Not too long ago, I was fortunate enough to tune into a webinar about online marketing, and I was shocked to hear that 53% of small businesses in Australia still do not have a website.
This figure seems ridiculous, considering how many people now go online to search for particular products and services; however, about 50% of small businesses in Australia also go broke within the first 2 – 5 years, so maybe there is a correlation.
Content Is King
If you do have a website, do you add new content regularly, or has your website been sitting there idle for several years? Having an idle website is better than having no website, but if your information is out of date, it will be frustrating to your potential patients.
It’s essential to be adding good content to your website on a regular basis because search engines, such as Google, will rank your website up or down based on the content added and how relevant it is to your readers. People love watching videos, especially instructional videos, so adding these to your website is also important. If you don’t already have a YouTube account connected with your business, you should definitely consider it.
I know firsthand that being in front of a camera can be intimidating, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
Blogs
A blog is really just a short article, giving your opinion or sharing your expertise on a particular subject. There’s no limit to the number of blog articles you can write and add to your website. In fact, the more you do and the more relevant the content, the more often you will be found in searches.
Collect Email Addresses
It’s important to understand that your website has two purposes. The first is to educate, and the second, which is more important than the first, is to collect email addresses that can be added to your database. You should treat your database like the goose that laid they golden egg, that’s how valuable it is.
Once you have collected someone’s email address, you can commence various nurturing programs to stay in touch with them and build long-term relationships. The best way to collect someone’s email address is to offer them something for free, such as a free book, a free report, or a brochure with more information.
In August 2014, I wrote a small 26-page book titled ‘Why Do I Have Heel Pain’, and via my website, patients could request a copy in exchange for their email address. We had these books printed, and within the first six months, we distributed over 300 books. Without going into too much detail, over 75 patients booked an appointment and most obtained orthotics. In the end, a $2,500 investment (printing and postage) resulted in over $90,000 in revenue.
Social Media And Other Sites.
Like it or hate it, social media is here to stay, so you need to embrace it. You can still hate it, but you need to embrace it, and you need to learn how to use it to your business advantage. If you have a Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok account, the next step is to add content and create a plan for adding content regularly.
Pinterest is also one of those outlier social media platforms that you may or may not have considered. It is a popular social platform amongst women. I still have an account myself, and when I had my podiatry clinic in Cairns, I found that people would often discover my podiatry website via Pinterest. The skill, though, is learning how to use it. LinkedIn, which is one of my favourites, is an account that every Podiatrist should have because it is solely a business networking site, not a social networking site. You’ll not see a cat playing the piano on LinkedIn. It is an excellent site for making contacts, especially media contacts.
Online Search Engines
A statistic I read said that 75% of all purchases begin with an online search. For me, it would be 100%. I always search online before making a buying decision. If you don’t have a website, you need one. If you haven’t bothered getting your Google Business Profile in order, put some time aside and get it done. If you don’t have social media accounts, you need to set them up immediately. The number one excuse I hear from podiatrists is that they are too busy to worry about all this stuff, which is a fair enough comment. Still, if you don’t start looking after it now, you will have plenty of time soon enough because your patients will be leaving you and seeing the other podiatrists that are making all the online noise.
If you would like to discuss this particular topic further or anything else about your business or career, please get in touch with me via my CONTACT PAGE.
If you found this information helpful, please consider sharing it with a clinic owner who’s currently trying to hire. And as always, I’d love your feedback. You can email me directly at tf@tysonfranklin.com.
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