So your practice is on Facebook, now what? With flooded newsfeeds, you may find it difficult to engage patients with your daily posts. Check out these tips from Open Forum.

1. Add images to posts. Posts with images receive interaction rates 39% higher than average.
2. Keep your posts short and sweet. Posts with 80 characters or less get 23% higher interaction rates.
3. Ask fans to “Cap That.” Add a picture and ask fans to comment with a caption!
4. Timing matters! Keep your posts between 1pm and 4pm on weekdays. Avoid posting after 8pm.
5. Get fans involved. Ask them for share tips, favorite foods, movies, etc!

Check out the infographic below for more tips!

As the importance and influence of online patient reviews continues to grow, boosting your online reputation becomes crucial. Encouraging positive patient reviews, especially to your practice’s Google Places listing, can make a huge difference for your online presence.

Claiming your Google Places listing is the first step toward maximizing your practice’s visibility on the web, but how can you increase the number of positive reviews to your listing?

Here are a few ideas for directing patients to your Google Places listing:

1) Use word-of-mouth

The best source of positive online reviews is from frequent and satisfied patients. Try encouraging patients to post reviews when they visit your practice. Have handouts ready at the check-out desk with your Google Places listing URL and some words of encouragement and appreciation!

2) Implement a QR Code

Statistics suggest that most of your patients are smartphone owners. And, many patients may even spend time in your waiting area on their mobile devices. Try implementing a mobile marketing strategy!

Add a QR code to practice brochures, mailings and business cards. A QR code acts like a bar code that brings users to a specific mobile landing page when scanned by a smartphone or other mobile device. You can direct patients to your Google Places listing upon scanning your QR code. The idea is to solicit positive reviews from satisfied patients with a click of a button!

3) Set up a Kiosk

Does your practice have a computer or tablet designated for patients to check in for their appointment? This is a great opportunity to encourage returning patients to write a review for your Google Places listing! They’re at your office, with access to the computer and connected to the web. When they complete their online check-in, prompt them to write a review on your listing.

For new patients, you can also set up a kiosk, complete with a computer or tablet to write a review upon their exit.

4) Reach out on Social Media

If you’re active on social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter and Google+, reach out to your fans and followers. Post links to your Google Places listing encouraging patients to post reviews.

5) Send an Email Blast

Do you currently ask for an email address on patient forms? If not, this is a great opportunity to reach all patients at once with practice news or information. Send out an email blast, with a link to your Google Places listing, asking satisfied patients to post reviews.

The more reviews, the better!

The more reviews on your Google Places listing, the more weight it will have in search engines. The more positive reviews from satisfied patients, the better your online reputation!

Have questions?

Post to our Facebook wall with any questions you may have about your Google Places listing!

Blog posts with images tend to get more views, shares and engagement from readers. But, unless you purchase stock photos, create your own graphics or take pictures yourself, you may find it hard to find free, quality images that can be used without penalty.

Looking to beautify your blog with pictures? Here are 6 free photo sites!

1. PublicDomainPictures.net: Here, you can find and download free, public domain images. While most are free for both personal and commercial use, some do require a model or property release when being used to sell a product or service.

2. FreeDigitalPhotos.net : This site allows you to search and download a small version of any photo for free! If you don’t feel the image is of adequate size for your blog, you can choose the purchase a larger size. If you do use a free image, you must publish an acknowledgement to FreeDigitalPhotos.net and the image creator on the same page or screen that the image is used on. Click here for instructions on how to acknowledge FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

3. MorgueFile.com: This site is a public image archive with tons of amateur photos you can use for creative or commercial work. Feel free to use and edit photos as you wish! No need to reference the original contributor.

4. StockVault.com: While not all images on the site are free, create an account and browse through over 32K free images. There are certainly some interesting healthcare pictures!

5. Wikimedia Commons: This database has over 13 million freely usable media files. Anyone can contribute photos. Browse through and find photos to make your blog posts pop! All are free, but some have stipulations for use. Check out each photo’s “copyright tag” before using.

6. StockFreeImages.com: Visit the largest collection of free stock photos and high quality free images. Browse, download and be sure to attribute where credit is necessary. View each photo’s “credit line” to find out.

To avoid penalty, always take caution when using images from these sites, and be sure to read each site’s terms of use carefully. While some content may not have strict legal requirements of attribution, for ethical reasons, consider attributing your source.

Don’t have time to post to your blog?

At MedNet, our blog writing service offers custom and unique articles to your blog. Visit our website and contact us for more information.

Whether or not you’re a part of the conversation, Internet users are talking about you, your practice and the services you provide. Patients are not only actively seeking out health information on the web, but also interacting with others about health procedures, treatments and most importantly, healthcare providers. Taking the initiative to join the conversation can make all the difference for your practice!

