Shawn Miele, MyAdvice CEO, gave the following speech at the June 2013 Multi Specialty Foundation conference in Las Vegas, NV. Using his experience and expertise in aesthetic surgery web marketing, he spoke on the importance of developing a recognizable, authoritative brand.
“MyAdvice is a branding and visibility management company. What does that mean? It means we help you to build your brand in a complete, holistic manner across the different media where your patients will see you. We ensure that your message gets to your audience and that the message reinforces your brand no matter where they see it.
Greg specifically asked me to discuss Internet Directories. MyAdvice offers a whole suite of products, from logo development to mobile responsive websites to holistic visibility services, including what used to be known as SEO and what is today know as social media. We also offer Patient Information Portals.
In the old days we called our Patient Information Portals ‘Directories’. We now call them Patient Information Portals because they have tremendous amounts of content that help prospective customers get educated and make a decision. They offer educational articles as well as the ability to interact with peers and doctors.
More generally, a Directory is a place where a consumer looks for information on a topic or for a service provider. You want consumers to find you there. The hard data shows that the more places consumers see your brand, the more likely they are to buy from you. Directories make you visible, help build your brand, and keep your brand message and image consistent. Most importantly, Directories help keep your brand in front of consumers at every potential point in their decision making process.
Natrelle ran a large advertising campaign a few years ago to promote the FDA’s re-approval of silicone breast implants. One of the places they advertised was our breast augmentation Information Portal, ImplantInfo. In working with them, we learned that their data showed that the typical breast augmentation patient does 8 hours of online research before picking up the phone to make her first consultation appointment. Over that 8 hours she will visit a number of Directories and a few practice sites. When she finally makes the call for her consultation, she is more likely to make an appointment with a surgeon she has seen in multiple Directories because her trust in that surgeon is higher simply because she has seen him everywhere.
That is brand building. The savvy marketers in this industry understand that concept. Grant Stevens is a wonderful example. He advertises on pretty much every site where advertising is possible. Consumers see him everywhere. As a result, Dr. Stevens has built what may be the single most successful cosmetic surgery practice in the country.
At MyAdvice, we do not believe that all directory advertising is equal. A yellow pages listing will not do as much for your practice as an educational site. An educational site helps consumers understand what they are researching. It presents you in the context of education. You then become an authority on what your consumers are researching. A good directory site has extensive educational information for consumers and extensive information on your practice, including your approach to your work, your educational background, examples from the body of your work, patient testimonials and reviews. Well constructed Educational Sites allow you to engage in positive brand building, the type that will make a patient more likely to call you as she continuously encounters you on her journey.
Come by our booth 207 to learn more about our holistic branding and visibility management services.”
