naturopathydigest.com -- Electronic Marketing for Naturopathic Physicians, Part Five

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Electronic Marketing for Naturopathic Physicians, Part Five

Marketing Your Practice Online

By Dicken Weatherby, ND

Now that we’ve covered the three M’s – message, market and media – I’m excited to share some of the specifics of my passion for Web marketing.

I have to admit, I’m also a bit daunted because it’s a huge topic on which I could write volumes. So, I’ll begin with a topic that applies to many naturopaths – marketing your practice online – and cover some of the basic ideas.
You Need a Web Site
If you don’t already have a Web site, creating one is a must if you’re planning to market yourself on the Web. You can get your name and phone number listed on other people’s/organizations’ Web sites, as in referral networks. However, many Web surfers who find your practice or name online will want more information than that before they’ll take action. If they easily can click to your Web site instead of having to call a phone number, they have a way of finding out more about you, what you do, how much you charge, your hours, etc. There are even people who won’t cut and paste or type out a Web site address; they’ll only check out your Web page if they can click on the address.
I know it sounds silly, but believe me, there are many, many people who fall into this category. One of the ways the Web has changed the way people do things is that it has shortened people’s attention spans and willingness to follow up on leads. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to make things as simple and quick as possible.
Creating Your Web Site
Unless you’ve already mastered Web design or are a skilled programmer/computer nut, I strongly suggest you hire someone to design your Web site. It’s not difficult to find a programmer to do this for you. Ask around, or find a Web site you like and inquire about who designed it. There are lots of programmers available on the Web if you don’t already know someone in your community who comes highly recommended. You don’t need anything super fancy; you just need something that works.
You can get a decent Web site designed starting at around $500. When you consider how much business this site can potentially bring in for you, it’s a great deal. There are several freelance sites dedicated to online projects. You write a description of what you want, put the job out to bid, and wait for top designers from all over the world to bid on the job. I have had great success using this service.
Position Yourself as a Solver of Problems
Your Web site should be designed with your problem/solution model in mind. You know what you love to do and you’ve got the solution to the problem area you’re going to hone in on, so focus on that and present yourself as the expert in that area. Your education, credentials, training and experience should be broadcast clearly. Try to make it specific to the problem you’re addressing, rather than making it too broad and general. Speak to your target market.
Testimonials
Testimonials are key for your Web site and should be in a prominent place. They legitimize your claims and articulate the things your patients are looking for. To read, “My menopause symptoms have cleared up entirely,” proves to the potential patient that there is hope for them. They see themselves in the voices of your testimonials, not in your voice. Testimonials can be much more powerful than your promises to “reduce or eliminate menopausal symptoms.” It’s third-party evidence and more objective than anything you state yourself. It also indirectly shows you have experience in this area.
Get in the habit of gathering testimonials, even if you don’t have a Web site yet. If anyone sends you an e-mail praising you or your work, or giving positive feedback, e-mail them back immediately to let them know you appreciate the feedback and would like their permission to use it in promotional materials. Give them the choice of using their full name (preferable) or just their first name. Testimonials often are the turning point in a patient’s decision to take the next step and contact you. The more you have, the better!
Think of Yourself as the Product
I know most of us naturopaths are not necessarily disease/problem-oriented, but the way people use search engines tends to be problem/solution-driven, so we have to adjust our thinking. When you decide to use the Web to market your practice, a good way to start is to think of yourself as the product. And with any product, you need to communicate its promise to your target market. Going back to previous articles in this series, you need to know your USP (unique selling proposition), and that comes from knowing what your passions are and how you stand out from the competition. You need to have an idea of who your market is; i.e., who are you trying to attract?
Articulate Your Solution
When you know all that, you can articulate for what problems your target market will seek you out. If your USP is “Portland’s Naturopathic Menopause Expert,” and you know your market is professional middle-aged women in three or four specific Portland zip codes, you won’t get much business on the Web if you simply use that as your marketing handle. You have to work backward, in a way. Think about what your target market would type into a Google search. Most of them will not be typing in “women’s naturopath in Portland” or “menopause specialist,” because while that may describe you, it’s the solution; the endpoint of a process, not the beginning. Most of your target market will type in things like “hot flashes” or “weight gain after 40.” People tend to start with problems, not solutions. These phrases, i.e., the problems that people go looking for online, are known as keywords.
Keywords
It is way beyond the scope of this article to tackle the huge topic of keyword research, but I’ll at least share some of the basics. The Web is driven by keywords, so you have to know a bit about this before you can successfully market your practice on the Web. Keywords are the words people type into a search engine to find your products and services. In most situations, people are not searching for your name or your clinic name but will type in a variation of words and phrases that people with health problems use to find solutions to their problems.
I use a free tool on the Internet called Good Keywords to help identify the best keywords to focus on for a specific market I am targeting. It’s available as a free download from www.goodkeywords.com. Start your search using broad words and phrases, and let the program generate a long list of keywords and keyword phrases that people actually are typing into search engines to find solutions to their problems. Once you know these, you can begin the process of using them on your Web site to attract your target market.
It Takes Work to Establish Your Credibility
A lot of the principles I talk about above are important, but I want to end by reiterating that you are the product being sold! One of the most important aspects of your site will be to establish your credibility. Selling a clinical service online basically is selling a relationship. You must quickly develop more credibility and rapport with your visitors than you would by selling a physical product. Your home page must have info about who you are and why you are uniquely qualified to solve certain problems. Here are some of the most important things to include:

Provide a good professional photo of yourself. This will give a professional image site visitors (potential patients) can associate with you. This is a great credibility tool.

Provide a list of your credentials. Don’t go point by point through your resume. Translate your credentials into clear benefits for the visitor. Don’t just say, “I’m a licensed naturopathic physician.” Say, “Not only does my 17 years of experience as a naturopathic physician allow me to find the safest and most effective treatment for your menopausal symptoms, I also can give you an accurate functional assessment of your body and let you know about any potential health issues to make sure you remain strong, well and healthy long after your menopausal symptoms are gone!”

Provide evidence that other patients have been satisfied with your clinical services. This is where testimonials come in handy.

You must be extremely specific about what you’re offering to your potential patient. You must give a detailed breakdown of your services, and the benefits must be clearly defined.

Finally, you must make it extremely easy for potential patients to contact you. A toll-free number and a quick-reply e-mail address are priorities.

About the Author: Dr. Dicken Weatherby is a naturopathic physician based in southern Oregon. A graduate of NCNM, he is co-author of Blood Chemistry and CBC Analysis – Clinical Laboratory Testing From a Functional Perspective. He is involved in research, writing and consulting, with a particular emphasis on teaching Web marketing to health practitioners. To contact Dr. Weatherby, visit www.bloodchemistryanalysis.com.