Want to know what everyone is doing?

I have been getting this question a lot lately. For some reason, everyone wants to know what everyone else is doing. Well, here is the answer.

Right now, I am seeing a lot of yellow pages and print advertising canceled or not being renewed. Part of this is a trend coming from my coaching and retainer clients. I regularly recommend using tracking telephone numbers on print ads so that it is easy to see the direct response activity that comes from print ads. In the year end evaluations, many of my clients were surprised at the huge difference between calls being generated from their web sites as opposed to their print ads. I was not surprised but they often need to see it in black and white. Normally large mass media expenses are not justified. They feel good but Internet-based marketing is much more productive. This has led to a huge run in Pay Per Click campaigns in our clients recently.

These new bolstered Pay Per Click campaigns work really well with our low-cost Keyword SEO program. This is becoming a model that we are seeing over and over both in cosmetic dentistry and surgery. I have always recommended some sort of pay per click but, even today I was informed that the Pay Per Click campaigns we were running were so targeted and effective that they were beginning to impact some clients’ organic optimization. This has to do with relevant traffic being driven specifically to our client sites. Bottom line here, our approach is augmented even further through a stronger Pay Per Click campaign. This is also a trend we are seeing.

Finally, we have had a run recently on new, upgraded designs in web sites. In the next 2-3 weeks, we will be debuting some new web sites for cosmetic surgeons. I would definitely put these projects into the “high-end” category. Yes, we are getting a lot of requests for web sites for this time of year. People are re-tooling their web strategies, adding video and trying to distance themselves from those who are sitting and waiting. That is the third trend we are seeing: new, updated web designs.

So, when you go back to work after the new year turns, what is at the top of your agenda. Please let me know what we can do to help. Just email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com. And, happy new year to all.

Web Sites and New Partnership

I am happy to announce that Dog Star Media has been selected as one of handful of media design companies to participate in a new pilot program with a top national pay-per-click company. We will be offering web design, video and other creative services. Details will be released in the near future. It’s a pretty big honor and I am fairly certain that the reason we were chosen was because of our excellent media design for high-end small businesses such as cosmetic surgeons and cosmetic dentists.

As I was preparing online materials for their RFP interface, I came across this video which illustrates your options for web design. It is worth watching, even if you have seen it already.

I thought it was a good reminder for all of you how you can be more competitive on the web. Now more than ever, prospective patients are going to your web site. If it gives a bad impression, it is just as bad as

1) Not taking their call when they call you.
2) Treating them poorly in your reception room or in your practice.
3) Ignoring their requests for more information.
4) Giving them the impression that you have enough business and do not care whether or not they become your patient.

Hard facts but true. These are first impressions you never want to make in person. Why would you want to make a bad first impression on the web? A web site that is lacking undercuts everything you are doing in marketing your practice. If you need it and you need a break in paying for it now, let me know. I will work with you. The worst thing you can do right now is to not have a great design or be working toward making your site more compelling. It is expected on the web by now.

Optimized Site with New Design by Dog Star Media

Way to upgrade your web strategy! Congratulations to Mark Weiser, DDS with the launch of his newly designed, highly optimized new web sites.

You can see them at SantaBarbaraDDS.com and Boutique-Dental.com.

Dr. Weiser gets it. From a design point of view, these sites are graphically very good, offer plenty of video with lots of topics (the tour video is a Dog Star Media production), the Cosmetic Channel and plenty of content.

And, the sites were re-written with search engine optimization in mind. Basically, everything was done in the revision of these sites that makes them truly competitive on the web. Plus, with two different web sites, similar content is reused and repackaged for specific audiences.

This is a mature and complete Internet strategy. If you were wondering what you should be doing to be the most competitive these days, look at this site and take notes. And, to expedite it, feel free to email me. Much of what you see here came from my consultations with Dr. Weiser. If you have any questions about how to make your site more active and more competitive, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

See... it works

Before Thanksgiving, I visited with one of my coaching clients, Charlie Morgan, a cosmetic dentist in Frisco. I recommend to my coaching clients some basics. One of those basics is email marketing, a staple of Circle of Influence Marketing. My formula is simple. Write a blog and email market it out to your patient database on email.

I gave him a few tips on content and he used my blog as a guideline. The email marketing engine he purchased costs less than $30/month. He wrote a blog on biocompatibility in dentistry and emailed it out. Shortly afterward, he had a new $3000 case reply from the email.

I have seen this work many times but never so quickly. That is certainly not guaranteed but it does show that efforts are rewarded. Let’s break down what happened.

Charlie used one of my Circle of Influence strategies, meaning he offered access to himself and his opinions to people who already trust him. This increases the odds of the effort working by a factor of 10X. It is easier to upgrade or sell new services when a relationship already exists.

Second, he took the initiative, choosing a measurable, easy to use and technologically superior media to reach out with a minimum of cost.

Third, he focused his message on the email. There was one idea, one easy link to click. In other words it was not confusing. Just good marketing, message wise.

Fourth, he factored out luck by being active. You also do this by being consistent and smart about your message and targets. In other words follow your coaching.

If you are not using this Circle of Influence strategy, you are leaving opportunity on the table. Even in tight times, business is out there. You need to be smart about how you find it. We talk about what it takes to compete in a tough economy. This is a must. Working your Circle of Influence is vital. And, what is worse, if you are not doing it, you are leaving the door open for a competitor to gain an advantage with YOUR Circle of Influence. You could be playing offense and defense at the same time with this simple strategy.

This is exactly the sort of thing we focus upon in my coaching program. Want to know how to do this and other techniques that can help you market more smartly? Finally ready to put in a marketing infrastructure? My coaching program is only $300/month. Why not call me to enroll? Just email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com if you want to discuss it?

What makes a great web site?

Last week, when I debuted WowSmileNow.com in my blog there was a pretty consistent response. Lots of people emailed and commented that they loved it. Yes, it is a great design, we agree.

And, wait until you see what we will be rolling out next. A new gold standard is about to be set for using a web site to introduce the doctor to the Internet user. Stay tuned for that but it does raise the question about the important of a great web site right now.

One of the side-effects of a tightening market is that swords get sharpened. There has been a high concentration of inquiries from clients and new prospects about increasing the strength of their Internet strategy. Something I have preached about in this blog and in my seminar presentations is becoming apparent to a lot of people. You can have a web site that just sits out there in cyberspace looking pretty or you can have an active Internet strategy. Surprisingly many over the years have been happy just to hang a site. Now, the emphasis is clearly on making it work. Why?

It is apparent that nearly all new prospects flow through the web site at some point. Either they find you on the web and it is your first impression or your web site is a validating tool. In both cases, you stand only to lose if your site is not competitive. And,the fact is that Flash is just a more rich presentation that you can make work for you. And, of course you can optimize Flash for search engines a number of ways. With more tire-kicking going on, I think a lot of people are realizing that this is an edge they need to have.

One of the most requested changes people are making now is to add video of themselves to the important part of the web site. Another is the full-scope redesign of web sites. For others who are starting practices, there is no blinking in investing in Flash web site. Anything to get that edge on the web.

This is a good sign all around. But the message is the battle on the web has shifted again, with an uptick in quality. To answer the most common questions, you can have video added to your web site in less than 5 weeks if you can prioritize your shooting. It is the quickest upgrade possible. The longest lasting, the Flash web site. It is what you see in WowSmileNow.com. And it is what doctors are doing to make sure they are properly represented on the web. If you want to make this move, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Great new web site by Dog Star Media

My favorite domain name among Dog Star Media clients now has a great Flash web site to go it. Congratulations to LVI instructor John Pawlowicz and his team on today’s launch of WowSmileNow.com.

This is a fantastic design for a Flash web site and is a reminder that the best web designs are custom designs. In the case of WowSmileNow.com, we designed a site that is clearly high end enough to represent high end dental services. But it is also accessible and full of information that a full range of family dental services are offered as well. Overall, just a really great presentation.

There has been a lot of chatter about what to do in this economy but I can tell you that for the last several weeks, we have had a lot of orders for web sites. Maybe it is our affordable pricing, hopefully it is our design and experience in cosmetic dentistry and cosmetic surgery, but one thing is for certain: cosmetic dentists and surgeons are evaluating their place on the web and making a move right now. We have some dramatic examples of high end sites that will be wrapping up in the next few weeks. Some of these will set the bar in their local communities and regionally. Our clients are realizing that they have a lot to gain in this temporary slowdown. When we come out of it, those who are investing in their online image and strategy now are going to be reaping the rewards for the bold move now.

If you are thinking you need to make this sort of move, email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com. We have economy-friendly payment plans for big projects. This means you can have what you need as soon as possible. It’s a good offer. Why not email me and inquire?

