5 O n l i n e S t r a t e g i e s f o r M a k i n g M o r e W h i l e W o r k i n g L e s s

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Roland Parker
6 years ago
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1 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 1 5 O n l i n e S t r a t e g i e s f o r M a k i n g M o r e W h i l e W o r k i n g L e s s C o u r s e O b j e c t i v e s : Learn How to Increase Your Likelihood of Ranking on Google s First Search Results Page Become Familiar With the Various Online Tools and Strategies Needed to Become Highly Visible Online (i.e., social media, online reviews, paid advertising, HD video, etc.) Learn How to Automate Your Online Marketing Efforts Learn How to Convert Online Visitors Into Real-Life Patients Learn How to Foster Patient Loyalty and Word-of-Mouth Referrals 1) Get Found Online (about 36 minutes) a. Search Engine Results Page (SERP) i. What is it? 1. A search engine results page is the listing of results returned by a search engine in response to a keyword query. ii. Why is it important? 1. Less than 10% of people advance to the second search results page. 2. There are a few different ways to rank highly on the search engine results page and get found online. 3. [Client example] vaughteyeassociates.com iii. How can you rank highly on it? 1. Organic a. What is it? i. Organic search engine optimization refers to the processes used to obtain a high ranking on a search engine results page in unpaid, algorithm-driven results on a given search engine. ii. There are different ways you can raise your website s organic search ranking and rank on Google s first search engine results page for specific keywords relevant to your practice and services. This includes boosting naturally occurring keywords, establishing high-quality backlinks to and from your website and adding unique custom content to your website in the form of webpages, blog posts, newsletters etc. b. How can it help your business? i. SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads (such as direct mail or print advertising) have 1.7% close rate

2 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 2 ii. 60% of all organic clicks go to the organic top three search results. c. How does unique content help improve your online ranking? i. The Panda Update: Introduced in 2011, the Panda update penalizes websites with poor quality or duplicate content from ranking highly on Google s search engine results page. ii. The Hummingbird Update: The Hummingbird update, announced in 2013, is designed to focus on the meaning behind the words in an online search query, instead of solely the words themselves. Thanks to these updates to Google s search rank algorithm (and more), producing consistent, fresh and quality content to your website has never been more instrumental to online success. iii. Blog: The easiest way to continue to add fresh, optimized content to your website that will drive online traffic and keep people coming back is with a built-in blogging platform (iblog.) What is a blog? A regularly updated webpage that is written in an informal or conversational style with the main goal of providing regular information and updates about developments and happenings in your practice. Why is it beneficial for your business? A blog allows you to create original, timely content; build a loyal online following; extend your reach on the major social media sites; and drive more organic website traffic (and brand-new clients!) why is it beneficial for your business? Tips a. Create a Schedule i. Post consistently ii. Commit to writing one word blog post each month iii. Establish a content creation calendar and plan each monthly topic in advance to keep you on track b. Optimize Your Blogs

3 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 3 iv. Webpage: i. Optimize your blogs around certain keywords that are pertinent to your practice and industry so Google can recognize it (and your website) as an authentic source. c. Share on Social Media i. Use blogs to educate and engage your local community and prospective patients by making it easily accessible, shareable and clickable through your social media sites. ii. This enables you to reach a much wider local audience and create consistent brand awareness. d. Build Your Audience Webpages are the building units of a website. They provide information to online visitors, and introduce potential patients to your practice and services before they have ever walked through the door. Webpages also offer significant SEO value. Informational webpages that include naturally occurring keywords that connect to your practice, location and offered services can help you optimally rank on Google s SERP. [Client example] a. Dr. Charles Shidlofsky and his team offer a wide variety of eyecare services at their North Texas optometry practice. v. Press release: A press release is an official statement issued to local and online news outlets giving information on an upcoming event, company announcement or particular matter. When it comes to SEO, press releases offer unique value. Press releases offer the opportunity to build natural backlinks to your

