The Sales Equation: Explained.

I often describe our approach to marketing as based on two simple principles. They are 1) the flow of information and 2) the exchange of information. The exchange of information leading to a resolution... this is how we describe sales.

At the end of the day, we are all in sales. Some organizations are order-taking businesses and some have to work a sales equation in order to get new business. (Misunderstanding how media buys works with this is a whole other blog but, let me say, this is a major small business problem.) When marketing a small business, particularly a professional service, it is vital to understand how the sales equation is enabled by marketing. This is how you get a truly in-concert marketing and sales program that results in sales.

So, in a nutshell, this is how we apply this principle to marketing. Sales is the exchange of information leading to a resolution. This requires participation from two parties: someone or something from your business and the prospect or prospective patient. In other words, we want to start and maintain as many conversations as possible. This gives your sales person a chance to use their selling skills to make sales. Very little business closes itself, so participation is key.

In the old days, a sales person was limited by capacity, or the number of relationships he/she could maintain at one time. Now, we have databases and communications technology that help us increase our capacity. But this is really only more bandwidth on what you can manage, it has little to do with how much you can really handle in terms of closing business. So, prioritization is now the key to greater sales productivity. We want your sales people to spend the majority of their time exchanging information that can result in immediate sales.

So, what and how should our sales people be prioritizing? Clearly, the prospects that are nearest to closing demand the first, best attention and other prospects can be channeled into a “pipeline,” or possible down-the-road business. The key to a future flow of business is to establish as big a pipeline as possible. We like to call this your Circle of Influence. (You can read more about Circle of Influence in Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Successful People). However, this is much more than a list of names. It is a group of people who still require the exchange of information leading to a resolution, only with a little less urgency. Stop exchanging information with them and they will get their information somewhere else. So, it is necessary to use technology to allow you to keep as many people warm as possible.

So... Key Marketing Objective: Keep prospects and sources of referrals in your circle of influence receiving information. Blogs, social networking, email marketing... these are all ways to use technology to broadcast your information on a one-to-one basis and set yourself up for both direct and indirect responses.

Once you have some information that someone has shown interest... they have clicked through on a topic you emailed them... they have expressed some interest directly... they give you indications that they are listening... they become fans on your Facebook page... you can make rifleshot lists for follow-up. This is a marketing step that requires some sales support. It requires participation and pro-activity.

Let’s say you email market a general list about a specific topic. By clicking through to read about that topic, they indicate some interest. That shorter and refined interest list can be contacted directly with a friendly follow up call with a related offer or more information, or a question about their interest. In this scenario, a pattern of click-throughs indicates a greater interest. If someone continually clicks through on blogs about a specific cosmetic procedure, don’t you think that indicates some interest? Ok, the marketing part is done. Time to hand off to sales. With some sales follow up on those more defined targets, the chances of taking the exchange of information to a more meaningful level improve. Now, you are back to sales. Be proactive. Go get the new business.

This is just one example of how measuring technologies, understanding how messages work and having marketing activities that support a sales plan can make your marketing and sales more effective. Using these and other One-to-One Marketing techniques can fill your pipeline and refine the time your sales people spend on selling. Less time wasted, more ground covered, better prospects... it all equals more business. You just have to coordinate the marketing systems and sales.

We teach you to do this in my coaching program. If you are ready to run your business like a sales organization that is more efficient and more profitable, installing techniques like this will help greatly. If you are interested in learning more in my coaching program, please let me know. The cost is only $300/month for coaching and usually it pays for itself right away when we cut wasteful parts of your current marketing plan. If you are interested in my coaching program, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

So, who is working on their 2010 budget?

In all my December coaching meetings, I try to focus some time on budgeting for 2010. This is important because it is so easy to get tempted into trying and buying other things. Not to say that a certain amount of experimentation is bad. It just should be done under the proper conditions including tracking responses.

Some budgeting trends I noticed in 2009 were 1) a reduction of yellow pages advertising, 2) an increase in Pay Per Click/Pay for Performance services and 3) a reduction in print advertising. In general, the Recession was good for one thing, I think. It helped clients invigorate their desire to keep the develop the customers they have. This led to a greater emphasis on gathering emails for email marketing and it helped with an interest in social networking such as Facebook. Both of those methods of communication cost very little (in fact, Facebook can be free if you choose not to advertise).

Heading into 2010, it is clear that some people are ready to take the next step in online marketing. For most, this will be a step into a Banner advertising program that coordinates with your paid search. This year, we made some banners that included video. This makes them much more eyecatching and seem more important than a static JPG graphic. And, with companies like Reach Local (who we recommend for paid searches), your banner ad can be used for rebranding. Loosely translated, this forces a second and then repeated look at your ad on popular Internet sites (like MSN, Yahoo, Facebook, CNN, etc) onto people who have clicked through paid links to your web site. In otherwords, if someone clicks through one of your paid listings, then your banner ad follows them around the Internet, increasing the number of exposures they have to your brand. You may have noticed this happening when you use the Internet.... seeing the same ads seemingly everywhere. I notice it quite a bit when I am casually surfing.

If you are interested in a branding ad program with video ads, please let us know. Otherwise, as you plan your 2010 budget, I ask that you consider my coaching program for marketing guidance. It is a great program to make sure you are using the proper marketing, media and sales principles in your business. Coaching is only $300/month and it pays for itself in only a few months when wasteful spending is cut. Please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com if you are interested.

Google: Load time will be a factor in ranking sites

It is commonly known that there are hundreds of factors that work into search engine algorithms. However, recent news and buzz in the Internet search community indicates that Google (the most substantial and largest search engine) will be adding loading time into their algorithm beginning in 2010.

It is unknown how much weight this will be given in the algorithm because the exact formulas are never published. However, since page load time is something you can address with design, it make sense that this should be addressed if it is an issue on your site.

What about Flash?
Of course, this discussion will revive the age-old Flash vs. HTML argument. More than 80% of the sites we design are both Flash and HTML. We moved to recommending this format a few years ago and it has resulted in a best-of-both-worlds situation. Our Flash/HTML blend of design gets clients a high level of aesthetic and plenty of HTML elements to better optimize the site with keywords.

If you have an all-Flash site, I would be most concerned about this new factor if you have a long animation at the outset that loads before your home page loads. This will count against your load time and... well, let’s face it... that is pretty outdated these days. We haven’t designed a long loading animation at Dog Star Media in about five years if that tells you something. And, yes, a new DogStarMedia.com is coming later this month so if I can let my old animated beginning go, you can, too!

What about video?
If it is done properly, your video loads onto your site from an Flash media server. This loads in your video faster all around, which is why we do it. However, if your video is just an element or a module on the page, then this is not going to count against your site loading statistics. For example if you have a video on your site or some of our Flash video web drops (where the doctor talks directly to you), then you are streaming this video into your site from the Flash media server. It is not part of your page load. So, don’t let this new talk about site loading time dissuade you from adding video or Flash to your site. For cosmetic doctors and dentists, these are important elements in making the proper presentation. You just need to know how to add those elements in without hurting your loading time. This is a complicated point but it should be a major consideration when choosing a web design company. We understand all of these elements and build them into our designs. Be warned: Others do not.

So, it is probably time for you to look at your web site and ask yourself if your loading time is going to be an issue. An easy self-test would be 1) Do you have an opening animation? 2 ) Do you have an animated landing page that precedes your home page? 3) Do you have an all-Flash web site that was designed years ago before recent improvements have become standard. If you answered yes to any of those three, you should probably contact us for a design consultation on how to improve your design. Feel free to contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com for more information.

The phones are ringing

By now, you all know that I think tracking telephone numbers are the most useful marketing tool. A tracking number is a unique number placed in a specific location for the purpose of electronically tracking the details of calls from that source. It is great for breaking down the specific details of a response from a specific medium. It is also good for noting macro-trends.

And, the macro trend we are seeing right now is that calls are up. The total number of calls among our clients tracking numbers has steadily increased each week over the last seven weeks and this week is ahead of last week. On a bigger scale, fourth quarter numbers are far outreaching third quarter numbers.

Monday has taken over as the day with the most calls with Tuesday being a close second. The 12PM hour shows the highest call volume, so make sure someone is on those phones at the lunch hour.

So what does all this mean to you? First off, you should be tracking everything to make sure you are in line with this trend. Second, if you cannot see the trends in reports such as these, ask yourself if you feel the upswing in calls at your practice. If not, the first thing to do it measure, then adjust. Across the board, we are seeing more contact volume. You should be feeling it. If not, don’t start swinging wildly. It starts by measuring your incoming calls so you know the conditions you are dealing with. If you are interested in a tracking number, please email me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com. We will get you started on the right foot.

Well, well, well...

I was at a conference over the weekend. I was one of two marketing speakers and I always find it interesting (and validating) to hear another marketing professional speak. When she got around to SEO, I heard something that rang true.

