If you’re a frequent reader of our blog, you’ll already know that we’re urging medical practices to go mobile. As more people are using the mobile web to search for medical information, your potential patients are likely to find your website using their smartphone or tablet. Ensuring that patients do come across your site in mobile searches, and that they land on a user-friendly version of your site is crucial in making sure you’re not deterring your mobile audience.

Here are 5 ways to promote your practice to your mobile audience:

Mobile Site—Full mobile sites ensure that potential patients who come across your site on their smartphone or tablet will view your site exactly how it appears on the web. The only difference is that images, navigation and sizing will be optimized for viewing on their mobile device.

Often, if a website is not optimized for the mobile web, it can be unappealing and difficult to navigate. This can cause viewers to immediately leave your site and visit a competitor’s.

Mobile ads—As you may know, Search Engine Marketing, or Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns, help guarantee placement for your website in search engines for highly-targeted audiences and searches. Recently, these capabilities have translated over to the mobile web. Now, when potential patients use mobile search engines to look for your services, their location, demographics, previous searches and even prior social communication has an impact on their search results.

This will help put your website in front of a highly-targeted group, increasing the chances those clicks convert to patients!

Social media— If your practice isn’t active on social networks, it’s missing a huge opportunity to connect with patients. In addition, 45% of all Facebook traffic and 55% of all Twitter traffic is mobile. This means that links you’re sharing on social networks are being viewed on mobile devices. If you’re sharing links to your site or your blog, make sure they are mobile-friendly.

Check-ins— A great way to motivate patients to visit your practice is by allowing them to “check in” for specials or promotions. Visitors can check-in using Facebook, or Foursquare. When patients check-in, it will be shared with their entire social network, therefore spreading the word about your practice, your services and your special offers.

Texting patients—Texting your patients with important information, such as appointment reminders, is another great way to utilize the convenience of mobile technology. And, it’s been proven to increase patient compliance.

Promoting your practice to your mobile audience will open your doors to highly-targeted potential patients. Mobile is the new way of the web; make sure your practice is found!

Not sure where to start? Let MedNet help!

We offer a variety of services to help boost your mobile presence and reach your mobile audience. From full mobile sites to social networking packages, we have something for your practice! Contact a MedNet representative to get started.

It’s no secret that the mobile web is growing. It seems impossible to go out in public without spotting someone staring or plugging away at a smartphone. What many may not realize is just how powerful the mobile web is actually becoming. With more and more people accessing the Internet from their phones, websites that aren’t optimized for mobile may become lost in the fold. To bring to light just how big this phenomenon is, here are some of the most revealing facts about the mobile web.

5 Eye-Opening Facts about the Mobile Web

1. Most Facebook members visit the site with a mobile device. In a recent report from Facebook, it was revealed that there were 680 million mobile monthly active users as of the end of December 2012, signaling a 57% jump from the previous year. Additionally, the social media giant announced that mobile active users exceeded those visiting from computers for the first time in its history.
2. Two thirds of consumers are choosing smartphones. With an increasing number of people turning to smartphones, the mobile web is becoming more popular than ever. As more and more start using phones with Internet browsing capabilities, websites will need to adapt to stay current.
3. Mobile traffic accounts for nearly 13% of all web traffic. While 13% may not seem like a lot, this number was only 1% in 2009. It grew to 4% in 2010, and finally hit 13% in November of 2012. Those who haven’t optimized their sites for mobile use may be missing out on this key, growing audience.
4. Mobile searches have grown 400% since 2010. Smartphones and tablets allow users to have instant access to information. Instead of having to wait until they’re near a computer to do a web search, they can simply pull their phone out and get the information they need. Having a mobile site allows users to more easily explore your practice, without having to painstakingly navigate a site designed for much larger screens.
5. 57% of people won’t recommend a business with a bad mobile site. Websites are typically designed to fit onto a large computer screen, not a small smartphone. So what happens when users try to access these sites on their phones? They’re constantly zooming in and trying to navigate an unnecessarily clunky interface. A sleek mobile website helps users navigate your site with ease – and potentially recommend your services to someone else.

Ready to Go Mobile? Let MedNet Help!

