Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Is Your Chiropractic Marketing Killing Your Practice?

By Matthew Loop DC

We've all heard the saying, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." Yet, it amazes me just how much I see this done within the chiropractic marketing and the profession as a whole. Far too many times I see chiropractors buying expensive media slots in the newspaper or on TV that are yielding mediocre results. It's almost like these media sharks are feasting on "hope," as the DC's that I come into contact regularly with think they've just purchased a winning lottery ticket or something. Little do they know the startling reality on the other side. They're actually killing their practice.

The economy is seriously in recession, and the big mistake that chiropractors are making is to stop marketing because it costs too much. You can't bring more success to your business by not marketing, but you also can't bring more success by paying through the teeth for marketing. So what's the solution? It seems like there's no escape from the current financial challenges. The only answer is to evolve with the times and utilize the tremendous power of online social media.

The only answer to spreading the word about your chiropractic practice is to find a way to do it for free, and still yield tremendous results. When you harness the power of Web 2.0 and social media marketing, you can do just that. Gone are the days when you would spend a fortune on TV ads, newspaper spots, and telemarketing. These outdated forms of advertising are no good to you anymore, and can plunge you further into hardship.

There is good news. Even though you may have placed all of your finances in ineffective paid advertisements, you can still get some high-impact massive exposure and tons of new patients for free. This comes in the form of doing your chiropractic marketing on social media outlets like YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, and many others. By the way, at least half of members on these networks are above 30 years of age, contrary to popular belief.

Specific, targeted community marketing has never been easier and more cost effective. Of course, you want to make sure that you know exactly what you're doing, as to not damage credibility or rapport with your local community. This is where many chiropractors fail. They try to market on social media without a coach who's been there, done that and created a proven blueprint. Don't re-invent the wheel! Follow someone who's already been massively successful marketing on social media websites.

Let me give you a specific strategy that you can begin to implement today, as far as marketing on these networks are concerned. Invite people within a 5 mile radius of your zip-code to become your friend and begin to communicate with them. Every person that you invite as a friend will eventually learn about you and what you do for a living. This is not just virtual "hog-wash." Getting traffic and visitors to your website is the same, exact way. You can literally explode your website visits in a matter of hours with proper social media chiropractic marketing.

You can also begin to be of value to these people by providing them useful information online. When you make daily video blogs or weekly postings about relevant topics, people will begin to see that you can help them, and they'll take note. For instance, I posted a simple video about headache relief and 3,000 people viewed it within one week! Viral marketing was the cause of all this exposure. When one person saw it and found it helpful, they passed it on to a friend, and so forth. Do you see the power?

You're now beginning to see the massive potential these social media networks have in store for you. You can literally attract hundreds of people to your website and practice for free. You're going to begin to see your chiropractic practice soar to unbelievable heights, even in these difficult financial times. With social media sites and Web 2.0, your practice can effortlessly become a vital component of your community and a very profitable business as well.

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