C hiropractic courses generally do not dedicate time to teaching Internet Marketing courses. Everyone's time is finite, so it's impossible to spend the amount of hours needed to learn about Internet marketing, while also becoming a chiropractic professional. Most get their ideas and information from two sources: other chiropractors and vendors, who obviously are going to present their companies in the best light. We will provide information around building a website concerning vertical marketers versus Internet marketing professionals, and also provide a couple of pointers no matter which vendor you choose. Lct"s start with the most basic need of Internet marketing — a website. Here arc three important considerations that will matter going forward with any website development: Responsive Design - Half of all searches today are per formed using a smartphonc or tablet. A responsive website has coding that that adapts to how it should display according to different screen sizes, from a desktop screen to a laptop, a tablet to a mobile phone. This gives the website several variations to allow for the best possible user experience across all devices. Content Management - You will want to have a website on a content management system (CMS) so that you arc not tied to a developer or designer who charges you for every little change. This allows you to create your own pages, publish blog posts, or make changes easily. A website should be a tool to bring in new business -Your website can tell the story of your practice, but more importantly, it should focus on acquiring new patients from the Internet. A huge mistake is focusing solely on your philosophy or design without thinking about what a potential client is looking for online. Your website should focus on the most profitable areas of your practice in a way that will allow you to show up in search engine listings. Assuming one has paid attention to these three considerations, the next question becomes: who should build your website and/ or handle your marketing? There arc several fairly well-known companies that create websites and do Internet marketing solely for the chiropractic vertical (vertical marketing). Beyond those companies arc mam Internet marketing firms that arc highly competent and capable of working with any type of professional practice, including chiropractors. So, which is "best" for your practice? Here are some advantages and disadvantages for each: Vertical Marketing - Advantages: These firms already understand the vocabulary, the patients, and mam of the general needs of the chiropractic practice. If you have a practice that is so busy that you will not be able to provide input, or assist with the content or images on the site, these companies already have a wealth of both content and pictures. Main provide other useful sen ices like patient information login portals created specifically for chiropractors. Most have methods tliat allow a chiropractor to be on a contract over time to mitigate upfront costs. Vertical Marketing - Disadvantages: Today, everyone is competing for the coveted "page one" of the search engine. A vertical marketing finn strives to sell more practices, or clients, in that same vertical. In other words, they arc working for you. but may also be helping your competitors in the same geographic area. Often, the websites look very similar and the content is recycled, so that your design and content can end up looking much like your competitors. While cost mitigation is attractive, two or three year contracts can be burdensome if your practice does not rank for key search tenns. and in the local listings, in search results. Sometimes the CMS these firms use is proprietary, so be sure tliat if you leave a vertical marketing finn your site can work on one of the better-known CMS platforms like WordPrcss. Joomla. or Drupal. Internet Marketing and Web Development Firms - Advantages: • If one of these firms doesn't offer exclusivity in a larger market, a potential client can request it. Exclusivity means that a finn would not take on any new chiropractors in the same geographic region as a current client. This ensures that you arc the only chiropractor the finn is helping to rank in that area. By working with many different types of businesses, these finns leani methods and techniques that arc outside of the chiropractic vertical, but still relevant. More importantly, these methods are likely used very sparingly in marketing chiropractic practices, giving you an edge on your competition. • These companies have many qualified copywriters who can write well on any subject and provide unique con tent. Rather than use prior knowledge of chiropractic practices, these firms will strive to find what is unique to your practice and make sure your website and content reflects that. Internet Marketing and Web Development Firms -Disadvantages: Generally, they will not have specific chiropractic knowl edge and will require the chiropractor or his or her staff to assist with content creation. A great firm will push you to submit content or give input from the start of the process and they won't use this as an excuse to keep them from website completion. Most will not have software that is designed specifically for the backend of any medical practice. If you want something with insurance billing built in, for example, that may point you to a vertical marketing firm as they're more likely to offer this type of functionality. Beware of these Red Flags for Any Marketing Firm Many firms and consultants out there will claim to be experts on web development, SEO, and online marketing, but it's important to find the ones who can back it up. Every firm's approach is different and it can be difficult to quantify their skills, especially when you have little knowledge of it yourself. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can weed out less reputable firms. Beware of firms that call you out of the blue stating you haven't correctly claimed your Google listing, or telling you your website is not ranking for a given term. Beware of any firm that has a long-term contract for SEO and other Internet marketing services. You should be able to cancel if you no longer want the service. A red flag is if a company doesn't have any referrals outside of Linkedln endorsements. A good firm should be able to refer clients you can contact for a reference. For web design and development firms, you should look at more than just a screenshot of their past site creations. Go to the actual websites they built and browse them to test for user experience. Remember, there is no magic sauce when it comes to building websites and doing marketing that works. It requires professionals. One should not let their friend "crack" their neck without professional training, just like one should not let their friend build a website or do their marketing if that friend is not a professional. Your practice is your business; you must pay attention to the company you hire and make sure they fit your needs. Robert Fisher is a former registered nurse and Marine and has over 20 years of experience in online marketing campaigns, including radio, television, direct mail campaigns and more. He is rated in the top 10 out of over 3,000 community members on Moz.com - the largest paid Search Engine Optimization (SEO) forum in the world. He is the President and founder of drumBEAT Marketing, a marketing firm in Houston dedicated to improving client outcomes online. Ksit www.drumbeatmarketing.net for more articles about online marketing and SEO.
