Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Bad Chiropractic Marketing can be the Death of your Practice

By Matthew Loop DC

We all know that we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket, but it's amazing how many chiropractors are conducting their chiropractic marketing tactics in this same "dead end" way. When chiropractors spend tons of money on media slots and newspaper ads, they're wasting all their money on forms of media that won't get them what they're looking for. Advertising in this way is so expensive and yields so little results, that you're literally driving money away from your practice instead of towards it. It's almost like these DC's are betting their practices at the local horse race. The odds are truly against you.

The economy is seriously in recession, and the big mistake that chiropractors are making is to stop marketing because it costs too much. You can't bring more success to your business by not marketing, but you also can't bring more success by paying through the teeth for marketing. So what's the solution? It seems like there's no escape from the current financial challenges. The only answer is to evolve with the times and utilize the tremendous power of online social media.

The only answer to spreading the word about your chiropractic practice is to find a way to do it for free, and still yield tremendous results. When you harness the power of Web 2.0 and social media marketing, you can do just that. Gone are the days when you would spend a fortune on TV ads, newspaper spots, and telemarketing. These outdated forms of advertising are no good to you anymore, and can plunge you further into hardship.

So how do you move forward when all your money is tied-up in outdated forms of marketing and your chiropractic practices sinks farther into the mud? It's actually easier than you think, and it will cost you nothing at all. Exposing your business to Web 2.0 and social media sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Friendster is absolutely free and it's a veritable goldmine of potential success. Over 50% of the users on these sites is 30 years and older, and that means that your targeted demographic is waiting to hear from you.

When you specifically target your marketing strategy online to people in the right demographic and right location, you are significantly increasing your chances of success and driving many new patients through your doors each month. But you need to begin in the right way! When you're starting to meet people online, and your community is introduced to your chiropractic practice, you need to brand yourself in the right way to get great results. Don't make the same mistakes that others do. You need someone by your side that has experienced success already, and knows how to guide you there as well.

Here's a great way to start on the road to Web 2.0 success. Get an account started on a popular social media site, and begin to invite friends who live within a 5 mile radius of your practice. Let these people learn about you and start to communicate with them. Once you strike-up friendships, you are then able to share information about your chiropractic practice and draw people who are in need of your services.

When you also provide these people useful information online by making videos, you will greatly increase people's awareness of what you do. I can't believe the viral marketing success I achieved by making a video about reliving headaches a while back. My video was viewed by 3,000 people in one week, and that's largely thanks to viral marketing where people view the video and pass it on to friends. Do you see the potential for success and driving people to your website this way?

You're now beginning to see the massive potential these social media networks have in store for you. You can literally attract hundreds of people to your website and practice for free. You're going to begin to see your chiropractic practice soar to unbelievable heights, even in these difficult financial times. With social media sites and Web 2.0, your practice can effortlessly become a vital component of your community and a very profitable business as well.

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