The best leads generated for an aesthetic practice have historically been word of mouth referrals. The individual was told that you were the surgeon to see and they valued their friend’s opinion so much that they decided to contact you.

Social Media has introduced a new wave of brand awareness by giving individuals who support your business a much larger mouthpiece. This tool has given so many people an opportunity to broadcast their opinions that the search engines had to take notice. Ultimately, Google, BING and other search engines are trying to index websites that users find to be “the most interesting” for that given query.

To date the search engines have relied on a matrix of inbound links, textual relevance, keywords in the domain and much more to mathematically produce a search result that suited your needs. They were, however, missing one major component…the human element. Possessing this missing piece, social media is and will be increasingly used to measure the relevance and rank of your website.

Bing Search is Going Social to Improve User Experience

Facebook partnered with BING in October 2010 and their goals were very clear: To Make Search Social! On May 10th, 2012 BING announced a “relaunch” of their search engine with a slew of updates designed to incorporate social into their search results. When signed into Facebook, BING users now have the opportunity to “ASK a FRIEND” about a topic. BING will make suggestions on “Friends Who Might Know” and even “People Who Know” about a given topic.

BING will also showcase an activity feed from your friends on Facebook about the subject. These updates will undoubtedly change the user experience by giving individuals more information about who their friends like, what their friends think about a topic, and who the real expert on this topic is. For a more detailed analysis of BING’s update, please see “Bing Relaunches, Features New Social Sidebar”

Google Increasing Social Interaction in Search

BING isn’t the only search engine making changes. In January 2012, Google announced the “Search Plus Your World” update that would bring some elements of your social activity into their search results. When asked the question, “Does the +1 button affect my site’s performance in search?” Google replied:

Content recommended by friends and acquaintances is often more relevant than content from strangers. For example, a movie review from an expert is useful, but a movie review from a friend who shares your tastes can be even better. Because of this, +1′s from friends and contacts can be a useful signal to Google when determining the relevance of your page to a user’s query. This is just one of many signals Google may use to determine a page’s relevance and ranking, and we’re constantly tweaking and improving our algorithm to improve overall search quality. For +1′s, as with any new ranking signal, we are starting carefully and learning how those signals affect search quality.

How Do You Feel About a More Social Search?

In conclusion, if the internet plays a role in the acquisition of new patients for your practice and you are not participating in a social media strategy that is encouraging engagement and interaction, NOW is most certainly the time.

Have you seen more social search results on Google or Bing? How do you feel about search engines bridging this gap as you navigate the social atmosphere for your patients and practice? Visit our Facebook page and let us know.

So what, you ask? While Pinterest is certainly not for everyone, the growth alone is cause for a moment of reflection. Below, I break down the some of the basics any surgeon or dentist should address before considering Pinterest as a component of your search and social marketing strategy.

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that allows you to categorize likes and interests. It is a place without status updates or timelines. Users have the ability to show their followers what makes them tick, what inspires them, what products they use, and what services they offer.

Pinterest also works well for event planning, as many users pin images on their board to help them map out events like weddings or home renovations.

One benefit to using Pinterest is the potential for referral traffic. Just like Facebook or Twitter, Pinterest provides an engaging platform that is designed to let you and your practice shine and further engage with current and potential patients. While you will be dedicating time to creating a new following on another network, success here can lead to more traffic on your site.

Is Pinterest the Place for You?

What is the average age of your patient base? Do you see more men or women in your office?

87% of Pinterest users are currently females, and the most common age range is 25-54. While this is going to even out as the platform becomes more popular, early adopters here have a chance to make a significant impact on the aesthetic healthcare industry.

That said, time and interaction are required for success here just as they are with Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. If you only have time to maintain one social network, Facebook is still far and away the number one priority.

Bottom line? If you believe you have something visually exciting about your practice to share (before and afters maybe? with patient consent, of course), and have the time to share it, Pinterest could be the place for you.

Is Pinterest Worth the Effort?

This is a tough question to answer. The potential is there, but a lot will change as more people begin to use the platform, and established networks like Facebook and Google+ make changes to adapt to Pinterest’s popularity.

That said, the potential for brand awareness and referral traffic is intriguing. As more users are exposed to an endless amount of content, those practices that are able to establish a strong visual presence are likely to have more sticking power, more recall when a patient turns to the internet to research a doctor or procedure.

In the end, the most important question to ask when deciding whether or not to join any social network is can I create quality, shareable content? There is no point to joining a network unless you are prepared to dedicate the time necessary to support and strengthen the social signals coming from your practice.

