Holistic Health Kalamazoo – Prosper Health Clinics

Dramatic Design welcomes Prosper Health Clinics to our network of Website Design Clients!  Dr. Ryan Ball is a Holistic Health and Functional Medicine Doctor.  Here are a few notes about how we created his new website.

Case Study and Thought Processes

Choosing a Domain Name

Prosper Health ClinicsDr. Ryan Ball decided to open a new practice in Portage, which is near Kalamazoo, Michigan.  His practice is in the area of functional medicine – and while that term is a fairly common term worldwide, in West Michigan it isn’t very common.  People in this area are more likely to search for holistic.  These are some of the things that are discussed with clients when choosing the best domain name for a website.  What are people going to type into the search bar when trying to find the service that you provide?  Having a good domain name is just one way that we can be the answer to their search.  The domain that we chose to build his website on was HOLISTICHEALTHKALAMAZOO.COM for these reasons:

  1. Our research showed that the local area would be more likely to search for the term “holistic” than the term “functional medicine”
  2. Dr. Ball preferred to use the term “health” over the term “medicine” as it more accurately described his practice, and
  3. In general, people will add their location when searching for something in their area.  While the office is in Portage, Kalamazoo is the large city to which Portage is a suburb.

So, the domain is descriptive and very search-friendly.  It will serve Dr. Ball well with Search Engine Optimization.

Website Name

Now, Dr. Ball’s practice is named Prosper Health Clinics, so we were sure to buy PROSPERHEALTHCLINICS.COM and redirect that to his main website domain, so as not to confuse his patients.  Anyone looking for Prosper Health can easily type in prosperhealthclinics.com and find his website.  Additionally, his email addresses use this domain, which is important.  Your email addresses should always match your business name.

Dr. BallBonus Domain

Dr. Ball is an up-and-coming professional with many years left in his career.  It is possible that he could become a published author, come up with a new medical breakthrough or technique, or something else equally noteworthy.  So, as he is starting out, we chose to purchase DRRYANBALL.COM and start establishing credibility and longevity on his “name domain” with the search engines as soon as possible.  For now, this domain redirects to the About page on his website, which is his biography.

Other Website Elements

  1. Online Forms  Because of the unique nature of Dr. Ball’s practice, he is able to do a pre-evaluation of patients before they come to see him in person with some very detailed questionnaires.  We were able to put these on his website, so the patients can conveniently fill out “paperwork” right on their computer.  There is no paper to be transported, faxed or mailed, saving time, expense, and possibly some trees.  If, after this pre-evaluation process, Dr. Ball feels that he cannot benefit the patient, he tells them and refers them out accordingly, thus saving the patient time and expense.
  2. Article Directory of Health Conditions  Dr. Ball has a growing list of Health-Specific articles that explain how holistic health techniques can successfully treat conditions that have typically been thought of as conditions only treatable by medications.
  3. Blog  Blogging is a wonderful tool for business owners to connect with their readers.  Dr. Ball is using his blog to educate and inform his readers about treatment options, causes behind health conditions, and truths behind commonly believed health myths.  He hopes that his readers will engage with his blog posts by asking questions or emailing him for more information.
  4. Newsletter  Dr. Ball will send periodic updates about the practice to those who sign up for his newsletter, which is another way for him to connect with patients and the surrounding community.
  5. Skype Appointments  Until his office opens, Dr. Ball is seeing patients via Skype calls.  If you visit his website, you will see a pop-up message informing you of that fact.  That message is also shown on the New Patient Information page.  He plans to continue to see patients via Skype even after his office in Portage is open, which will allow him to extend his reach to those not in the immediate proximity.

Google Review From Dr. Ball:

Dr. Ryan BallI am not a computer savvy person. That is one of my weak points. The great thing is that I just worked with Kimberlee Smith from Dramatic Design and I didn’t have to worry about anything. She is always available if things need to be changed or edited. She understands that it’s not just “build a website and see you later”. She treats it like a process that is continuously evolving. So when new things have come up, I didn’t have to worry if she would help me with them or not. I am very happy with my experience and will continue to work with Dramatic Design to make sure my website is maintained optimally.  Thanks Kim!

