Avoiding Practice Bankruptcy
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A recent article from CNNMoney has brought to public light the disturbing trend of “doctors going broke.“ More often than not, the fault is not that of the doctor as cuts to Medicare reimbursements and delays/denials of insurance company payments are two of larger contributing causes of doctor bankruptcy. But, that doesn’t mean that all doctors need to worry about being left high-and-dry.
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Creating a Successful Online Medical or Dental Ad Campaign for New Patients
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Having some lengthy experience with creating online ads for Doctor’s practices and seeing how some offices are advertising online, we thought that we run through some of the fundamentals today. For those of you not familiar with how setting up an online ad in Google works, it is similar to the stock market. Lets suppose you desire to show up for the term “Orange County orthodontics” or “San Francisco rhinoplasty”, well there are a few other offices paying for those terms so it works in a bidding system. Various offices will be bidding for those different terms and if you wish to be seen on the first page, you will need to be bidding high enough to compete.
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Facebook Places & Checking In
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A few weeks ago, Facebook launched their ‘Places’ feature which allows users to give real-time updates on their location. The concept isn’t new, as popular geolocation services like Foursquare and Gowalla have been doing this for years. However, with Facebook’s reach and user base, this raises a whole new set of privacy concerns.
The basic idea behind geolocation services is that users can broadcast where they are to their friends. At first glance, this was simply a way to find out if anybody was in the area and wanted to meet up with you. Then, it became apparent there was money to made (as it always does). What if you could target advertising at users depending on where they’re located? (i.e. – sending a user a coupon for $2 drink at the Grant & Green Saloon when they’re standing on the corner of Grant & Green.) And now, with the addition of ‘check in’ features for users, businesses have a way of collecting user data and rewarding loyal customers.
And just think of the great marketing when your patients check in at your practice, telling their friends that you’re the doctor for them!
But this is not without it’s qualms. By using these services to their fullest potential, you’re also giving up some of your own privacy. What happens when you broadcast to the world that you’re grabbing dinner at the local T.G.I.McFunsters, and that really aggressive sales rep shows up and ruins your meal. Or worse, you check in at the ballpark to catch the game, and in turn tell criminals that your home is currently sitting empty and ripe for a break in?
As with all of these personalized online services, they offer more benefits than drawbacks. But, be sure you understand how they work so that you can configure your profile and the accompanying privacy settings accordingly.
Join us for a new-and-improved educational webinar and Q&A session on Facebook, and learn about how you can even get us to set it all up for you!
Get educated – join us this Thursday at 12p PDT by RSVPing here:
http://www.DoctorBase.com/webinars
Which Cities Use Review Sites to Find a Dentist?
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We’ve commented in posts on this blog before about the growing number of patients searching for reviews on dentists. There’s no denying that the burgeoning space of online reviews is growing larger by the day. Thanks to the immense amount of statistical information available from Google, we noticed another interesting trend this week with regards to where, geographically, this growth is most evident.
For anyone located in the San Francisco Bay Area, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that patients in the Bay Area turn to online review sites to research dentists more than any other part of the nation. Being the tech-hub of America, it makes sense that 3 of the top 5 metro areas are located in this region. What’s interesting is that 7 of the top 10 metro areas are on the West Coast and, with the exception of Seattle, 6 of the top 10 are here in California.
While we’re not sure that this ‘officially’ makes California the trendsetter for the future of how patients find dentists, we are certain that dentists in California are on the forefront of dealing with online reviews. So, if you’re practicing dentistry in California, there’s a golden opportunity for you to get into this movement in the early stages and use it to your advantage. And, if you’re located further east, you can jump in before the wave even reaches you – giving you a distinct head start for your area.
There’s undoubtedly plenty more to learn about how patients continue to use online reviews in their decision making process. And, there will certainly be a few precedents set with regard to the best way for doctors to deal with these online reviews. (Hint: Even if you get an unfavorable review, don’t sue your own patients!) But, the statistics don’t lie. Patients are turning online for dentist reviews in increasing numbers – especially here in California. Seize the moment and use this trend to grow your practice.
