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.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
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
and
From Amy Norman, DDS in Everett, WA
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.
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!
andFUNNY 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.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, June 8, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)