We offer a number of services to help grow your mobile presence and target your mobile audience. From full mobile sites to social networking packages, we have something for your practice! Contact a MedNet representative today to get started.

When it comes to blogging, good information should always be your number-one priority. In essence, you are indirectly marketing your practice by offering your knowledge and experience. While the majority of a blog article should not focus on pushing your services directly, at some point, you do want to remind readers that you have something more to offer. The best way to incorporate this is with a “call to action.” You can think of a call to action as a logical “next step” in getting in touch with your practice. And, it’s the best kept secret in converting website visitors to patients.

Use Our Blog Writing Service

Posting regularly to your blog can be one of the best ways to increase visibility, market yourself cost-effectively and keep people coming back to your site. But, if you don’t have the time, or aren’t comfortable writing, MedNet will do it for you. Our Blog Article Writing service offers four article writing plans, allowing you to choose the level of service that best suits your needs. Contact a MedNet Representative today and find out what this service can do for you.

For those who maintain a presence on Facebook, you may have noticed that they have been rolling out some new features and updates in the past few weeks. Most notable is the News Feed’s redesign, but there are a number of other changes you should be aware of to help make the most of your social media efforts. Let’s take a look at some of the new features and how you can use them to your advantage.

Check out Facebook’s new features!

• Targeted ads in News Feed. Typically, Facebook’s targeted ads appear on the right side of the page, but they’re slowly unveiling a new feature which puts them right on your News Feed. They’ll appear amongst updates from friends, brands, and more, directly in the line of sight of anyone browsing their feed. While this feature is currently in test mode for a select group of users, be sure to be sure to keep this in mind as the News Feed is prime real estate for ads.
  

• Ability to reply to comments. Facilitating conversation is an important tool in keeping your Facebook fans active and engaged, but sometimes the comments section can get a little messy. Facebook has now added a ‘Reply’ button, allowing for organized, threaded comments that can help you create conversation or address any comments or concerns your fans may have.


Source: Facebook.com

• Graph search. Some have complained about Facebook’s search function, as the results can sometimes be less than stellar. They’re attempting to rectify this with Graph Search, a new function allowing you to search for people based on interests, location, and a number of other factors. This tool is great for medical practices, as people can easily search for a doctor based on their location and specialties — so make sure your Facebook is up to date!


Source: Facebook.com

• Redesigned News Feed. With a number of redesigns under their belt, Facebook is preparing to release the newest look for your feed. Boasting a sleek, image-based display, it’s described as a “personal newspaper” in which people will have greater control over the content that appears in their feed. To make sure you continue showing up in the News Feeds of your fans, make sure you’re consistently posting interesting content!

Need Help Managing Your Social Media Presence? We Can Help!

If you’re unsure how to properly manage your presence on Facebook or other social media platforms, let MedNet help! We will plan an execute a social media strategy catered to your individual wants and needs. Contact a MedNet representative today to learn more.

Despite what some folks are saying, email is NOT dead—nor is social media replacing email. In fact, email is still considered one of the most powerful—and cost efficient—online marketing strategies today. And, if used together, email and social media marketing can work to build a loyal and interactive network that will foster patient communication, establish trusting relationships and build a vast referral network. Sounds great, right? First, you must know that there is a reasonable amount of effort involved!

Here are 3 ways to get started:

1. Reach out to your network: Having trouble establishing a social media following? Send out an email to your network. Who better to turn to than those who already know and support your practice? Colleagues, patients, family and friends are a great start! But, make sure you add value. Instead of asking them to Like your Facebook Page and follow your Twitter account, share what’s in it for them! What will your status updates provide them? What can they get from your Page that they can’t get anywhere else?

   Perhaps you plan to provide exclusives offers and news to your social networks. Tell them they’ll be the first to know!

2. Add social icons to your subscription form: Make it easy to find your social media links by putting them on your email subscription page. If patients are interested enough to opt-in to your email blasts, chances are they’d be glad to follow your social networks!
3. Add social icons to your email signature as an additional call to action: Use every email you send as marketing opportunity! Add social icons to your personal accounts as an additional call–to-action under your email signature. Also, be sure to integrate icons into any email marketing blasts you send.

