The Website Weapon: The secret to marketing your entrepreneurial physician business successfully.

November's The Entrepreneurial MD Newsletter is an update from an earlier post written long before I had a real audience, so if this appears partially redundant to my long-standing readers, please forgive me!

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It shocks me when physicians (and others in business!) boast that they don't have a website for their practice or business -- although admittedly I no longer hear that much.

It's safe to say that any business that takes itself seriously and lacks a website is like a household without a phone - decidedly out of step with the 21st century!

According to studies, patients expect to learn about their doctor and his or her practice, and be able to search the Web for information on their medical symptoms and conditions. It has become a way of life!

"The Internet is permeating nearly every aspect of daily life, and doctor-shopping is no exception. Nearly a third of the people who surf the Web use it to research doctors or hospitals, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which explores the Internet's effect on families, communities, work and home. That's up from about one in five in 2002."

In turn, physicians are waking up to the reality of the Internet age and creating websites that reflect their philosophies and practice policies, and some are even going as far as to offer tools for secure e-mail communication, online appointment scheduling and medication refills.

That is good and efficient and entrepreneurial, in my opinion.

Now, let's assume that you do have a website or are planning one. How well is your website doing its job - that of delivering great clients or patients to your doorstep?

Most physicians with business or practice websites have had websites built (often at considerable expense) that are nothing more than handsome brochures online. They have not taken the time to strategize and plan just what they want their websites to DO for their businesses.

Do you know how to take advantage of the Internet's true power? - its ability to connect your ideal patients or clients with your business and have them download something free from your business, or contact you, or even make an appointment, based on finding you in their online search for exactly the services or products you offer.

So how does one make that happen?, you may ask. Well, I can't give my insights away quite yet, as I am putting the finishing touches on a free CD that will share my top secrets to building a revenue-capturing website for your business.

So, let me challenge you with these questions instead:

If you had the opportunity to get your business or practice's name out with far greater speed and influence than ever before, and very little expense, would you do it?

If you answered "yes", how would you go about doing it?

To get you some answers, here are my 4 best book resources for anyone wanting to understand modern-day marketing and to manage their web presence:

1. Get Slightly Famous, Second Edition by Steven Van Yoder (Van Yoder podcast interview here)
   
2. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Growing your Business with Google by Dave Taylor (do not be fooled by the title!)
3. The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott.
4. Mastering Online Marketing: 12 Keys to Transform Your Website into a Sales Powerhouse by Mitch Meyerson.

Comments

[Max Goodwin]

I have a new cardiology website, designed by AMedicalDesign (www.amedicaldesign.com). I went with them because one of the things they advised me was "Manage yourself." What you don’t know can definitely hurt you. With social media platforms, you can manage what patients are saying about you, and be able to respond accordingly. This can be done with a well-written, informative blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more. I have these accounts linked directly from my website and it's definitely helped increase my traffic!

[Philippa Kennealy]

Excellent Max - that is the thinking person's approach to using as many aspects of the Internet intelligently as you can handle (the only cost is your time and even then, that isn't too bad if you use discipline). I wish you good luck with your website.