She said, “Pretty soon, if we aren’t already there, it will be impossible to be on Page 1 organically on the most sought-after terms.” There is was. Someone had actually said it. And, it is something we all know. So, let’s talk about expectations for SEO.

There is a concept in sales called misplacement of values. This occurs when a sales person projects what they value onto the customer. Instead of finding out what is important to the customer, they rattle on and on about what they THINK is important. In the end, the customer does not get served and the sale is not made. In other words, it is unsuccessful.

Misplacement of values also winds up undercutting a lot of SEO investments. Except this time, it is the client that has a misplacement of values. In other words, the client has an expectation that is 1) not realistic or 2) not productive. And, by self-directing the campaign or evaluating it improperly, the client opts out what is a useful SEO approach.

Here is how you should evaluate your SEO program. Identify your ultimate goal: more contacts. More contacts cannot be attained without more traffic. This is the first realistic objective of SEO: to increase traffic.

Now this is where misplacement of values come into the picture. An SEO service will have an opinion and approach as to how to increase traffic. If you disagree with that approach, then right there, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you disagree with the approach, the results that do come in will not be satisfying because your expectations will not be in alignment with an approach.

We recently had a client whose traffic had increased by more than 5,000 visits per month in our program. There it was on paper. Our program started, we hung his new web site and BAM! the visits skyrocketed. So, why did he quit our program? His reason was that we were unable to acheive first page positioning on the terms he wanted in six months. See? Philosophies not in alignment. All indictators were that he was having smashing success with new traffic but because he thought placement within a short-time frame (which is never realistic this highly trafficked terms) was more important than actual, real beneficial traffic, he quit.

Like the marketing speaker I saw this weekend said, getting to Page 1 on the most popular terms is nearly impossible these days. From a practical standpoint, if you are growing in traffic each month, you are on your way to your ultimate goal of more contacts. I am not trying to downplay the fact that Page 1 is desirable. But is it realistic on some terms? And, if pursing that white whale is how you measure your SEO success or failure, you are not keeping your eye on what is reasonable and attainable.

Here is how we approach this issue in our SEO program. We only work on optimization we can measure, which is keyword optimization. We evaluate keywords based on efficiency. In other words, we choose words that are going to give you the best chance of rising quickly into a visible position. Keywords are considered efficient if they have good traffic and fewer competitors. They are like steady streams where the most popular keywords are like rushing rivers. Well, it is easy to get into a stream and it nearly impossible to get you into a river. So, if you can agree with a slow, steady, measurable approach, you would be a good match for us.

So, you move up quickly on more efficient terms. It results in more traffic, which is a down-payment on the delivery of increased contacts. Over time, once you have some production and high ranking on the efficient keywords, the added traffic adds to your perceived relevance for those terms. As you become a stronger and more well-traveled site, we move you into more efficient keywords, stair-stepping you upward. If you stick with this strategy, you will slowly and steadily climb into a strong and productive position in search engines. You will become part of what is an impenetrable position for others to take away. The key is sticking with it.

You have to ask yourself, what do I want? Do I know how to get it? Should I listen to someone who is in the Interet business? Is my ego causing me to throw out good strategies because I am not ranked #1? I encourage you to do as much research as you can before choosing an SEO service. This will help you find a good philosophical match which in turn will help you avoid misplacement of values.

If you are seeking a solid, steady SEO program with monthly metrics, please contact me donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Relaunch of Maui Smiles

Congratulations to James Merrett, DDS on the island of Maui on the redesign of MauiSmiles.com.

This is a redesign that is based on the a review of our SEO stats and feedback gathered from his patients. The new site is more SEO friendly yet still has the Flash/Video benefits Dr. Merrett wanted to see in his web site. The video we shot for his previous site was remastered and placed throughout the site in appropriate accent places and his new TV commercial leads off the home page with video.

We are doing a few redesigns right now for clients and a lot of prospects are asking about new sites. It is a good time for it. Most doctors and dentists who have spent the past year working on measurable SEO and Pay Per Click strategies are finding easy roadmaps to redesign.

There are two parts that most people have to overcome when choosing to redesign and up the impact value of their web site: 1) cost of the previous purchase and 2) emotional connection to the current site. However, in our coaching and SEO programs, we make it easy to see how updating and, sometimes, redesigning your site is for the best.... no matter how much you love the look or think about how much you spent on it three years ago. Your web site is usually the first impression your practice makes on a prospective patient. It should ALWAYS put your best foot forward and be a line item for upgrading and optimization. This is not to say you need a new web site every year but if you have not redesigned in 4-5 years, you are probably overdue.

If you are considering ways to make your marketing stronger, why not look into what it would take to update your web presence? If you want to discuss it, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Back to old bad habits?

There is a lot of activity out there right now. And, I am detecting a disturbing trend.

During the economic downturn, nearly all of my clients made smart moves in terms of restructuring their marketing priorities. Through the use of tracking numbers and other technologies, we were able to target overpriced and underperforming media and opt out of it. The most broad example is clients dropping low-or-no performance print advertisements in favor of a Pay Per Click strategy.

So, along with this, came a reduction in spending on marketing. Many budgets got reduced but the need for inexpensive, more targeted strategies became more vital. This is right in line with what we recommend in my coaching program: a balance of hands-on, direct and pro-active marketing steps to cut a practices reliance on the high-priced ad that is not pro-active in any way. I saw the reduction in spending as a natural consequence of the economic conditions and it opened the door for many to finally embrace what I consider a strong direct marketing infrastructure.

However, recent conversations make me wonder how many times some people need to stick your hands into the fire before they stop getting burned. Confidence and momentum are back. A lot of people are talking about firing up their marketing or already doing it. In many cases, I hear wiser and smarter clients and prospects who want to put in the right base this time. That is good. But, I am also hearing many people going back to old bad habits. Let’s just throw money at certain things instead of balancing out media expenses with good, solid marketing infrastructure.

I know a lot of you are considering re-establishing your brand with some media purchases right now. If you are measuring those with tracking numbers and technology and there is a clear benefit in terms of calls and contacts, then great. But if you finally have some “feel-good” money that you want to spend on marketing your practice, put in some infrastructure for every major expense you make. Going to buy an magazine ad? How about you start an email marketing program for $20/month at the same time? Going to buy a television ad? How about writing a blog twice a month to add new content to your web site? Going to buy a radio ad? How about reinvigorating your referral network?

Now that things are moving pretty well again, don’t have short memory. One business lesson that came from the recession is to spend only on productive media and be proactive in working your best relationships. If you are being tempted to go back to old bad spending habits, go slowly and make sure and have your marketing infrastructure working for you. We help clients do this all the time in my coaching program. If you want to do it smarter this time around, my coaching program is only $300/month and you will get productive advice that will help you be a healthy small business in good times and bad. If you are interested, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Understanding SEO

Know what you are buying when it comes to SEO. It is an important point we try to stress about SEO around Dog Star Media. Now, granted, there is a lot of required technical mumbo jumbo surrounding the SEO world. So, over the next few months, I am going to post a few basics you should know that might reduce your confusion.

Here is a fundamental foundation of organic search engine listings. A search engine will list you if it thinks your site is relevant to the term being searched. So, there must be a clear connection between your site and the term searched.

Most people who have bought SEO or a web site are familiar with the term “meta data” or “meta tags.” This is code on the web site that is invisible to the user, where you can list terms you want search engines to identify with your site. When you put meta data on the site, it is a way of telling the search engine specificially the search terms with which you want to associate your web site. Seems pretty simple, right? You just put the search terms in the meta data and Boom! ... you are relevant on those terms in the view of the search engines.

Actually, no. That is the first step but you will only be viewed as relevant once the search engine spiders crawl the rest of your site and find those meta data terms actually used in the content of your web site. That is real relevance. This explains why many search engine optimization services (ours included) will increase the density (or the number of occurences) of the key terms in your site content.

I saw an example of this today with a potential new client. He had a lot of meta data which appeared on point for his practice but few if any of the terms in the meta data appeared in the page content. So, of course, those meta data terms were doing him no good.

Why do some SEO companies do this? Who knows? Maybe you only bought the low end package and site changes were not included. Maybe they are working other strategies. Who knows? But now you know that tagging those words in meta data is like pointing a flag to the terms with which you want to be identified and then those words need to be worked into the content of the site. That is one part of basic keyword SEO.

Our program does this and other site manipulations. The trick is picking keywords that will improve your traffic if you improve your listings. In our program, we find these efficient words and apply this simple, yet predictably beneficial method of optimizing keywords to improve site traffic.

So here is a question for you. Does your meta data appear in your page content? Are you even relevant on terms you thought you were optimizing? If you are not, let me know. We can help.
Just email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Web Design Techniques

It seems many people are making changes to their web sites. That is good; it is a sign that big picture marketing is coming back into the forefront. But as you shake down your web site, there are some design basics you should keep in mind. Web design has become so complicated with options these days, that it seems everyone has their own opinions on aesthetics.

