Practically speaking, your website is going to be the first place that potential new patients go to when they first hear about you/your practice. What they are looking for occurs on two levels.

On the surface level, they are looking to see that you are a competent doctor, that you have the right licensing, that you aren't 23 years old, that you have excellent before and after examples of your work and that you are a caring physician.

On another level, they are looking for something deeper. They are looking to get a feeling or a sense that assures them that they can put something as sacred as their face in your hands (they only have one!). Yes, the information they gather about you in your website assists in this process, but just having information on the website isn't enough.

You have heard it before: the quality of your website directly reflects people's impression of you, your practice and the quality of your work. This refers not only to the quality of information you provide, but to the quality of design and user experience built into the website.

Here is an example of a website that does not convey the right stuff: Dr. Clavin

Here is an example of a website that does: Dr. Mary Lee Amerian*

Enough said - Put your best foot forward.

* We designed Dr. Amerian's website

Providing your website users the ability to offer site feedback is a simple and inexpensive way to get high quality information about what is working on your website and what isn't. Users often are willing to provide their opinions about what they feel is missing from the site (or what isn't working). Make it easy for them to offer feedback by having a small form on the top or bottom of each page. This way they can quickly provide their feedback and keep surfing.

Tip: Give website users a simple way to offer feedback and you'd be surprised to see what they say.

Offering relevent and educational medical content is a new strategy being employed by large pharma and medical device companies. This strategy makes their website 'stickier' as well as it helps to brand them as a reliable resource for high quality information - further elevating their brand in the mind of consumers.

Examples include:

Mentor Corporation

Restylane

It is no secret that consumers use the internet to research elective based procedures. Why not become a resource for helping their educational process?

Tip: Provide more information on your website than just about the practice. Give your visitors information about their condition and help them to become more educated. They will pay you back with loyalty and business.

Before you design your new site, it may be wise to consider what your audience really care about. Think about yourself. When you visit a Web site, what's important to you? From our experience with medical Web site development, we have learned a few things about what is important to Web site users. Here's a few tips for your next Web site development project:

• Users want to accomplish their goal - quickly.
• Focus on your priorities. What are some of the things users are likely to want to accomplish by visiting your site? If you're not sure, ask your patients when they visit you.
• Make sure you speak to your audience - in their language.
• Web site users scan pages for information that is useful for them. Highlight important information and cut large chunks of text into smaller pieces.
• Users seldom focus on navigation first. They look at the main content area of each page. This is your chance to capture their attention and tell your story or guide users to specific tasks or important information.

These are five basic tips you can use to develop your next Web site or improve your current site. Later this month, we'll discuss Web information architecture and why it matters to your organization.

For some medical practices, referrals are 80% of new patient business. But how can you increase referrals from your existing patients? Here's a few tips you might find helpful:

Innovate: Design new services or procedures that stand out in the market place. Such “signature” procedures are often the bridge to increased media coverage.

Differentiate: You have to be different to make an impression. However, you don’t have to go to major steps to People talk about small things.

Focus: Make a commitment to deliver a positive patient experience for all your patients. Focus on five promises you know your patients want and you can deliver. Share your list of promises with your staff and focus on delivering on those expectations.

When the Toyota Prius Hybrid Car hit the market, people quickly started talking about it. However, people didn’t focus on the hybrid concept. Almost exclusively, they told stories about the little things such as the Keyless-entry and the futuristic dashboard. Patients are less able to distinguish between a good and bad doctor, but they sure know how to evaluate their waiting room experience.

Once upon a time there was a doctor who wanted to work less. To work less, but to earn the same – or even grow her practice. But how? No matter how hard she worked, she could only see 50 patients per day. She didn’t want to hire more staff – “that would just mean more work!” She decided she had to do fewer – but more-high margin – procedures. She had already invested in a great facility and top-of-the-line laser equipment – but how could she get more of those $2,000 appointments?

Marketing was the obvious answer. Not the traditional hard-sell advertising kind. She wanted a soft, yet smart approach. The kind of marketing that would attract the sophisticated woman – the woman who comes back for treatments every few months.

This blog is for her and all medical professionals who wants better marketing solutions. You deserve it.