Not only has it been proven that online reviews greatly influence consumers, but it also has been shown that consumers follow brands and use services that their friends “like” and interact with on social media.

Understanding how to implement a social media strategy that generates conversation is the key to encouraging patient interaction and referrals.

Content is King.

Get into the minds of your target market. What’s interesting to patients? What terms will they understand? What will “go viral” in your market? Knowing the answers to these questions and writing blog posts, and status updates accordingly will increase the likelihood of “likes” and “shares” on Facebook, “retweets” on Twitter, and “+1s” on Google+. Provide content that is “share-worthy.” The more interaction sparked by a specific post, the more eyes will see it!

Consistency is Key.

Posting on a consistent basis is equally important. Establishing top-of-mind awareness with your social network will keep them thinking and talking about your practice.

Also, be consistent with answering questions and thanking fans and followers for their feedback.

Social Media Drives Authenticity.

Understanding how to use social media to establish credibility is also important in encouraging patient referrals. Make sure you share accurate information. Be there to answer questions. Don’t be controversial, and stay professional.

Once you establish a sense of respect and trust on social networks, more fans and followers will come.
As more patients interact with your practice and share your content on social media, the likelihood of patient referrals increases.

For more ideas visit our previous blog post “5 Ways to Engage Patients with Social Media.”

Ready to go social but don’t have the time to be consistent?

Let MedNet launch and manage your social media campaign. We’ll plan and execute a cohesive social media strategy for your practice and expose your practice to a whole new audience. Contact a MedNet Representative to learn more.

Potential patients are using search engines to find the services and procedures you provide. While there are many different ways to help increase your practice’s visibility in search engines, there’s only one way to guarantee placement: Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

SEM, more commonly known as pay-per-click advertising, is a form of Internet marketing that promotes websites through paid ads on the top and side of all online search engines.

Why Choose SEM?

Search engines are the most popular place for potential patients seeking a healthcare provider. In fact, 80% of Internet users gather health information online and more and more, patients are using search engines to find healthcare providers and specialists in their area. This is where SEM’s highly-targeted, cost-effective nature and measureable results come in!

Thinking of launching an SEM campaign?

SEM is arguably one of the most effective forms of advertising today. If you’re thinking of running your own campaign, read our previous blog post for some items to take into consideration. At MedNet, we have launched countless PPC campaigns for healthcare practices in a variety of markets. Our high-focused expertise has given us a keen understanding of how patients search in different medical specialties. Launch your SEM campaign with MedNet for guaranteed results! Contact a Mednet Representative today to get started.

As consumers turn to smartphones for answers to their most pressing health questions and mobile apps to monitor their health at home, we wonder how the recent explosion of mobile technology affects the healthcare industry.

Float Mobile Learning shared an infographic with some great statistics and facts about the impact of mobile health on both consumers and doctors.

MHealth Stats

How has the explosion of mobile technology affected your medical practice?

Tell us how you feel about the growth MHealth!

Interested in going mobile?

Make sure your practice is available to patients seeking information on smartphones and mobile devices. Contact a MedNet Representative to find out about our full mobile sites today!

Today, establishing trust on the web is crucially important, as patients almost always check online for information about you, your practice and your services before scheduling an appointment. And, launching a blog can do wonders for your online credibility. By sharing fresh, up-to-date information, you’re likely to gain an upper hand and establish trust on the web, not only by potential patients, but also by search engines!

Launching and maintaining your medical blog will help achieve patient trust by:

Making You an Authority

One of the biggest benefits of having a blog is being able to share your expertise. You have many of the answers to pressing questions your patients are frequently searching for. Sharing this useful information will help you establish authority as a medical provider. And, potential patients that come across your blog might reach out for more answers!

Growing your Site Content

A blog helps grow the content on your website. Each post on a blog acts as another page of content added to your website. And, the larger your site is, the more authority it has with search engines, especially Google. The more authority your site has in search engines, the better your chances of being found in related searches.

Establishing Patient Relationships

A blog allows a doctor to connect with his or her patients on a more personal and interactive level. A patient can read and comment on a post their doctor put out, and the two might have a short conversation. This doctor-patient communication shows blog readers that you’re helpful and attentive to your patients needs. It establishes a sense of trust and credibility for readers, who may just decide become patients!

Expanding your Social Network

Finally, a blog offers an opportunity to share original content with social networks. Content shared and re-shared with social networks will help increase your fan and follow counts. The more fans and followers you have, the more people will be exposed to your content.

