What's the first thing people do when they even think they have a health issue?

Studies show over 80% of the American population heads straight for the internet. This is a fact. Whether you or your office is referred by another physician or a friend of the patient, people go straight to the internet to check you out.

Why do people do this? What are they looking for?

They want to know what is wrong with them and who in the world you are. Can they trust you? Are you legitimate? Are you really good at what you do or are you a newbie? Are you reputable?

Knowing this, doesn't it make sense to have a strong online presence no matter what field of healthcare you are in?

Many practices don't leverage the internet as much as they should. Beyond "should we have a website", practitioners should be doing several things to attract and retain clients. Blogging, publishing educational content (such as how to know if you are having irregular heartbeats), press releases, and more... make it really easy for people to find you and learn about who you are and what you do.

Let me share a story with you. Two years ago my daughter was diagnosed with something scary sounding by our orthopedic doctor (an osteoid osteoma). The orthopedic doctor didn't know much about these and nervously referred us to a specialist in Denver. He assured us "Dr. M" was the best in the state.

Of course I came home and immediately googled "osteoid osteoma", which I couldn't spell and couldn't find it online. Next thing I did was google Dr. M - who I couldn't find either! I had to wait until the next day to call the office to find the name of the practice to look them up. Sure enough, they did have a website and Dr. M was on there and yes, he is a big shot in his field.

But, he should have been much easier for me to find. I shouldn't have to wait, worried and stressed, until the next morning to learn these things. Dr. M's office should have done a much better job of promoting his name (and the name of his practice, even though that wasn't what I was referred to) online.

Can your patients find you?

You don't need expensive pay-per-click advertisements or banner ads to be found easily online. There are several very simple and inexpensive, systematical techniques you can use to be found easily.

Author's Bio: 

Author of Powerful Interviewing Techniques for Healthcare Marketers E-book, Kelly Robbins is an award winning copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, "5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits" - info@AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.