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Learning Center

Web marketing ain't what it used to be. Remember when it was cool just to have a Web site? That's so 1999.

Now, Web marketing changes daily and you need to change with it. How do you keep up? Trust Etna's commitment to educating our clients (and whoever else will listen) about the ins and outs of Web marketing today.

Our Learning Center provides actionable info to make your Web marketing a success. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook for all the latest advice, guidance and strategy.

A Strong Bariatric Presence: The Foundation of Your Marketing Strategy - A Strong Web Presence By Kim Goin and Brent Cavender

Online Marketing Advice Newsletter Topics

For our older edition of newsletters, Etna Interrupt, click here.

Horizons in Online Marketing, Part 3 of 6: Reputation Management and the Medical Practice

In this third part of our Online Horizons series, we explore trends in online reputation management and ways to protect your good name, and that of your practice. With HIPAA and PIPEDA limiting how health care providers can manage their reputations online it is easy to feel helpless and hopeless. But there are positive, proactive ways to protect your reputation online and signs that the future of online ratings and reviews will be more fair and balanced. Read More

Horizons in Online Marketing, Part 2 of 6: Social Media and the Medical Practice

In this second of six parts, Etna Interactive explores how the evolution of social media and socially-inspired search engine results will impact medical practices. We look in to the future to forecast three likely implications and suggest strategies you can employ today to stay ahead of the curve. Read More

Horizons in Online Marketing - Part 1 of 6: Concierge Medicine

In this first of six parts, Etna Interactive explores emerging trends in online medical marketing and strategies your practice can implement today to improve patient care and increase local market advantage. This first segment explores the emergence and evolution of Concierge Medicine and actions to consider today to leverage technology in the service of your patients. Read More

New Services Prey on Online Reputation Fears

Concerns about your reputation online are really heating up...and for good reason. Back in November Google made a big change to the way they handle local search results, a change that put your business' ratings and reviews front and center. With so much ratings exposure, it is reasonable to be fearful of negative reviews. A new class of service providers, however, are using fear, deception and digital blackmail to trick businesses just like your in to buying services. Watch this issue's short video to learn more about how to protect your practice. Read More

Critical Changes with Google Place Pages Bring Risk and Opportunity

Breaking news...there has been a huge change in the way Google responds to local searches and the success and reputation of your practice has never been more exposed. In this short video newsletter we'll explore the change and uncover the implications and opportunities for your office. Read More

Yahoo Set to Show Search Results from Bing

This issue takes a quick look at some important changes at Yahoo and Bing that will impact your business (and the entire business of search marketing). It won't take more than a few minutes for you to get caught up on these latest advancements. Read More

Success Takes Diligence: Effective Reference Checks

Taking care to perform a proper due diligence and conducting revealing reference checks is important. In this short video newsletter we lay out what every practice should know about making smarter investments. Read More

An Immediate Opportunity to Attract More Patients on Google Maps

There have been some more changes at Google, this time in Google's local search system. In this short video newsletter we explain a new opportunity that can have an immediate impact on your bottom line. Read More

Webinar Recording: Two Major Changes at Google and How They Impact Your Practice

For those of you that missed the January 27 Webinar, you can use the link below to watch the recording. The session tackled several big changes at Google and laid out five ways to exploit this new opportunity for your practice. Read More

How Universal Search & Changes at Google Will Impact Your Practice

You know you need great rankings in Google to reach more new patients. But were you aware that over the last two years Google has been quietly, slowly, changing? Read More

Use Automation to Accelerate Email Handling

Your email replies to prospective patients need to be fast, within minutes if possible. Automation can help. Read More

Business Email: Content Counts

More information on how your team can improve the quality of their email replies to potential patients. Read More

Email Communications for the Medical Front Office

Encourage your staff to watch this short video about best practices in using email for patient communications. Read More

How to Handle Negative Reviews

It is inevitable that negative comments about you or your practice will be posted online. If you handle the situation correctly, you may be able to eliminate the negative comments, or turn a bad situation to your favor. Read More

Cultivate Positive Reviews Online

Simple fact: your patients are free to say almost anything they want, so make sure that the glowing reviews and comments outnumber the inevitable dark remarks by encouraging your happy patients to write about you online. Read More