The Cosmetic Channel - Season 2

Season 2 of The Cosmetic Channel™ just became more exciting. Our first Spanish language shows are just now wrapping and our we project they will be available before the end of the year. These shows feature Spanish language talent and a native Spanish speaking surgeon talking about facial surgeries. This is the beginning of a new Spanish-language initiative we are putting in at Dog Star Media and The Cosmetic Channel™ to help you expand into a new part of the market.

You can click here to see our new player and samples of all the videos we have online for both surgeons and dentists. Season 2 features a much more active set of strategies to use your video from The Cosmetic Channel™. Yes, it plays on your web site as video on demand but we also deliver the video on DVD for your reception room.

Now for the active part. Most of our clients are finally getting it about email marketing. Some are blogging and others are using The Cosmetic Channel™ as the target of their email. One of the best and most active features of Season 2 is that we will email landing pages each month with the video from The Cosmetic Channel™ for you as part of an active email marketing strategy.

The bottom line is that you are offering new content to the contacts in your Circle of Influence. It is the best value we have going right now. Season 2 subscriptions to The Cosmetic Channel are only $240/month for a year. If you have any questions, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Patience and SEO

I had planned on writing a blog this week on web design, but after seeing our October Keyword SEO reports on Monday, I wanted to add one more comment to the series I have been writing on Keyword SEO.

I was compelled to do so based on the gains I saw on every report. The longer the client had been in the program, the more broad and significant the gains. The lesson is patience. Charlie pointed out to me that the clients who had been in the program for 6 months showed the most significant breakthroughs on terms... and I mean search terms with significantly dense competition and lots of traffic.

Of course, getting listed is only one part of the battle. Click throughs must be measured, the web site needs to be effectively designed with a strong call to action and these stats must be measured. But, it all starts with getting listed. As our program is so affordable and the objectives are so easy to understand given the Keyword Effectiveness Indicator, it has been easy for our clients to be as patient as they should be.

This just goes to show that simplicity, consistency and patience are working. If you are confused by your SEO service, don’t understand it or think it is too expensive for what you are getting, you should try our Keyword SEO program. If you are interested, just email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

So, what should you be doing?

I have had this question on just about every call or email I have had for about two weeks, so I thought it would just be best to broadcast the answer.

In lieu of the last few weeks, I can tell you there are generally three groups of business owners in the market right now. The first is the group who is trying to pick up ground on competitors, the second is maintaining their current marketing and the the third is reacting to the panic by making cuts. People ask me what I am doing. I see things “big picture” and I am trying to pick up ground on competitors. This is because I think it is the wise thing to do when competitors pause or give ground.

There are a few things I learned long ago about cosmetic services. They have been reiterated to me over the years by some very wise surgeons and dentists.

Fact 1: In slow times, people do things to make themselves feel better. In many cases this is cosmetic treatments. If you are experiencing slower business, this is the panic, not the recession. The panic will lift first, bringing about a quicker recovery for you than you will read about on CNN or Fox News. Being aware of this will help you decide not to relinquish any position in the market.

Fact 2: There is business out there, it is just a question of knowing where it is and being in position to react to it. This one is for all of you who have not heeded my recommendations to put in infrastructure... direct marketing driven by databases. It is too late to have those leads in the pipeline if you have not been practicing these techniques. Those of you who have will have an added advantage when the panic subsides. The lesson here is if you are relying solely on mass media advertising and heavy commitments to new patient flow, you can avoid bottoming out in a future downturn by investing in your Circle of Influence.

Fact 3: Buy low, sell high. I am talking about branding and market share here. As the more timid players withdraw, a vacuum is created. You should be stepping into that vacuum. I have been promoting our SEO service for the last two weeks in this blog for a reason. It is one of the best ways you can gain ground quickly as your competitors withdraw. And, in the case of our SEO program, nearly everyone enrolling is cutting their SEO costs because our more focused program is less expensive than their current service. For $300/month plus whatever you want to put into Pay Per Click, you can step into the void of others cutting back.

Fact 4: Fight or die. I am very encouraged to hear the courage in the voices of my clients right now. Sure, no one likes to fight through a slowdown but what is the alternative? Quitting? No one is quitting and everyone is sucking it up. However, in the name of smart decision making, now is the time to make smart strategic moves. Right now, every click and every prospect is valuable because you probably need it. However, once things loosen up, those clicks and prospects will be just as important. I suggest making your fight for them now pay off in the future. I am not suggesting expanding your business, but expanding your influence.

Now, with that said, I should point out that we have three strategies to help with all of this for $300/month or less. They are our Keyword SEO program, my coaching program and The Cosmetic Channel™. The Cosmetic Channel now comes with web video, in-office DVDs and email marketing and at $240/month is the best impact in the short term. In addition, we are offering to spread the payments for web upgrades over several months so ambitious clients can reduce their short-term risk to make smart upgrades in the vacuum created by their more timid competitors.

Our goal is to make these programs available to you now when your competitors may be retreating. And, be advised, their marketing advisers are probably telling them the same thing. Things are reshuffling in your market, the stronger players are going to make smart moves to take advantage. I hope you hear this message and that you are that strong player. If you want to put in some of this infrastructure, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Keyword Efficiency Indicator Explained

After last week’s blog, I got a lot of response about our Keyword SEO program. It is clear that there is a lot of frustration with other companies out there when it comes to SEO. So, I wanted to give some greater detail on a key measuring factor we use as part of our program.

Generally, I think it is safe to say that most people do not understand what their SEO company is doing. And, I have to admit, a lot of the more technical stuff is hard to understand, even for me. But, as I stated last week, this is part of the reason why we decided to simplify our program down to the easy to understand keyword service. It is also the reason why we focus our service on some very basic concepts to understand. One of those is the Keyword Efficiency Indicator (KEI).

In short, the KEI compares the number of searches for a keyword with the number of search results to pinpoint which keywords are most effective for your campaign. In other words, it gives us a basis for choosing smart keywords on which to focus your optimization.

Suppose the number of searches for a given keyword is 486 per month and Google displays 214,234 results for that keyword. Then, the ratio between the popularity and competitiveness for that keyword is 486 divided by 214,234. In this case, the KEI 0.002. That is a keyword with a low number of searches with a high amount of competition. In other words, the odds of this term working for you are not so good.

Using KEI as a basis, we can make some choices as to how we should proceed on emphasizing certain keywords for you. It also helps you moderate your expectations regarding certain terms. We have found that clients get stuck on wanting to be on certain terms. Seeing a long-odds KEI helps them understand that the best way to access that term is through a Pay Per Click strategy. Thus, a good blend of Keyword Optimization and Pay Per Click is often a successful overall strategy.

See how easy and logical that is? I’m not trying to minimize the work SEO companies do while charging the big bucks. I am just pointing out that a simpler strategy works well, too. This simple and affordable strategy gives you a solid SEO program. The limiting factors are length of time you have been optimizing, Pay Per Click budget and, of course, market conditions. Our goal with this $300/month program is to give clients an affordable, understandable program that lets them feel good about the long-term commitment it takes for SEO. And, if time is a factor, then the Pay Per Click option is built right in.

Add to this regular reporting that is easy to understand and you have an Keyword SEO strategy designed specificially for niche small businesses. And, that is what Dog Star Media is known for: making major strategies affordable and available for small businesses.

If you want more details on our Keyword SEO program, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Keyword SEO explained

This has been the talk all week for some reason, so I thought I would address it in my blog. I think maybe a lot of you are looking at your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with a big question mark hanging over your head.

Yes, SEO can be a mystery. We have worked for years to find a suitable SEO partner without success. Our conclusion: Most companies that perform full blown SEO services offer way too much for small business clients. It is not that their services are not good or do not work but they are overkill for a small business, particularly a niche small business like a cosmetic dentist or surgeon. The $1000/month or more costs to support all of their efforts is just not justifiable. So, now what?

I decided earlier this year to do an analysis of this problem and this is what I found.
1) Clients did not understand what they were getting for their investment.
2) Clients did not have reasonable expectations of SEO.
3) Clients did not receive proper communication updates and regular reporting they could understand.
4) Clients did not understand the strategies and lost faith and interest, even if it was working.
5) The cost for the service was simply too high.

This was consistent across the board. So, I decided to look at what was working, what could be simplified strategically and how we could offer the benefit at a reasonable price. My research came down to two simple SEO strategies: Keyword Optimization and Pay Per Click.

Keyword optimization is only one method of SEO but it has the benefit of excellent accountability. Many other SEO strategies pay a role in the overall optimization big picture but, at the end of the day, keywords provide landmarks that we can measure. In addition, I was presented with verification that a steady keyword optimization strategy was the most effective plank in the more complicated full-blown SEO strategies from our partners that had been frustrating our clients. So, I knew Keyword SEO had to be part of what we did.