If you do have the time, and you believe your current and potential patients will benefit from the content you plan to create, then take the leap and promote it on your other networks.

Have you joined the Pinterest craze? Visit our Facebook page and tell us more about your experience, or post additional questions if you’re still undecided, but interested.

[1] 2012 Digital Marketer Report from Experian Hitwise.

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The initial irritation with this system was that the more reviews a listing contained, the more likely the listing was to garner impressions and actions, regardless of how low the rating or how dismal the review. However, as Google became hip to this flaw they started to focus more on the actual content and sentiment of the review itself.

Google Tries to Improve Review Process

Google has since taken several steps in an effort to protect the integrity of it’s review system, but the bottom line is that there is so much “map spam” out there to handle, I don’t know how they can possibly keep up, let alone get ahead.

I think it is fair to say that when it comes to Google Places reviews and related obstacles, I’d give an Olympic hurdler a run for their money. Throughout my experience with building and managing Google Places listings for clients within the elective healthcare industry, the most common hiccup I see is the blatant slanderous review.

We have all seen them, and if you dig deep enough, the waters get less murky. A favorite example of mine was coming across a Google user who had positively rated 1 Houston plastic surgery practice and unfavorably rated 20 other Houston plastic surgery practices.

Interesting to say the least, wouldn’t you say? What’s even more disturbing to me is that these were all rated on the same day – and probably all within 2 minutes of each other.

Why does Google still see this as relevant and continue to index the reviews of suspect end-users? Will Google’s local parameters eventually swallow up this localized curbside garbage? Only time will tell.

Google Tags and a Bonus Side Effect

With internet users’ progressive gravitation toward wanting more localized search results, Google launched its first add-on product feature for Places listings when they launched “Google Tags.” For $25 a month, business owners were given the option to highlight an aspect of their Google Places listing, which appeared in yellow and was denoted as “Sponsored.” Notice the example in the image below under result “G.”

Options for the yellow highlight include: your website URL, photos, videos, driving directions, or coupons. If for no other reason, Google Tags were beneficial in the fact that they had the unforeseen benefit of putting you in touch with an actual living, breathing Google employee.

Shortly after Tags launched, Google ramped up an outbound sales team to place calls to business owners with verified listings in an attempt to sell them the product add-on. When this information was passed on to me from clients, I called in and spoke to several Google employees since I was the person that was managing the listings on behalf of our clients.

I was informed that Google Tags WOULD NOT affect ranking, but were merely an aesthetic way of distinguishing your listing from a competitor. While the product itself didn’t amount to much, the relationships I was able to forge within this Google sales team served as a temporary method to expedite troubleshooting for my clients.

During the days of Google Tags, I was able to call in and get these sales reps to swiftly address various Google Places listing problems by sending their engineers internal reports. This wasn’t a common occurrence, but I was definitely able to take advantage of this system for swift resolutions to problems normally beyond end-user control.

Google Tags has since been shut down as the outbound sales team shifted their efforts (at least initially) to Google Boost or Adwords Express or “Google Adwords Light” as I like to refer to it.

Blended Place Search

Google unveiled “Place Search” in late 2010 and the most evident shift was the disappearance of the traditional “7 pack” which gave way to a snippet of Google Places listings with images and reviews on the 1st page of search results. If the Google Local Business Center represented a stronger commitment to local businesses, then Blended Place Search was the virtual opening of the front doors of these same local businesses in Google’s ongoing effort to organize local results.

2011 – Google Boost & Override

In an effort to bolster the potential reach of Google Places listings for small businesses, Google launched “Boost” as a paid solution for local business promotion. In other words, this dramatically scaled-down version of Google AdWords enabled business owners a swift and painless solution to pay-per-click advertising by providing a brief business description, a website or places page URL, business categories, and a monthly budget.

Google Boost ads are denoted by a blue place marker as opposed to a Google Places listing, which is marked in red. The major difference between Google Boost and Google AdWords is that Boost was on auto pilot – meaning there was no need to manage your campaign as that was automatically done for you; whereas AdWords is more of a hands-on research-based tool, equipped with advanced filters and controls for fine tuning including keyword bidding and advanced reporting.

Additionally, AdWords does not restrict promotion of your business to your Google Places listing, which should give you more freedom in your marketing efforts.