It is great that you can have a site look any way you want and animate any way you want but there are some basics you should keep in mind. Here are three common design squabbles that we see. In each case, these should be reflected on your web site.

1) Screen resolution should be sized at 1024 x 768. The majority of web users view the web at this size or larger. If you do not, you are in the minority and the trend is moving away from you. So, do not handcuff your site because you are viewing the web smaller than the growing majority. You don’t want your site to appear small and this is a sure fire way of doing that if you don’t listen to your designer. If you want some data to back up this trend, click here.

2) Know how browsers work. You cannot control what we call “local conditions.” This is what happens on the viewer’s end. It includes connection speed, browser type, browser configuration, monitor size and viewing preferences. Each of these affects how the end user views web sites. We work with trends and try to stay in the majority but there is no accounting for how people prefer to surf the web. So, there are some standards we use to help eliminate some visibility issues. For instance, with a browser, if the web site is larger than the size of the browser window, the browser loads the site so the upper left corner is visible. This is one reason why designers place ID, call to action and phone numbers in the upper left hand corner. Don’t overrule a designer who is using this rule of thumb just for aesthetic reasons.

3) Know about web safe fonts. If you think your fonts are not exciting enough, you need to consider how fonts work on the web. There are six web safe fonts (Arial, Georgia, Helvetica, Verdana, Times, Courier) These are fonts that can be read on any browser. There are other ways of coding fonts into your web site but these will only be visible on some browsers. True web safety is a lowest common denominator that is visible on all browsers. If you see other fonts, they are graphics or embedded in Flash. In other words, they are not code which can be crawled by search engine spiders. So, if you body copy is not sexy enough font-wise, consider that your web designer is trying to give you readable text that is also search engine friendly. And, a little postscript on this point: These fonts are generally considered among the easiest to read in all mediums and since there are serif and san serif choices, they combine well with any font selection. Good designers can fold these in easily.

BONUS TIP: Listen to your designer. Cosmetic surgeons and dentists have a great sense of aesthetic however, most are not formally trained in the finer points of design. Anything coming from Dog Star Media comes from a professional with a degree in design or fine arts. If you are working with a professional designer, then you should defer to their sense of aesthetic. If you are working with an experienced web designer, listen that person about what is intuitive. Some people can do this and, in the case of our portfolio, these are the ones that are routinely sited as examples of what people want. Best advice I have when it comes to design. Let the designer do their job.

For more on web site design, please contact me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com

Sharpening The Sword

I like to write about trends I see among practices from my coaching meetings. I find that, generally, there are trends in priorities, behaviors and strategies among my clients. I first noticed these cycles long ago. Brace yourself, if you are experiencing this trend, I know it is not something you want to hear.

Nobody in small business wants to hear about sales communications. But, recently, I have had a lot of conversations with clients about sales conversions. This is occurring because of the tracking numbers. Clients have been seeing that the phone is ringing and that many of the calls are quality calls (longer than 90 seconds). Now they want to know what is happening to all of these calls. If you are in this boat, listen up.

For starters, this is why you do not measure return on investment (ROI) on line item purchases. When we are tracking incoming calls and few consults are being booked, you have to look at what is happening on these calls. If the incoming calls are being handled poorly, then it is not the marketing purchase’s fault. It is actually your fault. Yep, that’s right. You should make sure that whoever is on your front line is trained properly and plugged in each day. That is up to you. It is something you can control.

Economically, here is where we are for the most part. Wallets are relaxing and businesses have adjusted to becoming more lean. We are tracking a lot of incoming quality calls in nearly all the markets in which we have tracking. But, there is a lot more shopping going on than before. This means that you have to be prepared to sell. That means being more than just a “good people person.” When I hear that used to describe a sales person, my antenna goes up for that client.

There are some basics in sales that can be taught, should be rehearsed, practiced and modified for personal style. However, they must be in place. Another red flag is if you (as the practice owner) or your sales people are order takers. In other words, you only close the easy lay-downs. That will keep your billings frustratingly low in any economy and it will get you killed in this environment.

I am not saying that you need to hard sell, be convincing, be aggressive or sell with pressure. But I am saying you have to sell and know how to give yourself a chance if objections come up. The Dog Star Media definition of sales is “an exchange of information leading to a resolution.” Here are the two important parts: stay in the exchange and come to a resolution. Whoever finds themselves answering questions for prospects needs to have the skills and mindset to do this. Otherwise, opportunities are slipping by.

Why? Because in the exchange of information, you are able to isolate and overcome objections. You are able to make sure that the proper information is being conveyed to make a decision. A client told me recently that they had a lot of people wanting surgery but they didn’t have the money. I can tell you categorically, that is not the case. Sure, maybe price will get in the way on a handful legitimately but it is not widespread. Price is only one element of the equation. If you back off and quit on a price objection, you bring a sudden resolution to the conversation. Why? Because you did not ask the kind of question that frames the price properly within the context of the prospect’s desire to have the procedure. A question like, “What is it about the price that would keep you from doing this?” Who knows what their answer would be but it will give you more information to deepen your (and their) understanding of the value of the purchase.

A lot of elements are competing for the discretionary dollar these days. You have to sharpen the sword or you will find yourself on the outside of the conversation. If your sales people are helping your prospects sort information, getting down to a real resolution and not taking no for answer or taking orders, you are in good shape. If you want to learn how this works, sign up for my coaching program. As we emerge from the downturn, you can be more effective up front or you can go back to the way it was. I hope that you value all the prospects that come in a little more after the downturn and are ready to be the best selling organization you can be.

For more information on sales skills, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

The phones are ringing

I love our call tracking service. It is so accurate in measuring and recording certain aspects of our clients’ marketing. For instance, I just had a call where call measuring helped a client determine that there are conversion issues from call to consultation. In the same call, we used the volume of calls from specific date to a specific date to determine if a media buy was more effective now that it had been designed differently.

There are so many good reasons to use tracking numbers for the client. For me, though, it really gives me some “Big Picture” analysis. For instance, looking at the September call numbers (a month with only a day and half left at this point), here are some trends I see.

Phones are ringing
With literally no increase in new numbers, the aggregate call volume on our clients’ numbers hit an annual high, currently standing at 1308 calls in September. That is up from the 1076 calls in August which was our first lull of the year. It resumes the upward trend we left off in July when the total call volume was 1173.

Monday is the new Tuesday
This month, Monday was the leading day the phone might ring with new business. An average of 70 calls were tracked across our client base on Mondays in September. Normally, Tuesday always wins but this month, Tuesday finished second with 68 calls each day on average.

3, 11 and 9
Why are these numbers important? The 3PM hour got the most calls this month. 11AM finished second and 9AM finished third. Make sure your phones are covered at these times! Of course, those are spikes. Monday calls are almost evenly distributed across the 8-5 working day range. The story here: keep on your toes on Monday.

Of course everyone’s results are different. But, they are results you can work with to modify your approach to customers and your decisions on what media to buy. Tracking numbers are simply the most affordable marketing tool out there with the greatest bang for your buck. Each number costs $480 once each year, making it $40/month. If you are interested in adding a tracking number to your web site or ads, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

A word about SEO

One of the things I like about our Keyword SEO is how we help you keep your eye on the ball. We insist on measurables, which takes a lot of the Internet techno-babble out of the discussion.

Measurement is the reason we formed our service only on keywords. Keyword progess can be measured objectively. The degree to which the site is optimized for those keywords can be measured specifically. All other elements of SEO are service-based or not-specifically defined in terms of effectiveness. We prefer to go with what we can measure.

We also recommend a tracking telephone number for your web site when we do your SEO. Why? Because we want to know EXACTLY what volume of calls is coming in from the site. Afterall, isn’t that what you want as an ultimate result? The same goes for web statistics. We watch all SEO clients with Google Analytics which gives us all the site data we need to know what is happening on the site.

(Incidentally, Google Analytics helps us evaluate our program-wide progress, too. Today’s snapshot tells us that in the last 30 days, site visits to our SEO clients are up 27%, time on site duration on our SEO clients is up 5.25% and bounce rate on our SEO clients is down 7%. More traffic through keyword search equals longer visits and fewer bounces... program wide, this tells us the increased traffic we are driving is better and more interested.)

We also recommend companion Paid Search campaigns in most cases. For serious cases (those who invest more than $1000/month in paid search), we recommend ReachLocal. Our SEO clients who use ReachLocal and our preferred rep have their accounts placed on our dashboard so we can more easily monitor results. Again, tracking and measurability is the key to this recommendation. ReachLocal tracks both your traffic and incoming calls that are generated from their campaigns. It is a good fit for our traceable SEO program.

Now, your mileage may vary when it comes to SEO. Market conditions are a big factor and nothing can be promised in terms of results. No one has the search algorithms the engines use and there are plenty of effective ways to proceed. We tell clients to pick a strategy and commit to it. And, our theory is, if you are going to stick with something, make sure it is measurable so you can understand what is happening and how it works.