Next up came the perceived value. Our Keyword SEO strategy had to work on easy to understand metric AND paint a realistic picture of what is achieveable. We selected a program to use for optimization that focuses on the Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI). This is a numerical rating that tells you if a keyword is likely to be effective for you. Say you want to be ranked on a really popular term. The KEI tells you if that term is really going to be effective for you. It has nothing to do with where you are ranked on that term. It tells you if that term is a good bet. Today, I was looking at the KEI of the term San Diego Cosmetic Dentist with a client in a phone meeting. He saw that there were 8 millon listings under San Diego Cosmetic Dentist and he realized that our suggestions to try to place him higher on less trafficked terms with less listings improved our chances of getting him on Page 1. It was an easy explanation and he understood the strategy completely. This use of a simple KEI indicator made the whole process make sense and shows it to be worth the monthly fee... which is only $300/month compared to at least $1000/$1200 month which most dedicated SEO companies will charge. (I even know of one client who is paying more than $2500 for top of the line service. It works well but not many clients are able to do this.)

This greater perceived value is the key to keeping a consistent effort going. Consistency and persistence is vital to SEO and I believe we have found a very good match for niche small businesses for the reasons stated above. So, what about the highly desirable, highly unattainable low-KEI words that you still want to see yourself on? The answer is the same as always... my old favorite: Pay Per Click Advertising. Due to the vastly higher traffic on Google, we recommend Google AdWords as a branch of this keyword-based program. Therefore, as part of our program, we administer a Google AdWords campaign (for one country or one search engine... another country or search engine is an additional fee). Between the Keyword Optimization and the AdWords, you have an easy to understand strategy in place. And, at $300/month it is fairly priced for the services you are getting, which are handpicked services that work best for small businesses.

Needless to say, we have not been able to keep this in a pilot program. Now that it is proven, we are adding clients every week and I am pleased to say we are seeing progress on every client that is enrolled in this program. The common reasons people switch to our services is:

1) They are unsure, unhappy or displeased with the service from their current SEO company.
2) They are ready to pay less for SEO.
3) They do not know what they are getting for their SEO.
4) Poor communication and reporting by their current SEO company.

If you are one of the many who are experiencing any of these four circumstances, I invite you to try our Keyword SEO service. SEO is the cost of doing business on the Internet. We make it much more affordable and easier to understand for you. Please let me know if you are interested at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

The Dog Star Media Bailout Solution

There are a lot of you who are turning to marketing a little bit smarter right now during the slow down. That is good and I offer plenty of good advice on that in my coaching program. However, I have spoken to several doctors and dentists in the last few weeks who had wanted to make a major step forward in their web design this fall but are holding off due to cashflow concerns.

It is a real paradox in times like this. At the time when you need to be most competitive, cashflow can hamstring your immediate needs to improve your ability to be more competitive. Normally, Dog Star Media does not offer financing plans but these are far from normal times.

I made this offer to two doctors this month to try to get them what they need now. And, after some consideration, I am willing to do this for up to 5-6 practices that want to take advantage of our “bailout” program. We will spread out the costs of a Flash or Flash Video web site over up to 10 months, making monthly payments around $1000/month. This greatly reduces the immediate out of pocket expense, eliminates you having to finance it with interest to get it now and more importantly sharpens the sword during slower times.

Here are some Flash and Flash Video sites we have done this year. If this is something you could use now to improve the marketability of your practice, we will work with you to get you what you need now.

www.EastBaySurgicalArts.com
www.SpokaneDerm.com
www.MiddletonCosmetic.com
www.StonebrookDental.com

On another note, we are about to produce a series of Cosmetic Surgery episodes in Spanish for The Cosmetic Channel™. We are looking for a fluent or native Spanish-speaking surgeon who wants to have a breast and body surgery video series that features you on camera. You would get a custom made set and versions of your show would then be available to the market on The Cosmetic Channel™. We have made this package very affordable for the right doctor and I look forward to whoever this casting call turns up as a potential Spanish-speaking host for our breast and body shows. For more information or to pre-order these Spanish Language DVDs and web videos for your practice, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Season 2 of The Cosmetic Channel

We are very happy to announce another season of our successful video programming product, The Cosmetic Channel™.

Those of you who are subscribers, users of the in-office DVDs or are simply aware of the product from my blog will know that in Season 1, we offered video on demand on our subscribers’ web sites. After listening to your feedback, we have made some adjustments to make The Cosmetic Channel™ even more effective by allowing the programming to be used in multiple venues.

Now, for the same low monthly subscription rate of $240/month, you can use the videos 1) On Demand on your web site, 2) as an in-office educational DVD and 3) as the target link of an email marketing campaign that we will conduct for you once each month. This change in use comes from our emphasis on the VIP or Video-Intensive Practice concept I have promoted in my blog for several months now. VIPs use video in the three key areas where video can best influence patients and prospective patients: on your web site, in our reception area and in their own homes. The Cosmetic Channel™ videos on Season 2 subscriptions will put educational video in all of those venues.

I don’t think there is any doubt that using reception room video is critical to planting seed with a valuable market segment that already trusts you. Placing those same video shows on your web site on demand will add interesting video content to your web site that is more likely to be watched than any detailed written content you have. And, through email marketing, you can reach out into the homes of your circle of influence with a video prompter to educate and stimulate the production of referrals. If you doubt the email marketing part’s effectiveness, don’t... it is how you got to this blog after all.

We offer shows for cosmetic surgeons on Breast Surgeries, Facial Surgeries and Body Surgeries. We also have shows on injectables and on skin treatments. For cosmetic dentists, we have talk shows featuring cosmetic dentists with LVI backgrounds who will speak your teaching language about cosmetic, neuromuscular and advanced dentistry.

And, later this year, we will be offering Spanish-language shows for Breast Surgeries, Facial Surgeries and Body Surgeries as well as a new longer program in which facial surgery patients get a hair and makeup makeover to go with their new look in The Cosmetic Channel™ Makeovers.

Subscriptions are only $240/month for one show. After a year, the DVD is yours and you may renew shows or change programming. This is an unprecedented offer because it touches so many different kinds of prospects in so many different ways. This strategy affects upselling and it affects referrals. It is designed to be the best value out there at only $24o/month.

Why not try The Cosmetic Channel™? If you are interested, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com. We can have this working in your office and online right away.

A Great, New Flash Web Site!

Congratulations to Drs. Albert and Michelle Carlotti! Last week we launched the new DesertPalmSurgical.com. This new web site uses great photo content and the beauty of Flash to create such a high-end image. It really is a great web site.

We all know what is going on in the financial markets but the people who are pushing forward with their new marketing initiatives should be commended for their long-term vision. One of the things I notice through business cycles is how some people put planned projects on hold and suspend ongoing infrastructure efforts. These are usually the folks that never get anything happening consistently, thus perpetuating ongoing business cycles.

In a few weeks, when the financial crisis has been addressed and we are into the momentum caused by the election, everyone will get back to business as usual. This is for certain. If you are not following through with your plans now for fear of how things will be working out, all you are doing is creating a longer down cycle. Having been through all the peaks and valleys of recent years, it is the best advice I can give everyone. There is business out there. You always have to be sharpening the sword on how to find that new business. Like hanging a new web site like this and the others we are working on right now. And, the videos. And the direct marketing. Just don’t let a short-term economic scare get you into a rut that can last longer. There’s a chance that your competitors are not sitting around waiting things out. On a macro level, I can tell you that we are getting as many new business requests as we usually do this time of year. I want to encourage you not to make yourself fall behind.

Google reads Flash... Definitive Proof!

I was going to publish a big announcement about enhanced services for The Cosmetic Channel™ but Charlie gave me some pretty big news. We have definitive proof that Google is reading Flash files. This means all of you who are afraid to use Flash for SEO reasons can feel free to design in Flash. Here is all the proof you need.

Many of you are familiar with a site I posted in my blog a few months ago. EastBaySurgicalArts.com is an all-Flash web site with no keyword optimization or meta data. For a demonstration of how Google reads text in Flash, search East Bay Surgical Arts on Google.com. The first listing will be for East Bay Surgical Arts. Read the text in the listing. Then look at the web site. The only place that text resides is in the opening Flash animation. They only way that Google could find that text is by reading the Flash file.

Case closed. I am really tired of all our competitors trying to scare the market by making them think that they cannot have the designs they want for SEO reasons. Next time someone tell you that Google cannot read Flash web sites, tell them about this.

Sudden Death Pool - Week 2

Week 2:

Charlie Patric - New York Giants
Donald Griswold - Arizona
Jason Lim - Seattle
Ken Collins - New York Giants
April Good - Philadelphia

Lisa Morgan - Out in Week 1
Charlie Morgan - Out in Week 1
Ken Collins - Out in Week 1
Amy Norman - Out in Week 1
Jennifer Jens - Out in Week 1
Jenn Zickefoose - Out in Week 1

Who is your Patient Zero?

This week in Tulsa, I introduced our new marketing concept for increasing referral marketing. The strategy is called The Patient Zero Strategy.