4 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 4 website by being published on established local or national news outlets. These high-quality backlinks only work to enhance the authority of your website in the eyes of Google s search ranking algorithm and results in improve organic search rankings. In addition, press releases allow you to build increased bran interest and awareness throughout your local community, and attract more new patients. d. [Client Examples] Client with Premium or Dominator service/strong content examples and high organic leads each month i. In November of 2014 Henderson Eye Care partnered with imatrix to deliver a website more customized to their practice by building a virtual window into their amazing full-scale practice in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Their goals included increasing new patient growth, while simultaneously achieving a higher return per patient. Hendersonville Eye Care started with our Media Service and after experiencing just 3 months of our exceptional customer service, web design, and a significant increase in new patients, they were happy to upgrade to our Dominator Service. Through our consistent efforts in search engine optimization and Google pay-per-click advertising they continue to see fantastic results and have obtained more than 130 new patients leads in the past 30 days! ii. Alpine Vision located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, have been with imatrix since March, 2015, and started with our Media level of Service. Since they began they have moved from Media to our Dominator Service and are now averaging 203 leads each month. Their website moved from the third page of Google s search results to the first, and is continuing to grow in a very competitive area of Colorado Springs. 2. Social Media a. Why is it important?

5 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 5 i. How many people are active on social media accounts? More than 1.9 billion people are active on various social media sites daily. Being present on various social media platforms dramatically increases your potential reach within the community. b. Facebook i. Used as a social search Thanks to the growing popularity of hashtags, more and more online users are using social media as a search tool than ever before. For example, online users could now search #optometry on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and see posts from friends and members of their community about visits, experiences and optometry resources in their area. You can use this to benefit your practice and reach prospective patients online. a. Involve yourself in trending topics. If a celebrity gets vision procedure, tweet, comment or connect with the story and be accessible to hundreds of new potential patients. c. Google+ i. Personalized results d. Twitter i. Tips for good Twitter posts Ask questions Highlight personalized photos, videos and posts Showcase patient testimonials Promote industry News e. YouTube i. Homepage videos are shown to increase conversion rates by 20% or more. ii. The average internet user spends 88% more time on a website with media. iii. Tips for good video content: Smile Get to your main points Keep it brief (1-2 minutes)

6 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 6 Be Professional 3. Maps a. People search based on proximity i. Update your name, address and phone number across all platforms so Google can locate and identify your practice when ranking you online. b. Mobile Tech i. In 2015, mobile search activity surpassed desktop search activity. Make sure your site is available on-thego and again, with an updated address so Google can accurately identify if a prospective patient is close to your practice when searching. Mobile and voice searches are changing the way people research local businesses. Now, for example, instead of typing, Optometrist Los Angeles, people are more likely to search for Where is the nearest optometrist? and Google will use their location to determine their location. 4. Reviews a. Why are they important for your business? i. The value of public perception and opinion According to a new survey conducted by Dimensional Research, an overwhelming 90% of respondents who recalled reading online reviews claimed that positive online reviews influenced buying decisions, while 86 percent said buying decisions were influenced by negative online reviews. ii. SEO value Online reviews are thought to make up nearly 10 percent of search engines, including Google s, ranking factors. Try to incorporate industry-specific keywords that is, keywords that an online user might type into a search query when trying to find the type of services you offer into your review responses. iii. Why Google values reviews and considers them when ranking your website

7 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 7 Search engines are in the business of providing online users with the most appropriate results based on their search query. This means that search engines take what consumers value highly into consideration when ranking local webpages. b. Where people post them i. 45% share bad customer service experiences and 30% share good customer service experiences via social media. Facebook Google+ Yelp c. Positive Reviews i. Why they matter 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. 72% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more. ii. Why you should monitor and respond to them Patients do not owe you online reviews, either positive or negative ones. Taking the time to acknowledge their opinion will, not only make the initial reviewer happy, but it will also show potential patients reading your online reviews that you are polite, professional and truly value your patients and their feedback. Plus, a one-star improvement on Yelp can translate to a 5- to 9-percent increase in revenue! iii. [Client Example] See and Be Seen Eyecare positive reviews, full appointment book! d. Negative Reviews i. Why they matter 86 percent of online consumers would like or love to hear from a company regarding a complaint or negative review ii. How to deal:

8 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 8 Solution to pollution is dilution. If you receive a negative review, pollute the waters with positive reviews and dilute the poor review/drive it down. Responding to negative reviews, how to: a. Breathe i. Try to respond to reviews objectively and take some time to formulate a concise response that will resolve the issue at hand, instead of adding fuel to the fire with an equally negative response. b. Review the Facts i. In the case that the complaint is not valid, respond with your side of the story and ask what you can do to resolve the situation. c. Be Brief i. If you or someone in your staff was in the wrong, apologize directly and publically to the reviews and recognize what you could have done differently. d. Respond on the Correct Platform i. Studies show that consumers prefer businesses respond to or contact them in the same place they posted their initial comment. (e.g. if someone leaves a review on Yelp, respond to them on the same site). e. Consider Comments as Free Research i. Make note of any problems or suggestions people mention and try to seem value in them. ii. Not all clients will tell you directly what they think you could improve, but online

9 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 9 reviews can offer a wealth of information that you and your staff can use to improve your patients overall experience. f. [Client example] well-crafted response and satisfied patient e. Reputation Builder Don t be blind-sided by negative reviews! i. Monitor your online reviews (how and why) With the Reputation Builder Notification System, you are notified any time someone leaves a review for your business on any of the most-respected third-party review sites. You can respond to reviews immediately, helping you cultivate a stellar online reputation that inspires word-of-mouth referrals and increases your number of new clients. ii. Gauge your current clients opinions and attitudes The Reputation Builder Survey Tool lets you to take the pulse of your current clients by allowing you to send satisfaction surveys to your current clients. iii. Encourage highly satisfied patients to leave positive reviews (and dilute any potential negative ones) When a client offers positive feedback on the aforementioned survey, the Survey Tool prompts them to leave a review on the most well-known third-party review sites, further enhancing your online reputation. *Note: don t bribe clientele 5. Directories a. What are they? i. Web directories list websites by category and subcategory. Instead of being established and ranked by web crawlers (like listings on a SERP), directories are managed by humans. Directories often allow website owners to submit and update their own site information. b. How will they help you get found online i. Establishing yourself on big and small directories that you know your patients are using, (e.g. Google+,

10 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 10 Facebook, Yelp, Bing and Yahoo), helps you build natural backlinks to your website, improve your online visibility and promote your practice to your local community. ii. *Remember, each directory has a different claim protocol. 6. Ads. a. What is paid advertising? i. With Google PPC advertising, advertisers place monetary bids on certain search terms, or keywords, such as eye exam and contact lenses. An advertiser must beat other advertisers competing bids to win ad placement. If the advertiser wins the bid, their ad appears on the right-hand side of the first Google search results page whenever an Internet user types in a search query that contains the keyword (or, sometimes, variations of the keyword). Unlike traditional forms of advertising PPC ads only require that the advertiser pay for the ad any time an Internet user clicks on it. b. How can it help your business? i. PPC ads are featured on the first page of Google s search results. ii. The advertiser has the ability to craft specific ad messaging that targets their ideal patients, including local patients, patients with urgent eye care needs who are ready to schedule an appointment immediately and more. Once the Internet user clicks on the ad, they are taken to a landing page on the advertiser s website. Successful landing pages work to convert visitors into patients through the use of a form field or phone number that the visitor can complete or call, respectively, to make an appointment or learn more about the advertiser s available services or product. iii. Successful PPC ad campaigns help practices see a dramatic increase in their number of new patient leads

