How do I market my medical practice on the internet?

The Internet is a powerful tool to reach out to your patients. Utilize the Internet to market your expertise and services. When used effectively, Internet marketing increases your patient referrals, maximizes your return on investment (ROI), and is cost effective.

During medical school, I started an electronic commerce business that generated more than $500,000 in yearly sales on eBay and Internet shopping sites, working just a few hours each day before classes and clinic rotations. As an ophthalmology resident, I co-founded a case report and clinical information Web site (www.eyerounds.org) for the department of ophthalmology at the University of Iowa. This website has received more than 2 million visitors, attracted new patients to the University of Iowa, and offers hundreds of clinical cases and articles about ophthalmology. With more than 10 years of expertise in e-commerce, publishing and Web marketing strategies, I teach internet marketing courses at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting and write articles to help physician practices bolster their marketing efforts.

This article discusses pearls to help you get started in marketing your medical practice on the Internet.

Internet Marketing Pearls

Pearl #1: have a professionally designed website for your practice. Your website is your electronic business card. A professionally designed and graphically pleasing website conveys professionalism, expertise, and value.

Pearl #2: organize your website into basic pages, such as a homepage, frequently asked questions, contact, practice information, and landing pages for specific services. There should be a universal navigation bar to allow access to any web page from every page.

Pearl #3: use Google Adwords to have common search terms lead potential patients to your landing page. Google allows your practice to place your ad in the "sponsored links" areas on news websites, blogs, and on Google search results. You only pay for clicks that bring patients to your landing page. You also set your monthly budget so that you can invest as little as you want or as much as you want for online advertising. If this form of marketing works for you, then increase your monthly budget. The cost-per-click (CPC) depends on the search term and how much your competitors are bidding for the same search term. For instance, the term "LASIK" may cost on average $5.00 per click. If you budget $1000 per month, then you may receive 200 patients to your site. Once you get the patient to your landing page, the page should captivate and encourage patients to request more information. If you recruit one percent of the visitors to your site as new patients, or two patients, then you will more than pay for your $1000 per month investment in Google advertising. With GeoTargeting (a service included in Google Adwords), only internet users in your area will see your ads; thus, this increases your number of potential patients.

Pearl #4: Use advertising on social network sites, like Facebook. Facebook reports 140 million users, and your practice can target ads to specific demographics (e.g., men and women 25-35 years old living in Oregon). Facebook is more affordable than Google with clicks costing less than $1.00 per click.

Pearl #5: the landing page should be divided into two main columns with a professional and graphically pleasing layout. In the left column, consider streaming a professionally produced 30 second video about you, your practice, and your medical service. People prefer watching and listening to a video than reading a sales pitch. In the right column of the landing page, place a form for patients to contact your practice for more information.

Pearl #6: follow-up with all leads. Call the patient and send them a personalized letter. Enclose a brochure and information booklet for reference. The key is to follow-up all leads on the internet with a phone call and personalized letter.

The internet is one of the most cost-effective ways to market your practice. Use it to your advantage.