Monitor Your Online Reputation

People are talking about you and your practice online...and not everything they have to say will be warm and fuzzy. It's better if you know both the good and bad of what is being said. Read More

Focus on Phones

More often than not, this newsletter focuses on attracting more prospective patients to your site using online marketing techniques. But what happens when those same prospects call your office? In this issue we "focus on the phone" and share three different ways to improve your bottom line through your phone lines. Read More

Build Your Email Marketing List "In House"

Right now, your most valuable asset is your relationship with past clients. In order to profit from that relationship through email marketing, you first must have your clients' permission to send them product and service promotions over email. In this issue we lay out 3 steps you can take right in your own office to encourage more of your clients to agree to receive your marketing emails. Read More

Comments on the Economy

There's no doubt you're feeling the pinch of our contracting economy. So what can you do to combat the decline in demand for elective healthcare services? In this brief segment we'll explore the issues, review the expansive opportunities that remain in online marketing, and outline 4 things you can do now to increase sales. Read More

3 Approaches to Blog Marketing

We've received more than a few calls recently from clients asking if they should blog. Unfortunately, there is no short or easy answer to that question. While blogging has the potential to benefit almost all clinical practices, there is also a risk that it might damage the reputation of the clinician or the practice. Read More

Etna Launches Call Tracking Service

As you increase your investment in online marketing, it becomes increasingly important to precisely track the return on these investments. In response to your requests for greater accuracy in online lead tracking, Etna now offers trackable local and toll free numbers. Read More

Etna Migrates to Enhanced Reporting Package

In August we made a migration to a new Web site reporting system called Urchin®. Urchin replaces LiveStats. Urchin, owned by Google, is hailed as the most accurate log analysis software on the market. Read More

Webinar July 8 - Case Studies to Drive Cash Flow

Etna has partnered with Catherine Maley of Cosmetic Image Marketing to produce a truly compelling new Webinar. Just a week away, the Webinar is a one hour session that reveals 6 real-world examples of how marketing can improve your bottom line. Read More

Webinar on August 6 - Getting on Google

Anne Cohen, principal at A. Cohen Marketing and Public Relations, called on Etna to develop a new Webinar to answer her clients' most pressing question: How do you get to the top of Google? Read More

Local Search Marketing Basics

Many of our clients have marketing plans in place that are about to ramp quickly into aggressive local search marketing. A recent client call made me realize that not everyone understands the basics of local search. Read More

Local Search & Online Ratings

It's happening right now...consumers are rating businesses online...businesses just like yours. Are you engaged in the review? Are you aware what is being said about your business? Read More

Saving Money on Merchant Services

Earlier this year I tasked Etna's office manager with renegotiating the fees we pay for our merchant services. When our old processing company refused to reduce our fees, we decided to find a new provider. The move has saved us 24% on merchant fees and 90% on monthly service charges. Read More

Video Web Sites: 8 Reasons to Question the Value of Video

There are more than a few medical marketing agencies evangelizing video and "video Web sites." This week, I'm asking you to be a little skeptical. Video may sound like the Next Big Thing in flashy, exciting Web marketing, but any rational discussion (this is business after all) needs to begin with a review of the facts. Read More

Web Video: What Patients Really Want

Some of the leading medical marketing companies are making fantastic claims about video Web sites, but last week I presented 8 reasons why you should question the value of video. Any successful business person needs to look at any new venture with a healthy dose of skepticism and a good amount of due diligence. Read More

5 Steps to Get Your Video Noticed on the Web

Many of our clients have invested time and money in producing videos that highlight their practice, their philosophy, and their results. But once the camera's turned off, what's the best way to share these videos with potential patients? Read More

Does Your Front Office Suck?