Nobody likes to look at SEO reports, call tracking reports, Google Analytics reports, etc. But, these are the lifeblood of your commitment to SEO success. Sometimes, though, a 30,000 foot view is all that is needed to know you are headed in the right direction. So, today, I am feeling pretty good about program-wide traffic being up 27%. For more on our Keyword SEO program, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Interest in Video is Back

September has brought back an interesting question from clients and prospects. “How can I use video to make my web site more competitive?” I’ve had variations on this question several times in the past two weeks. Clearly, there is a renewed interest in making web sites more competitive among cosmetic surgeons and cosmetic dentists.

Here is why I think video of the doctor is one of the most important upgrades you can make. Normally, the doctor is the bottleneck. In a traditional situation, the doctor is the last person a prospective patient will meet. Prospective patients find the practice, do their research (maybe), call in, make their appointment, deal with the front desk and at the end finally meet the doctor. This part is the most critical in determining if patient trusts the doctor and is willing to undergo the procedure with him or her. Video of the doctor talking on a web site reverses the equation. Instead of the doctor being the bottleneck at the end, with limited exposure, video takes the doctor out front. Now the doctor’s appearance, voice, mannerisms and presentation are the first things all prospect see. That feeling of trust and knowing can be established much earlier. My clients who have video of themselves speaking on their web sites routinely tell me that patients tell them on a first meeting that they feel like they already know the doctor.

That gives you an advantage in attracting prospective patients.

This alone is a good reason to add video of the doctor speaking to your web site. Don’t think this is something that is best done when you set up a video camera or web cam in your office and try it yourself. The sort of video we produce for our clients is scripted and shot under specific conditions to get the best presentation. If you are interested in hearing about how we do it, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com. And, stay tuned this fall for some new Flash Video Web sites we will be debuting.

Great New Web Site from Dog Star Media

We are pleased to start off September by showing off a new web site... one with a twist. Here is a custom designed Spanish language site for Carlos Pou, MD in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is a Flash Video web site created in Joomla which is a format that allows the client to make their own content changes.

In this case, Joomla makes the most sense since Dr. Pou has a local Spanish writer who assists him with the developing new content. However, Dr. Pou has a lot of video which he made with Dog Star Media for his previous web site. This site incorporates those videos in Flash elements throughout the site, making it a Flash/Video/Joomla site. On top of that, the new look and feel is excellent for a cosmetic surgery practice.

This site was also built with the SEO strategy in mind. The design incorporates plenty of space for a large block of keyword-laden copy which can be expanded. Considering the Flash, the video, the flexibility for SEO and expansion, this site really does have it all.

If you are interested in upgrading your Internet strategy, updating an old site or starting a new site, this week is a good week to do it with Dog Star Media. We are in Tulsa this week, making a marketing presentation at Tulsa Surgical Arts. As usual, we are offering $1500 off a Flash/HTML web site, which is our most commonly purchased web site. The offer expires on Sunday at noon following my presentation.

If you want to take advantage of this offer, start the conversation now by emailing me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Facebook FREE Friday

It is September and Dog Star Media is introducing a new Facebook promotion. And, for all of you playing along at home, this will be an example of how to use social networking for your business.

You will notice this week, we have launched the Dog Star Media Facebook page. All of you clients who have friended my personal page, I will be inviting you personally to join the Dog Star Media Facebook page. Anyone else who wants to follow Dog Star Media on Facebook can simply friend us and will be accepted.

At 10am central time on Friday September 4, I will post a special offer on the Dog Star Media Facebook page in our status. This will notify all our Facebook friends in your News Feed. The special offer will be a significant offer featuring one of our most important services. Up to 50 clients or prospects can participate. The offer and the notification will be made on Facebook, giving our Facebook friends the first advantage on claiming the offer. Once the 50 offers are gone, the promotion ends.

So, if you want to participate in the promotion friend DSM on Facebook, remember to check your News Feed or the Status on the Dog Star Media page on Friday at 10am CT to get the first crack at our Facebook FREE Friday offer.

And, don’t be surprised if I leak a little teaser on Facebook about the promotion before Friday. The sooner you friend our Facebook page, the more you may know about the promotion. You will want to get there first. Remember what they say about advertising: There is first and there is everyone else. Give it a try... be one of the first to claim the promotion on Friday.

For more on using social networking for your business, please contact me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Database Marketing and Image of Difference Campaigns

I had a very interesting conversation with John Rose, DDS and Sarah who does his on-site marketing work in our coaching meeting this month. Now, granted, Dr. Rose has been a client for a while and they are very active, so don’t be intimidated. However, I wanted to tell this example to everyone because it shows how easy it is to put in a strong campaign with little effort once you have bought into the idea of database marketing.

Database marketing is at the heart of One-to-One Marketing, which is a Dog Star Media staple. It is the idea that we are going to touch people in our circle of influence on a regular basis, collecting information from them about there specific wants and needs from what they tell us but also based on measurements of what they do (such as click through specific links).

Dr. Rose is a regular email marketer. His practice posts numerous blogs and regularly sends email marketing in addition to what he receives from our monthly marketing email. In addition, they are one of our better Facebook users. It didn’t happen over night but he has worked up to it.

In our meeting, Dr. Rose asked about an information campaign that gives specific reasons why to choose his practice over others. We call this an Image of Difference campaign. There are usually multiple points in an Image of Difference campaign and he already had ideas on several talking points. The best way to do this is one idea at a time, separating the ideas so we can measure specific responses to messages abou those topics. We quickly put this into his two database marketing strategies: email marketing/blog and Facebook. In the next few weeks, we are organizing the topics, assigning dates and coordinating his blog/email marketing with his Facebook posts to create an Image of Difference topic for each week or two-week time period. Everyone in his circle of influence will be touched several times in those intervals with different versions of the same message.

The best part is that this can be organized up front, written up front and pre-programmed for the most part to avoid it becoming a laborious task that can be forgotten and blown off if things get busy. Messaging strategies work best with familiar audiences. This is a simple plan for messaging to his circle of influence but it will be very effective. We are taking a simple and segmented message to a familiar and friendly audience through free and very low-cost media. I really like this strategy, too, because with both mediums we can get feedback based on behavior, giving us further insight as to who is interested in what.

Great work, Dr. Rose, Sarah and the rest of his team. You are earning your One-to-One Marketing wings. Now just keep feeding that database!

If you have any questions about database marketing, circle of influence marketing, email marketing, social networking strategies or Image of Difference campaigns, please email me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

The Importance of Tracking Numbers

In July, Dog Star Media clients recorded 1,173 phone calls from media placements and web sites. Even in July, which is typically the slowest month of the year, call volume remains steady. This is pretty important knowledge for those clients as they gear up for the stretch run on 2009. Knowing who is calling from which medium is giving these clients an advantage on sharpening the sword on their marketing coming out of the summer. Again, this is one of the many benefits of using tracking numbers for your phone calls.

A few examples of how our clients are using tracking numbers:

1) One is using it to measure how two competing television campaigns are paying off in direct calls. One station is performing consistently, the other is not.

2) Two are measuring an ad placement in a regional magazine that is being shared with other doctors from the region.

3) Dozens are measuring the calls coming from their web sites. Nearly all are finding out that the number of calls coming from their web site far exceeds what they thought was coming in.

4) One client is placing tracking number in all their yellow pages ads to determine the effectiveness of all the placements.

And, there are many other stories. In July, those stories add up to 1,173 calls. How many calls did you get from your ad placements and web site last month? Do you know for sure? If you do not, why would you not want a tool that tells you EXACTLY what you are getting?

For more information on tracking telephone numbers, please contact me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Great New Web Site from Dog Star Media

Congratulations to Dr. Robert Rho on the launch of his new web site at www.labiadoctor.com. The Flash and HTML site is our most popular format. It has the aesthetic presentation that is expected of a high end cosmetic practice and an HTML format in the body of the site to enhance the potential for results from Keyword Search Engine Optimization.

Dr. Rho did this exactly the way we recommend it. He had two goals: 1) to improve his presentation and 2) to improve his search rankings. We recommended he begin the Keyword SEO work on his old site while he designed the new site. This allowed us to begin the optimization improvements right away, taking full advantage of the redesign time. This also allowed us to manage the content of the new launch to maximize the optimization of his keywords. The results, higher optimization, better rankings on those terms and a much better presentation.

Just thought everyone would want to see an example of how to go about achieving your Internet strategy goals the right way.

For more information on web site design or keyword optimization, please contact me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

The Watermelon Seed

One of my favorite analogies that I use in my coaching program deals with eating Watermelon. Eating watermelon is a lot like explaining why to choose your business or service as opposed to one of your competitors. You can feed your listeners the watermelon or you can feed them the watermelon seed. Which is easier to swallow?