Patient Zero is an epidemiology term. It is the first person in a epidemic. They infect people near them and the epidemic branches in out in an unpredictable growth that pulls in people from all over. Basically, this is a study in connectivity. Connectivity is the basis for understanding referral marketing. In this application, Patient Zero connects you to a growing and unpredictable group of people, spreading your Circle of Influence. That is... if you are using a proper marketing strategy.

So, who is your Patient Zero and how do you find them? It’s a tough question. Patient Zero can be almost anyone. The best way to account for touching Patient Zero is to try to touch everybody AS IF they are Patient Zero. That way you leave no stones unturned. So, in your search for Patient Zero, you treat everyone as if they are your best source of referrals.

So, what does that mean? It means a commitment to educating Patient Zero at every possible opportunity. It means touching Patient Zero often and without fail. It means not quitting on the commitment to reaching out to your database. It means putting something in the homes of satisfied patients. I will be posting a full presentation in video about the Patient Zero strategy in my blog in the coming weeks. Until I do that, begin to ask yourself where you might be missing opportunities with Patient Zero.

Here are few prompts:
Are you using video in your reception are to educate Patient Zero? The more Patient Zero knows, the more they will be able to tell family and friends.

Are you emailing Patient Zero? It is the most inexpensive way and the most trackable way to contact all potential Patient Zeroes out there. Are you doing it every month? If no, why not?

More details are coming on Patient Zero. Do you know who this person is for you? If you are interested in In-Office DVDs or email marketing that can help you reach all your potential Patient Zeroes, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Dog Star Media Sudden Death Pool - Week 1

We have some new players this year. Good luck to everyone... we will all need it. Just to bring everyone up to speed, Charlie won last year’s pool with 10 consecutive winners. The rules are simple: Pick one team per week. Pick a team and you have used it for the year. Lose and you are out.

Week 1:

Charlie Patric - Philadelphia
Donald Griswold - New England
Jason Lim - Dallas Cowboys
Lisa Morgan - Indianapolis
Charlie Morgan - San Diego
Ken Collins - New England
Amy Norman - Minnesota
Jennifer Jens - Minnesota
Jenn Zickefoose - Minnesota
April Good - NY Jets

If things are slower than usual...

I have had several people mention that things are slow over the past few weeks. I tell them all the same thing. You can blame the economy, the summer or gas prices if you like, but if you are not doing the basic ground working we recommend, look no further than the mirror for the responsible party.

One of the biggest misconceptions about slow times are that there is no business. That is not the case, there is business out there, your share is just smaller. So, where is the business? It resides in someone’s Circle of Influence. Probably, some exists in yours but you are not doing enough about it. The way to avoid valleys (as in peaks and valleys) is to make consistent investments in appealing to your Circle of Influence. This way, you remain in touch with all the business leads you have... whether you know about them or not.

The not knowing... this is the part that trips everyone up. Nobody wants to invest in the kind of marketing that makes business turn up spontaneously. Everybody wants to buy the ad to bring in new patients when the fact is that it is 10X easier to upsell or get a referral from an existing patient than to cultivate a new patient via the media. But, this kind of marketing requires long-term commitment, patience and it is not sexy... so it is not as appealing. That is, until times like now, when some people wish that they had been laying that groundwork on everybody they knew.

There is something you can do. You can stop putting off the behaviors and investments in your Circle of Influence that you should have been making all along. And, if you are thinking your cashflow is a little thin right now, what better motivator do you need?

Luckily for you, Dog Star Media has a line of inexpensive, long-term investments you can make in building and keeping your Circle of Influence working for you. All of these strategies will run you $300/month or less. The key is investing in these folks. How many of you wish you had been doing this for a few years? I wouldn’t put this off another day if that is you.

The Cosmetic Channel™ - New and improved for dentists and surgeons - $240/month
Starting on September 20, our new program goes into effect. For $240/month, you get all six episodes of the show you ordered on your web site, those six shows (24 minutes of video) on DVD for your reception room and a monthly email to your patient email list. This means you are making the educational, entertaining content about your surgeries available to your Circle of Influence every month. Email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com for details.

Post-Surgical DVDs for Cosmetic Breast Surgery and Liposuction - 10 units/$200
Why not make the commitment to giving 10 patients these DVDs each month. These DVDs are about health and fitness recovery from surgery but they really are a keepsake of the surgery that you can customize as a marketing tool for your practice. This is the kind of tool that will make your satisfied patients in to an army of people selling you, not just the surgery. Email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com for details.

Keyword SEO or Google Adwords - Only $300/month
Are you regretting not having a measurable SEO plan in place? Well, we’ve been perfecting a low cost, highly measurable, effective Keyword SEO strategy all year. Now we are ready to do it for qualified clients. Is this a marketing investment? No, it is an expense that you should view as cost of doing business on the Internet. Email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com for details.

There are three basics. Infrastructure for $300/month or less. If you find yourself in a valley, it is likely because you are not using these strategies. You will come out the other side but if you don't want to repeat this again, I suggest you put in some of this infrastructure.

Introducing AestheticMarketingToday.com

We are proud to present a preview of a new marketing web site for cosmetic dental and cosmetic surgical practices. It's AestheticMarketingToday.com and it is exactly what it sounds like. This site links you to specially selected partners and their blogs which will publish on a weekly basis, just like mine. Now, you will be able to go to this site on a daily basis for new information from the top experts in aesthetic marketing. So bookmark it and come back as often as you can. There will always be something new.

The partners so far are:
The Practice Advisory Group - a practice management consulting company that offers excellent marketing and operations infrastructure for both medical and dental practices.

Practice Helpers - An online newsletter service delivering high quality, well written newsletters which can be customized for cosmetic surgery practices.

Cosmepedia - Check out this cutting edge online community means of marketing your cosmetic dental or surgical practice. Blaze a digital trail with Cosmepedia.

Dear Doctor - A high end, customizable magazine which promotes cosmetic dentistry practices through direct marketing and via direct mail.

You will also recognize Dog Star Media’s commercial video branch, The Cosmetic Channel™. We also added a new strategy that I will be introducing next weekend at Tulsa Surgical Art’s CME course: our Patient Zero Strategy.

Each is committed to offering you something new about their particular specialty each week. You can go to AestheticMarketingToday.com any day of the work week and get something new... thus the name.

As the landing site develops expect special features and all the blogs you can possibly take, all of which offer you something new, the latest and the greatest straight from the expert’s keyboards.

Spanish Language Consulting and Media

Dog Star Media is proud to announce that we have added a Latin Cultural Consultant to our team. We have had numerous requests for simple translations into Spanish and I have already announced that our surgical shows on The Cosmetic Channel™ will be available in Spanish later this fall.

If you are thinking about marketing to a Spanish speaking audience, there is much more than language to consider. Our consultant, Maria Durand, is a native speaker, is familiar with all Latin American cultures and is an excellent on-camera talent who has worked in the news media in several major US cities. With Maria’s help, we will be crafting media for our clients that addresses the Latin market not just with language and clichés, but with an understanding of the nuances of specific elements of the culture.

So, if you want to expand into the Latin market, please contact Dog Star Media first. If you want more information, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Ken Collins Nails It! Plus a Great New Site!

Last week, one of my favorite cosmetic dentists, Ken Colllins from Spokane came to Dallas to tape a 6-episode show for Season 2 of The Cosmetic Channel™. It is a talk show called Talking Smiles hosted by everyone's favorite Cosmetic Channel™ host, Cynthia. We had a great time and Ken nailed his part giving great details and a lot of enthusiasm for the shows.

Talking Smiles will be available in September and more are coming. The same topics (Porcelain Veneers, Whitening, Dental Implants, TMJ/Neuromuscular Dentistry, Biocompatible Dentistry and Smile Makeovers) will be part of two other versions of Talking Smiles. Cynthia will interview Charlie Morgan and David Buck to make a total of three versions of the same show. Each dentist will bring a different slant and content to their shows, offering a variety of style and substance choices. All three Talking Smiles shows will be available on the Season 2 Cosmetic Channel offering later this fall. More on that in upcoming blogs. The Cosmetic Channel is about to become much more active... that is all I can say for now.

Also, check out this great new web site we just finished for Michael Thornton, DO in Mansfield, Texas: www.MansfieldCosmeticSurgery.com. Dr. Thornton is very Internet-savvy and this web site shows it. Full of Flash yet SEO-friendly, this site is going to do very well in the DFW market. Congratulations, Mike!

If you have any questions about web sites or our new shows on The Cosmetic Channel™, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

What is the latest buzz? Pay Per Click.

One of the things I enjoy about Dog Star Media is that I often feel like I have my finger on the pulse of market trends. And, a recent trend I have noticed is a sudden understanding of what is really possible for a small business when it comes to SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Most people who have had some experience with SEO firms complain to me about the same thing. They almost always say they do not understand what they are paying for. The second most common complaint has to do with lack of reporting or communication to explain the reports. Mix in the fact that most SEO firms are charging at least $1000/month and you get a formula for disappointment and frustration. The facts, as I understand them, are usually that such a fee is perfectly justified for the services performed for optimization.

