-day websites; notably Groupon.   It’s a brilliant model that, according to Forbes magazine is on pace to make $1 billion in sales faster than any company ever has.

Here’s the way it works:  let’s say your business offers a 60 minute massage [...]]]> Looks like the current marketing craze in today’s fast-moving technology trends is the deal-of-the-day websites; notably Groupon.   It’s a brilliant model that, according to Forbes magazine is on pace to make $1 billion in sales faster than any company ever has.

Here’s the way it works:  let’s say your business offers a 60 minute massage valued at $80 for $40 through Groupon.  Groupon announces the special deal through all of its email subscribers, social media campaigns and other internet advertising media cooperatives.  If a pre-determined number of people sign up for the offer, then the deal becomes available to all; if the predetermined minimum is not met, no one gets the deal that day. This reduces risk for retailers, who can treat the coupons as quantity discounts as well as sales promotion tools.   The merchant sets a limit on the number of deals (this is important, because there are tens of thousands  of people who will get notified of the deal, and the merchant must be able to handle the business volume), and after all the coupons have been purchased, Groupon will take about 50% and cut the merchant a check for the other 50%.   Some of the people who bought the coupon won’t use it before the expiration date, but you get the money anyways.   And if you read this carefully…that’s right, there is NO upfront cost to the merchant to use Groupon!

Due to Groupon’s market being primarily composed of young, educated, female customers, the deals are often focused on the health, fitness and beauty markets.  This is good news for us chiropractors.

But, hold on.   Groupon constantly analyzes the preferences of its market based on previous Groupon deals.  It knows what works, and what doesn’t.  And, I’m sad to report that (at least in my area) Groupon does not accept chiropractic deals.   According to them, chiropractic is not a good performer for this type of promotion.  Chiropractors have to offer massage therapy in order to take advantage of Groupon.  If you have an Endermologie cellulite reduction business in your clinic (if you don’t, check it out– it’s all cash), they eagerly accept that as well.

Since Groupon has a stake in the promotion, they determine what kind of deal is to be run.  A merchant can suggest a certain deal, like a certain percentage off or “buy two get the third free” type of thing, but nine times out of ten Groupon rejects it.   They really believe they know what will work and  don’t want to waste your time or theirs.

You will probably not make much if any profit with the Groupon deal itself (remember, you have to slash your price usually by 50% and Groupon takes 50% of what the customer pays; and on top of that, you have to pay your massage therapist with what’s left!).  But, what Groupon CAN do is bring a surge of customers to your office.  One chiropractor in my area sold over 800 coupon deals with his offer, which was $45 for an hour massage.  If you can handle the business volume and convert at least 10% of those people into regular customers (you can offer all Groupon massage clients a discount on chiropractic services, x-ray, thermal scan, etc. when they get to your office), Groupon can be a potentially huge boost to your practice.

Here’s San Diego’s Groupon Deal of the Day:  http://www.groupon.com/san-diego/

There are other deal of the day sites, like LivingSocial (considered next biggest); BuyWithMe, Jasmere.com, DailyQ.com, Tippr and others.   There’s no harm in launching multiple deals across multiple deal of the day sites, as long as you can accommodate the volume.  Don’t get greedy; if you accept 1,000 deals and can’t handle the 50 appointment requests a day for the next couple of days and make a lot of people angry at you, your business is likely  to get flamed in Yelp.com and other review sites, as the Groupon consumer is heavy into social media!

]]> http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/get-an-avalanche-of-patients-with-groupon/feed/ 1 Getting Listed on Google Local Maps 7 Box Free Guide http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/getting-listed-on-google-local-maps-7-box-free-guide/ http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/getting-listed-on-google-local-maps-7-box-free-guide/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:12:58 +0000 Dr. Dan http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/?p=530 A couple of months ago I wrote a post on how to get listed in that Google Maps 7-box that comes up whenever someone searches for “chiropractor.”  The reason why it’s called a 7-box is because seven listings happens to take up the same vertical space as the map.  And, these are the first listings a [...]]]> A couple of months ago I wrote a post on how to get listed in that Google Maps 7-box that comes up whenever someone searches for “chiropractor.”  The reason why it’s called a 7-box is because seven listings happens to take up the same vertical space as the map.  And, these are the first listings a person sees when the search results pop up.