Facebook Marketing Fail

Well, Facebook has done it again…changed their algorithm and messed with marketing strategies.  This time, it will be changed so you will see more of your friends’ posts and fewer posts from business pages that you follow.  This may sound like a good thing, but let’s look at why it really isn’t…especially for small business owners.

Friends & Family FirstMark Zuckerberg has admitted that it will most likely cut down on the time people are spending on Facebook. That’s strike 1.

Strike 2 is that people will see much less in their news feed from Pages that they follow.  This  will dramatically impact small businesses who use Facebook as a source of marketing.

There is a work around so people can see your Facebook Business page first in their feed, but it’s very cumbersome and the individuals have to take some extra steps to make it happen…AND you can only choose 30 people or pages to show up first in your news feed…strike 3.  When someone has only 30 “see first” slots, how likely are they to choose your page over their friends and family?  Yeah, not so much, right?  (The instructions are listed in this article, if you’d like to see the process.)

UPDATE: Facebook’s Learn More Page

Oh, why did Facebook make this decision?  Most likely, money.  They will be able to sell more “sponsored” stories and ads to show up in your news feed, since your business page updates probably won’t be showing up for free.  This is the very type of thing that I have been saying for years; read my post Facebook Fallacy.

Facebook Fallacy

Many small business owners think that a Facebook business page is just as good as having a business website.  While having a social media presence is important, it was never intended to be the sole web presence for a business.  Some considerations:

Facebook

  • Facebook algorithms change all the time. What may be visible to your followers one day may disappear the next.
  • Facebook could start charging businesses for their pages without warning.
  • Facebook has the right to disable your page/account – selected parts or in its entirety should you violate any of their terms or conditions and it’s very difficult to get reinstated.
  • Facebook dictates what you can and cannot do on their site and your page, including how and where you can market your business.

Business WebsiteWebsite Hub of Marketing

  • You own and control all of your content and how it is displayed.
  • You choose your marketing strategies, calls to action, search engine optimization, etc.
  • Your own website adds credibility to your business and improves your professional image.
  • You can create the look and feel of your website to reinforce your brand.
  • You establish yourself as an expert in your field with good, helpful information on your site.
  • You can offer online sales, promotions, and bill payment options.
  • You can showcase your work and display testimonials of satisfied clients.
  • You look much more professional when your email address is yourname@yourdomain.com and not you@gmail.com or you@hotmail.com — or even worse, you@aol.com!
  • Your clients and referral partners can take pride in directing someone to your business website instead of telling a potential lead to search for you on Facebook.

Please understand:  Social media is important, but your own website is more important. 

Your website is your business’s home on the internet.  It is where all other activity should be directed.  It is the hub where you want your potential leads to land.  If you post something on your website, “tease” it on Facebook and tell your followers to go check out “the rest of the story” on your site.  The key is to lead the visitors to your destination.  Help them find the solution to their problem on your site instead of looking elsewhere, such as a Google search where your Facebook page won’t be found.

If this makes sense to you or if you have further questions, please contact me.  I would love to help you establish a great web presence!

True Story

So, it doesn’t really matter what business you own…you are responsible for marketing.  In fact, every employee is in some way or another a part of the marketing team.  Embrace it!

90 percent marketing

Get the Word Out!

Get The Word OutSometimes you have a product or service that you are really excited about and you just want to tell the whole world!  How do you do that?

The answer is leverage!  You remember all those groups you joined on Facebook and Linked In of people who have similar interests as you?  Let’s start there!  In addition to the groups of people with similar interests, it might be good to join groups where people are looking for answers to problems that your product or service can solve for them.  Be sure to post updates on your profile, as well, but groups will be the key.

TIP: Determine where your target market is spending their time online – Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. and meet them where they are already hanging out.

In addition to social media platforms, there are other ways to get the word out about your product or service:

  • Offline Networking groups (BNI, Meet-up, Chamber of Commerce, etc.)
  • Write about it on your blog or website
  • Create a Facebook Page
  • Send an email to your email list
  • Write a press release for local newspapers
  • Submit to online community calendars, if appropriate
  • Guest post on blogs of your colleagues
  • Do online or podcast interviews
  • Paid advertising (Facebook ads are a good place to start)
  • Paid advertising offline
  • Print special business cards for your service or project (see mine below)
  • Create marketing materials
  • Post information on community bulletin boards (coffee shops, grocery stores, etc.)
  • Ask friends to help spread the word