Of course, it is easier to swallow a watermelon seed than a watermelon. The more complicated, detailed and involved the message is, the bigger it is and the bigger the watermelon. The more simplified the message, the more streamlined, the more broad and easy to understand, the smaller the watermelon seed.

Every day, I see attempts to jam a watermelon down the throats of cosmetic dentists’ and cosmetic surgeons’ prospects, web site visitors and referral networks. The more you explain, the bigger the watermelon gets. And, the bigger the watermelon, the fewer people who can swallow it. So how do you streamline your message? What does branding have to do with it? And, how can I avoid this in the future?

There are many ways to make your advertising messages into a watermelon seed. I can’t explain it all here because every situation is different but I can give you a classic to mull over. It is the difference between features and benefits. One way to puff up the watermelon is to include a lot of details that are not important to the audience. You have to remember that features are what are important to you. Benefits are what are important to your market. So, for starters, if you don’t focus nearly exclusively on benefits, you are complicating your message unnecessarily.

I recently designed an ad for a client, not a regular client and not a client who is in my coaching and retainer program. I isolated an image of difference, pointed the message to a call to a large call to action and focused the brief content on one idea that a broad audience would understand. The client then insisted I change the ad, reducing the call to action and image of difference in favor of a list of features he understood. This blew up the ad into a full blown watermelon. This is not an isolated occurrence. I see small businesspeople doing this all the time in advertising. Focusing on features in your advertising instead of benefits is quite simply a mistake. When creating or reviewing your advertising, I suggest you consider the watermelon. Is your message a seed or a full grown watermelon? A good way to find out is to run it past an unbiased person who is not educated on the topic.... or an expert who knows what he/she is doing. Or you can ask yourself about your content and message: “Is this something they would be interested in?”

This is one example. There are many more. If you have any questions about watermelons and watermelon seeds, please email me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

One-to-One Marketing

I am pretty impressed with some of my client’s commitment to maintaining an active email marketing and now social networking strategy. Some are doing it very well and with every email, with every post, they are using an easy, quick-touch medium to execute a very effective strategy called One-to-One Marketing.

One-to-One Marketing is a staple of the Dog Star Media approach to small business marketing. Adapted from major corporate database concepts (which you can read about in the book Enterprise One-to-One by Don Peppers), our approach is simplified for small businesses. The basics are the same: collect as much information from contacts as possible and use it to tailor your approach to gaining them as a customer or renewing them as a customer. My coaching clients and retainer clients know that I talk about the database all the time. The reason is that, a small business has a limited sphere of influence. A small business can only buy so much media to expose and advertise itself. The shortest route to making a large group of interested contacts is to cultivate the relationships you already have and get those contacts to act as foot soldiers in promoting and referring you.

Given the database technologies available, it is easy to collect, manage and mobilize that contact information. The actual activity takes very little time in most cases. However, it is something that should be done with strict regularity. It is an uphill battle of attrition to be top of mind with any one contact in your database, much less many of them. Luckily, your email marketing engine, database and social networking site can do the heavy lifting for you.

So that takes us back to email marketing and Facebook. These are only mediums of conveying your message. This is where we shift gears from persistent scheduling and all-business regularity to messages that make sense in the medium and work to convey bits of information. In a best case scenario, you are reaching a long list of your contacts on a regular basis, through a medium they like with something interesting.

And, when you do it my way, we measure their interest by where they click and how often they do it. The commitment to the messaging activity, the constant updating of the information, the measuring of who is clicking on what... guess what? You are doing a small business-sized version of One-to-One Marketing.

And, it works.

For more information on email marketing, database marketing, social networking strategies and One-to-One Marketing, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Great New Web Site from Dog Star Media

Congratulations to Kary Berry, DDS in Colorado who launched her new Dog Star Media web site this week at ParkMeadowsDentalCare.com. I really like this web site for its economy, clarity and the refreshing, upscale look. And, I appreciate Kary’s focus as this web site came in right on schedule!

This site is an example of why I like custom design. This is an HTML site but it has a high aesthetic quality. Most HTML sites I see from competitors look like they were cut straight out of a cookie cutter. We design our HTML sites with the same process as we do our HTML/Flash and All-Flash sites. Each design is unique and based on the preferences and subjective choices of the doctor who hired us. We do not use templates, nor is there a cookie-cutter format.

Why is this better? It is better because it allows for small or large degrees of personality and style. This is important in establishing an image of difference. Image of difference is a key component in branding and advertising. It is how you separate yourself from the pack. Don’t kid yourself. If your site looks like your competitors site in format and/or design, it is not good for business, especially higher end business. Originality, preferrably uniqueness, will help you separate yourself from the pack. This is why we only produce work that is unique to the practice that hires us.

Originality is one place you do not want to sacrifice. It is one reason why we get a lot of doctors coming to us for site redesigns. Almost always, their previous designer designed off a template and they think they site needs some (they can never put their finger on it) added quality. What they are seeking is something that sets them apart. That originality is where we start.

If you are one of the many who are gearing up to strengthen and retool their web strategies, this is an important point to consider. There are a ton of companies or people that can design a web site. And, you have to watch what their priorities are. Someone who sells you on a web site that can be well optimized might not be so concerned with your ability to separate yourself from the competition. A company focused on giving you the lowest possible price for production might be using templates and you get less aesthetic and image of difference because their priority is to get you something that works, fast and cheap.

I always like to say a good web site costs as much as a bad web site. It really depends on your priorities. Normal priorities are, 1) a site that looks great, 2) a site that can be optimized and 3) a site that separates you from the competition. All of these priorities can be achieved with our custom design process. And, yes, Flash and HTML/Flash sites can be optimized for keywords. We take everything into consideration: the presentation, the practical optimization potential and the competitive marketing position. It is the most responsible way to produce sites for small businesses.

If you are blending into the background online because your web site is made from a template or lacks the originality that can create an image of difference for you, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com today about improving your online presentation.

Now THAT is a jump in traffic!

Congratulations to Dr. Richard Dolsky in Philadelphia on the additional 2000 visitors to his web site he got last month. He is in our Keyword SEO program and is paying close attention to his tracking including using a tracking number on his web site.

In our conversation earlier this week, he said the same thing I hear on all first tracking number review phone calls: “Wow, I didn’t realize the phone was ringing so much.” I hear that all the time. That fact is, without real hard facts, you don’t know.

When we started working with doctors and dentists, I was told they like science so anything that is measurable scientifically is considered a good thing. I think it is one reason our tracking number offer has blown up so big this year. There is nothing like hard data for decision making.

We take this approach in our Keyword SEO program, too. This is because optimization and traffic are two different things. Most people assume that optimization automatically equals more traffic. Not in every case. This is why, yes, we will optimize your site but we also recommend that you keep a close eye on your web traffic and track your calls. This is because when people buy optimization, what they really want is more traffic and more responses. So why would you not keep an eye on that as a prime indictator?

I am always surprised by the people who do not want to know detailed tracking. I can’t imagine not making a minimal expense in tracking numbers and detailed web traffic if you are spending thousands each month to advertise. Surprised, yes, but I know the reason. There are many people who don’t want to know the truth. Many fear that they will see a very low number of calls or web traffic.

The truth is almost everyone tells me they did not know they were getting so many calls. If you want to know more about the tracking we recommend for SEO or about tracking numbers, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Calls Tracked in June

In June, Dog Star Media clients tracked 1123 incoming phone calls using our tracking telephone numbers. These numbers continue to be the strongest component of most of our clients’ marketing plans. Knowing which marketing endeavor is bringing in phone calls is helping these clients sharpen the sword each month.

Since March, 2009 when we started gathering tracking information, our clients have tracked 3142 calls. This has helped them determine if certain ad purchases are successful or unsuccessful in generating calls. In many cases, it has validated the importance of their Internet strategy, as usually, the strongest call responses come from their web sites.

Big picture, the wide dispersal of these tracking numbers geographically has helped us establish some benchmarks for performance. For clients in our coaching and retainer programs, there is a remarkable consistency in call responses depending on the market size and overall marketing budget (which are things I know in detail in both coaching and retainer programs). Knowing these benchmarks has helped me give better advice based on the performance of certain tracking numbers.

You’ve heard it the saying “Information is power.” Well, this is some pretty strong information. Tracking numbers work out to be $40/month. In our program that price is locked whether or not you have a toll-free number and there are no usage fees for minutes. So, each month you use a tracking number, you are spending $40 to monitor and understand the results of the hundreds or thousands of dollars you are spending on the ads or on a particular medium, such as a web site.

This month, the pro-rated cost is $280 for a number. That fee will last you until February when each number renews for a full year. It is a one-time payment of a few hundred dollars that can tell you how your thousands or tens of thousands in marketing endeavors are performing. On that point alone, it is one of the most highly recommended marketing tools available. Do you want a tracking number for your web site and/or your ads? If so, please contact me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Great New Web Site

We have great, new web site with lots of video to debut this week. Congratulations to Dallas-based actress/model LeeAnne Locken on the launch of her new web site LeeAnneLocken.com.