Well, a new guide from a prominent internet marketer has come out that guides you, step by step on how to increase your chances of getting one of those prime spots.  It is well written, and has screen shots of each step so you can’t flub it up.  It contains some stealth advice that you most likely haven’t thought of, to increase the chance of claiming one of the seven spots.  Get there, and you’ve basically got free internet advertising!

I will send a copy of this Free Guide to Google Local Listings (.pdf file) to anyone who posts a comment below.  Don’t just post one sentence, mention what you hope to accomplish with this guide, and what steps you have taken to generate more internet traffic to your site.  If you find this post late, still post your comment.  If you don’t get the report, contact me via the Contact form, link at the top of this page.

]]> http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/getting-listed-on-google-local-maps-7-box-free-guide/feed/ 6 Recommended Marketing Products for Chiropractors http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/recommended-marketing-products-for-chiropractors/ http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/recommended-marketing-products-for-chiropractors/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 07:41:55 +0000 Dr. Dan http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/?p=313 I just updated the Gotta Have It page of this site.  It lists all the products and services I use to build my chiropractic practice and my side business.

One of the pitfalls of marketing is that there is so much out there in terms of products and services that it can be an [...]]]> I just updated the Gotta Have It page of this site.  It lists all the products and services I use to build my chiropractic practice and my side business.

One of the pitfalls of marketing is that there is so much out there in terms of products and services that it can be an expensive ordeal, buying them and testing them to see if they work.  Well, the products listed on this page are the creme de la creme– the most reliable, dependable products I own that deliver as advertised.  And, I have bought tons of stuff before, much of them a waste of money.  You won’t be disappointed with these.

]]> http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/recommended-marketing-products-for-chiropractors/feed/ 0 Get Your Chiropractic Clinic Listed in Google Maps http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/google-maps-local-listing-chiropractors/ http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/google-maps-local-listing-chiropractors/#comments Wed, 19 May 2010 02:18:54 +0000 Dr. Dan http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/google-maps-local-listing-chiropractors/ A couple of weeks ago I made a post about getting your clinic listed among the Top 7 Google map listings for local searches for chiropractors.  You know what this is; it’s a list of those businesses you see along with a small regional map when you search for a local business, and [...]]]> A couple of weeks ago I made a post about getting your clinic listed among the Top 7 Google map listings for local searches for chiropractors.  You know what this is; it’s a list of those businesses you see along with a small regional map when you search for a local business, and looks like this: 
If your clinic isn’t on this valuable piece of internet real estate, it’s quite frustrating.  You are losing out to some potential new patients EVERY WEEK because your competitors are “ahead of the line.”

Well, news is out that Google is going to add more features to its local business search.  According to CNET:

Google is rebranding its Google Maps listing service for local businesses as it continues to try to organize–as well as sell ads against–a seemingly inexhaustible supply of local search results.

Google’s Local Business Center will henceforth be known as Google Places, the search giant plans to announce late Monday. All in all, it’s mostly just a name change, although Google plans to roll out a few new features for local merchants that have claimed their “place page” on Google Maps.

One of these features is having little yellow notepads that pop up that have a couple of lines about your business, instead of the red pushpin graphic.

If your clinic is not listed in a local search for your business (just enter “chiropractors” in the search box, and see if your clinic is listed– Google knows your computer’s physical location and will display seven-ten local chiropractors next to a regional map of your area), there is a service that offers a guarantee that they can get your clinic listed there.  Check it out; just one new patient referred by your local listing can pay for a year of this service.

Good Luck!