Pardon me for getting right to the point, but statistically speaking, your front office sucks. It sucks dollars, it sucks opportunities, and it sucks prospective patients away from the practice. Now that I've got your attention (and hopefully not offended you), hear me out. Read More

Tactics to Increase Surgical Caseload: Three steps for plastic & bariatric surgeons to improve lead-to-consult conversion

This article provides some great ideas to motivate your staff and help them make the most out of every phone and email inquiry by arming them with strategies to schedule more surgical consultations. Read More

Double Your Database of Aesthetic Patients within One Year

Catherine Maley of Cosmetic Image Marketing was inspired by our ongoing series on lead generation and lead management, and has developed several real-world strategies to help you put lead generation principles into practice. Read More

FREE PDF GUIDE: Understanding Patient Financing

With the flurry of activity from last week's coverage in The New York Times, I haven't had a free moment to compose the final installment in our series on lead management. Instead, this week I'd like to take a moment to plug two great resources; one that's free and one available for a small fee. Read More

Why It Pays to Deliver a Personal, Professional Response to EVERY Online Lead You Receive

Most of our clients love seeing all the online leads flowing into their practice, a direct result of their smart online marketing investments. But, to my continued amazement, now and again we have clients who find this constant stream of leads to be a hassle. Read More

Build Links to Boost Your Site Ranking

When I say the word "links," what first comes to mind? When it comes to your online marketing, links are a crucial component in your efforts to rank well and reach out to Web surfers in your market. Read More

Strategy 1: Ask

I learned when I was a kid that I'm much more likely to get something if my request is reasonable and I ask politely. That's certainly true of link building. If you read last week's newsletter you know that the goal of link building is to obtain relevant links from trusted sites. So who do you ask? Read More

Strategy 2: Earn

Earning something that's truly valuable takes hard work. But earning links from reputable and related sites requires something more. You can't just work hard — you need to be clever and maybe even a little controversial to attract the right kind of attention with high-quality links. Read More

Strategy 3: Pay

As you can probably guess, paying for links is very controversial! Search engines want links to be an objective indicator of your site's popularity and value...paying for popularity can hardly be called an "objective" way of attracting inbound links. Read More

How to Make Sense of Website Statistics

For those of you into integers, marveled by metrics, driven by data (or now, annoyed by alliteration), your Website statistics are virtual goldmines of insight...if you know what to look for. Read More

Track the Success of Your Site

Your Web stats are a powerful tool for understanding your site's strengths and weaknesses, but they're not foolproof, and their biggest limitation is that they are inherently anonymous. Read More

Optimize for the Right Keyword Phrases

Some might say the first rule of Search Marketing is that there are no rules. While the game is indeed ever-changing, there is at least one rule you need to live by: to be successful in online marketing, you must choose the right keyword phrases to target every step of the way – from site planning through promotion. Read More

Part 1: Why Email?

For those of you who think email marketing is a "no brainer," think again. Several laws restrict how you can build your subscriber list and what content you can send. Read More

Part 2: Set Your Strategy

A recent study found that the average Internet user receives 42 unwanted sales emails every day. How do you stop your email newsletter from getting lumped in with these unwanted emails? Read More

Part 3: Build Your Audience

Building a quality list of email subscribers is the most important, and most often overlooked, piece of any email marketing strategy. Here are some specific tasks that can help you grow your subscriber list quickly. Read More

Part 4: Connect with Your Readers

The fun really starts after you've sketched out your email marketing strategy and developed a plan to build your newsletter subscriber list. Now is your opportunity to design a newsletter template, write the first issue, and get it ready to share with subscribers. Here's an in-depth look. Read More

June 2007 Interrupt Newsletter

In June, 2007, we led with a piece on how patient stories and photos do double-duty on your Web site: helping you speak to prospective patients and connect with search engines. Other articles included a piece on the new StopAfib.org and a look how you can get involved in Etna's project to bring healthcare to families in need. Read More

March 2007 Interrupt Newsletter

In March, 2007, Etna's newsletter offered a "Top 10" list of Web marketing resolutions to help you start the year off right. That issue also featured a free white paper you can use to diagnose the health of your Web site, and gave you the chance to meet Etna's staff and learn more about who's designing and writing for you. Read More

June 2006 Interrupt Newsletter

In June of 2006, we brought you an article warning of the potential pitfalls of the pay-per-lead programs being marketed to doctors today. For an inside look at some of the goings on at Etna, there were also articles on our big move across town in San Luis Obispo and the wedding of two of our senior staff members. Read More

April 2006 Interrupt Newsletter

Interrupt in April, 2006, highlighted some the changes we made to our own look, including an updated logo and a new Web site. We also delivered an important article on how you can recognize and avoid schemes, scams and shakedowns and protect your practice from "Internet Impostors." Read More

American College of Mohs Surgery Series

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