Many of you know LeeAnne from her work on The Cosmetic Channel™ over the past few years but, as you can see, LeeAnne has a much bigger project working right now. This year she was cast on She’s Got The Look (Season 2), which is a model search reality show looking for the next top model over the age of 35. You can see some of the footage on her new site, which was designed by Dog Star Media. And, can see a lot more about the show here.

Of course, LeeAnne has a lot of video to show and this site underscores how easy it is to make a site where you just sit back and watch. Video is a great way of getting your message across and making a first impression. For cosmetic dentists and cosmetic surgeons, it can establish an image of difference. If you have any questions about how video can improve your web site, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Social Networking... how it really can work

Last week, an email newsletter service circulated a link to a Business Week article regarding myths about social networking when it comes to marketing a small business. I thought the email was deceptive after reading the article. And, the article... well, I thought it was dumbed-down, non-committal filler, so much so that I am not even putting the link in my blog. So, I thought I would put everybody back on point about social networking.

Should you be using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to market your practice? Yes. But you should do so as an augmentation to your marketing. There are two basic principles that free social networking sites can offer: short, concise exposures and easy, fast distribution. In other words, you have the opportunity to drop brief but important information into an easily consummable, open access location. Is Facebook like that for everybody right off the bat? No. If you can get it up to that level, now you have a viable marketing tool.

Social networking for marketing your business is about building an audience. You do it through, invitation, good content, trust and time. I have some dentists who are doing a good job of this. I get their posts and they say things like this:

From John Rose, DDS in Long Beach, CA

Helping someone get healthy while they sleep, with just a little blue pill.

and

Fixing smiles and making people beautiful.

From Amy Norman, DDS in Everett, WA

Enjoying the sunshine! And changing lives!

and

FUNNY STORY!! We just had a wonderful couple come in today as new patients and they shared with us that their house was recently broken into (TRUE STORY). Now for the punch line.... The only thing that was stolen was their ULTREO toothbrushes!!!!!! :0) Now that is truly understanding the value of healthy teeth and gums!! Hope they grabbed new toothbrushes heads too because that would be just GROSS!

Brief, interesting posts. With the exception of the story (which needs no explanation why it is interesting and great for Facebook), they are brief, personal drops that remind you of benefits the practice offers. Build these up over time. Build up a readership (ie. number of friends) among your circle of influence. When your reach becomes broad, then you can begin some real promotional strategies. Like the Cume blog I posted a few weeks ago, think of your Facebook as your own personal radio station. Once you have listeners, we will start broadcasting offers and promotions to augment the basic information campaign. All of this is in my coaching program. If you see the logic in adding this sort of strategy to your marketing, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

P.S. There are other clients who are trying this. I see and appreciate your efforts. However, take note of the above examples and look at what you are writing. What is above is how to do it. Be broad and subtle. Let the game come to you and be interesting in what you post.

Choosing Keywords

I have had a lot of discussions with people in the last few weeks about keywords. And, I have concluded this is one of the major areas where SEO customer service goes wrong. That is one of the reasons why we go into detail at the outset of an SEO engagement to explain to clients why we have chosen certain keywords for them. And, it is the reason why our reporting is so detailed on those terms. We try to take the mystery and as much techno-babble out as possible.

I was recently speaking at a conference and I asked the question about SEO, “What do you really want from your SEO?” A very intelligent and marketing-savvy doctor in the front row answered, “High rankings.” He had fallen into my trap. “I asked him, “Really? Is that really what you want from your SEO?” He answered yes again two more times when I asked him until it dawned on him that what he really wanted was more site traffic.

And there is the disconnect that makes people so frustrated with their SEO service. There is an assumed connection between higher rankings on certain key terms and more traffic. And, when that loose connection fails to produce tangible fruit, then the whole process is undermined. Meanwhile, the SEO company is probably doing good work. Not productive work... but good SEO work.

In our Keyword SEO program, we begin with the basic premise that you can be ranked higher in a shorter period of time on more efficient keywords. We seek out those keywords and present them to the client at the outset. Sometimes they are not front-line terms but they do get traffic and there are fewer competitors. So, guess what, you can climb higher faster. In comparison, we look at inefficient keywords... many of which are “power” terms that everyone and his brother wants to be on. The density of the competition makes those words less efficient.

Now, you can put the same effort into trying to climb on efficient words and inefficient words. Both take the same effort. However, if the goal is more traffic, we want your expecations to be in line with what is really possible. If there are super strong power terms that you want to be on and there is no way in the world you will climb there organically, isn’t it better to acknowledge that in the beginning and buy your way onto those terms with Pay Per Click? This is part of the reason we keep our SEO fees so low, so that there is room for a Pay Per Click companion program. You put your steady reasonable dollars ($300/month in most cases) into organically optimizing your efficient terms and you pay for the luxury of placement on the inefficient, yet highly searched terms. It just works better for what you can afford and what you expect to have.

So, choosing keywords. That is where the trust relationship begins to deteriorate with our competitors. If you are questioning your SEO services, my guess is that is where those questions started. If you want more information on the nuts-and-bolts approach we take to SEO, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Applying Radio Marketing Techniques

I get asked quite a bit about radio. Would it be a good medium to advertise a cosmetic dental or medical practice? My answer is always the same, that as a mass medium, radio will be successful as a branding medium (first and foremost) with proper saturation and yield call to action results if you can afford to sustain a substantial campaign over a long period of time. However, radio can offer us an important and more basic concept if you look into Cume.

Cume is a radio term meaning "cumulative audience." It is a measurement of the total number of unique listeners a station measures over a given period of time. So how does this concept extend to marketing your practice? It is pretty easy when you consider the station that you are programming is your web site.

What you do with your web site is exactly what radio stations do to attract listeners. You put up programming and promote it for an audience. However, the big mistake most make is that they remain one-dimensional in trying to drive web site Cume.

Have you ever wondered how people find radio stations they like? How do you do it? Is it word of mouth? How about an ad you saw for the format or a show you wanted to hear? Yet, somehow radio stations find their audiences. Web sites can be the same but you can’t exist in a vacuum or bank on one strategy. And, to be successful, you have to drive Cume.

Radio stations drive Cume in a number of different ways. Of course they advertise and cross-promote but one of the biggest drivers of Cume in some markets can be remote broadcasts. This is when the station broadcasts from a location where station personnel and promotions can interact with the listening audience or introduce themselves to new listeners. In other words, it breaks the mold. It is a way to “see” radio. So, you see, Cume can be generated by applying outside the box thinking. Hosting events and being visible in the public also drives radio Cume. It is the reason why stations do major promotions during sweeps (or rating measurement periods) and it is a great lesson for other businesses. Cume drives brand awareness. Cume plus brand awareness creates trust and trust leads to purchases. The same works for your practices. Only, most miss the part about driving Cume. Instead, the focus on less relevant marketing goals which are usually short-sighted. The need for short-term results thus undercuts your ability to build up Cume over time. In my coaching program, we focus on both short- and long-term goals for just this reason.

Since your medium is not entertainment and your subject matter is pretty specific, you have to make some adjustments but the concept is the same. You should be making multiple, varied efforts to drive traffic (or cumulative audience) to your web site. And, you should make regular, interesting and relevant content updates to your site. Making your site fresh with new information, video or other content will cause patronage that is similar to the effect you get with radio Cume.

In my coaching program, I frequently have clients set up multiple strategies to drive traffic to their web sites. Some strategies drive new traffic; some drive existing contacts back to the web site. Some are designed even to assist in networking. And, all mass media advertising has some web tie-in. Why? We are trying to drive the cosmetic niche version of Cume.

So,what do you need to do to drive Cume in your web site marketing? Create multiple strategies and make significant changes in your content. There are easy ways to do this. If you want to drive Cume, my coaching program probably has the guidelines you need. Just email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com for more information.

Stat Snapshot

In May, Dog Star Media clients using our tracking numbers recorded 852 calls. How many calls came from your web site last month? How about from your print ads? If you are not seeing the importance of adding this important tracking feature yet, maybe you need a little more detail.

In addition to the calling details (time called, Caller ID information, length of call, etc.), we learned the following general information. Here is something that can help everyone. Across the board, the day that sees the most calls is Tuesday. How can you prepare better for that?

There is a lot more information that is generated from tracking the phone calls that originate from your media. It is a great evaluation tool for the effectiveness of your media expenses and a great validator for expenses that are working well. Plainly put, it is the most highly recommended marketing tool we offer.

In other news:
Charlie reported to me that many of our clients are making strong gains in the rankings associated with our Keyword SEO program. I always respond each month with the same question, “What trends are you seeing?” This month his answer was that the clients making the biggest gains are the ones who have been in our program the longest. This proves out what I have said about SEO, that it is important to pick a program and stick with it. Time is a factor with SEO, if you turn your efforts on and off (meaning you don’t consistently monitor the site and make adjustments to meet your optimization goals) the inconsistency hurts you.