]]> http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/google-maps-local-listing-chiropractors/feed/ 2 Get Your Chiropractic Office Listed in Google Local Listings Guaranteed http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/google-local-listings-service/ http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/google-local-listings-service/#comments Mon, 03 May 2010 04:51:43 +0000 Dr. Dan http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/google-local-listings-service/ Last month, I made a post about getting your site listed in Google Local Listings.   These are the coveted seven top spots that Google serves when a search query suggests that the person is looking for a local business.  For example, when someone Google’s things like:
accountants 94582 nearest dry cleaning store
 Last month, I made a post about getting your site listed in Google Local Listings.   These are the coveted seven top spots that Google serves when a search query suggests that the person is looking for a local business.  For example, when someone Google’s things like:
  • accountants 94582
  • nearest dry cleaning store
  • chiropractors in san francisco
  • carpet cleaners

You’ll notice that the last example (carpet cleaners) doesn’t reference a zip code or city.  There doesn’t have to be a geographic modifier for these searches because Google has indexed that keyword as a geo-targeted keyword, and will display seven carpet cleaning businesses close to the IP address of the computer where the search was initiated.

So, how DO you get your chiropractic office’s URL in one of those top seven spots?  It’s not easy, believe me.  The problem is that there isn’t much you can do in terms of search engine optimization to guarantee a spot, as far as I can tell.  But apparently, some internet marketing consultants have been successful in getting their clients’ business in the top seven box for their main keyword.

One such business is INeedHits.  They offer a service where they try to get your business listed in the top seven Local Search box for your keyword (your city)chiropractor, or variations of it.

Here’s what they say on their site:

Google Business Listings allow you to target over 109 million local customers who are searching online! Get your business onto the first page of Google without the hassle of SEO or cost of PPC!
 
Get Your Business in the 1st Page of Local Google Search Results – Guaranteed!
Drive Unlimited Free Traffic to Your Business from the first page of Google.
You Don’t Even Need a Website - Free local profile page included!
Make Your Phone Ring by targeting excited customers who are ready to buy.

So, why not give it a try? If your site isn’t on the first page of Google’s natural listings for your main keyword, or if you’re spending a lot on Google AdWords pay per click, you have shot in getting in the top seven Local Search listings, with the help of INeedHits.

]]> http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/google-local-listings-service/feed/ 1 Chiropractic Website Creation Using SiteBuildIt http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-website-builder-sbi/ http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-website-builder-sbi/#comments Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:12:55 +0000 Dr. Dan http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-website-builder-sbi/ Most chiropractors consider themselves too busy to create their own website, so they hire a company/webmaster to design it for them, paying a lot of money upfront and in some cases, pay a monthly maintenance fee of about $40 or more a month.  On the surface, it sounds reasonable; after all, who has the time [...]]]> Most chiropractors consider themselves too busy to create their own website, so they hire a company/webmaster to design it for them, paying a lot of money upfront and in some cases, pay a monthly maintenance fee of about $40 or more a month.  On the surface, it sounds reasonable; after all, who has the time to learn HTML code, graphic design, FTP and everything else related to making a website?

I strongly advocate that chiropractors and other small business people learn how to build, or at least edit their own websites.  There are two distinct advantages to this:

  1. You force yourself to learn a skill that will save you money and make you money (not just in chiropractic).
  2. You will personally be in control of the content, functionality and creative aspects of your website and will be able to make changes on the fly, rather than have to translate to your webmaster what you want, and then have to wait for him/her to actually do it.

Let’s say you notice that you get a lot of website visitors but they only stay on your site for less than a minute (this is referred to as a high “bounce” rate).  Chances are, something is unappealing about your website.  Could it be your headline, your header, your opening paragraph?  If you had the knowledge, you could change any one or all three of these factors within minutes and stop the bleeding.  Perhaps a very positive story on chiropractic came out in the media.  Wouldn’t it be nice to mention this on your homepage the next day, while its fresh in peoples’ minds?  You can do it quickly if you knew how to edit your website.  You’ve really got to “own” the knowledge of website creation in order to quickly adapt to your constantly changing business environment and keep one step ahead of your competitors.    As the saying goes, ownership has its privileges.