So, why is everyone quitting out on their SEO companies all of a sudden? It is because price, performance and perceived value are all off when you consider the fact that your practice is a small business. And, even though we would all love to be listed on Page 1 on the most searched terms in your area, no SEO company can guarantee that and at $1000 or more per month, that gets on your radar.

So, we started a little experiment last spring. Many of you are aware that Dog Star Media has been offering a limited Keyword SEO program. We have kept it simple and kept the price low at only $300/month. It is not full blown SEO but it works, is priced right and makes sense in the reporting. Communication has been consistent and our reports show real results. The response has been good and these clients feel much more confident in maintaining an optimization effort at that price point. The marketing lesson is that price, perceived value and performance is in alignment. The informed choice to do less but to do it better is yielding results and, better, understanding of how SEO works for these clients.

One of the side effects has been a sudden focus on what is really possible on a small business budget in SEO. Nearly all of these clients have chosen to add a Google Adwords account to supplement their SEO. We do not charge extra for this. It is only $300/month to manage and comment on reports as well. This move to add Adwords to a limited Keyword Optimization Strategy is a major step forward. One very informed doctor once told me that the best SEO strategies include both optimization and pay per click. He is absolutely right. What I like about what I am seeing is that, as our clients become more educated on what is really happening, they are adding Adwords to insure some results while their keyword optimization works its way up.

This is really the best you can do but it takes understanding how it works and what is possible before most people decide to settle into this sort of strategy. All I know is that we are seeing clicks on the Adword reports and rises in the rankings, little at a time, on most of our optimization.

Call it managing expectations. Call it balancing out a product specifically for a market. I like to think of it as us taking the time to educate our clients about how it really works. The results have been more stabilized SEO and Adwords strategies.

If you want to learn more about this, email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Great use of video on a web site

I heard the song “Come Together” by John Lennon the other day. You know the line, “One thing I can tell you is that you’ve got to be free?” Well, it made me think about this theme of access I have been promoting all year.

Think about it. As the doctor or dentist you are driving the billing for your practice. Seeing you and being with you is not free... and to the degree you are not free costs you. The paradox in all of this is that if you could offer yourself more often and more in-depth to more people, then you would increase your influence and therefore your income potential.

So, somehow, you have got to be free.

Look at this new Dog Star Media designed web site to see how you can be free to others more often: MiddletonCosmetic.com. Dr. Bill Middleton appreciates the power of video and had us add an entire video section to his web site. In that section, he spends a lot of time with the viewer, offering access to himself for free. With hundreds of people seeing the site every month, he is spending more time with new prospects than any competitor is because of he is using the power of video.

So, now more than ever, John Lennon and I are both right... you’ve got to be free. If you want to add video to your web site, use it in your reception room or create custom video to send home with patients for referral purposes, email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

A New Web Site, A New Strategy and New Partners

Congratulations to Advanced Dermatology in McAlester, Oklahoma on their new web site. You can see it at: advanceddermatologyinc.com. In the next few weeks, we will be adding video drops of Dr. Gary Augter to this site, which is what we recommend to help the doctor make the best first impression on visitors.

It is great to see doctors in both small and large markets choosing video to enhance their web sites’s appeal. Video is just becoming so common on the web that our early-adopting clients must be feeling pretty good right now having their video up while so many others are just now making the choice to use custom video. Just remember, it is the hallmark of a VIP (Video-Intensive Practice) to have video on the web site. It is one of the three important places video should be working for your practice. The other two are in your reception area and in the patients’ homes.

Finally, here is a big announcement from The Cosmetic Channel. Most of you know that we like to kick off new campaigns by introducing them at Tulsa Surgical Art’s September CME workshop. This year it is September 5-7. If you are not a cosmetic surgeon or if you are one and are not attending this course on Facial Surgeries, don’t worry, we will be emailing out a special presentation for you from the course. Here is your announcement for now, though. At this September’s course in Tulsa, we will be introducing our PATIENT ZERO STRATEGY.

We will have some teasers in my blog and on TheCosmeticChannel.com but what I will tell you now is that the PATIENT ZERO is about making more referrals. One more hint... Yes, anyone with some medical training has probably come across this term. I am happy to take anyone’s guesses by email if you want to try to figure out the significance of the term PATIENT ZERO.

Finally, you all will be seeing a lot about a new, cost-free marketing service we have been putting together behind the scenes this summer. In August, we will introduce you to a new service offered by a team of the top marketing companies in aesthetic marketing. Several partners have signed on but today I wanted to tell you about Practice Helpers, an newsletter service for cosmetic and plastic surgeons. Practice Helpers is one a handful of commitments we got this week for this new marketing service. Why not click on the link I provided to learn more about their services.

Send me your guesses about the meaning of PATIENT ZERO at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Old Friends Return - Web Sites and Video

Hard to believe it was five years ago that The Spokane Makeover Team made such a splash but the founding members are back for some new marketing tools with Dog Star Media.

We are happy to present two new web sites for an old friend of mine from Spokane. Many of you in cosmetic surgery and cosmetic dermatology know Dr. Phil Werschler who has a tremendous practice in Spokane, Washington. See Phil’s two new web sites, one for Spokane Dermatology Clinic and one for his cosmetic practice, Werschler Aesthetics here:

www.spokanederm.com
www.werschleraesthetics.com

Dr. Werschler and Dr. Ken Collins, friend and cosmetic dentist from Spokane, joined their forces for our first makeover team more than five years ago. In August, Ken is coming to Dallas to tape a new cosmetic dentistry interview show for The Cosmetic Channel™ Ken, David Buck and Charlie Morgan (all LVI dentists) will be taping episodes of our new show, Talking Smiles. This show will be available in September on in-office DVDs and as web service video for Season 2 of The Cosmetic Channel™.

Congratulations to Phil on his new web sites and thanks to Ken for coming to Dallas to add his magnetic personality to this new show!

If you are interested in a new web site or ordering an in-office DVD for you practice, please contact me today at 214-545-5992 or email me here.

Surprise for July... Lots of Interest in New Web Sites

Normally, in mid-July, I have to write my semi-annual blog about fighting through a slow time. Of all years, I expected to be writing it this summer. However, a pretty great trend is emerging in this summer of $4 gas, sliding stocks and pre-election jitters.

July has been filled with the most new web site requests that we have had all year. This goes not only for cosmetic dentist and cosmetic surgeons but in non-medical fields as well. How do I read this? People who are serious about sharpening their marketing want to do it with custom web sites.

I would like to say we anticipated this. The run usually comes each year in September and October. However, in a retooling of our custom web design offerings, we had added a new option: HTML web sites with Flash content. Basically, this is a site that allows for maximum keyword optimization for search engines and offers the elegant beauty of Flash. This Flash/HTML site offers the best of both worlds for SEO and for custom animated design.

If you want to be part of the wave this summer of those who are reworking their web strategies to feature a more competitive web site, please contact me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

This is how you enhance a site with video

We have completed the video addition to the HTML pages on the new TulsaSurgicalArts.com web site. When you click on any procedure, you get a brief benefits-oriented overview in rich media. It also doesn’t hurt that they hired Amy Mueller, one of the hosts from The Cosmetic Channel™ to present the benefits. Overall, this is just an excellent addition to the site.

This is a great example of how you can have video AND pages that are optimized for search engines. This site has Flash, video and SEO-friendly text. How do you get something like this? Knowing what you want at the beginning of the process.

There are a number of ways that you can have Flash, video and an SEO-friendly site. Most SEO companies simplify the issue by telling people that Flash cannot be optimized and that video (as a site element) does not contribute to optimization. As stand-alone facts those are true and it benefits the companies that use templates or are “chop shops.” More truthfully, these isolated facts do not affect web site design if you are building a truly custom web site. That is what we build at Dog Star Media and that is why we can offer all of the benefits in one site.

From the beginning, we ask about your SEO strategy, or if you even have one. We look at your big picture with you and make sure you get the rich media you want without affecting your ability to be found.

It comes down to comparing apples with apples when you are comparing web design services. Don’t think you have to sacrifice SEO-friendliness if you want a the great rich media, look and feel you see on a site like TulsaSurgicalArts.com.

Summer is the time when a lot of people begin looking at their web sites and deciding to make improvements. We stand ready to help you meet that goal with custom designs that are SEO friendly. If you want to improve your web site, please contact me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

A Lesson on Added Value - Add this to your web strategy

Added value is a misunderstood term. This is primarily because it has become such a buzz word generally understood to mean “free stuff that we give you when you buy something from us.” And, with wider and broader usage, the “added values” get cheaper and less meaningful. So, most of us tend to dismiss it when someone mentions an added value.

