Lasik Web Marketing

If you are like most ophthalmologists, you probably assume that you own your practice’s domain name. (A domain name is a website address – e.g., www.mypractice.com.) Obviously, you should own your own domain name, but sometimes your webmaster will have registered it in the webmaster’s name. While this is usually not a problem, sometimes it can become one if you have a falling out with the webmaster and decide to have another website marketing firm handle your practice’s internet marketing.

Following are two things to consider in connection with your domain name:

· Check your registrar account. Go to a registrar like Network Solutions, GoDaddy, or Registar.com. Each of these registrars offer a “Who Is” search that will allow you to see how your account is set up. You or your practice should be listed as the “Registrant.” It is OK for your webmaster to be listed as the Admin, billing or technical contact. If you are the registrant, you will ultimately be able to control the account by faxing instructions to your registrar on your letterhead even if you have a falling out with your webmaster.

· Know your Registrar Account’s login and password. I can’t tell you how many times we have tried to transfer a client’s website and the client does not know the login and password for his registrar account. Without that information, we can’t point the domain to our webserver.

Another idea would be to get a letter from your webmaster early on confirming that you – and not the webmaster – own your domain name. Do this while you are on good terms with the webmaster and it may avoid a problem down the road.

If you have a falling out with your webmaster and your webmaster decides to play “hardball”, one tactic we have seen used is to claim that the webmaster – and not you or the practice – owns your domain name. Usually, they back off, but not always. Sometimes you need to get control of it through the registrar and that process is a whole lot easier if you are listed as the registrant. Otherwise, the webmaster can claim that it was just subleasing you the domain.

In a similar vein, make sure you own your website design and content. But that story will be told in another posting.

Dan Goldstein
Page 1 Solutions

In an effort to help our clients stay motivated and on top of their blogs, I have came across a tidbit of information that might help.

One of the reasons that blogs get pushed aside is due to writer’s block. We’ve all had it – we know we need to write something, we sit in front of the computer, type a few lines out, delete it, type a few more lines, delete it, and then walk away from the computer feeling frustrated because we have nothing to write about. Being in your chosen profession, there are ALWAYS things to write about. The industry is constantly changing and there is news about it every day. Yet, when it comes to writing it all down, our brain just shuts down.

One tip is to develop a place where you can jot down ideas as they pop into your head. Maybe it’s a small notebook that you carry with you all the time. Maybe it’s a folder on your desktop and inside it, you keep a Word doc with strings of ideas. Whatever works for you! Even if you aren’t going to post that day, whenever you have an idea pop into your head or hear an interesting bit of news, write it down. That way you can have a stockpile of topics ready to go when you are. Then, whenever you are ready to write a blog, you can just dig into your magic hat and pull out a great topic.

Hopefully this small tip will help you in your quest for eternal blogging power. If you have any other questions about blogging or need help figuring something out, please don’t hesitate to contact your account manager.

Jessica Espinoza
Sales and Marketing Assistant
www.page1solutions.com

Yes, this is another blog about blogging. While I’m sure you are aware of the value of blogging, many people find it hard to maintain a “blogging schedule.” This is the most important thing you can do when it comes to getting good results from your blog. You MUST update your blog regularly!

I know how it is (I’ve been there and I am guilty of it!) – you set up a new blog, get really excited about it, post some great entries a few times, and then the newness wears off. Other important things come up and blogging get pushed onto the back burner. Well, I am here to say that we have to keep posting, even if we feel we’re too busy to do it. You get no benefit to your website if your blog just sits there.

The best advice that I can give you on how to maintain your blog, is to make posting in it part of your schedule. We would love to see you post in it at least twice a week, but if you can do more, that’s even better (we’ve seen great results for client’s who post 3-4 times a week). Figure out a time when you have a few minutes to yourself and designate that as “blogging time.” It could be every morning after you get your cup of coffee, every other day right before lunch, or once a week on a quiet Saturday morning. Whatever works for you, but you have to be consistent. Believe me, it won’t take long to reap the benefits! Not only will the search engines love it, but your readers will too. If people see that your blog consistently has new information in it, they will continue to return to it to get the latest news!

The thought of all this writing may be overwhelming at first, but it will get easier as time goes on. If you have any questions about blogging, please don’t hesitate to contact your Account Manager!

Jessica Espinoza
Sales and Marketing Assistant
Page 1 Solutions

So your LASIK website is up and live, your search engine optimization is kicking in, and you started receiving emails. Now what? It’s surprising how little thought is put into the follow up to the initial email lead. You’ve spent all this money getting people to your website, money on creating a website and money convincing people to email you, only to follow up an email lead with something like this:

Call our office to schedule an appointment

Signed,
Dr. Joe

You may think this is all that’s needed, but what’s differentiating you from the three other LASIK surgeons this potential LASIK patient has contacted who are undoubtedly doing the exact same thing? If it takes you longer than six hours to respond to the email lead, does the lead even remember who you are? The answer is most likely not. In the end, you’re wasting the opportunity to develop a relationship with a potential patient by not giving him what he wants.

For instance, the email lead references difficulty reading because of presbyopia. If you respond with the type of email above you aren’t answering any of the questions your potential patient is asking. Not only that, but it comes across as an uncaring and dismissive response to there genuine inquiry. These people have decided to look into improving their vision and in turn their lives. Speak to that, make them feel like you are responding to their individual concerns.

A good way of doing this is with a detailed and informative email response with links back to your website. The potential patient will remember your website and create the visual connection between Dr. Joe and your website. That’s step one in cementing the relationship. Step 2 is including links to specific pages within your website that cover the issue presented by the lead. Send them a link to your LASIK Surgery FAQ page, or to your page of testimonials – if they asked about presbyopia treatment, send them to a page about that. It might not be the exact information they need, but at least you are creating the desire to learn more and contact you over the phone.

A good follow up email should look like this:

Dear First name.

Thanks for visiting our website, www.yourpractice.com, and requesting information regarding LASIK surgery.

The best way for us to help is to schedule a no risk consultation. Simply call us at 555-5555.

In the meantime, feel free to get more information about frequently asked LASIK questions (include link to page), or read our list of testimonials from patients of our practice (include link to testimonial page). This will help prepare for your consultation.

Feel free to also learn more about us and our ability to serve you (include link to your “meet the team” page).

We look forward to hearing from you and taking a closer look at how we can help you with your eye care needs.

Sincerely,
Dr. Joe
www.yourpractice.com
555-5555
Address

Your email response now has four or five links back to your website. The response can be tailored very simply to whatever type of lead you receive, just insert the appropriate links. As a result you will help create the visual connection between your name, email and website, branding your practice through emails. In addition, your response will not seem manufactured or trite, because it isn’t. Above all, you will be differentiating yourself in ways your competition has not even thought of. If five doctors respond similar to the first email and one responded with the detailed message, what first impression does that send to your lead?

Also, remember that it is not enough to just respond by email. If the prospective patient inquiry includes a phone number – ALWAYS call. And, until you have communicated with the patient at least five times (or the patient has scheduled surgery or told you to stop), keep following up. Here at Page 1, we have a great program called Virtual Counselor that allows our clients to automatically follow up with a series of personalized emails without tying up your staff’s time.

Aaron Gerblich
Account Manager
Page1Solutions