There are many website creation software applications out there, some of them free.  They have a basic “WYSIWYG” approach:  what you see is what you get.  You design them by clicking buttons and dragging elements around with your mouse, and the software codes it in the background.  Then you upload it, and presto, you have your website.  But, the more cookie cutter you go, the less sophisticated your website will look, and that, too can be a problem.

The website creation software that I highly recommend chiropractors consider is SiteBuildIt, or SBI.  Actually, calling this thing a “website creation software” is a big understatement.  SBI is veritable self-contained business creation application.  In other words, once you buy it, you won’t have to buy anything else related to your website.

SiteBuildIt has all the tools necessary to take your website from concept to money maker, and it does so in a user-friendly, fool-proof, systematic way.  It’s main selling point is that it has many software tools within it to tackle the critical elements of building a website:

  • keyword research (very important, it is the foundation of your site and will determine how well it ranks in Google).
  • search engine optimization
  • form builders
  • graphics design
  • email newsletter creator
  • rss syndication (automatic notifications of your site on the web)
  • sitemap builder (helps with SE rankings)
  • social media tool
  • monetization tools
  • link exchange (exchange links with other SBI owners to increase SE ranking

Best of all, SBI contains all the support manuals you need on design, content, traffic generation, niche selection, advanced tips and tricks, and so on.  SBI also boasts an active online forum comprised of motivated business owners who help each other out.  SBI is really like one, big happy family!

There are people who quit their day jobs because the income they generated through their SBI-built websites replaced and exceeded their 9-5 income.  Imagine being able to work from home, or from your hotel room in Maui!  That’s what you can achieve if you have a website that brings in money without you having to be there.

So where is all this going?  Listen, I think we all know that running a chiropractic business is ten times harder than it used to be.  Every chiropractor knows the story:  reduced insurance reimbursements, patients dropping out of care, sharp decline in new patients, PR battles, internal/disorganized leadership problems, having to cut fees while the fixed costs of running a practice– rent, malpractice, business insurance, payroll, advertising, etc. continue to rise.  All of this has the effect of sapping your energy, time and money.

The new world order for chiropractors is to start a side business to make up for lost revenue, and the best model is an internet-based business– low start up costs, minimal risk, enables you to keep your day job.  Yes, you can use SiteBuildIt to create an entirely new business that can make you money on the side, and quite possibly exceed what you are making in chiropractic!  Just take an inventory on your skills, interests, hobbies, and training.  Chances are you can monetize all of them in one form or another, online, and the SBI video will show you how.

If this all makes sense to you, watch this  SiteBuildIt video.   But only do so when you are relaxed (preferably at home) and have a clear mind so that you can absorb the concept.  It does a great job explaining how to turn your interests/skills into money by using a carefully planned and proven online business model.  This video could very well be the start of a highly profitable, (dare I say) life-changing journey.  It has already done that for many people before you.  Go ahead and check it out, you’ve got nothing to lose.

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]]> http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-website-builder-sbi/feed/ 4 Chiropractors, Do You Have Your Business Listed in Google Local? http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-listing-google-local-business/ http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-listing-google-local-business/#comments Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:24:09 +0000 Dr. Dan http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/uncategorized/chiropractic-listing-google-local-business/ You are probably well aware by now that lots of chiropractors are doing all they can to push their website up in the search engines, because they realize that consumers these days prefer the convenience and speed of the internet over the cumbersome, old Yellow Pages to research businesses they plan to visit.  If you [...]]]> You are probably well aware by now that lots of chiropractors are doing all they can to push their website up in the search engines, because they realize that consumers these days prefer the convenience and speed of the internet over the cumbersome, old Yellow Pages to research businesses they plan to visit.  If you ignore this, you’ve missed the train.

I’ve been following the evolution of Google for over ten years, studying the different services it offers to business owners.  AdWords, which is Google’s “classified ads” service is a great way to get immediate exposure (as in within five minutes of setting up your ad) for your business.  Bid high enough, and have a good enough site and you can put your business at the very top of the search results page for various keywords; primarily (your city) chiropractor.  If you opt in to my email list in the bar below, you can get a free copy of my Google AdWords for Chiropractors ebook.  It reveals the tricks to make an AdWords campaign that will outrank your competitors.

