Friday, September 5, 2008

Chiropractic Marketing - Get New Patients From Social Media

By Dr. Matthew Loop


Even established chiropractors have seen a slowdown in their business because of today's economic crunch. Threatened with financial jeopardy, many are looking for new, updated marketing tactics that set their practice apart from the same old marketing techniques used by others in the industry.

Times have changed dramatically over the last 3 years and so has the communication dynamic. The learners will adapt and prosper while the learned will suffer severe economic consequences because of dinosaur ways of thinking. If you are one who looks to stay on the cutting-edge of new marketing and technology then you take action and establish a presence on social networks like Myspace, YouTube, and Facebook.

After three years of massive success, doctors have finally started calling to ask me about Web 2.0 and SEO marketing strategies. I was the first Chiropractor to bring social networking as a marketing tool to others in our profession, and many were shocked when I told them I was generating massive amounts of new clients from using Myspace, Facebook and YouTube.

Once word got out of my incredible success I had several well-known marketing consultants begging at my doorstep to tell them the strategies I was sharing with a select group of my fellow chiropractors. Some would even try to call from private numbers, but I would be able to deduce from their email or website that they were calling from consulting firms.

The main problem I see when chiropractors get on these social networks is that they begin to spam other people with blatant advertisement. This is a problem because people hate this and you will end-up being booted off the network. Now, of course, the proper thing to do is to seek a mentor who has already been there and done that so you can have the pure essentials and good how-to information. Few do this though, as they think they are the experts.

It really comes down to trust and credibility in the long-run. Perception is everything and if you don't appear normal while acting desperate, forget about "mining the gold" from Myspace, YouTube, Facebook, etc. Also, how much value are you providing your friends? What type of content are your providing? Does your profile make people want to stay longer on your page? These are all questions to consider when trying to utilize social media to indirectly promoted any product or service.

Let me leave you with a couple simple tips about chiropractic marketing on Myspace. Never send a friend request without a polite message! This is Myspace 101 stuff that is very important since you want the person to know how you ran across their profile. Always include videos on your profile, as it makes people stay on your page for a longer period of time and holds interest. Now, I'm not talking of all chiropractic videos either. People want to know the real you, not just what your profession is!

Social networks will open you up to a whole, new world of fun and profitability if you have the proper and necessary guidance to do it right the first time

About the Author:

No comments: