Why Your Practice Should Be Mobile Friendly



By: Cheska Sia

Of the 7.5 billion people on earth, approximately 5 billion own a mobile device. With the vast majority of society owning at least one handheld device, smartphones are used as the primary method for communication and as a reliable means for finding information online. For adults between the ages of 18 and 44, smartphones are indispensable. Whether people are searching for local practices or want to find opening or closing times, a mobile friendly website can easily help patients discover and contact your practice.
Being mobile friendly requires more than just a responsive website. It means to enhance and promote a positive user experience. From organizing information to receiving real-time updates, people quite often rely on these devices to structure their daily routines. Having a mobile friendly site appeals and speaks to the seemingly continuous advancement of technology, and thus can leverage your practice.
If your practice is not yet mobile friendly, here are some reasons why interacting with mobile users should be prioritized.

  • Patients Rely on User Friendly Sites for Direct Information

    • Your practice's mobile display should provide a pleasing experience for your audience According to MarginMedia, 48% of mobile users assess a practice's level of concern by whether or not they have optimized their site for mobile devices. If your audience encounters challenges (for example: needing to zoom in to text, or panning your site from side to side) they can become easily frustrated and are unlikely to re-visit your practice's site in the future. If your mobile display does not perform well, 57% of your visitors are unlikely to recommend your practice.
    A solution is to create a mobile template that is easy to navigate through. Include Call To Actions (CTA) so that important information (such as: contact number, office hours, location, and requesting an appointment) can be found easily. A mobile site should provide people with what they need, immediately. Use your mobile site to enhance patient experience because this interaction will leave lasting impressions and is a reflection of how people view your practice. Your full/desktop website can serve as a supplementary resource in addition to your mobile site.

  • Mobile Sites Lead to Stronger SEO

    • According to Internet Retailer, 60% of people access the internet primarily through their mobile devices. Since 80% of internet users own a mobile device, it is not surprising that smartphones are used to search the web. Google recognizes and prioritizes sites that are optimized for mobile devices. In 2015, Google launched an algorithm called "Mobilegeddon" that gives preference to mobile sites (on mobile searches). This algorithm determines where your practice appears on Google's search results, thus, demonstrating the importance of mobile integration. By having a mobile friendly website, your practice is more likely to observe higher Google rankings than not having a mobile friendly site. In turn, this may lead to an increase in potential clients.

  • The Speed and Convenience of Your Mobile Site Determines Patient Loyalty

    • Mobile responsive sites should be effective and functional. As people are mostly browsing the web using their mobile devices, ensure that patients who want to access your site can also do so on their phones easily.9 Give them the ease of locating and contacting your office without needing a desktop computer. Efficiency can reinforce reliability and encourages better communication between your patients and your practice.
    In addition to ensuring that your site loads on a mobile device, it is imperative that you observe how quickly it loads too. On average, people will wait about 6-10 seconds for mobile sites to load before closing the page. A quicker loading time will keep your audience's attention and encourage them to navigate through your page.

  • To Elevate Your Practice Alongside the Progression of Technology

    • As of 2014, the number of mobile devices exceeds the number of people in the world. With the rapid increase of smartphones, mobile activity and usage are normalized. Therefore, in the best interest of all healthcare practices, keeping up to speed with the constant progression of the mobile industry is vital.
    One way to advance your practice is through accelerated mobile pages (AMP): a script, introduced by Google in 2015, that accelerates the loading time of your practice's HTML markup on mobile devices.11 AMPs rely on basic HTML coding, and need to be validated before being optimized to load instantaneously. Although AMPs were initially formatted for news publishers, a number of companies have contributed to ensure that AMPs can be supported across multiple platforms to target different clientele. From WordPress to YouTube, AMP plugins can be enabled to help load your content faster while boosting your practice's organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SERP (Search Engine Results Page) rankings.
    With high performance levels, AMPs appeal to the 40% of visitors that do not wait more than 3 seconds for a mobile site to load. Shorter loading times are beneficial because your practice may find an increase in patients, a decrease in bounce rates, and an increase in Google recognition. As Google continues to develop the design of AMPs, utilizing and integrating AMP resources in its earlier stages may give your practice leverage in the digital world.
With the regular usage of smartphones, having a mobile friendly website is now a necessity. Offer your patients the ease and comfort of navigating through your site at any place and at any time. By doing so, you can promote a positive user experience. Mobile sites should allow for quick and convenient access to important information that your patients seek. Consider investing in a mobile friendly website, as it may optimize your site when searched in Google. If your practice is interested in launching a mobile site, UpOnline can help design and develop a customized solution. Contact us today for more information!
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Why Your Practice Should Prioritize Consistency



By: Cheska Sia

In the digital world, you want your practice to hold a reputable standing. However, good reviews and high performance levels are not always easily achieved. Fortunately, there is a strategy that could help your practice set and meet goals: consistency.