This fits perfectly with the recent themes I have been writing in this blog about giving access to yourself and the value of your presence. We get so caught up in transactions and in the necessary repetition of our days, that you forget the value of what you say, what you know and how you present it. You can see this in every consult and every opportunity you have with patients and customers when they smile at you. This is the trust that you feel them giving over to you. It is bottom line on why they choose you as their cosmetic doctor or dentist.

Now, I have given you plenty of examples of how you can make yourself more accessible over the past few months. Most of these ideas revolve around video because video gives you an opportunity to replicate one message a vast amount of times. Someone who understands this puts their practice in place to be a Video-Intensive Practice. This means you have 1) video of you talking to visitors on your web site which offers immediate access to you for every web visitor, 2) entertaining video in your reception room that educates, informs and makes your messages accessible and 3) video that goes into the satisfied patients’ homes so they can become a sales force for you.

I invite you to pick one of these VIP tools and order it now. And, I want to inform you of a new added value for being a customer of Dog Star Media and The Cosmetic Channel™. This is an example of how added value should be used.

Most of you have been receiving and reading my blog for a long time. This is a blog that I post with marketing ideas for everyone. Beginning this month, I am starting a new blog that is only for Dog Star Media and The Cosmetic Channel™ clients. If you become a client at any point, you will be added to this exclusive mailing list to get my new blog that will publish twice each month.

This blog will focus on coping with being a small business owner and unleashing and projecting the spirit inside you that will lead to growth. It will be inspirational and focus on techniques that fan far beyond simply marketing your business. This is the next level in content and will supplement what I offer to my coaching and retainer clients. Only, this will be for every client, regardless if they are only buying one DVD from The Cosmetic Channel™ or if they sign on for ongoing services. This is real added value.... substantial, thought-provoking, applicable to both you and your team and, best of all, written to make a personal connection, one experienced business owner to another.

I decided to write this special blog because I want to make a deeper impact than just the services we offer at Dog Star Media. I want to give something more, contributing more than just the tools and strategies to the improvement of my clients’ businesses. The content in this new blog will make a positive impact on your outlook as practice owners, your coping skills in dealing with growth and change and your understanding of how offering access to you and your spirit as the doctor or dentist or business owner is the key to your marketing success. It starts this month. If you have been reading this blog and have been thinking about what Dog Star Media and The Cosmetic Channel™ offer, what better month to make that first purchase? Why not order that in-office DVD you know you need, take the special I announced last week and become part of this new blog from the beginning. Just email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com to make that first order.

And, here is a no-cost marketing tip. I am only doing what you should be doing. There is something I have to give, something of value that can benefit my clients. All I am doing is offering access to you through this blog and my new client blog. All my retainer clients and most of my coaching clients are using this very strategy to reach out to their audience to offer access. You should be doing this, too. You should be offering access, too.

Stop Blocking... The Power of Marketing Flows from You.

I considered calling this blog “Zen and The Art of Marketing Your Practice” but I will save that for another day. Heading into next week which will be truncated by the long Fourth of July weekend, this is the perfect time for a little reflection. There is something you want right now, probably growth and smarter marketing if you are reading this blog. So, what is stopping you?

Nine times out of 10, that bottleneck is you. And, yes, I know... you are busy... now is not a good time... can’t focus right now.... there is always a good reason not to act on your instincts to move forward. If this sounds familiar, you are blocking. Stop blocking.

Have you ever considered this? Each week I point out a solid marketing concept or tool in this blog. What do you do with that information? If you read this blog every week and file the information away for later, you are only putting off the prosperity that these strategies and tools can bring you. You are blocking the flow of abundance that I am sending your way, complete with details and examples of how to do it. When you stop being the bottleneck and follow your gut on what you know is the next marketing move you should be making, the power of what I am sending to you will begin to work for you.

Hopefully, at some point in your life, you have experienced abundance. In short, this is the idea that “more for you does not mean less for me.” Abundant people participate, try and follow the positive instincts inside themselves. They are willing to risk mistakes because they know that one mis-step is not the end of the world. And, abundant people reap the kind of rewards we all want. You can find this message in all kinds of places these days as writers, motivators and spiritual leaders are trying with dedication to get people to think and act with positive energy. Personally, I experience it myself all the time. If you want positives and improvement to come to you, putting it out there first is the best way to get the pump started. Someone has to go first. If you know this, why not be the one who puts something out there.

So how does this tie into marketing your practice? For the past several months, I have been writing about offering access to yourself. I have been talking about video. I have also been waiting for a good time for my readers to reflect on what kind of message they are sending to their patients and prospects. What, if any, message are you sending? Most of you are not sending any message that easily educates and primes the pump with these people. Is it any wonder why you return to this blog each week looking for marketing answers? If you are not putting out the right kind of message with the right kind of media in the right place and time, then you are blocking the flow of information, intangibles and access from yourself to your prospective patients.

That's right. It is all on you. So, I ask that you try this. You want your business to improve and prosper. Here is an idea that will allow you to start meeting this goal along the easiest path possible. All you need to do is act. Stop blocking and follow your instincts if this sounds like a good idea.

Test your abundance and instincts.
You have a 10X better chance of success when marketing through existing relationships. In other words, the people who come to see you already are more likely to respond to your marketing messages. This can result in new procedures and more referrals. Instinct Test 1: Do you feel comfortable with these people who trust you already? They feel the same way and as a result, they are more open to what you will suggest.

How are you actively presenting all the options to these people? In most cases, the answer is that you are not. And, of course there is always a reason why you are not doing it. Instinct Test 2: Do you feel like if you only had more time with these people, you could get more value from them, both through more treatments and through more referrals? Do you see that the bottleneck is you and your limited time to give people access to you?

So, why are you wasting their time and yours. It is true what they say in business that time is money. Time is also the opportunity to invest. Instinct Test 3: Do you feel like there are a lot of practices using video in their reception room to influence and educate patients? Does your gut tell you that this is a good idea?

Allow me to repeat my offer:
Last week, I announced a special for June and July from The Cosmetic Channel™. It is for a customized DVD of our specially designed marketing shows for cosmetic surgery and cosmetic dentistry. The special offer included a FREE 19" Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD Tabletop HDTV/DVD for your reception area. Basically, the special allows you to simply plug and play. No real effort is needed other than to order the DVDs and to be willing to let the information and access to flow. You can see examples of the shows at this link: http://www.thecosmeticchannel.com/thecosmeticchannel.html

The offer is this: Buy at least one show (six (6) four-minute episodes on different related topics) on DVD from The Cosmetic Channel for $960 and receive two specials. We will produce customized 20-second between-show bumpers for your practice at half price ($600) and send you a FREE 19" Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD Tabletop HDTV/DVD for your reception room. This size unit was specially selected for its ease of use, portability and appropriate size.

You can be rolling customized video messages on a 28-minute loop for a one-time fee of $1560.
This offer is good through July 31. New shows are being produced as I am writing this including a show for cosmetic facial surgeons (The Cosmetic Channel Makeovers) and three talk/interview shows for cosmetic dentists featuring LVI graduates and instructors. We know our market and all the videos produced from The Cosmetic Channel™ hits the mark, are short and watchable and will work to help you get that message and that access out there. This offer is meant to be a slam dunk for our clientele.

The only thing standing in the way to using this strategy is you. What is your instinct telling you about how this would work? How about how easy it would be to just plug this in and let it work for you in reception room time where people are reading magazines instead of hearing about your many offerings? We have narrowed this down to one decision and one expense. This is not a project that requires your time. All that is required is for you to make the order. We will do the rest. We have made this offer objection-free. Making this one-time expense now will begin paying off immediately with the seeds you sow by using the power of video in the right way. An abundant thinker makes this expense knowing that it will be returned in the form of more value from patients and referrals from a better-educated patient base. You see, there is really no risk at all with this offer.

Many of you responded to last week’s blog, more than the usual weekly response. This tells me that I hit a nerve with this offer. Look at your instinct tests and act abundantly to spread your message to the people with the best odds of being of greater value. It starts with you and it can start right now. Email me at Donald@dogstarmedia.com to take me up on this special. Listen to your gut and be abundant with your message and access to yourself.

The Cosmetic Channel™ Makeover Show.... Wow! What results!

Yesterday, we shot a show for The Cosmetic Channel that will debut in September, 2008. Six facial surgery patients flew into Dallas for hair and make-up makeovers from a team of stylists recognized as among the best in the Southwest. (Center of the photo: Hairstylist Cristen Cobb and Makeup Artist Joseph Mathini.) The results were amazing.

The show, called The Cosmetic Channel™ Makeovers is a show that features the benefits of facial cosmetic surgeries. Hosted by one of our hosts, Cynthia, each episode tells the story of a woman who has chosen facial surgery. Some wanted to improve one feature, some wanted to look younger, some were recovering from massive weight loss. Overall, the array of stories was excellent in displaying the stories behind the cosmetic facial surgery and showing what can be done with styling to enhance the results of cosmetic facial surgery. Watchable and likeable, this show will lead the way in the all-new Season 2 of The Cosmetic Channel.

