A local listing is very important to any business looking to make a strong presence on the world wide web. There are lots of different things you can do to enhance your listing to make it even more prominent than your competitors’ listings! Here we’ll demonstrate, using a few different LASIK offices, some basic things you can do to make sure you have a strong local presence.
- Have a great Google local listing. With Google being the most prominent search engine, having a strong Google local listing is like taking the first step by putting your best foot forward. There are different things about your listing that you can customize to make it the best. Dr. Khanna, of the Khanna Institute of LASIK and Refractive Surgery, has done a great job of including details such as images, videos, relevant categories, and a detailed description.
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- Add your local listing to other great local sites! Once you’ve gotten your Google Local listing set up, start building your listing by adding your business to other great local sites like YellowPages.com, CitySearch.com, Yelp.com, and GetFave.com. In addition to their listing on SuperPages.com, Katzen Eye Group also found listings specific to their field on Vitals.com and RateMDs.com! These specific listings are really helpful, because it shows search engines like Google that you are more relevant to medical terms like LASIK and laser eye surgery.
- Get your address listed on sites that are local and/or relevant to your practice. All that search engines need to see on a website to identify you to their local listing is an address. That means that if they see your address on a friend’s website, they’ll recognize it and add that reference under the “Web Pages” section of your local listing. Sending out online press releases or doing guest blog entries with your address is a great way to spread your address! Here are some great listings that Hummel Eye Center got just by adding their address!
There have been some great topics coming out of the ophthalmology world lately. Here are some of our favorite recent blog entries from LASIK and vision correction surgeons across the nation!
- Healthy Thanksgiving Foods for Your Eyes by Clearview Eye and Laser Medical Center in San Diego, California. Those thanksgiving leftovers might have more value than you thought! Learn which ones are the healthiest for your eyes and why.
- Patient Testimonial – Wendy S. by Griffin & Reed Eye Care in Sacramento, California. We love to see it when LASIK centers get great reviews. Here’s a new one for this center from a woman whose entire family loves Griffin & Reed!
- What is LASEK? by Carter Eye Center in Dallas, Texas. This is a time-and-again asked question for ophthalmologists. Learn all about this LASIK alternative and how it might be the perfect fit for your vision needs!
- Diabetic Retinopathy by Gailey Eye Clinic in Bloomington, Illinois. Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that effects the ability of the eye to see through the retina. If you are a diabetic, you will definitely want to read this article!
- Latisse by Laser Eye Center of Silicon Valley in San Francisco, California. Latisse is an easy to use treatment by Allergan that may help you grow longer, fuller eyelashes!
Building a social media campaign is a great way to build your brand and connect with your customers in a very real and intimate way. For LASIK surgeons, a social media campaign can be a great way to explore your market, uncover demands and showcase your successes! Here are a few LASIK surgeons that have developed a very effective social media campaign of their own.
- Facebook – NEI Vision’s Fan Page on Facebook is perfectly targeted to really promote their abilities. They include great promotions and information on financing, as well as customer testimonials. This makes them seem very financially understanding and flexible to the public.
- Twitter – NEI Vision’s Twitter account allows them to communicate quickly and easily with the public, so they can answer any questions on their discounts or financing.
- Blogger – NEI Vision’s blog on Blogger is a great way for them to write more detailed information for the public on any topic. A blog is a great way for the staff of a LASIK clinic to really show their smarts to the public and talk about relevant, timely topics.
- Facebook – Visual Freedom’s Fan Page on Facebook is full of great updates on what the center has been up to, what discounts they are currently offering. They do a great job of balancing this information with photos of the office and links to their website, allowing potential patients to really get a feel for what this center is like.
- Twitter - Visual Freedom’s Twitter account allows you to communicate directly with Dr. Mark Golden, MD, from the vision correction center. On this account, he can post updates about the clinic, answer questions about LASIK, and help potential customers discover whether or not they truly need LASIK surgery.
