An online presence is absolutely essential for a business to make it in the modern world. But it's not enough just to have an online presence. You need to have a good online presence.
There are three simple ways you can grow your business: 1) get a website; 2) get listed; and 3) get reviewed.
Get a website
You must have a website.
Simply put, if you don't have a website, you don't exist. Sure, someone might be able to find your practice if they search on Google maps, but what will happen when they don't see a link to your website?
They will keep searching and forget they ever saw your business.
By the way, a Facebook page is not a substitute for a real website.
Businesses that have only a Facebook page can come off to their online audience as unprofessional, offputting, and lazy. People searching for someone to heal their pain will feel much more comfortable if they see something serious.
But there's more to it than just having a website. Your website needs to be:
- attractive - it needs to be attractive in appearance and engaging
- mobile-friendly - it needs to look good on mobile devices because that is how most people will be viewing your website.
- clear - it needs to be obvious where visitors can find what they're looking for
- and more - it needs professional touches beyond the scope of this article
The bottom line: if you want to grow your business as a chiropractor online, a website is the single most effective thing you can have.
Get listed
The next thing you want to do is that your business and website can be found online in as many places as possible.
You need to submit your business to a number of popular online directories. Some of these directories will even let you take some control over your business presence in their directory. You can often enter customized information, such as specialization, certifications, awards, etc.
To get you started, here are a few of the most popular directories you should consider:
- Google Maps - if you can't be found on Google Maps, you can't be found
- Yelp - not just for restaurants, people use it to find everything
- Yellow Pages - more modern and more useful than the traditional phone book
The takeway: submit your business and your website to popular directories or else no one will ever know about them.
Get reviewed
You need to encourage clients to write positive online reviews.
You should have your own website and your own online presence. But you also need to make sure it is a good online presence.
Poeple pay attention to which businesses have 5-star reviews and which businesses have 1-star reviews. It should be obvious which one you want to be.
Quality of service is essential to getting good reviews. No one will want to tell the world about how great your service is if they don't like it very much.
But you can do more. Don't leave it up to chance. Instead, try these things:
- Encourage your most satisfied recurring clients to post an online review
- Attach a small business card with a request for an online review to every invoice
- Send a follow-up e-mail after each appointment with a link to provide an online review of your service
Just don't leave your online reviews to chance. Encourage clients to write positive online reviews.