Sunday, December 28, 2008

Chiropractic Marketing with Social Networks and Video

By Matthew Loop, DC

No one saw it coming; the phenomenal success of web 2.0 sites like YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook is unheard of. Back in 2005, I began to sense the use of web 2.0 for chiropractic marketing, and had humble expectations for the results I'd get. Little did I know the remarkable power of web 2.0 and video marketing would propel my chiropractic practice and other ventures into the stratosphere.

And that wasn't the end of it either. I was able to save a remarkable amount of time by leveraging tasks, and was able to use web 2.0 and all its services at absolutely no cost. No wonder expensive marketing firms are working like crazy to find new clients to charge loads of money. They sense the end is near, because the real power of SEO and web 2.0 can be unleashed on your own! When I started to introduce myself to my community three years ago using MySpace, I was meeting nearly 50 people a day online. The traffic this drew to my website was unheard of. Soon enough, calls from potential patients starting coming in.

Within 24 hours of implementing my self-sufficient marketing tactics, I was successfully able to brand myself in the online community. I was able to send out information to subscribers weekly; material they chose to watch like informative videos and blogs. These people remained aware of my practice and what I was doing all the time. When you meet people online this way and keep them informed about your practice and chiropractics in general, you become the go-to chiropractor in your community. That's just the beginning of the success you'll unleash.

Perhaps the greatest goldmine that I discovered for chiropractic marketing and other forms of marketing is online video submission. When you make and upload online videos, it's a simple and easy thing you can do that yields huge results in your chiropractic practice and its popularity in your community. There are a couple tricks to learn though, like how to properly compress your video through Windows Movie Maker or iMovie. It's vital that you do this before trying to upload to YouTube or video sharing sites.

I first noticed years ago that videos were getting a wonderful index status on the major search engines. We are visual creatures, and people respond more to watching videos online than they do to articles and blogs. When someone can see your face and hear your message, they automatically feel like they know you and can trust you. This is pure gold for your credibility in your community and in the chiropractic world. These videos are available to be viewed 24/7, so you know the internet is working for you, even when you're sleeping! I carry my camera and tripod everywhere I go so that when I'm inspired to make an informative video, I can just do it. Some of the best I've made used the ocean or beautiful mountains as a background.

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?

I take my viewers on fun journeys in my videos to really give a total experience of learning and putting people at ease. I've filmed tours of my office, talked in detail about my practice, and given pointers and tips to people searching for answers to their chiropractic questions. I've even shot segments on vacation in Costa Rica! When you keep the videos fun and interesting, people are going to always want to come back and see more. They will perhaps share your videos with friends, and things only can grow more from there.

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.

The important thing to remember is to relax, have fun, and to not be pretentious. Your videos should not be fake or give a false impression of who you really are. Convey your genuine feelings about wanting to help people and be the go-to person for their specific problems and this is what you will attract. With that in mind, provide a large amount of use value that your followers or people that see your video can implement that same day. This will give you even more credibility and build faster rapport with your community.

You truly do need a good chiropractic coach that understands the current marketing climate, and how modern technology and communications function for chiropractors today. Find a coach that specializes in chiropractic marketing utilizing web 2.0 and social media sharing sites. There's no use finding someone who specializes in anything else. Once you find the right mentor, fasten your seat belt because your practice is about to explode on the internet!

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