- YouTube – Visual Freedom’s YouTube channel is stocked with videos of real patients’ experiences, allowing potential patients to “talk” to former patients! What a great way for someone to become familiar with Visual Freedom! Here you can watch TV and internet personality Carrie Milbank’s LASIK experience:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm3HeBJRkLM]
- Facebook – Clearview Eye’s Fan Page on Facebook hosts a great array of patient stories and videos that really allows the reader to learn more about the center and their technologies.
- Blogger - Clearview Eye’s Blog, powered by Blogger, allows them to keep up-to-date on the latest technologies and discuss the use of those technologies in their center. This helps to reassure potential patients that they are receiving only the most cutting-edge technology.
- YouTube – Clearview Eye’s YouTube channel houses their patient testimonial and experience videos, which demonstrate to the viewer that getting vision correction at this procedure is an easy, relaxing experience! Here is a fun, recent video from the center:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0L-PNbJyfM]
LinkedIn can be a great place for eye care professionals to connect with one another, as well as potential patients. The following is a short list of groups that I think are beneficial for ophthalmologists to participate in:
Think I missed a good one? Let me know and I’ll add it to the list!
There are a lot of exciting developments in the world of ophthalmology. Here is a glimpse of what’s been happening, from some of our favorite laser vision correction surgeons!
- Eye Operation Results by Cherry Creek Eye Physicians and Surgeons in Denver, Colorado. One patient’s testimonial about their vision correction experience in this Denver facility.
- What Do You Want in an Eye Doctor? by Bellevue LASIK & Cornea in Seattle, Washington. This blog entry might help you fine-tune your needs for a vision correction specialist.
- An Invitation to Enter the “You’ve Gotta See This!” Contest by Clearview Eye and Laser Medical Center in San Diego, California. A fun video contest by Clearview Eye that you’ve simply gotta see!
- Who is a Good LASIK Candidate? by Hummel Eye Associates in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Could you be a candidate for LASIK vision correction surgery? This article might help you find out.
- Visian ICL by Carter Eye Center in Dallas, Texas. This Dallas vision correction center accurately describes a vision correction lens that can correct myopic vision!
Here are some of our favorite blog entries posted by ophthalmologists across the nation!
- LASIK Misconceptions by Hummel Eye Associates in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Some common misconceptions about LASIK eye surgery.
- Epi-LASIK Helps Us Extend Care to More Patients by Bellevue LASIK & Cornea in Seattle, Washington. Learn about how the different blade used by Epi-LASIK allows more patients to see clearly!
- Multifocal Lens Replacement by Cherry Creek Eye Physicians and Surgeons, P.C. in Denver, Colorado. Read the testimonial of a pilot in the Denver area who was very pleased with the results of his vision correction surgery.
- The ReStor Lens by Clearview Eye and Laser Medical Center in San Diego, California. What is the ReStor Lens, and when would an ophthalmologist use it? This blog entry answers your questions about this vision correction procedure!
- Near Vision Presbyopia by Gailey Eye Clinic in Bloomington, Illinois. If you suffer from blurred vision causing difficulty when reading, there are some options to give you back your vision!
I want to apologize for any of our followers that received spammy direct messages from our Twitter account today. About three hours ago I realized that our account (@LASIK_Web_Mktg) had been hacked into.
The hacker sent messages out such as: “I make money online with Google” and “I made $426.23 today” with links to malware sites attached. Whoever it was sent out about 60 messages within minutes, then left without a trace.
So what are the steps to follow if your Twitter account is hacked?
Immediately log-in to your account and change the password. If the hacker changed your password so you cannot log-in, be sure to notify Twitter. Assuming that you were able to get in, check to make sure that the hacker did not change your e-mail address (under Settings).
Now, report the situation to Twittter. I personally, think the easiest way is to direct message @Spam with the details. For example, I sent them the following:
DM @Spam: My account has been hacked. I’ve changed the password. Here is the link that the spammer is sending people to: (link here).
Although I was not able to direct Twitter to the person who had hacked my account, I was able to make them aware that the site was clearly not safe. If you try to tweet the link to the site now, you will get a message from Twitter that says “Oops! Your tweet contained a link to a known malware site!” and will not post.
If you have any further questions about what to do if your Twitter account is hacked, please feel free to leave a comment. Otherwise, happy Tweeting!