In the end, you get to see the amazing results of the facial surgery and the style makeover, all in one fun, whirlwind episode. More details about the production will follow in this blog, but count The Cosmetic Channel™ Makeovers as available on DVD for your office in September of this year. When I get some pictures from the set, I will also post them, so keep coming back to my blog.

And, speaking of In-Office DVDs, we have a new offer for those of you who are stuck because you do not have a reception room DVD player. If you want information on how you can receive a FREE 19" Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD Tabletop HDTV/DVD for your reception area, just email me. This one-piece unit is the perfect addition to your reception room by as it is portable, not dominating and easy to use. Just load a DVD from The Cosmetic Channel™ and push play. Then, you can know that you are using video in one of the most important places to influence new business. For more information, just email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Improve your marketing odds by 10X

That's right. There is a way to improve your odds by understanding a simple principle. Most marketing authorities will agree that it is 10 times easier to get new business from or through an existing customer or patient. Or another way of looking at it is: It is 10 times harder make a go out and find a new customer or patient than to improve the value of an existing relationship.

This is the basis of some pretty sophisticated database marketing techniques which are generally known as One-to-One Marketing. And, for cosmetic dentists and cosmetic surgeons, it should be on page one of your marketing strategy.

Last week, I announced an incentive for our in-office looping DVDs. We offer numerous shows on cosmetic breast surgeries, body surgeries, facial surgeries and cosmetic dentistry that we are making into customized DVDs for our clients. Each DVD runs at a minimum of 24 minutes and we are offering special incentives which will customize the DVD for your practice.

Playing these videos in your reception area will promote additional services to people who are already in your office or clinic. It is a way to turn a one-time surgery patient into a regular visitor for injectables. It is a way to turn a Botox patient into a facial surgery patient. It is a way to get a hygiene dental patient asking questions about cosmetic dentistry. And, it is a way to get all of them thinking about procedures for people they may know.

If you are receiving this email, we have a DVD loop that fits your practice. Please take me up on our offer for June and July sales. Order your DVD in June or July and we will customize your DVD with between-show bumpers at no additional cost. If you want more information, email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com

Yet Another New Web Site and Video for Your Reception Room on DVD

Congratulations to Charlie Morgan, DDS and his team at Stonebrook Dental in Frisco, Texas. His new Flash Video web site debuted last week at StonebrookDental.net. Yet another great example of how video of the doctor changes the game in marketing.

When I speak at workshops and CME courses about the best uses of video in marketing, I always point out that video drops (like the ones you see on this web site) take meeting the doctor from the end of the process to the beginning of the process. I think everyone can agree that all new prospective patients will check you out on the web. Under normal circumstances, if the web site enlightens or validates, next comes a phone call. If your front desk does well, then you move to an appointment of consultation. Only then, does the patient get to meet the doctor. And, this is the single biggest determining factor in whether someone will choose your practice.

So, why not make that first impression much earlier at a point where it can be done well and multiplied over and over for no additional cost in time or effort? Video of the doctor on a web site accomplishes this. It is a great use of media which can be added to both HTML and Flash sites. Generally, it looks better integrated into a Flash site but it can work well in HTML, too.

DVDs for Cosmetic Dentists
Charlie Morgan is also part of a group of LVI-trained dentists that will be featured in a new project by The Cosmetic Channel™ this summer. Many of you dentists who receive my blog also know David Buck and Ken Collins from LVI. All three will be featured in their own talk show series covering the topics Porcelain Veneers , Whitening, Dental Implants, TMJ and its treatment, Bio-compatible options for dentistry and What does a smile makeover mean to people. Each talk show (six (6), four-minute episodes) will create a 24-minute DVD that you can buy to play on looping DVD in your reception room. Each 24-minute DVD featuring one doctor (who will only be identified with a first name and initial) is priced at $960 and if you order it before August 31, we will customize :15 second between-show “bumpers” about your practice, making the DVD customized with your message.

DVDs for Cosmetic Surgeons
We have already been filling orders for looping reception room DVDs for Cosmetic Surgeons with our programming from The Cosmetic Channel™. Again each show is priced at $960 and each show contains six (6) four-minute episodes. Your choices right now are: Facial Surgeries, Breast Surgeries, Body Surgeries, Injectable Treatments and Skin Treatments. We are working on two new shows for the fall on facial surgeries. One is even in Spanish language!

Special Offer for Ordering In-office DVDs before August 31, 2008.
Anyone ordering looping in-office DVDs before August 31 will receive two special bonues. First we will customize your DVDs with between show bumpers at no additional cost. This service is normally priced at our video one-minute minimum charge of $1200. A second benefit of purchasing in-office DVDs before August 31, 2008 is you will be placed on the email list for an exclusive bonus blog I will be writing over the summer. Reading this blog will give you some in-depth consulting on the following topics:

1) The word Makeover is not dead… how to use it in your practice.
2) Patient Zero: Using complex human transmission scenarios to understand networking
3) How to calculate your Return on Investment
4) How to be “First” in your market
5) Media strategies for the Information Age.

The only way to get this blog consultation is to sign up for at least one looping DVD show.

If you are going to make one marketing purchase this summer, why not make it video, either for your web site or for your reception room? I will be writing more about Video-Intensive Practices (VIP) in the weeks to come. These two uses of video are two main planks in a VIP strategy. If you want to talk about video for your web site or order a DVD for your reception room, just email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

New Web Site... Wow!

This web site has been cooking for a while and I am very happy to announce its debut today. Congratulations go to Dr. Faisal Quereshy in Ohio on his new Flash Video web site which you can see right here. Not only do I love this elegant style and classic color scheme but the use of video really makes this a site that brims with extra quality.

This is an excellent example of a Flash Video web site and completes Dr. Quereshy’s confirmation as a VIP practice, a Video-Intensive Practice. If you read my past few blogs, I have begun writing about the sort of practice that is using video at the most important venues of communication. These three points are: 1) On your web site, 2) in your reception area and 3) in the homes of your satisfied patients. In each of these three communication venues, the use of video can improve your chances of finding new business. In this blog, I am going to start pointing out doctors who have elevated their practice to VIP status.

In Dr. Quereshy’s case, he already uses our post-operative DVDs for liposuction which go home with liposuction patients. These DVDs carry a Health & Fitness message but also carry some strong branding for Visage Surgery Center. Now, when a lipo patient tells family and friends about their procedure and the recovery, they have branded tool for Visage Surgery Center on hand in their home to co-brand the procedure. Now it is not just liposuction; it is liposuction by Dr. Quereshy. This tool works well with increasing the potency of your referral network.

The video on the his Flash web site introduces prospective patients to Dr. Quereshy right away. Through this kind of “video drop,” he begins building trust through making a great, personal first impression on the first click. This is often the first place people go to find information and get validation about a practice or a doctor. So, doesn’t it make sense for the doctor to make a personable appearance here? This sort of video enhances the web site, increasing appeal to prospective new patients.

Finally, through his subscription The Cosmetic Channel, Dr. Quereshy will be receiving a looping DVD of Season 1 shows to use in his reception area. The use of looping video in this communication venue can sow seeds about other procedures with patients with whom you are already connected. In most businesses, it is generally considered 10X easier to upsell or influence an existing customer than to earn a new one. The use of looping video to promote a full range of services will undoubtedly get new conversations started. What a shame if someone come to you for family dentistry but not cosmetic services or if someone chooses you for breast lift and augmentation but chooses someone else for injectable services. If this happens, you are leaving perfectly good opportunities on the table. A looping DVD from The Cosmetic Channel™ can make all the difference in getting that conversation started.

So, that is the outline of the VIP or Video-Intensive Practice. Covering those three bases with specially designed video means that you are using the medium of video every way you can to prop up your marketing effort.

If you have questions about adding video in any of these venues of your practice, contact me at Donald@dogstarmedia.com

A New Web Site and a New Blog Offering

Dog Star Media is proud to present the new web site for The Practice Advisory Group. You can see the site at PracticeAdvisoryGroup.com.

This site is great because you just sit back, watch and listen while a video host explains why their brand of comprehensive practice consulting can be beneficial for your practice. Incidentally, if the operations of your practice could use some fine tuning, I recommend browsing this site. They have the most integrated, well-supported practice consulting programs I have ever seen. Amazing infrastructure.

The importance of offering access through blogging and video.
In other news, more and more of my retainer and coaching clients are installing their own blog and email marketing processes using my blog as a guideline. This is at the heart of the general “offer access” strategy which I recommend as the best edge a small business has in marketing itself. In an interesting, well-written blog, you can build a readership that follows you in a “safe,” atmosphere. Creating a great blog is in the same vein as adding introductory video to your web site. You want to offer access to your uniqueness, blogging and video are two ways of doing that.