But now, Google Local Business listings is getting a lot of attention and causing a lot of dismay and gnashing of teeth among chiropractors (and other local small businesses).  Whenever anyone types in a keyword that Google identifies as a business, it will take note of that person’s computer IP address (physical location) and will show a map of business listings close to that location.  It usually shows seven businesses at the top (SEO people call this the “seven box”), under the top AdWords listings.  Here is a snapshot of the GBL  7-box for the search term “San Francisco chiropractors” (one doesn’t need to type in the city for the GBL 7-box to show):

It’s frustrating because it is not known how Google selects which businesses get to appear in the 7-box.  The best you can do is create a good listing:  describe your services well, include your hours, upload pictures and videos, etc.  I thought that the number of reviews may play a part, but if you look closely at the snapshot above, you have a business with 46 reviews, and one with one review.  If your business listing is buried in page 3 or more, you can forget about being seen.

One thing that I believe can hurt you is if you post multiple listings for your location; for example one under your clinic name, and one under your own name.  Google may see this as trying to “game the system.”  I have three businesses within my suite (I sublease some of my space), so the other businesses have their own GBL with the same address.  I believe it is for this reason that my GBL never shows in the seven-box.  Google wrongly thinks I’m trying to cheat the system.

So, if you haven’t created a Google Local Business Listing for you clinic, make sure to do it now, and cross your fingers!

Dr. Dan

P.S.  Join my email list and get periodic notices of the latest tech-related ways to promote your chiropractic business.  See previous posts to the right, and the products listed in the upper right corner to get my latest recommendations.

]]> http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-listing-google-local-business/feed/ 2 Back linking to your website: Why It’s Important, and How to Do It http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/back-linking-sanfranciscochiropractors-websites/ http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/back-linking-sanfranciscochiropractors-websites/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:53:02 +0000 Dr. Dan http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/?p=192 The biggest factor in website ranking is the number of back links to your website.  A back link is simply a link on another website that points to your website.  The more you have, the higher your website will rank (but with the following guidelines– read on).

You see, a link to your website is [...]]]> The biggest factor in website ranking is the number of back links to your website.  A back link is simply a link on another website that points to your website.  The more you have, the higher your website will rank (but with the following guidelines– read on).

You see, a link to your website is seen as an internet “vote” for your website, in the eyes of Google.  After all, the website with your website’s link is essentially encouraging it’s visitor to leave the website for your website.  And it wouldn’t do so unless it thought highly of your website, or at least that your website content is important enough to check out.  That’s how the Google algorithm interprets it.

So, now you’re thinking, “Great!  I have two other websites.  I will just place 100 links each on those websites and point them to my chiropractic  website so it will rank#1!”

Not so fast.  If it were that easy, everyone would do it.  And, Google isn’t that stupid.

Here are the basic guidelines for good back links:

  • the anchor text of the link should be the keyword you’re targeting.  For example, for my chiropractic website I would like to have many links like this:  San Francisco Chiropractors pointing to my website.  This is the keyword that many people search for to find chiropractors in my area.
  • the website that your back links are on should be related to your website.  So, good back links to a chiropractic website would come from health-related websites, including other chiropractic websites (more on this later).  The Google spiders analyze the content of the linking website will place more value on the back link if it is from a website in the same industry or niche as yours.
  • websites with the .gov and .edu domains hold greater authority in general than .com websites.  So if you can somehow link to your chiropractic website from a government or school website, you’ll get a leg up on your competitors.
  • If you have other websites in different niches, it still wouldn’t hurt to link to your chiropractic website.  But if you do, you can only do it so many times.  And make sure you link out to other websites.  For example, my San Francisco Chiropractor website has a link to Mercola.com, the biggest natural health website on the internet.
  • reciprocal links aren’t as powerful as one-way links.  A reciprocal link is a “scratch my back, I’ll scratch your back” set up:  you contact a website owner and offer to put his link on your site if he puts your link on his website.  Google views reciprocal links as artificial and perhaps gives them 50% weight as a one way link.