As of July 2011, Google re-branded Google Boost to AdWords Express, as it is referred to today. The search engine has admittedly come a long way since their initial rollout of local listings on the SERPs several years ago. Troubleshooting turnaround times for inaccuracies have diminished considerably and the product and help forums are very useful – especially when confronted with a Google Places listing crisis or emergency. There are several avenues to turn to now when faced with such a scenario, which was clearly not the case even 2 years ago.

Google Bogey

Then came Google’s “community data override” announcement at the end of 2011, which shook up the status quo – especially in the arena of elective healthcare. When a fair amount of the clients that you represent are plastic surgeons, you tend to become slightly desensitized to nudity to the point where you are oblivious to it. Until one day when you log into a handful of client Google Places accounts, only to discover that Google has decided to “update” your owner verified listing photos with several PRE-operative breast images! Major failure on Google’s end to say the least.

While the practice of Google pulling random images from your website and overriding them onto your Google Places listing has slowed down, it still happens. Google will always send you an email informing you of the upcoming changes that they are about to make for you – but they never say exactly what those changes will be.

Stay tuned for the next edition where we break down the emergence of Google + over the past year and the correlation with Google Places listings.

Looking for more, read Part 1 of the Local Landscape.

Consider the Source

One of the first things I do when I receive one of these emails is visit the sender’s website – that is, if they include a link to their website. It still amazes me that 9 times out of 10 the author of a ‘sound the fire alarm’ email isn’t even following their own advice.

In fact, last week I received an email that warned of a “steep decline in traffic” unless immediate action was taken. This email suggested strategy changes/implementation for social media, website copy and link strategies. Upon receipt of this email, I took it upon myself to review the website of this ‘marketing specialist.’ Surprise, surprise I found that this Internet expert didn’t have any social media signals on their own website, they had no foundational (on-page) SEO, their content was dated….the list goes on and on. My assessment certainly raised some questions.

The Truth

The Internet is changing and it is moving quick. In fact, Google changes its search algorithm hundreds of times throughout the course of the year. Most of these changes are minor, but every few months Google rolls out a “major” algorithmic update that affects search results in significant ways. With all of these changes taking place, recommendations and suggestions can help you enhance and improve your SEM strategy.

Building a successful Internet strategy takes a lot of hard work and it doesn’t happen overnight. It is crucial that you trust your Internet marketing firm, read and review suggestions from credible sources, avoid shortcuts, and when it doubt, follow Google’s longest standing suggestion: build your website with your visitors in mind.

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If you’re like 77% of consumers in a recent ExactTarget* survey, email is your preferred method of contact in a ballpark all its own. Direct mail comes in at a distant second at 9%, then text messaging at 5%, Facebook at 4%, and the telephone at 2% to round out the top 5.

But why is email the preferred method, and how can you use this information to better reach new and existing patients?

Email Marketing Demographics vs. Ideal Patient Age

What is the average age of your patient base? Can you pinpoint one age group where you’d like to improve? Above all other methods of distributing promotional messages for your practice, email marketing can provide the means to reach this ideal patient.

What Motivates Patients to Click on Email Links vs. Social Links

When was the last time you clicked on a link from a company trying to sell you something? Where was that link located, in an ad, on Facebook, in an email? The majority of consumers prefer email, but what really motivates us to take action?

5 Reasons Patients Prefer Email

Beyond pay-per-click or Facebook, email is an extremely effective way to reach consumers because they have already expressed an interest in your practice. Below, we expand on five factors highlighted by the study’s participants as reasons they prefer email more than other direct marketing strategies.

Familiarity

When a potential patient receives an email from your practice, they are already familiar with the brand and doctor’s name. You already have a foot in the door.

Manageability

Consumers appreciate the trickle down effect. They have asked to be included when you have something they want. Don’t overload them, as they can just as easily opt out.

Privacy and Security

Instead of broadcasting their interest in elective healthcare to their entire social network, email allows them to receive secure, private messages.

Relevancy

Patients have signed on for this particular marketing message because they find it relevant to their situation and their needs and wants. Be mindful of this and keep it relevant.

Exclusivity

Email allows you to connect with a specific group of patients, it provides them with a feeling of exclusivity as you aren’t merely broadcasting this message to your entire fanbase, just a select few.

Patients Are Most Likely to Share an Email with Friends

Thought sharing was only for social networks? Turns out a majority of consumers share emails with their friends and family.

While we still strongly believe in the power of the social share, the study statistics show email is not a thing of the past and has reinvented itself as a powerful social tool.

*Source: visit Exact Target to download the full survey.

