Sunday, December 28, 2008

Is Your Chiropractic Marketing Killing Your Practice?

By Matthew Loop DC

We've all heard the saying, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." Yet, it amazes me just how much I see this done within the chiropractic marketing and the profession as a whole. Far too many times I see chiropractors buying expensive media slots in the newspaper or on TV that are yielding mediocre results. It's almost like these media sharks are feasting on "hope," as the DC's that I come into contact regularly with think they've just purchased a winning lottery ticket or something. Little do they know the startling reality on the other side. They're actually killing their practice.

In the current economic recession, the old forms of marketing and advertising are not working nearly as well as they used to. Similarly, if you do not have a steady marketing plan in place, you will not be in business that long. One of the major problems I see at the moment is that chiropractors are marketing less now because times are tough when it should be the other way around. Sales and chiropractic marketing are what feed your practice and get you those highly sought after new patients you desire.

You're probably telling yourself that you don't have the money to market your chiropractic practice anymore, and you're wondering how else you can spread the word about your business. The answer is much more exciting than you've imagined, and it's absolutely free to you. So what kind of marketing is this? Well, it's definitely not TV, newspaper ads, magazines, telemarketing, or postcard drops. These are black holes that will cost you a fortune and yield mediocre results.

So what's the answer? If you have all your money tied-up in expensive ads and old marketing techniques with no results, you can still see loads of new patients walk through your doors using the exposure of Web 2.0 and social media; and it's absolutely free! Chiropractic marketing is being completely revolutionized by sites like YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook. These sites aren't just for teenagers as some would like you to believe. At least 50% of the traffic on these sites is 30 years or older.

When you specifically target your marketing strategy online to people in the right demographic and right location, you are significantly increasing your chances of success and driving many new patients through your doors each month. But you need to begin in the right way! When you're starting to meet people online, and your community is introduced to your chiropractic practice, you need to brand yourself in the right way to get great results. Don't make the same mistakes that others do. You need someone by your side that has experienced success already, and knows how to guide you there as well.

Here's an idea for a strategy that works wonders when done correctly. Get on one of these social media sites and start an account. Then, invite people within a 5 mile radius to be friends, and start communicating with them. These people will begin to learn about you as a person, and then they can learn about you professionally. Taking steps like this will ensure that you'll get phenomenal traffic to your chiropractic website and new patients through your doors.

You can also begin to be of value to these people by providing them useful information online. When you make daily video blogs or weekly postings about relevant topics, people will begin to see that you can help them, and they'll take note. For instance, I posted a simple video about headache relief and 3,000 people viewed it within one week! Viral marketing was the cause of all this exposure. When one person saw it and found it helpful, they passed it on to a friend, and so forth. Do you see the power?

Social media marketing is the answer to your marketing problems during these difficult times. When you have the right coach by your side, you can instantly tap the power of Web 2.0 without wasting time trying to figure it all out alone. Watch your practice soar to unbelievable heights as hundreds of new patients walk through your doors each month. And not only that, but this success can be yours absolutely for free! - 15465

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