BV_2009_09
1
Summer 2009 Marketing Your Practice in an Online World By Shelly Rager, www.healthcarewebimage.com With summer in full swing and kick offs around the corner, we are pleased to announce that 2010 Symposium brochures are scheduled to be mailed in August. Registration for “Conquering the Challenges of Everyday Dentistry – The Tricks of the Trade” opens to all Seattle Study Club members Septem- ber 1st. The 2010 Symposium will take place in Scottsdale, Arizona, January 25-30, where we will shift our focus from the clinical “ideal” to the practical “real.” We asked our speakers to develop their presentations around the little things that make their lives easier when faced with everyday chairside chal- lenges. What are the “tricks” they have learned over the years that help lower stress levels and make accomplishing treatment planning goals or perform- ing particular procedures easier? Basic dental procedures aside, there is always the opportunity to learn something new to facilitate how treatment is delivered on a daily basis. This year’s clinical lineup includes Drs. Maurice Salama, Anthony Sclar, Carl Misch and Stefano Gracis, to name a few. Rooms at the Phoenician Scottsdale are going fast, so please reserve your room by calling the hotel at 480-941- 8200. Mention you are with the Seattle Study Club to receive the discounted rate. We are looking forward to sharing this incredible program with you. See you in Scottsdale! 2010 SSC Symposium Basics By Shaida Ghomi Marketing. It’s a hot topic, especially in the present economy. Everyone talks about how to market, but how many of us actually market effectively? As more consumers move online to find immediate information about products and services, those of us in the dental community recognize that having an easy to find, effective web site is impera- tive. Dentists with well optimized, easy to navigate sites quickly gain a competitive advantage over their competition. In order to capture the attention of new patients you must provide the information they want when they are looking for it, not just when your office is open. Your site must deliver information in a concise and helpful manner. It should reflect all of the values your practice embodies and ex- tend the spirit of service you have worked so hard to create. Remember, many dentists have a web site, but if it does not offer what patients are looking for, they move on to the next dentist’s site. Building a high-function web site is probably not as hard as you think. Today, we live in the era of web 2.0. This new generation of web really consists of two simple criteria. First, your web site should be found easily through Google, Yahoo, or MSN search engines. Second, it should be easy to use. Great advice, but you might be wonder- ing how someone who spends all day in an operatory knows how to create a highly effective site? You probably cannot do it all on your own, but here are some key terms to know and ask about: • SEO stands for Search Engine Opti- mization. SEO programming helps users find your site. • HTML is the web design standard programming language. With an HTML site navigation, information is laid out in a clear and simple way. Most users prefer finding information that is HTML based. • Flash, animation and music are all web site features that can make a site look extra fancy, but can cut down on its effectiveness. We recommend leaving out the bells and whistles for now. Ultimately, web trends are following gen- eral societal trends. Web is moving away from an era of conspicuous consumption and into an era of considered consump- tion, where information is presented in a simple straightforward manner with some elegant visual imagery. Based on 10 years of research, we can report that when looking online for healthcare providers, patients must be impressed by three key areas of your web site: • Overall aesthetics of your site • Before-and-after gallery • Your profile/biography with picture If a patient is comfortable with the atmo- sphere you present online, can relate to before and after images, and feels confi- dent in your ability as a clinician, then he or she is far more likely to appoint with your practice. In America over 75 percent of small businesses have a web site. We consider dental practices small businesses and believe that having the right web pres- ence is an essential component of a healthy marketing program. With modern web options, creating a site is less costly than it used to be and the process can often be expedited if you are willing to keep it simple.
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Marketing Your Practice in an Online World By Shelly Rager, www.healthcarewebimage.com By Shaida Ghomi
Transcript of BV_2009_09
Summer 2009
Marketing Your Practice in an Online World By Shelly Rager, www.healthcarewebimage.com
With summer in full swing and kick offs around the corner, we are pleased to announce that 2010 Symposium brochures are scheduled to be mailed in August. Registration for “Conquering the Challenges of Everyday Dentistry – The Tricks of the Trade” opens to all Seattle Study Club members Septem-ber 1st. The 2010 Symposium will take place in Scottsdale, Arizona, January 25-30, where we will shift our focus from the clinical “ideal” to the practical “real.” We asked our speakers to develop
their presentations around the little things that make their lives easier when faced with everyday chairside chal-lenges. What are the “tricks” they have learned over the years that help lower stress levels and make accomplishing treatment planning goals or perform-ing particular procedures easier? Basic dental procedures aside, there is always the opportunity to learn something new to facilitate how treatment is delivered on a daily basis. This year’s clinical lineup includes Drs. Maurice Salama, Anthony Sclar, Carl Misch and Stefano Gracis, to name a few. Rooms at the Phoenician Scottsdale
are going fast, so please reserve your room by calling the hotel at 480-941-8200. Mention you are with the Seattle Study Club to receive the discounted rate. We are looking forward to sharing this incredible program with you. See you in Scottsdale!
2010 SSCSymposium Basics
By Shaida Ghomi Marketing. It’s a hot topic, especially in the present economy. Everyone talks about how to market, but how many of us actually market effectively? As more consumers move online to find
immediate information about products and services, those of us in the dental community recognize that having an easy to find, effective web site is impera-tive. Dentists with well optimized, easy to navigate sites quickly gain a competitive advantage over their competition. In order to capture the attention of new
patients you must provide the information they want when they are looking for it, not just when your office is open. Your site must deliver information in a concise and helpful manner. It should reflect all of the values your practice embodies and ex-tend the spirit of service you have worked so hard to create. Remember, many dentists have a web site, but if it does not offer what patients are looking for, they move on to the next dentist’s site.Building a high-function web site is
probably not as hard as you think. Today, we live in the era of web 2.0. This new generation of web really consists of two simple criteria. First, your web site should be found easily through Google, Yahoo, or MSN search engines. Second, it should be easy to use. Great advice, but you might be wonder-
ing how someone who spends all day in an operatory knows how to create a highly effective site? You probably cannot do it all on your own, but here are some key terms to know and ask about: • SEO stands for Search Engine Opti-
mization. SEO programming helps users find your site.
• HTML is the web design standard programming language. With an HTML site navigation, information is laid out in a clear and simple way. Most users prefer finding information that is HTML based.• Flash, animation and music are all
web site features that can make a site look extra fancy, but can cut down on its effectiveness. We recommend leaving out the bells and whistles for now.Ultimately, web trends are following gen-
eral societal trends. Web is moving away from an era of conspicuous consumption and into an era of considered consump-tion, where information is presented in a simple straightforward manner with some elegant visual imagery.Based on 10 years of research, we
can report that when looking online for healthcare providers, patients must be impressed by three key areas of your web site: • Overall aesthetics of your site• Before-and-after gallery• Your profile/biography with pictureIf a patient is comfortable with the atmo-
sphere you present online, can relate to before and after images, and feels confi-dent in your ability as a clinician, then he or she is far more likely to appoint with your practice. In America over 75 percent of small
businesses have a web site. We consider dental practices small businesses and believe that having the right web pres-ence is an essential component of a healthy marketing program. With modern web options, creating a site is less costly than it used to be and the process can often be expedited if you are willing to keep it simple.