I often tell clients that SEO is the price of doing business on the Internet. Our program is pretty affordable compared to others because we just focus on keywords. We think this lower price point has helped clients remain in the program and have moderated expectations on the real amount of time it takes to rise. The effect has been that our long-term SEO clients are reaping the benefit of improved placement because of the consistency.

If you have any questions about tracking telephone numbers or Keyword SEO, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Jump in Consumer Confidence Today.

We have had a lot of requests for new web sites in the past few months. I think this may be part of it. Today’s news about the dramatic jump in consumer confidence has the stock market off and running but it is also bringing into play a small business axiom I reference all the time.

Since we work with small businesses, we often are the last ones to see any economic trouble and we are the first ones to see new surges. It is pretty clear we are in a new surge and I am wondering if it is because most of you are experiencing some of this new boost in consumer confidence, both on the giving and receiving end. The timing seems pretty spot on for what we are seeing right now.

In this new ramp up, we are seeing a very consistent response. Our clients are seeing their web sites as the focal point of their marketing strategies which means some serious makeovers are underway. It is time to remember that your web site is your first chance to be convincing, not just informative. We are seeing smarter and sharper SEO strategies, more people enrolling in my coaching program to make sure that no stones are left unturned and more people interested in Pay Per Click strategies. The NET/NET is that the stronger players are starting to assert themselves on the web.

The ones who fought through the slow time are out to a lead but there is still time to stake out a stronger, more convincing position on the web. In this new shakedown, the classic elements of a makeover are in play. Emphasize and embellish your strengths, de-emphasize your weaknesses and pull it all together with an improved presentation. It is all about first impressions and your web site is your first impression. Just like you are making over a patient, it very well might be time to make over your web site.

If you have been wondering if your online look and feel has been holding you back, now is the time to start fixing it. If you are interested in redesigning your web site in Flash, HTML or both, please contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

New Web Site - HTML Unlimited

So, how good can we make a content managed web site look? Here is a good example, the new web site for Reactive Nutrition.

This is one of our new HTML Unlimited sites. With a custom design by Dog Star Media, this new content managed format allows unlimited changes which the client can make themselves, including navigational additions and adjustments. Most content managed sites have a certain amount of structure that is built in. It is this structure that enables the content management so it is there. However with a custom design by Dog Star Media, we are able to disguise those qualities and produce a content managed site that is just as beautiful and compelling as if we had designed it in HTML or Flash from scratch.

Our new HTML Unlimited package offer you the best of both worlds, an excellent high-end design from one of the leading designers in cosmetic dentistry and cosmetic surgery and the ability to manage the site on your own if you choose. HTML Unlimited can be augmented with one Flash module or header just like you see on Reactivenutrition.com, so if you are considering HTML for the format for your site, why not choose the best design and the most control. Our new HTML Unlimited package offers just that.

For more information on HTML Unlimited and our other custom web site design options, please email me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Content Managed Web Sites

Last week, we launched a content managed site for The Texas Cosmetic Surgery Society. The degree to which we can customize the design is a little limited, but not much and many people ask for sites they can manage themselves. So, Dog Star Media has designed a new package for content managed HTML web sites. This new package is available now.

We call it: HTML Web Site Unlimited.
This package offers an HTML web site to which you can add/delete/rearrange pages, make photo and content changes and manage yourself following the launch. We can make a custom HTML design just like we do with our other sites however, with the content management properties allow us to offer an unlimited number of pages. The package comes with a one-hour phone support lesson on how to use the content manager.

We still offer our 15-page HTML custom designed site package and our 30-page Flash/HTML web site package. Price wise, we have fit HTML Web Site Unlimited right in the middle price wise. And, as always, DSM web site design package prices are usually a lower cost than our competitors when you compare apples to apples.

If you are interested in a content managed HTML web site, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

How many calls did you get from your web site this month?

Dog Star Media clients with call tracking accurately tracked 648 calls in April using tracking phone numbers. Reports were reviewed and posted today.

As more clients begin using our tracking number service, we can see some trends appear as we look at the big picture. Many of our clients use different overall strategies and, of course, behavior vary from market to market. Market size varies, too. However, one trend is very clear. Web site calls outperform all other mediums being tracked. Usually, out-pacing them by a large and surprising amount.

What does this tell us? That Internet strategies should be the priority and that most offline visibility is probably pushing people onto your web site. This should put a premium on how you are presenting yourself on the web. This might explain why we have had a rush on web sites over the past month or so.

Today’s first bit of advice while all this is top of mind: If you are not tracking your calls, you really are missing out on vital marketing information. And, secondly, if your site is not making the sort of impression you need to convert traffic into calls and contacts, it is probably hamstringing all your other efforts.

If you are interested in upgrading your presentation on the Internet and/or tracking your calls, please contact me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Using social networking to market your business

It was about this time a year ago that some of my clients started asking me about social networking as a means of marketing their practices. There were some specialty online communities that were popping up trying to focus a discussion specifically on cosmetic procedures. That started the discussion and I gave the same answer a year ago that I give now: “Don’t expect a lot from specialized online communities.”

You want to swim in the big pool, not be part of a small, focused interest group if you want to market cosmetic services. Broad services with millions of users, such as Facebook, Twitter or MySpace offer you a broad reach. And that is what you want.

Let’s talk about Facebook, for example. Millions are interconnected on Facebook. It is a virtual representation of our society, only enhanced by technology. Literally, you can trace paths of who is connected with who. And, information is passed along rather easily, connecting people with comments, links, photos and more. The important principle here is that it is just like the real world. The technology just makes it easier to network.

This is where you have to have two different schools of thought working at once. The first concept is networking. You need to be available, active and consistent. In other words participate actively. The second concept is an advertising principle of broadcasting. On this medium, you can niche market to your friends but you have the ability to broadcast into their circles of influence. If any of this sounds foreign to you, just join up. Go to Facebook.com now and sign up. It’s free. You can start by searching me (Donald Griswold if you are not paying attention) and just start clicking through to my friends, interests, etc. This is how it is with everybody on this social networking site.

If you do this, you will see Amy Norman, DDS PS. This is a leading edge client who has been developing a Facebook strategy for several weeks now. It is an example of your could look like. Offline and online, they are inviting everyone they know to be part of their Circle of Influence online. And, every day or so, they touch that database with something related to the practice. From there, it is visible to the people who visit their friends’ pages.

Now the networking part... think of that like any other database-building project. It is hands on. The broadcasting part.. think of that like buying radio spots. You are broadcasting only you are doing it in a written format that stays around for a while. So, how do you use that post for more than just name recognition and branding?

Well, how about thinking like a broadcast station? A radio station generates lots of buzz for its clients with giveaways. We’ve all heard the old “13th caller gets...” giveaway scenario. It works because a lot of people hear it and receive the promotional buzz but only one comes away with the prize. This principle can easily be used on Facebook. Just post on your wall specials that go to the first person to contact you and ask for it and you will be using a very successful and affordable promotional model. Be regular with it and people will expect it and turn their like-minded friends onto it. And, look at that, you are networking and your patients and friends are helping you market your practice.

These are just a few thoughts. It is free form right now because this media is relatively new. You already know you should be networking, so why not do it? If you have any questions about using social networking for your practice, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Video Display Ads

A few weeks ago, I wrote about using the Display Ad program at Reach Local as a rebranding program. For those of you who missed that, the idea starts with Pay Per Click with Reach Local. When a visitor clicks through on a paid ad from Reach Local, their cookie is remembered. Later, when that visitor comes back on the Internet and visit sites that offer display banner ads in Reach Local’s program (popular sites like Yahoo or Facebook), your ad comes up on their visits. In other words, your banner ads follow these past visitors to your web site, like a smart ad placement... a very smart one.

The idea is basic advertising, multiple repetitions. And, how do you make that more powerful? Video of course. These ads were cut down from Dr. Pat McMenamin’s web site video and created for his coming banner display ad campaign. So, now, past visitors come to his web site, who have seen him talk about cosmetic surgery on the site, will be reminded of that visit not only graphically, but with video.

Here is a sample of what this can look like:
welcome ad
breast augmentation ad
lipo ad

If there was ever a time to add video to your web site it is now, since it is a simple extension of that project to create re-branding display banner ads for programs like this. If you want to add this sort of enhancement to your site and your rebranding, contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

What should your web site be like?

It is pretty clear that your web site is critical to getting new business. If you are tracking your marketing properly, you are probably in the vast majority that know your web site is one of the main deciding factors for prospects checking you out. So, in broad terms, this is what your web site should be like:

Template sites say you don’t care.
If your site looks like everyone else’s web site, then you are not making a very good first impression. This is likely to be costing you leads and business right now. It is important to have a look, feel and content that is unique to your practice.

