Article Marketing

Article marketing is an important tactic for the small business owner. It has been overlooked because people feel that it takes too much time to write articles about their business and new products, and it’s hard to see an imme-diate return.

However, article marketing is very important-it’s a marketing tactic with real tangible benefits. It can get the right traffic to your site-buyers! It’s a powerful lead generation tactic that attracts people interested in your topic. Get them to your website and you have a chance to develop a cus-tomer. Distribution of your articles by an article submission company is important to get them out and picked up by people who need content for newsletters, blogs, and article sites (more about that below).

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Facebook for “Friends”

Just for college kids? Not any More. Since June 2006, comScore Media Matrix has reported a 113 percent rise in Facebook visitors over the age of thirty-five. That makes up 41 percent of the sirs visitors. People around the world can connect with one another on Facebook and easily join groups of like-mided people they would not have met otherwise.

We are still in the early stages of figuring out what’s important for marketers to do on Facebook. It may succeed as a marketing platform in ways that MySpace has not. Unlike MySpace, Facebook decided to open up their network to developers. What that means is developers can create applica-What that means is developers can create applica-tions for Facebook users to employ. According to the September 2007 issue of Business 2.0, in the ten weeks since it was open to developers, there were 2,500 new applications created that triggered 139 million downloads. These applications run the gamut from ways to donate to charities to favorite movie picks.

At this point in time, I think Facebook has demonstrated that it can be useful as a networking tool for business owners, but still has to prove itself as a small business marketing tool, Given all the other tactics available, I wouldn’t rush into this one.

QUICK TIP

Five tips for selecting keywords:

1.          Don’t pick broad generic words that cost a lot and yield no tangible results. You’ll never come up on the first page of search results if you use the word “shopping” for example. There are 860 million citations ahead of you.

2.          Use niche phrases whenever possible. At the time of this writing, three- and four-word phrases work very well for targeted traffic.

3.          Stay current with word and phrase changes in your industry or niche and update your list.

4.          Use every tense of your words by adding the suffixes –ed, -s, and -ing.

5.          Make sure to use your keywords phrases on your website, in a sentence end-ing in a period. Just listing words on a page doesn’t work.

A blog benefits you in ways your website can’t

 1)     It’s interactive--readers can comment and you can establish a dialogue with your customers. That means it’s two-way conversation, which is critical in today’s market.

2)     It’s immediate--content is published instantly and search engines find it quickly.

3)     Its inherent structure allows you to archive content for interested read-ers to search.

4)     You have increased exposure to search engines, which love the constantly changing content.

5)     You don’t have to be a “techie” to create a blog. The tools are readily available.

6)     You can comment on other people’s blogs and get more exposure for your brand, sending more traffic back to your site.

Seven Business Benefits of a Blog

1. It reinforces the idea that you are an expert in your field.
2. It helps pull a community of like-minded people together.
3. You get useful feedback from people who have bought or might buy your product.
4. It increases the likelihood that the media can find you and write about your products. ZDNet Research reports that 67 percent of journalists use blogs as sources and that 35 percent have their own blogs.
5. It helps develop the brand story so that people can tell others about you and generate further leads.
6. The content is always fresh, so your business demonstrates that you are active and responsive.
7. It generates traffic to your website and any other links you include on your blog.

Contact: Robbie Ho , http://www.medicalmarketing.com.hk/

How to Get Your Patients to Refer in Droves? (Part One)

Here are three remarkably easy-and highly effective-ways to encourage patients to refer family, friends and colleagues to your practice. The cost is almost nothing, so your Return On Investment (ROI) is through the roof.

This is the closest thing you'll find to guarantee success in internal marketing, and with a little practice and persistence, it's almost effortless to generate patient referrals.

The only tough part is making the commitment and doing it.

1. ASK PATIENTS FOR REFERRALS

Yes, you really do have to ask. That's rule one. You look busy to the patient and they don't think to refer. Brochures or signs are passive-helpful as reinforcement tools, but they don't engage or inspire the patient directly.

