I've been receiving questions about the need for Search Engine Optimization and Website Marketing services versus directory listings. While there's nothing wrong with being listed in a directory (I am certain that potential clients will find you there), nothing should take the place of having your own Internet Marketing campaign. No matter how well the directory says they market themselves, that's still just one place a potential client might find you on the Internet.
Can you find your website on the first page of a Google or Yahoo search when you search for an animal hospital in your city? If you can't, then your clients can't either. So how do you get there? This is the problem that My Hometown Vet solves for you.
Did you know that 70% of all Internet searches rely on the natural or granular results that appear in a search engine result? Those are the "free" listings. If a potential client wants to find a veterinary practice, who do you think they'll be most likely to chose - a directory of veterinarians, or an actual veterinary practice's website?
Here are some additional tips and tools you can use to make sure your website is found:
The Secrets of Marketing in a Web 2.0 World
The Wall Street Journal
Dec. 15, 2008
Give consumers a reason to participate.
Consumers have to have some incentive to share their thoughts, opinions and experiences on a company Web site.
One lure is to make sure consumers can use the online community to network among themselves on topics of their own choosing. That way the site isn't all about the company, it's also about them. For instance, a toy company that created a community of hundreds of mothers to solicit their opinions and ideas on toys also enables them to write their own blogs on the site, a feature that many use to discuss family issues.
Other companies provide more-direct incentives: cash rewards or products, some of which are available only to members of the online community. Still others offer consumers peer recognition by awarding points each time they post comments, answer questions or contribute to a wiki entry. Such recognition not only encourages participation, but also has the benefit of allowing both the company and the other members of the community to identify experts on various topics.
Many companies told us that a moderator plays a critical role in keeping conversations going, highlighting information that's important to a discussion and maintaining order. That's important because consumers are likely to drift away if conversations peter out or if they feel that their voices are lost in a chaotic flood of comments. The moderator can also see to it that consumer input is seen and responded to by the right people within the company.
Getting Sociable
· A New Approach: Marketing these days is more about building a two-way relationship with consumers. Web 2.0 tools are a powerful way to do that.
· The Pioneers: A growing number of companies are learning how to collaborate with consumers online on product development, service enhancement and promotion.
· The Lessons: From these early efforts, a set of marketing principles have emerged. Among them: get consumers involved in all aspects of marketing, listen to and join the online conversation about your products outside your site, and give the consumers you work with plenty of leeway to express their opinions.
And, of course, it's important to make a site as easy to use as possible. For instance, there should be clear, simple instructions for consumers to set up a blog or contribute to a wiki.
Consumers have to have some incentive to share their thoughts, opinions and experiences on a company Web site.
One lure is to make sure consumers can use the online community to network among themselves on topics of their own choosing. That way the site isn't all about the company, it's also about them. For instance, a toy company that created a community of hundreds of mothers to solicit their opinions and ideas on toys also enables them to write their own blogs on the site, a feature that many use to discuss family issues.
Other companies provide more-direct incentives: cash rewards or products, some of which are available only to members of the online community. Still others offer consumers peer recognition by awarding points each time they post comments, answer questions or contribute to a wiki entry. Such recognition not only encourages participation, but also has the benefit of allowing both the company and the other members of the community to identify experts on various topics.
Many companies told us that a moderator plays a critical role in keeping conversations going, highlighting information that's important to a discussion and maintaining order. That's important because consumers are likely to drift away if conversations peter out or if they feel that their voices are lost in a chaotic flood of comments. The moderator can also see to it that consumer input is seen and responded to by the right people within the company.
Getting Sociable
· A New Approach: Marketing these days is more about building a two-way relationship with consumers. Web 2.0 tools are a powerful way to do that.
· The Pioneers: A growing number of companies are learning how to collaborate with consumers online on product development, service enhancement and promotion.
· The Lessons: From these early efforts, a set of marketing principles have emerged. Among them: get consumers involved in all aspects of marketing, listen to and join the online conversation about your products outside your site, and give the consumers you work with plenty of leeway to express their opinions.
And, of course, it's important to make a site as easy to use as possible. For instance, there should be clear, simple instructions for consumers to set up a blog or contribute to a wiki.
To your marketing success,
CJ Levendoski
Blog with us at: http://www.myhometownvet.com
Myhometownvet.com allows veterinarians to market their veterinary practice on the internet; marketing your veterinary practice website; search engine optimization for the veterinary practice. Veterinary practice management. Veterinary marketing. Veterinary advertising, veterinary reminder cards.
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