So how do you get all those one-way back links?  There are several ways, but the best way to get natural one-way back links is to write great content for your site so that other people find it informative, and link to it.  This is why blogs are so popular.  You have more artistic freedom with blogs and can write interesting and fresh content.

You can write articles about chiropractic topics like back pain, neck pain and carpal tunnel syndrome, and submit them to article directories like Ezine Articles.  You place your URL in your signature box (remember to use your keyword for the anchor text!) and submit the article to the directory.   Webmasters from all over the world browse these article directories and use the articles as content for their sites.  They are required to keep the author’s URL intact.  If you write enough articles (good ones) and they are picked up by many webmasters and added to their sites, you’ll start building up a lot of one-way back links.

A third way is to visit other blogs and forums related to health.  Create an account as a commenter, and include your website URL in your signature box (not all blogs/forums allow this, though).  Every time you post a comment, your URL will stay on the forum and you’ll have a one way link to your site.

There are several other ways to get back links to your site, including some stealth ones that most people don’t know about.  If you like to know what they are, click here.

Till next time,

Dr. Dan

]]> http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/back-linking-sanfranciscochiropractors-websites/feed/ 4 How to Get New Patients from Your Chiropractic Website http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-websites-and-getresponse/ http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-websites-and-getresponse/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:36:38 +0000 Dr. Dan http://www.chiropracticrescueplan.com/internet-marketing/chiropractic-websites-and-getresponse/ Having a nice looking chiropractic website alone is not good enough.  After all, if no one sees it, it might as well be a blank page in the internet abyss.

Your website needs to:

1) be visible in the search engines (Google) for multiple keywords that reflect what people search for when they need chiropractic [...]]]> Having a nice looking chiropractic website alone is not good enough.  After all, if no one sees it, it might as well be a blank page in the internet abyss.

Your website needs to:

1) be visible in the search engines (Google) for multiple keywords that reflect what people search for when they need chiropractic care; i.e. (Your City) Chiropractor, Chiropractor (Your City), back pain doctor, etc.

2) be able to convert; i.e. cause the website visitor to pick up the phone and call your office.

3) be able to capture leads and market to them over and over again.

Ranking high in the search engines involves creating a lot of good content in your site (perfect job for a blog) and attracting back links to your site.  Integrating several tools to increase your chiropractic website’s conversion rate will insure that your website will be doing what it’s supposed to do:  sending you patients.

Having a good email marketing software like GetResponse is critical if you want to make life easier for yourself.  Don’t be one of those chiropractors who get lazy and email their patients announcements or newsletters by manually typing in their patients’ email address in their Outlook, Yahoo or Gmail accounts, and send crappy looking emails, many of which to straight to the spam folder.  Why not let GetResponse  automate the whole process where the software receives the prospect’s email, adds them to the database, and sends them a nice monthly newsletter automatically?  It can also handle unsubscribe requests behind the scenes.  All you have to do is set it up, and the thing runs by itself.   You can even check your stats, like how many people received your email, and how many clicked it to open and read.  This will tell you if your marketing message needs tweaking.

It starts with installing an Opt In form in a highly visible spot on your website, or have it fade in or pop under from the screen.  The purpose of a pop up form is to get the visitor to notice it.  Many times they miss the static opt in form because it blends in with the rest of the web page.  GetResponse can generate the code for your opt in box (static or pop up); or, you can use an advanced one like Ultimate Footer Ad, the one this blog uses.

So, to recap:  Get your website an Opt-In box to capture website visitors’ email address and connect it to an email marketing software like GetResponse so that you can market to them periodically.     If you don’t wish to deal with the technicalities of it, I can do it for you; just shoot me an email.

Remember, it cost you money to get your website built and maintain it, so it needs to be getting you new business every day.  Demand it!

Till next time,

Dan Perez DC
Guerilla Chiropractic

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