Want to launch a blog for your site but don’t have the time to maintain posts? Let MedNet help!

If you understand the benefits of posting to your blog but don’t have the time or desire to do it yourself, let MedNet take care of it for you. Starting at as low as $100/month our Blog Article Writing service will provide quality, relevant articles for you, custom-tailored to your practice. Contact MedNet Technologies today to find out which article writing plan is best for you.

Moveover, Facebook. Looks like Google+ has a new, user-friendly layout too! The social network’s new layout, actually quite similar to Facebook’s Timeline, is now cleaner, clearer and easier to navigate!

Main Changes to Google+

1) More Focus on Images

The new layout puts more emphasis on photos and images, including a larger profile photo, and the addition of a cover photo (similar to that of Facebook Timeline.) Photos and videos will also appear larger and more prominent in your news feed.

2) More access to “Hangouts”

One of the most distinguished elements of Google+ is its video chat feature which allows users to chat with up to nine people at the same time. “Hangouts” have become popular for businesses on Google+ to connect with customers. The new layout features hangouts more prominently, making them more accessible.

3) Trending Topics and Suggestions

The “Explore” option lets you see what’s “Trending on Google+” and pages “You Might Like.” This feature will help expand your Google+ network by suggesting those similar to you.

4) Easier Navigation

The simplified navigation menu is now along the left side of the page.

More changes ahead?

Rumor has it there are more changes ahead! According to a post on Marketingland, Google Analytics is making its way to Google + pages. Currently there is no way to track any Google+ page activity other than viewing post sharing, “social engagement” or +1/share data. Analytics integration will allow users to track and measure traffic and engagement on their Google + business page.

Stay ahead of the curve!

As discussed in our previous post, Google’s new search results suggest that your Google+ Page will be more likely to show up in search results over any other social networking platform. These new changes only prove Google+ is stepping up as a top social network; it’s time to jump on the band wagon!

We suggest getting your practice on Google+ now! Start building your page, posting regularly and increasing the number of circles you’re in to secure your spot in personalized search results. Need help setting up your Google+ page? Contact a MedNet Representative. We’d be glad to help!

Given the rising popularity of the iPhone, iPad and other tablets among US physicians, medical and health-related apps are becoming increasingly common and valuable. From apps that aid physicians in diagnosing conditions to apps that help run your medical practice, if you’re ever in need of assistance, rest assured, there’s definitely “an app for that!”

Here are our Top 5 Most Useful Apps for Physicians:

1) DocBookMD

DocBookMD is a way to look up and contact members of your local medical society and pharmacies. This HIPAA-compliant app allows physicians to send X-Rays, EKGs, test results and other patient information directly to colleagues. To ensure security, a Medical Society identification number is needed in order to use this app.

2) Medscape

This app includes a drug interaction checker, procedure reference and daily medical news updates. You can also earn CME/CE credit for taking courses right on your mobile device!

3) MedPage Today Mobile

MedPage Today Mobile provides 24/7 breaking medical news coverage to your iPad or iPhone. It also offers CME/CE credits at your fingertips across over 30 specialties and annual coverage of over 60 meetings and symposia.

4) Mobile MIM

This app provides wireless and portable access to medical images including MRI, X-rays, Ultrasounds and other modalities. While not intended to replace full workstations, Mobile MIM is a great alternative when workstation access is limited.

5) The Merck Manual – Professional Edition

The Merck Manual app is a digital version of its reference text. Users can browse the app by section and by symptom, and the app automatically logs what sections users have read.

These are just a few off of the long list of health related apps! Visit mobihealthnews.com for a full list of “Apple’s Top 50 iPad Apps for Doctors.”

Do you use an iPad at your medical practice?

Share your favorite apps with us!

An article by Marketing Land shared research that shows medical and health are among the top categories being searched by smartphone and mobile web users.

Top Searched Categories by Mobile Users

Category Search Trends - xAd Q4 2011 Report

Your patients are going mobile

In addition, the Pew Internet Project released new information last month suggesting that just over half (53%) of US adult cell phone owners now classify as smartphone owners. As we watch smartphone ownership increase, simultaneously, the mobile web becomes the new haven for those seeking healthcare information.

Whether your patients are simply on-the-go, or want to find your services on the privacy of their smartphone, if your site isn’t mobile you’re missing out on a huge audience.

Choosing the right mobile option

You may find there are quite a few options out there for your mobile web presence. We suggest a full mobile site that mirrors your website, but is optimized for enhanced visibility on mobile devices. A full mobile site achieves brand consistency and provides a seamless user-friendly experience for every mobile visitor.

Interested in a full mobile site?

Contact a MedNet representative to find out about our full mobile websites.