June 7th 2013 by
Shayna Chapman
Marketing
has surely changed over the last 10 years! Print advertising is not as
effective as it used to be and customers are trading in their newspapers
for the Internet. Are you making the transition with them? Consider
these 6 ways to market your practice online:
1. Website – By now, this is a standard marketing
tool and form of communication. If your practice does not have a
website, you are behind the curveball. A website immediately shows
potential and tells current customers who you are and what you do. After
you set up the website, the key is getting these potential customers to
find you. Search engine optimization (SEO) services can help. By
providing key words in your website, you can help ensure that you will
be on the first page, rather than the last page, of search engine
result.
2. Social Media – What began as a way to talk with your friends is now a key way for marketing to complete strangers.
Facebook,
Twitter,
Pinterest and
Instagram
are all social media sites that allow your practice to put information
online, for both people you know and people you don’t know. What’s
important to note with social media is that each one of these sites are
different and each one attracts a different type of user. Know your
audience for each, and then post based on that information.
3. Blogging – Perhaps you have a lot to say about a
topic that can help other people. By blogging, a potential customer can
get some insight into how you think about a topic. After a while, you
may be seen as an expert and garner real attention for yourself. Some
worry about oversharing knowledge with people who are not your
customers. While this is certainly a way to showcase your knowledge, the
key lies in the way you apply the knowledge and make the customer feel
about the experience.
4. YouTube Videos – So, a video about accounting may
not win your practice an Oscar for Best Film, but there are a lot of
individuals that search
YouTube for
the most simple ideas – form how to turn on their weed eater to
understanding financial ratios. Don’t underestimate the gratefulness
others will have for what you consider even the simplest thing to
understand. Post enough how-to videos and you will become an expert that
people will call on.
5. Guest Articles - Many companies and online
newsletters are looking for people to share their knowledge. By
including a short, biographical paragraph in the article, you give
customers a way to contact you for more information and a possible
relationship.
6. Software Websites – Users – namely, prospects –
often go to the software company’s website for help and more information
on how to operate their software. After a while, though, they may need
to develop a relationship with an individual they feel they can count on
to call for help more regularly. Many software companies will post a
page on their website, showing the location of a practice that can
further help these users. The page will include your location and
contact information, so that the user can check for practices in their
geographical location and then contact them.
All of these are ways to market online. What they have in common,
though, is that they all generally circle back to the very first one –
your website. That’s your space that is dedicated 100% to telling people
about the strengths of your practice. After you have that piece, then
use the other five ways to show people your expertise in certain areas,
and refer them back to your website for even more information.