Social Media and Email Marketing for Doctors

Social media and email marketing complement each other well. These are just three easy ways to get you started! Don’t have time to plan? Let MedNet help—from email and social media marketing, to search engine optimization and search engine marketing, we specialize in marketing healthcare practices online! Contact us for more information.

Recently, Forbes.com published a fantastic article on the topic of Social Media Marketing. Offering advice for turning clients into “Brand Advocates,” the article reminds us that, “Highly-satisfied customers are a secret marketing weapon for companies, whether they are retailers, manufacturers or in the service industry.”

• “Turn advocates into content creating machines.” When patients are happy, they are more than willing to share their experiences with others – if they’re pointed in the right direction. Make sure you’re giving your satisfied patients opportunities to talk about your practice. For instance, you can ask them to review your practice online or you can ask them for a testimonial for your website.
• “Leverage content.” As Forbes explains, “Advocate-generated content is digital gold. Don’t keep this treasure buried in your backyard.” Be sure you’re syndicating content to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and your practice website! It doesn’t cost you anything, and it increases your reach and amplitude.
• “Keep advocacy authentic.” “…Studies show prospects are actually less likely to buy the recommended product if they learn that the recommender was given an incentive.” Be sure your reviews and recommendations are being generated organically. It will help your credibility and make the content more impactful.

Medical Social Media Management

Don’t have time to manage your social media efforts? Let MedNet help! We’ll plan and execute a cohesive social media strategy for your practice and get potential patients talking! Contact a MedNet Representative to learn more.

A recent report conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project revealed some interesting statistics regarding demographics and social media usage. Perhaps unsurprisingly, young adults aged 18 to 29 are the most active users of social media, while women are more active than men on every social network except Twitter.

The study, conducted via phone interviews in late 2012, also reveals that Facebook is the most popular of all the social networks, immediately followed by Twitter and Pinterest. So how can we use these statistics to our advantage? Well, they help us to understand our audience — the people we are trying to reach out to! By knowing what demographics are most active on what social networks, we can build a more focused social media strategy.

Tips on How to Cater Your Social Media Presence to the Platform

• Facebook: Out of all internet users polled, 67% reported maintaining a Facebook account, with the largest demographic being women between the ages of 18-29. While women are statistically more active, it’s only by a margin of 10% so avoid trying to cater specifically to them. Instead, focus on building conversations with thoughtful, fun, and insightful updates.

• Twitter: 16% of internet users are on Twitter, doubling the amount of users from November 2010. With only a slightly larger male audience, Twitter maintains an exceptionally diverse group of users. Like Facebook, be sure to keep posts broad and relatable.
• Pinterest: Essentially an internet pinboard, Pinterest has claimed 15% of internet users with women under 50 being the most prominent demographic. Since 5 times more women use Pinterest than men, you can pin images that speak more to your female clientele. Pinterest is image-based, so it’s important to post or pin images that are eye-catching and will get users interested in your practice.
• Instagram: Another solely image-based social network, Instagram currently has 13% of internet users on board, with the majority of users aged 18-29. Try and create images that are hip and compelling, capturing interesting moments that happen around the office or anything that you feel will tell a story for your followers. Like many other sites, you can add hashtags to your images to help people find your practice.
• Tumblr: With 6% of the internet’s population, it’s likely that this blog website is still growing. Most of the users are young, with 13% of 18-29 year olds reporting using the service. While it’s a blog, it also allows you to ‘reblog’, or re-post a post you find interesting. Reblog content that is relevant to your practice, but also make sure you’re posting your own content and creating posts that are readable and interesting to a younger audience.

Let MedNet Build Your Social Media Presence

Not sure how to go about creating your practice’s social media presence or just don’t have the time to do it on your own? Let MedNet help! Contact a MedNet Representative to learn more about we can plan and execute a customized social media strategy for you.

If you’re looking into website options for your healthcare practice, you may have come across the term Content Management System (CMS) in your search. Not sure what it means? A Content Management System (CMS) is a system that allows you to publish, edit and modify website content all without having to touch your website’s code.

