Looking at the big picture, it might seem like your marketing plans are going well. You’re meeting new patients, your site looks beautiful, and your budget seems to be in line for the year. If that’s the case, there mustn’t be anything to worry about, right? While all of these things are phenomenal, if you don’t look at the small parts of your overall marketing plan, you could be pacing towards disaster. So, how can you keep sailing smoothly instead of hitting rough waters?
Don’t forget to watch your rankings.
Google makes updates. In fact, Google makes A LOT of updates. If you’re not closely watching your rankings, you might end up staring at your screen wondering why your analytics have taken a nosedive. Every month, make sure to check your overall rankings. Not only does this give you an idea of how your site is indexing, but it also allows you to see any new competitors that may be trying to take over a little piece of your online real estate. Sure, you may be getting conversions, but don’t just assume that they’re coming from people searching you, because we all know what that does.
Be aware of downtime.
“Why was my site down for three days” is a question you should never have to ask. Most companies (like Practis) have a person or team devoted to just making sure that sites and servers don’t go down. But, if you’re working with someone who doesn’t, or you’re running a one-man marketing show, make sure that you’re tracking any time that your site might not be up. Not only will this make gaps in your reporting within analytics, but it could detrimental for your user’s experience. Imagine if a patient comes to your site to try and contact you, but is unable because the site is down. That’s one person that could potentially leave and go to a competitor, and possibly never come back to your site. Google Analytics can be a helpful tool to alert you, but it’s best to check your site often to ensure peak performance.
Renew your domain.
Your day is filled to the brim with things to do, so that spammy email from your hosting company is probably the last thing you want to see. You happily file it away into a folder, only to find that your domain expires three weeks later. What does that spell? D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R. After the site comes down, you’ll have to either pay more, or plead with the company to get your domain back to a good status. Avoid this by taking a look at your emails, or checking sources such as who.is to find out the expirations date. Or, have your marketing company take over ownership and renew it for a number of years. It’s just one less thing for you to worry about!
Respond to all negative reviews.
Your online reputation can make or break your presence, so it’s important to stay aware of all of your review sources such as Facebook, Google, Healthgrades, and more. If you let a review sit there for over a few days, or potentially even a few weeks, your users will notice. By quickly following up with a response or resolution, you prove not only to that person, but to your entire audience that you are in tune with their concerns. If you do not respond, you’re showing that you are not concerned with their issues, causing potential patients to develop a negative notion about your practice. Not to mention, having a 2 star average looks way worse than a 4 star, right? You can easily set up alerts via Google to help with this, or have a marketing agency assist you with your overall reputation management!
Put your healthcare marketing in good hands!
While these are all important steps, they are just the tip of the marketing iceberg. If you’re unable to step back and take a look at your marketing campaigns and avoid any major pitfalls, let the professionals handle them. Contact Practis today to learn more about cleaning up and avoiding any errors. We’ll get you on the right track to success!