From Kony 2012 to the Honey Badger on YouTube, videos are one of the most effective tools on the Internet right now for engaging consumers and circulating information rapidly. But your video doesn’t have to go viral to have a drastic impact on your potential patient base. Using smart marketing tactics and a comprehensive advertising strategy, you can add some flavor to static content and bland pages.

Videos have the power to satisfy fundamental needs in your patients’ online tendencies, and, knowing how to wield them wisely, you can develop stronger brand recognition and patient interaction. And if you’re not ready for video optimization, other tactics such as providing users with rich, dynamic content on your site can help create a captivating, lasting point of reference in the mind of your patients.

In fact, several recent studies from MediaMind found that web users exposed to a campaign that included rich media display advertisements were 2.8 times as likely to end up on that website than those who saw only standard banner ads. And to drive home the point even further, the same study shows that those exposed to banners with online video were 5.6 times as likely to visit the website.

What this tells us is that enriched media has incredible sticking power, and patients who see an engaging banner are more likely to view your site. Not only are the effects felt in site visits, but also brand recognition and reputation. The same MediaMind study showed that web users who did not click on the ad the first time they saw it, but who later visited the marketer’s site were about twice as likely to be driven to do so by video or rich media as opposed to standard banners.

This shows that while patients may not have clicked on your banner ad immediately, the rich media and video advertisement formed a more lasting impression that ultimately led them back to your practice.

Similar studies have shown that video ranks second to mobile as the leading channel marketers say they will increase spending on in the upcoming year. With market researchers expecting the influence of video to increase in importance, we think adding video and rich media to your advertising campaign could be a pivotal decision in your online success.

Whether you use an interactive scroll, dynamic images, or video content, try to find a way to plant fruitful seeds that will yield commanding retention value in your patients’ online experience. Sowing the right seeds will help your practice’s name grow the deep roots of a recognizable brand and a widely viewed website.

Things are getting tougher at Keith’s Corner, this week’s question is open-ended.
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Plastic Surgeon in Fairfield CT Announces Launch of Redesigned Website

Fairfield, CT — As more and more patients continue to use the Internet as a source for healthcare and medical information, Dr. Fredric Newman, a plastic surgeon in Fairfield, CT, has announced the launch of a new, redesigned website for his practice. Dr. Newman says his site combines state-of-the-art design techniques with in-depth procedure explanations to provide a unique and comprehensive experience, as well as basic details about him and his practice, for patients searching for cosmetic and reconstructive surgery education. With the unveiling of the new website, he says he hopes patients continue to turn to his practice as a credible and reliable resource.

At his Fairfield plastic surgery practice, the Aesthetic Surgery Center, Dr. Newman focuses on a wide variety of aesthetic procedures ranging from breast augmentation and body contouring to facelifts and rhinoplasty. With a recent report from Pew Research Center showing that 59% of all American adults look up medical information online, he says the new website is targeted to help patients quickly and accurately find the information they are looking for, whether it be procedure expectations, breast augmentation recovery time, or before and after photos from a facelift in Fairfield, CT. Dr. Newman says he also hopes to increase connectivity between his practice and his patients through the addition of social media features such as Facebook and Twitter.

Other notable features of the new website include a dynamic homepage with rotating graphics, an interactive and expansive drop-down menu, and a full-scale photo portfolio of Dr. Newman’s results. A restructured blog also navigates patients towards the latest news and events happening at his practice. He says by creating an engaging and thorough database of educational information, he hopes to encourage patients to research their decision with great care before undergoing any plastic surgery procedure.

Through collaboration with San Diego-based medical website design firm Rosemont Media, Dr. Newman says he sought to make his practice available and accessible for his patients, whatever their aesthetic needs may be. He says he is excited about the upcoming opportunities that will be available through the new site and hopes patients take advantage of the extensive information he has provided throughout its pages. Dr. Newman adds that he is looking forward to furthering his pursuit of the highest quality patient care in the ever-expanding online community.

About Fredric Newman, MD, FACS

Educated at Yale University and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Fredric Newman received his medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Center, where he graduated summa cum laude. He served as Plastic Surgery Chief Resident at the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, New York University Medical Center. Dr. Newman is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a Diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the International College of Surgeons, and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. He also serves as an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Aesthetic Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery.

Located at 722 Post Road Suite 200 in Darien, CT, Dr. Newman’s practice can be reached at (866) 870-6066. He can also be contacted online via the website fredricnewmanmd.com or the Aesthetic Surgery Center Facebook page.

Contact:
Rosemont Media
Aaron Hurst
aaron@rosemontmedia.com
(858) 200-0044
www.rosemontmedia.com

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