Consistency involves effort from your practice for the benefit of your patients. Consistency communicates that your practice prioritizes its patients.
From regularly monitoring your website and/or social platform(s) to distributing monthly newsletters, communication aimed towards your patients should be a necessity. Keep your patients knowledgeable about the changes or developments that your practice undergoes. Frequent engagement can help your patients feel comfortable both in and out of the office. Consistency emphasizes how much your practice cares about its patients, which could result in recognition and reliability in the digital realm.

Do you want your practice to stay consistent? Do you want to know how consistency can benefit, not just your patients but, your practice too? Read the following points below to find out.

  • Show Appreciation to Enhance User Experience

    • Whether you post testimonials or hold contests for your patients, let your patients know that you value them. Share their experiences and reward them for choosing your practice. Your practice should create a fun, safe environment that patients want to engage with. Keep them involved by offering incentives and praise in return for their loyalty.

  • Let Your Patients Know You are Listening

    • Patients appreciate an open, direct line of communication with practices. Maintain an active online profile to nurture their needs. Whether through live-web chats or social platforms (like: Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter), regularly respond to your patient's questions and/or concerns, which could lead to trusting relationships. Since the basis of building a loyal audience is user satisfaction, always aim to give your patients a comfortable and welcoming experience.

  • Help Your Patients Learn About Your Practice Through Interesting Posts/Articles

    • Establish yourself as a figure of authority. Create content that demonstrates your expertise in your field of practice. Share knowledge that your audience will find useful. If your audience finds the content that you produce to be valuable, it is likely that they will share your content across one or more of their social media accounts.

    As more people click your links, there are several ways that your practice may benefit: increased online visibility and improved SEO rankings, resulting in greater potential for new clients. This exposure can appeal to new clients and, in turn, build your practice's following. By gaining high credibility, your audience is more likely to search for and share your practice.

  • Send E-blasts to Your Patients to Stay Involved

    • In order for your practice to achieve and maintain a good reputation, try sending monthly newsletters or conducting surveys. If your patient does not have any social media accounts, chances are high that they have an email address. From introducing new team members to discussing issues that your practice can help mitigate, newsletters allow your patients to keep up to date with your practice.

    People want to be updated with the most current news, so create content that your customers are interested in. Include sections that invite your patients to interact with your practice. Discuss community events or interesting topics that encourage your patients to visit your website and social media for more information. Add Call to Action (CTA) buttons in your e-blasts because they can give your patients the opportunity to actively engage in online discussions.

    Online surveys also allow patients to express their thoughts and/or concerns. However, this approach is more focused towards your office and the services that your practice offers. Feedback from patients can make your practice aware of areas that may need to be adjusted. Implementing these suggestions could potentially build trust with customers. Making these improvements also demonstrates that you work with your patients in mind. If your practice needs help applying these methods of consistency, UpOnline offers great eNewsletter and online survey services to help with your digital marketing needs.

  • Monthly Reports to Measure, Track, and Improve Performance

    • Collect and analyze your website and/or social media platforms' statistics on a regular basis. Record both quantitative and qualitative observations. Organize your data by creating monthly reports. These results will give you an idea of where you stand in terms of your practice's goals and, more importantly, is an indication of how your marketing strategies are doing.

Evidently, consistency plays an influential role in your practice's success. Being consistent can strengthen your practice's relationships with its patients. Allow your audience to contact your practice and keep up to date with the ongoing events at your office. Consistency shows your patients that you value their input and that their well-being is a priority. Consistent activity in the virtual world promotes your concern for hospitality and is an effective way of connecting you to your audience. Through consistency, your practice builds an online presence, asserts reliability in your field of practice, and may observe an increase in patient referrals!
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5 Ways to Reach Your Patients Through Social Media


By: Ayesha Tak

Social Media marketing is more than getting likes and retweets – it is about reaching out to customers and developing relationships. Social media can be an effective way to gauge patient's interests, attract new patients, and stay on top of trending topics relevant to your practice.