With a Content Management System (CMS) You Can:

• Control Your Own Content: Consider a CMS a simple and affordable way for your practice to take control of the content that is presented on your website. Make countless changes to website content through a series of simple steps that do not require any knowledge of website programming! This includes, adding pages, changing copy and adding images without having to contact your web company! Log in to your CMS from any computer, make changes and publish whenever you are ready!
• Grow Your Site: Another huge advantage of a CMS is the ability to grow your site at your own convenience. The size of your site is an important factor to your websites Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The bigger, the better! And again, your CMS gives you the option to add pages without having to contact your website company.
• Stay Current: Search engines LOVE frequently updated sites! A CMS allows you to make changes to procedure information, add practice photos and post to your blog as often as you wish. Going beyond search engine results, you’re more likely to grow online relationships by frequently sharing useful information and practice updates!

Content Management System for Healthcare Websites

MedNet’s CMS product helps make the process of updating or changing your website as simple and uncomplicated as possible, while enhancing the content and security of your site. Even if you don’t plan on updating your content frequently, why not have the option to do so? Contact MedNet for more information about our wide range of website and internet marketing services.

What can a blog do for your practice? Well, there’s certainly the SEO benefit: each page of unique content adds more authority to your site and can allow you to be found in a greater variety of search results. And, of course, it’s an important social media tool. (Especially when you syndicate blog posts to your Facebook and Twitter.) But, how else can a blog serve you? You may be overlooking one of the most important benefits of all: blogs can drive “profitable patient action.”

What do we mean by this? It means that your blog isn’t just a newsletter or an SEO tool. Rather, it has the potential to become a powerful lead generation tool – giving patients the means and motivation to reach out to you. Interested?

Here are 3 Easy Steps for Driving Profitable Patient Action:

1. Stop being a copywriter. In a battlefield of online advertisements and information overload, Internet users have been expertly trained to “resist the pitch.” So, how can healthcare professionals still stay competitive online? It’s simple. Stop being a copywriter – start being a content marketer. Instead of using your blog as a platform to pitch a service, offer quality information on a variety of topics in your field. In essence, make your site an information destination. Not only will your potential patients keep coming back for more, but they’ll begin to associate you and your practice with value and knowledge – something that definitely matters when patients are choosing a healthcare provider.
2. Give them something to do. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of a strong call to action. If you don’t give readers something to do, click or fill out, they’ll simply move on to another site – even if they’re interested in the services you offer! Conclude each post with an appeal to reach out. One of the best ways to do this is by linking back to your contact form. This gives them a clear picture of the next step, and it can be just the thing to turn a simple blog into a powerful patient engine.
3. Nurture leads. Here’s what happens: A patient fills out your contact form. You reach out. They’re not interested. A common reaction is to write them off as a time-waster or a tease. Resist the urge! Stop thinking of these as dead leads, and simply say to yourself, “They’re not ready today.” Instead of hanging up the phone, take a moment to start a friendly, informative dialogue. Demonstrate your knowledge and value. Reach out and reach out again. This is the essence of lead nurturing – coaching prospects, giving them baby steps toward a goal and ultimately, turning a prospect into a patient.

Medical Blog Writing Service

Adding a blog can offer a host of benefits to you and your practice, but it can also be a lot of work. MedNet offers a solution. Starting at as low as $100 per month, MedNet’s Medical Blog Writing Service posts quality, vetted articles to your site for you. Get started today!

On Twitter, the # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a tweet. Using hashtags categorizes your tweets, helping them to show up more easily in Twitter searches. Hashtags can also be used to participate in Twitter chats pertaining to your healthcare specialty.

Check Out This Infographic to Learn More:

#QuickTips

• Clicking on a ‘hashtagged’ word in any message shows you all other Tweets marked with that keyword.
• ‘Hashtagged’ words that become very popular are often Trending Topics.
• Use no more than 2 hashtags per tweet.

Medical Social Media Management

Don’t have time to manage your social media efforts? Let MedNet help! We’ll plan and execute a cohesive social media strategy for your practice and get potential patients talking! Contact a MedNet Representative to learn more.