11 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 11 iv. They also provide a measurable return on investment (ROI). a. This is because leads that come in through PPC ads can be directly attributed to the ad campaign, thanks to a call tracking phone number that is associated with each campaign. c. **Client example** How imatrix has helped The Eye Doctors grow their business. i. The Eye Doctors of Tampa, Florida, enlisted the help of imatrix in [date] to establish and manage their paid advertising campaigns. ii. The Eye Doctors determined a PPC advertising budget, and a team of Google AdWords Certified account managers at imatrix took it from there. iii. By diversifying the Eye Doctors PPC ad campaigns through the use of a wide variety of keywords, such as eye doctors, eye doctor near me, eye care and eye exams, imatrix created a successful PPC ad strategy that drove 124 new patients leads to the Florida practice in August 2015 alone. iv. Kevin Whaley, the Eye Doctors practice manager, agrees. Sometimes, it is hard to know what the value of certain marketing efforts is because the results are not instantaneous and are hard to attribute to our various marketing campaigns. However, with pay-per-click advertising, the ROI is quick, and easy to calculate, says Whaley. 2. Entice Online Visitors (about 6 minutes) a. Use tools to demonstrate why YOUR practice should be the one for them/introduce online visitors to practice b. Modern, Mobile-Responsive Design c. Photos i. [Client example] Highly personalized and successful client site d. istore/frame Selector i. Make picking up the latest products (that you believe in) simple and easy and accessible with an online store.

12 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 12 e. Promotions (Get clients in a buying state-of-mind) i. Make them timely (e.g. holiday specials, yearend deals, flash sales) ii. Keep it simple iii. Be engaging f. Testimonials i. Offer patient testimonials on your site to share the success of your practice and capabilities directly with prospective online patients. 3. Convert Online Visitors Into Higher-Paying Patients (about 6 minutes) a. Client Intro Videos (#1 Conversion Tool) i. 88 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. ii. Personalize it. iii. [Client example] Sophie s Story b. Calls to Action i. Guide online visitors to contact you, schedule an appointment, whatever action you want them to take after visiting your website by writing compelling, direct calls to action. Such as: 1. Request an Appointment a. Make your vision a priority and request an appointment today. 2. Phone Number c. Streamline the Intake Process (& cut costs!) i. Imbedded maps for GPS in every footer 1. Doing so makes it simple for on-the-go patients to navigate directly to your office doors from your website. ii. iforms Make becoming a patient of yours easier than ever by offering online forms to prospective patients. Let them request an appointment or complete initial paperwork online so their visit promises to be as quick and smooth as possible. You ll cut transaction cost and save more time to shop! 4. Retain Current Patients (about 6 minutes) It can cost between 5-25 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain a current one. a. Outreach Tools i. icards Offer personalized reminders, congratulations and holiday greetings to show you are constantly thinking and caring about your patients. b. Newsletters Establish yourself as a resource for your patients c. Social Media Connect with your local community online/show your followers that you appreciate them and appreciate their opinions + patronage. d. Reputation Builder Survey Tool (as mentioned previously)

13 T O A P r e s e n t a t i o n O u t l i n e 13 i. The Reputation Builder Survey Tool lets you to take the pulse of your current clients by allowing you to send satisfaction surveys to your current clients. Use these surveys to address concerns or problems patients have experienced within your practice and right them for the future. 5. Network (about 6 minutes) a. Contact Database i. Always keep your contact database up-to-date so you can connect with all your patients as frequently as possible. b. Social Media i. Connect with your local community. People trust businesses they see friends or followers are connected with. ii. Connect with other local businesses and happenings to establish yourself as a strong member of the community (people will be more inclined to think of you when considering a service provider) c. Colleagues i. Establish yourself as a trusted referral within your professional community d. Increasing Word of Mouth i. Word of mouth still reigns when it comes to direct referrals. Focus on satisfying your current patients and encourage them to share your services with their friends, families and coworkers. Resources:

Getting the most from your website.

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