An active and engaging presence on social media helps to enhance your reputation. A patient is more likely to leave good reviews and referrals for your business once they have already engaged with and formed a connection with you. Without any insight on how to use social media to improve your practice, you can waste time, money, and effort, without getting very far.

Here are five ways you can better reach patients through social media.

  1. Use Groups and Pages to Gather Meaningful Data on Your Target Market

    2. Groups and pages on Facebook bring together individuals who share a common interest. Research what groups and pages your customers are likely to subscribe to4. These groups are where your target audience make interactions. These could be in the form of making posts, asking for advice, or just venting. These interactions can reveal what your customers want from a practice, and it is your job to fulfill that demand.

    Groups such as the "Bunz Mental Health Zone" on Facebook, with 4,573 members and counting, bring together individuals from Canada who talk about mental health issues and share resources 5. This is an excellent place to learn about patient's fears about things like dental anxiety.
    To target your audience, focus your posts and interactions to a specific demographic. Instead of posting everywhere and only getting a fraction of the feedback, it's better to focus on a specific audience and gain an interest of the majority.

    Some effective ways to target are by age, gender, and/or location. For example, if you have a dental office, location is a good way to target your audience.

    Share tips on how to alleviate dental anxiety, and connect with individuals on local community pages to start a conversation or respond to people's concerns. It's a good way to get a word out about your practice, connect with your target audience, and could lead to new customers requesting appointments!

  2. Follow the Right Local Pages Services and Groups

    3. In addition to Facebook, you can target an audience by following the right people on Twitter. Make sure you follow local sources that are also relevant to your practice's interests. Chances are, these entities will be interested in the services you offer and follow you back. Examples include: Your local health centre, business associations (BIAs), community services, schools, and others! It's a good way to impress upon potential patients in your area.
    It's a good idea to follow hashtags that are relevant to your practice, such as #dentaltips, #wellness, and #health. Your Twitter should be active with recent posts - retweet and share relevant posts that are likely to attract dental and healthcare patients. It's important to look beyond hashtags as well. Pay attention to who retweeted, replied, liked, or shared your tweets.

  3. Identify your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

    4. Now that you know who to target, the next step is to figure out your goals. Do you want to build brand awareness or drive revenue? KPIs help you quantify your goals and help in determining what content to publish. If you want to drive revenue as a dental practice, then your goals might be to increase appointment requests, signups, and/or product purchases. If your goal is to build brand awareness, you might want to measure brand mentions, followers, newsletter signups, and of course, audience interaction in terms of likes and retweets.

    Knowing what your goals are, will help you guide how to reach your target audience. After you've identified who you need to target, KPIs tell you what you should expect from such targeting.

  4. Create Relevant Content

    5. Whatever content you post, it should reflect your practice. For example, if you represent a dental or healthcare practice, your content should be related to dentistry and health. Make sure you add a personal touch to all of your comments, blog posts, and other business content. Potential and existing patients want to feel connected to a real person rather than a no-name stranger behind the screen.

    Limit your content to smaller, specific categories within your interest. This may sound contradictory, but specifying content could help you reach a large portion of a target audience, rather than a small portion of a bigger audience. Focusing on your target audience is also more likely to generate interest in your services and increase engagement on your social media.

  5. Customer Experience is Key

    6. Genuine interactions with your followers helps in elevating your business's reputation. You might have existing patients or business partners following you on twitter. Reaching a target audience on social media isn't as easy as pressing the "Follow" button - make sure you connect with them too! Try starting a conversation or following up with them about a concern they had. New customers are likely to flock to you once they see how pleasant your interactions are with your followers.

    As shown in the tweets below, @buffer is excellent at providing customer service while uplifting their customers at the same time. They acknowledge when they are given a shout-out and maintain positive rapport in every tweet exchange.

    Staying in touch with your followers is an effective way to build a more loyal follower base. For example, when a guest posts a recommendation or mentions feedback regarding your practice, make sure you follow up with them. Tell them how you look forward to seeing them again or how you are happy to serve them. Social media is not only a tool of marketing, but also good customer service.