In a recent presentation for cosmetic surgeons, I was talking about the power of offering access. And, although it came off the cuff, I really think this cannot be summarized better. I told the crowd that, if all things were equal, wouldn't prospective patients choose you as the doctor based on merit alone? The whole crowd nodded silently in approval. The problem here is that all things are not equal.

A lesser competitor can hire a great media designer, take a risk that pays off, spend more than you do or do one of the million other marketing miracles that make circumstances unequal. Then, add in that you have more than one competitor and you can see how unequally the odds are stacked against you. Even if you are doing all of this, too, what advantage can you gain to win simply on merit?

The answer is ACCESS. Give people access to you. Give them substance, something concrete about you. Give them what makes people choose you as their dentist or surgeon. Give them the only unique advantage you have. This is ACCESS to you.

A good way to size this up is to look at two web sites from doctors in the same field. Choose one web site where the doctor shows up and talks to you in video. Compare that with a web site where you just get a portrait photo and a written bio. If these were first impressions, from whom would you seek out more? Do you feel the impression of one more strongly than the other? Of course you do. Photos cannot compare with the communication power of video.

But, what if you do not have the resources to add video to your web site? You can offer unique access to your thoughts and personality through blogging. There are two tricks to doing this, however. One is that you need to choose a market to distribute your blog. I suggest using basic email marketing to do this and use your existing patient database of emails as a starting point. Then, make it a priority to always be trying to build that list up.

The second trick is to write a blog that will keep people interested, which results in readers coming back to read the blog when contacted by email, which in turn results in your blog begin forwarded or referred. For this to occur you have to regularly serve up interesting topics presented in an interesting way. This level of interest is fueled by access to your passion or other positive qualities that come out through the writing.

We already offer coaching to help you execute your email marketing but, beginning in June, Dog Star Media is going to offer a new low-cost service to help you maximize your potential of offering access through blogging. Beginning in June, I will be posting a new subscribers-only blog on how to write an amazing blog. Like a Writer’s Workshop, this 12-part blog will give you a monthly writing prompt focusing on characteristics that can turn a blog about your practice into an interesting read that lets readers feel like they get that extra edge in knowing you. The cost to subscribe is only $100/month for 12 months.

Keep in mind, all things are not equal. Using this tool to help you blog will help you tilt the playing field in your favor with the best edge you have: access to you. Just contact me here to sign up for this special, new offering.

The new TulsaSurgicalArts.com

We are proud to present the new web site for TulsaSurgicalArts.com!

This site should bring your attention to the importance of using video to set tone, give access and separate yourself from the competition. This site blends Flash, Video and HTML for optimum searchablity and optimum visual impact once someone finds the site. In short, this is part of new generation of sites we are designing that rely on video to make most of the first impression. Shortly, we will be adding video guides to this site that enhance the experience of the rich HTML content.

In the coming weeks, you will see us begin to redefine how we design web sites. Gone will be the labels of HTML and Flash or Flash Video. To give you options for greater searchability with the same visual impact of Flash and Flash Video, we will begin offering new ways for you to put together your site to meet more objectives.

This will be the beginning of a new initiative at DSM, one that should affect how all of our doctors and dentists approach the use of media in their practices. The question is: Are you a Video-Intensive Practice? Are you a VIP?

A Video-Intensive Practice is a practice that not only uses video, but uses it at the point where it can help form an opinion. To begin, you have to realize where the critical points of communication are in creating a new patient. These are points of research, points of validation and points of referral. If you have the properly created video message at each of these points, you are using video in a convincing way. This is the basis of becoming a Video-Intensive Practice.

For years, many have heard me speak or read here in this blog about the importance of the video message on your web site. It is a way of letting people have access to the doctor during the “shopping” stage instead of at the end. This is different from just having video produced for your front page. Making this distinction is what makes a Video-Intensive Practice seem more accessible. How much more excited will be people be to meet Dr. Cuzalina or Dr. Koelher after seeing this new web site at TulsaSurgicalArts.com. It is not just video, it is the choice to put a certain kind of video at a certain place. Video-Intensive Practices will gain advantages with this sort of tactic.

There are other places where opinions are formed and influenced. Dog Star Media now provides options for using video in these key places. In the next week, or so, you will all receive information on our new In-Office DVD series for surgeons and for dentists. These are key to influencing patients who already trust you and creating an upselling environment by presenting new possibilities for service without the pressure of the sales conversation. Another way is to influence people with video at the point of referral. Our post-surgical DVDs are the perfect example of how to put key video at the point of referral.

We have positioned Dog Star Media to help Video-Intensive Practices with affordable and effective tools. If you are ready to become this sort of practice, you can start by examining your need at these three points: On the web site, in the reception room and at the point of referral. We can help you address all of these three areas in a very affordable way.

Why not begin to use video the right way and get on the path to becoming a Video-Intensive Practice?

New Web Site and a Teaser

What is the best way to start marketing a new practice? Ask our client Dave Thomas from Ohio. Here’s the answer: A few months before you open the doors, launch your web site and begin your Keyword SEO. This ensures that your new identity can be submitted to search engines and recognized on related keywords well before you need the web to start working for you.

Dr. Thomas opens his new clinic in July. But this new HTML web site: http://www.valleysurgicalarts.com gives him a few months head start for those searching for cosmetic surgery on the web. And, we know that is pretty much everyone who is searching for information on cosmetic surgery. So... Good choice.

Creating a web site can take some time and it is best to do it before you need it. The same is true for integrating all of your marketing steps into day to day operations for the practice. It all comes down to making sure marketing is not an extra thing to do. It should be part of your advanced planning and part of your regular operations.

So congratulations to Dr. Thomas and two doctors opening practices later in the year, Dr. Mike Thornton near Fort Worth, Texas and Baytown’s Dr. Edward Pina. All three of these doctors are starting early, putting in their infrastructure and making proper marketing preparations before opening their doors with a cosmetic practice. Dog Star Media coaching and design and video services are playing a part for all three and I have no doubt that they will get off to better starts because of it.

TEASER TIME:
The Cosmetic Channel™ is prepared to announce two of the new shows we are producing for Season 2. The first is a show on Facial Surgeries where Cristen Cobb, (named Dallas’ edgiest stylist by Allure Magazine) will create cut, color and style hair to compliment six different facial cosmetic surgeries. The show will discuss the makeover potential of each kind of facial surgery. Edgy, fun and stylish, this show will be shot live during the styling and will be hosted by The Cosmetic Channel™ host, Cynthia.

We also will be creating three variations on our most popular format of show, the Vlog show. These conversations shows will be shot with three LVI graduated Cosmetic Dentists. Each dentist brings a specific angle to the discussion which will give a unique content to each topic.

More new shows are coming! However, the big announcement is that Season 2 will be available for online video service and DVD at the same time. Season 1 shows are available now for office DVD, so check out what is available on TheCosmeticChannel.com

Wow! Now this is how you use video.

We just had a visit from Dr. Bill Middleton in our Dallas studio. Many of you AACS members know him from his cosmetic surgery practice in Toronto.

Dr. Middleton flew into Dallas after attending Tulsa Surgical Arts’s CME course on surgeries After Massive Weight Loss. The point of his trip was to shoot 15 short videos on why you should choose his practice for those 15 procedures. These videos will go on his web site, offering excellent access to prospects checking him out. In addition, the videos will be listed on YouTube and on Google Video.

While he was here, he shot some opening video for his web site and shot custom openings for the Post-operative Health & Fitness DVDs he will get from The Cosmetic Channel™. It was a very productive use of a quick-turn trip to Dallas. We offer all clients the use of our specialized Chromakey studio at no cost when they make video with us.

Dr. Middleton has the right idea. He has been on television in Canada on several shows and understands the idea of offering access. This is right in line with the concepts we teach at Dog Star Media. He knows what we know. That if people see you, hear you and get a feel for you early, that they are more likely to come and visit you... maybe even first. Thirty seconds of carefully crafted video message here or there, especially on your web site or in the homes of your patients, can make all the difference in helping them trust you enough for a visit.

I just gave a lecture in Tulsa at the CME course that I referenced above. In the lecture, I asked the question, “If all factors were equal, do you think that a prospect would choose them for a procedure based on merit? ” Most do, of course. You probably think that, too and most likely you are right. However, all factors are not equal.

You cannot control who gets to a prospect first, who a prospect finds first and you cannot control how your competitors present themselves. What you can control is HOW you are presented. Video offers access. Watch a short clip from a Flash video web site and ask yourself the impact it makes. You hear the doctor, you see the doctor, you begin to know the doctor.

If you are not using video in your practice, you are inviting someone else to make the better impression first. It is just a fact of the web.

Factors are not equal and they will not be. You should be planning on tilting them in your direction by using the power of video.