Far more than half of the doctors we talk to have heard of "asking for referrals," but-here's the tough part-many shy away...embarrassed, uncomfortable, or afraid they'll look needy. In fact, most patients would happily refer and would love to be asked.

Consider the patient's perspective. If they are pleased with your professional services, they are grateful, appreciative and naturally ready to say "thanks" in return. So ask. Not asking is more than an omission, it's a costly mistake and a golden opportunity lost.

Here's how to get beyond the stage fright (or other excuses) and get into the habit.

Doctor Talk. It's best if the doctor does the asking because that's the highest level connecting point for the patient, and the most direct channel for appreciation.

Timing is Important. Pick a moment when you know the patient is happy and when you've achieved great results. (Not when they are in pain from surgery.) Ask a "checking" question or two to make sure they're up on the satisfaction curve: "Did we do a good job for you?" or "Are you looking forward to showing off those new pearly whites at your sister's wedding?" Or when a patient volunteers a compliment: "I'm so glad you took care of that for me!"

Script it. Rehearse it. Keep it short and sincere. With a little preparation, you will not need the script, but it helps you focus your message. One of the best we've heard is to sincerely say to
the individual that you like having them as a patient, and that you would love it if they'd send their friends because you know they'd be great patients too.

Make it a habit. Look for opportunities to ask for referrals and do so often everyday as part of your regular routine. Mark the chart so that you (or your staff) only ask once (otherwise, you may look needy).

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Five Tips For Hiring a Professional to Design Your Clinic Brand Identity

Five Tips For Hiring a Professional to Design Your Clinic Brand Identity
1.  Before you speak to any designer, be clear about your target audience and positioning. Your designer will want to know this and if you are confused or unclear, the results will be less than you hoped for. Don’t call designers hoping they will figure it out. You are an expert in your medical business so they can be an expert in theirs. If they are willing to work with a loose description, be wary.

2.  Think about colors and presentation. Do you want your brand to appear very formal? Are you a medical service with professional certifications? Let your designer know. Show them examples of brands you admire.

3.  When you speak with the designer, make sure they have a marketing sense. I’m not saying that they have to be marketing experts, but there are designers out there who care more about the aesthetic appeal of their design than how it fits your business. Don’t be bullied.
5.  Don’t expect good design work to be cheap. Be prepared to spend a reasonable amount. Look at a variety of designers before you finalize your budget. It’s hard to change a clinic brand identity once you create it, so bear that in mind when you are making your choice. If you feel you are compromising, you’ll never be happy.

http://www.medicalmarketing.com.hk/

Chinese mainland to further open medical market to HK, Macao and Taiwan

 

Five Tips For Hiring a Professional to Design Your Brand website

1. Before you speak to any designer, be clear about your target audience and positioning. Your designer will want to know this and if you are confused or unclear, the results will be less than you hoped for. Don’t call designers hoping they will figure it out. You are an expert in your business so they can be an expert in theirs. If they are willing to work with a loose description, be wary.
2. Think about colors and presentation. Do you want your brand to appear very formal? Are you a medical service with professional certifications and industry awards? Let your designer know. Show them examples of brands you admire.
3. Look at the designer’s online portfolio. If you don’t like what you see, you won’t like your custom design any better.
4. When you speak with the designer, make sure they have a marketing sense. I’m not saying that they have to be marketing experts, but there are designers out there who care more about the aesthetic appeal of their design than how it fits the customer’s business. Don’t be bullied.
5. Don’t expect good design work to be cheap. Be prepared to spend a reasonable amount. Look at a variety of designers before you finalize your budget. It’s hard to change a brand identity once you create it, so bear that in mind when you are making your choice. If you feel you are compromising, you’ll never be happy.

Hong Kong Medical Marketing has the medical marketer and focus on serving Medical professionals, please do not hesitate to contact us at 852-97810042 or sales@medicalmarkeitng.com.hk for any enquires.

Robbie Ho

Marketing Consultant

http://www.medicalmarketing.com.hk/

Search Engine Optimization checklist for medical professional