These tips are sure to make your business stand out on social media. Capturing the interest of your target audience is key to retaining customers and developing relationships with new clients. Check out UpOnline's service packages to see how social media marketing can propel your business.
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5 Ways to Boost Customer Experience

By: Mahnoor Awan

What is considered a good customer experience? An interaction with a professional employee who is courteous and helpful? Getting through to a customer service representative within the first minute of a phone call? Or being greeted by a call agent who isn't annoyed? How about getting free stuff? The truth is, customer experience is not a customer's single interaction with your business. According to Harvard Business Review, "(customer satisfaction is through) cumulative experiences across multiple touchpoints and in multiple channels over time."

When a business acquires a new customer, that customer goes through a process of dealing with different aspects of the business that include (but not limited to), interacting with the business's website, employees, call agents, and the products or services themselves. It is your customer's journey through which they form perceptions, feelings, and memories about a brand that could potentially lead to loyalty, (or dismay) depending on their interaction.

Giving your customers a complete package leads to higher satisfaction rates for your business. Here are a few ways through which you can boost your business's customer experience.

  1. Have a Responsive Web Design

    2. If your business has a website or if it is operated mainly through a website, it is important to have a responsive web design. These days, people use multiple devices to go on the Internet. Based on a Mobile to Outpace Desktop study in 2015, "mobile search will generate 27.8 billion more queries than desktop search."

    If more Internet searches are made on devices with smaller screen sizes than an average PC, a non-responsive website could be a frustrating experience for customers. To provide your customers with the best experience, your business should have a responsive website that is optimized for multiple screen sizes, where the desktop experience isn't ruined and at the same time, the content is tailored for smartphones and tablets.

    It could be a separate but synchronized website streamlined for mobile, where it takes into account the trends in user behavior on mobile devices, and focuses on specific Call to Actions (CTA).

    Take the example of Luna Dentistry, where they have two separate sites. One is optimized for desktops to provide the full web experience, and the microsite is designed to prioritize the main CTA's like 'Book an Appointment' or 'Find Us.' on mobile. If you are looking for responsive or multiple optimized websites for your business, click here for more information on how UpOnline can help you.
     

  2. Create a Self-Serve Experience

    3. Based on data, the use of web or mobile self-serve has increased from 67% in 2012 to 76% in 2014. Customers prefer getting their queries answered in as short of a time as possible, and picking up the phone to make a call, or sending an email, takes longer than if answers are available right there and then.
    To provide a self-serve experience, the most effective and cost efficient way is to either have an updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or a forum page. FAQ's allow your business to provide customers with the most relevant information about your product or service. To make sure that your content is relevant to what most of your customers are looking for, adding a rating option of 'how helpful was this answer' can help to get a better idea of what your customers are looking for and if they found the 'answers' helpful.

    In addition to question and answers, consider adding YouTube tutorial videos to the experience, for your content to be more engaging.

    Forums can also be effective since it also allows customers to interact with each other and solve each other's problems. However, it is especially important to monitor any forum to avoid customer harassment and also to make sure that the customers can provide each other with proper information.

  3. Monitor Social Media

    4. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are effective ways to add to the customer experience. In a ComScore 2016 report, data shows that nearly 20% of the time spent online in U.S. is on social media, out of which 14% is on Facebook.
    Research what social media platforms talk most about your brand or industry and try engaging in conversations where your brand or industry is mentioned. Keep an eye on the content your customers post, as that gives you more insight about what they are looking for, and it could help you fill in some blanks between the customer and your business.

  4. Act on Customer Feedback

    5. When customers leave feedback on review pages, on calls, forums, or social media platforms, it is important to respond to them. However, the responses should be appropriate & professional, and aligned with the values of your brand. Here are more ways on how you can respond to customer feedback.

    However, providing a good overall customer experience is more than just responding with a thank you or an apology. How you act on a customer's feedback is also really important. Data shows that when businesses resolve a customer's complaint, there's a 70% chance the customer will come back for more business.

    Here's an example from JetBlue Airways that illustrates providing good customer service can lead to happy customers.
    Customer feedback helps businesses to realize and understand where they are lacking and how they could improve overall, and if they take that feedback into account and make some changes to their business, it further enhances the customer experience.

  5. Train Employees who Interact with Customers

    6. Last but not the least, train your employees to deal with customers. In a 2009 Genesys Global Survey, 78% of customers say that competent service representatives makes the customer experience a happy one.
    Whether your employees are answering calls, or interacting face-to-face with customers, it is important that they are not only polite and professional, but also friendly and able to provide a personalized experience for customers. They should also be knowledgeable about the business's products and/or services because data shows that according to customers, 50% of customer service representatives are unable to answer their questions, which in turn, leaves the customers unsatisfied.