Calls to action that are traceable.
Your site should allow people to reach you in which every way they feel comfortable. For some, that means that filling out a form, for some that means email you and for some that means calling. Our in-house data shows that our clients get about 7.5-8 calls for every email contact that comes in from the web site. They know this by using tracking phone numbers on their web sites. When you trace how people react, you can make sure your site is more intuitive for how the majority wants to reach out to you. This is how you use tracking information to sharpen the sword. The same way you can track site visits and inbound emails, you should be tracking calls to understand exactly what is going on.

Feature the doctor.
You are your best selling tool. I always ask clients that if all things were equal, would a prospective patient choose you simply on merit. Of course they would... but things are not equal. Your competitors are trying to put their best foot forward on the web and you should, too. That means featuring the doctor as much as possible. This is best done with a video drop of the doctor speaking. It conveys credibility, establishes a feel for the doctor and begins laying the groundwork for trust.

Quit hiding.
There are so many reasons why small businesses fail at climbing search engine rankings. The top two reason are 1) Ego and 2) Impatience. Believe it or not, small businesses can succeed at SEO but you have to be practical about it. First of all, choose effective keywords. It is easy to get sucked into attractive keywords that result in no chance of getting placed. This is where ego comes in. You start thinking that because of what you do and who you are and how long you have done it that you SHOULD be listed highly on the best terms. These factors have no bearing on the situation. We recommend choosing terms that will be best for getting you traffic. They may not be the sexy terms everyone wants but they are effective in driving traffic and will have fewer competitors. These terms are found through research, not guesswork. This doesn’t mean that you can’t be optimized on the bigger and more prominent words, it just means you are putting your efforts into terms with which you can succeed more quickly.

And, wanting to succeed more quickly leads to impatience. Climbing in search rankings can be a lengthy process. So, if your goal is to have traffic now, then Pay Per Click should be part of your program. We recommend a balance of Pay Per Click and optimization of efficient keywords. Everything else (and there is a lot of techno-mumbo-jumbo to confuse you on this) is not measurable and can seem unfocused. If SEO is the cost of doing business on the Internet (and it is) then we think it is best focused in areas where you can see progress. If not, people tend to throw up their hands in frustration and walk away from SEO or, worse, spend way to much re-inventing their problems.

So, in basic terms, this is what your web site should be like. If you do not see your site in this image of a successful site, then this is where you should be making changes right now. If you need help in any of these areas, Dog Star Media is ready to help. Just contact me at donald@dogstarmedia.com or 214-545-5992 for help.

New Web Site and Call Stats

Congratulations to William Brennan, MD on the creation of his new neurosurgery web site. You can see it here at lafayetteneuro.com.

Update from Project Watchdog:
Speaking of web sites, how many calls are you getting from your web site? On April 1, we pulled the first group of reports from our new tracking number vendor. Ten clients had numbers active (either fully or partially) in March (many with multiple numbers in multiple mediums). That group of 12 clients fielded 534 calls that were tracked and attributed to media sources and marketing campaigns. Since then nearly all of our active clients have signed up for tracking numbers and each month I will post the gross amount of traffic we are able to identify for sure for our clients.

So how many calls are you getting from your web site? How about from your other major media expenses? Frankly, if you cannot answer this question, you are not being very thorough. Here is the logic for tracking numbers at this point in economic time: If things are slow, you have to make sure you know where results are coming from and cut waste; if things are not so bad, you have the chance to use that knowledge to secure better position overall. The time to make a move on the future is while others are struggling. Either way, there is no reason not to be using this tool, especially at the low price.

It is this kind of accountability that tells us if a given strategy is working. For instance, when a web site tracking number is 10X more productive than a print ad tracking number in the same market, we know where to redirect your efforts and expenses.

Tracking numbers are simply the most affordable marketing measurement tool you can use. The numbers we provide are flat rate, meaning there are no toll or fees for the use of minutes. The annual cost is $480/number/year (coming out to $40/month). If you are spending thousands of dollars on ads you need to perform for you, it is most logical to spend $40/month to know EXACTLY the response to those ads.

Call tracking is part of the Pay Per Click program we endorse at Reach Local. After looking at our clients’ Reach Local data and our own data, we have determined that prospects are responding at a rate of about 8-to-1, calls to email/forms. In other words 8X as many prospects will reply by phone rather than emailing in. This underscores the importance of seeing call results, especially from tracking numbers on their web sites. Matter of fact, I had more than one coaching client tell me they were surprised by the call volume from the web site because they had not seen so many email contacts.

Monitoring/Playback on Calls
This brings up another point about tracking numbers. Clients using our numbers will be able to log online to hear these calls recorded very shortly with the release of a new monitoring interface that is in development. This allows clients to monitor calls for performance, teaching and refining of how calls are handled. This adds another level of value to the tracking number as it allows you to fine-tune your operations. Over the years, I have seen many clients make important adjustments based on the information gleaned from tracking numbers.

At the very least, you should begin by adding a tracking number to your web site. It is almost certain that this will be your largest source of calls and will provide critical marketing data and recorded calls. Once you see the value, it will be easier to add tracking numbers in all the mediums you use. And, once you see the big picture on responses, you will be on the road to a leaner, meaner marketing program, based entirely on results you can see.

If you want to order a tracking telephone number for your web site or for your other media, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

SEO Explanation

Earlier this month, I again was informed of the continuing mass confusion regarding Search Engine Optimization that exists in the market place. I have maintained for a long time that market confusion was the single biggest factor in frustration and dysfunction in small business SEO campaigns. So, for the next month, I am going to prepare some clarifications that should help you understand what you are buying and give you input on what you should be buying depending on your objectives.

Objectives... there is a good place to start. Start by defining what you want out of your Search Engine Marketing (That is the acronym SEM). It means what you want to come to you from search engines. Let’s assume that what you want are site visits. (I know this is basic, but there is a reason why you should start this simply). You might have other objectives as well, such as apprearing ahead of competititors, being present on certain search terms, etc. However, I recommend that in today’s climate, that you focus on getting site visits.

Ok, with that established, let’s talk about SEO or Search Engine Optimization. SEO is about as confusing as it gets. In general terms, a site is optimized for certain terms or relevance. Relating to keywords, a page can be made relevant to a certain term or terms by using those terms in a relevant fashion. So, when you buy SEO, you are buying the efforts to periodically evaluate and make adjustments to the site to make you more relevant to a given set of terms. This is where you have to go back and ask yourself, does this meet my objective of getting more traffic?

I am frequently asked why some competitors can promise first page placement on search engines. This expectation has confused the market place for years. Here is an analogy from a funny movie that applies here. In The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Peter Sellars (playing Clouseau) asks a woman inkeeper sitting next to a dog if her dog bites. She says no. Sellars reaches for the dog, which violently bites him. He says to the woman, “I thought you said your dog did not bite.” She replies, “That is not my dog.”

Keep that in mind when you think about the value (in terms of traffic) of being listed first on terms that do not have a lot of traffic. One of the biggest SEO mistakes I see is insisting on being listed on terms that sound good but do not result in a lot of traffic. In our SEO program, when selecting your terms, we look at what is the best value for you in terms of effectiveness. Our program follows the terms and lets you know if they are more or less effective. This is a long-term strategy. Long-term, it will place you on terms that meet your objective because they are getting the best traffic for you.

This takes us back to your objective, which is to get traffic. So, if your most effective terms will require you to invest time and effort over the long haul to get better traffic, how can you meet your immediate objective of more traffic? Easy... pay per click. This is a search engine marketing strategy that meets your objective. I have long endorsed this strategy because you pay in and get visits back. In fact, it is why we designed our Keyword SEO program the way we did. In our program you invest a minimal amount $300-$450 each month (depending on the number of terms you have) on long-term strategies, allowing you to put the majority of your Internet budget into paid clicks. This balance keeps you focused because you are getting your main objective met: traffic to your web site. People ask me what the ideal balance should be. This is it. A steady and affordable Keyword program and supporting Pay Per Click to make sure you get what you need now. This meets short and long-term objectives.

Or, you can become confused by the facts. If you are on the first page on search terms that are not effective, it is probably really frustrating that your traffic is not improving. Are you satisfied paying for positions that are not so effective? Remember The Pink Panther... Does your dog bite?

All markets are different and there is no silver bullet but there are tools that are available to everyone to help you figure this out. You have to decide what you are buying. When you enroll in our SEO program, we show you the tools that are online that we use to determine what is going to result in the most traffic for you. Sometimes the keywords that we choose would not be your first choice but those choices are based on effectiveness. Effectiveness improves your chances of traffic.

I will break this down with specific examples in the weeks to come. It is important to me that you all learn what you are buying so you can meet your objective. Otherwise, it is really easy to buy something that sounds good but does not bite.

If you are interested in our easy and effective SEO program, please let me know. You can email at donald@dogstarmedia.