Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Chiropractic Marketing with Social Networks and Video

By Matthew Loop, DC

When they first originated, I don't think anyone could've imagined just how lucrative and powerful social networking websites like YouTube, Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter were going to be for business growth and exposure. When I introduced social media and simple video marketing to the chiropractic profession three years ago, I was confident that these Web 2.0 platforms would change the face of marketing as we knew it. With that confidence, I still could not have predicted the explosion that has taken place globally in such a short amount time.

Discovering how to leverage social media and video marketing for my chiropractic practice was one of the best things that I could've ever done. As many are aware, this type of marketing / advertising is free so there is virtually no risk to the chiropractor. In 2005, I first began meeting and interacting with people from my local community on Myspace. I was literally meeting 50 people every single day which was getting me tons of free traffic exposure very fast. Initially, I was testing and tweaking certain things on my profile for greater conversions and how I was presenting myself. Then, I began to notice the phone calls and the new patients coming it. I have to say, I was pretty thrilled when this began to happen.

Marketing on social media can yield instant results but it's absolutely phenomenal for positioning yourself in the long-term! It's similar to planting seeds within the community and getting into every nook-and-cranny possible. If you set yourself up correctly, you can brand yourself as an authority in whatever specialty you choose and gain trust and credibility with your community. Then, you can keep tabs and consistently build top-of-the-mind awareness with the friends and subscriber lists that you've built. The avalanche occurs after you've amassed several thousand people that you keep in touch with regularly that need you or refer new patients to your chiropractic practice for the conditions that you treat.

Online video submission is really the powerhouse of chiropractic marketing. It is the basis of my success, and the secrets of it are taught to my students. By making regular videos, you can greatly increase your standing as a chiropractor in the community. When you learn the right tricks and know the appropriate services where you can upload your videos, the potential is amazing. Just a tip: make sure you always compress your video before submitting. Use a program like Windows Movie Maker for PC or iMovie for the Mac.

Videos get indexed extremely well by search engines, if you understand basic and advanced optimization strategies. I've been able to drive massive amounts of highly-targeted visitors to my website with video, which has basically made me a local celebrity. In conjunction, I've been able to bring in many new patients that have seen my direct response videos. They feel like they know me before they ever step into my office. They are able to follow me on my channels to get new health information, as I overwhelm them with consistent value and not spam-based advertisement.

Almost half of the content online today is video, and its time you jumped on the bandwagon and put your chiropractic marketing into high gear. Remember, the more material you have online in the best variety, the more credibility you gain. Just imagine Googling someone or something, and coming up with a particular office or practice in multiple top billing positions. That person would automatically appear to be the authority on something, right?

It's truly awesome when you have the ability to give people a tour of your office, so that they can really see where you work and the environment of your practice. I know it sounds funny, but I carry my video camera and tripod with me everywhere, because I'm always inspired by some new idea for an informational video and promo for my chiropractic practice. I've shot videos everywhere! It says something about the success of my practice that I've made promo videos in the office, at home, in the mountains, near oceans, and even in Costa Rica! Wouldn't you like to hear answers about your back pain from someone sitting in a majestic location? Viewers come with me on this journey, and are better able to trust me when I speak to them in the flattering natural light.

It's important that you put out 1-2 videos a month as a minimum. This is how you can canvas the search engines and come up in multiple places. You must keep pumping out material so that your position stays strong in search engines. There's no need to outsource your videos because it will cost a lot of money and it's so easy to do yourself.

It's so important to have a good time when you're making these videos. If you're relaxed, having fun, and educating people, then you're putting yourself in the best possible light, and that will mean that people will see you as someone they want to turn to when they need a chiropractor. When you continuously put out information that people enjoy hearing and want to learn from, then your power in the community rapidly expands.

You need a good coach to teach you the secrets of SEO and chiropractic marketing using web 2.0. When you learn the skills from someone who found success doing the very same thing, you are then perfectly equipped to create your own success and take your chiropractic practice to new heights. You can't learn any of this from a so-called "guru". When you find the right coach, there's no stopping you! - 15465

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