Customers keep a business going. This sentiment is valid more now than ever before. A business can use a good customer experience to help differentiate themselves from their competitors. A 2011 American Express survey shows that 59% of Americans are willing to try a new brand for a better service experience. Personalized experiences and one-on-one interactions between customers and employees, or customer engagements through Internet platforms, add to the perceived quality of your business. Through this, you are not just providing a good product or service, but an overall added value because of the complete customer service package your business is able to provide to satisfy customers.
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Keeping Up with the Rise of Video Advertising

By: Cheska Sia

Two words to describe today’s society: tech savvy. As technology continues to advance, the virtual world becomes more easily accessible. From desktop screens to mobile devices, people are frequently exposed to video streaming as a source of advertising.
For years, businesses have utilized video marketing to their advantage. Videos can effectively promote key messaging, boost SEO results, and reinforce brand recall. Whether businesses make commercials for popular events or monetize ads on YouTube, there are many ways to target consumers and gain profit.

If you are wondering how to keep up with the rapid progression of video advertising, here are a couple of tips.

  • Short and Concise Videos

    • The goal here is to entice curiosity and maintain viewer interest. Many videos on social media platforms range from 30 seconds to 2 minutes because this is the average time people spend watching them. People generally skim through the numerous status updates and video shares on their social feeds. Therefore, make the first few seconds of your video attention grabbing. Once viewers click on your video, try to keep them entertained.
    Create a video that is both promotional and informative. Illustrate how a product or service that you offer is connected to an event or common interest shared by many. PepsiCo effectively uses video advertising to target football/soccer fans through a collective love for the game.
    Working with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), PepsiCo’s 60 second video emphasizes how influential football/soccer is on a global scale. Within that short time frame, you too can educate your viewers by bringing them on an experiential journey.

  • Don't Rely on Audio

    • Your video can be more effective without sound. Besides choosing a visually appealing thumbnail, emphasize bold captions, a minimalist backdrop, humor, or a negative headline that captivates your audience at first glance.

    Whether viewers are situated in quiet libraries or busy food courts, viewers should be able to watch your videos without disrupting the people around them. Since many people watch videos during their commute, create a video that does not require headphones. On many social media platforms, audio is usually disabled so the main focus is on visual approach. If your video has dialogue or a voice over, try using captions.
    Above is a screenshot from WatchCut Video’s “American Kids Try Christmas Foods From Around the World” episode on YouTube. They have included their own subtitles for their viewers. However, for some video hosting sites like YouTube, you also have the option of automatically enabling subtitles (see the screenshot below).
    Your video should affect its audience without volume. As long as you produce a “volume-agnostic” video, a term coined by Steven Belser of NowThis, your visual presentation alone should enhance viewer experience(s). By giving people the freedom of watching your video anywhere and at any time, you may observe a quick increase in the rate of shares on your videos.

  • Circulate Video Through Personal Network

    • Although paying for a sponsored post may seem like the best approach, viewers tend to skim through these numerous advertisements on their feeds. It is likely that people share videos under two scenarios: the videos are shared by friends or family, or the viewers are given an incentive to share. Therefore, post your video for your followers on social media before paying for a sponsored advertisement.

  • Communicate With Viewers Through Live-Video

    • Give consumers across the globe the opportunity to contact your business directly from the comfort of their home. Now that many platforms support live-streaming, customers can easily initiate conversation while businesses broadcast product trials, conduct interviews, or even share experiences.7 With this feature, viewers can ask questions, suggest areas of improvement, and receive immediate feedback from business professionals.
    As a result of higher interaction metrics, it is more likely for your business to observe an increase in sales and customer awareness.8 On platforms like Facebook, your videos can be viewed even after the completion of the live-broadcast. In any case, it is important that you include an effective call to action (CTA) option. By doing so, viewers can keep up to date with your business’ future endeavors and/or developments.
Using these tips, businesses can adapt to and thrive in this era of technology. With the frequent circulation of digital media, investing in video production is beneficial for your business. Paired with marketing and advertising techniques, this medium easily draws in customers and can lead your business to success. Share these tips on your social pages and if any of them help your business grow, let us know!
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