By Matt Seltzer

As far as you know, you’re doing everything right, but somehow you get the feeling your patients aren’t completely satisfied with your medical practice. But how do you know? You could ask your patients if they’re satisfied, but they might be “polite” and not tell you the truth. They also might not even know – how do you really define satisfaction? If only there was a way to get to the bottom of your patients’ satisfaction…

Enter research.

Your patients have the answers, and they’re willing to give them to you – you just need to know how to ask. Doing market research can save time and resources, and when it’s all done, you’ll have a clear idea of how your patients really feel about your practice.

So how do you do it? A strong option is to implement a survey, probably by giving it to your patients at the end of their visit. Anonymous, written surveys let patients feel that their honest answers are safe, and you’ll get real responses rather than courteous quips. But this still doesn’t address patient satisfaction directly – you can’t just ask patients if they’re satisfied because, as we said, they probably don’t even know.

Let’s talk patient satisfaction.

First, you’ll want to break down what satisfaction truly is. Think through the patient experience. Do they want to be comfortable? Do they want a talkative staff? Do they want to be in and out quickly? Take your ideas into consideration and write them down. Piece together what really constitutes satisfaction, and you’ll be on your way to writing your survey.

Now, bring your ideas together. Patients are daunted by long surveys, so combine your ideas into just a few specific elements that you think embody satisfaction; these are going to turn into your survey questions. Do they address comfort? Do they address timelines, or possibly knowledge? Whatever ideas you have, they’re the aspects in which you want your business to excel, which means you’re really thinking about the patient experience.

Next, tell a story.

Your ideas probably address various parts of patients’ visits, so put them in order. The waiting room category should go first, the diagnoses category should go last, and the rest goes in the middle in the order that it happens at your business. The order of operations here is going to help patients think through their experience as they answer your questions, so follow the logical timeline.

Now you’ll create some questions.

There are many types of surveys, but for this article we’re going to go with quantitative. Don’t worry about that word; just know it means quantity. Can you place a quantity on your patients’ responses? A “fill in the blank” answer can be great for learning, but those surveys make it impossible to say that 25 percent of patients think this and 75 percent of patients think that. Instead, put together multiple choice questions that patients can easily complete. You could ask them to circle which options they think are important in a waiting room, and you could easily calculate how many patients want more comfortable chairs and how many patients want more entertaining shows on the TV. Or maybe even a scale – you could ask patients to rate different parts of your business from 1 (terrible) to 5 (great). This option gives you an average score for each question by combining all of their responses, and it gives your business a goal of increasing that score to the highest option.

Finally, it’s time to write your survey.

Make sure everything is clear, and spell out instructions on top (like explaining that 1 is a bad score and 5 is a good score). Piece it together, print it out and ask staff members or a friend to fill it out. See if they get through it without any help and tweak it until it’s easy and quick. Once you’ve reached that point, you’re ready to go!

Implement your survey.

Give it to patients. Remember that the more patients that fill out your survey, the more accurate your average scores will be. One survey should never make or break your business; you always need to look at the bigger picture. Sample size (the amount of patients who complete your survey) is important, and the smaller the ratio between the amount of patients who have completed the survey and the amount of patients you have, the more accurate your results will be.

Now, at last, it’s time you tabulate your data.

Keep track of all of your responses in a big spreadsheet, and add new data as it becomes available. These scores are going to tell you what your patients want, and after all of your work, you’ll have a blueprint for what will make them feel satisfied. All that’s left is to make some business changes based on your findings and keep implementing your survey to see if these changes had an impact. You could do it on an ongoing basis, or even keep track of scores from month to month to compare your numbers over time.

It’s that simple!

Of course “simple” is a relative term, as there are many different research methods and each has its place. To really dig in, you could benefit from contacting a professional marketing firm to help you with your research, or try to find a stock survey online. To get you started, we’ve put together a handy survey with this issue. Just go to our website at www.massmediacc.com/uploads/mmhc_survey_packet.zip and print out as many copies as you need.

You can also download an excel file to input your responses, and be sure to check the “results” tab to see what you can do to improve your business. Good luck with your newfound research skills! It’s time to address patient satisfaction!

By: Jessica Schulz – @MassMediaJess

According to the National Rural Health Association (NRHA), 25 percent of the US population resides in small towns and agricultural areas. Compared to a more urban group, this demographic still relies on traditional media for news and information, trusts local media outlets and is persuaded by grassroots and community integration efforts. To be successful, you must understand the community, get involved and deliver the right key messages.

Throughout the course of our 15 year history, MassMedia Healthcare Marketing has had the opportunity to work with clients in rural areas across Nevada. Many of our health care clients have turned to us to create messaging and plan outreach in areas such as Boulder City, Pahrump, Ely and Mesquite. More recently, we were asked by HealthCare Partners, a large doctor group we represent, to help them reach the residents of these rural areas as well as develop a sustainable and effective communications strategy. Throughout the course of this campaign, our team learned about the needs of rural Southern Nevadans as well as the best ways to engage them in our causes.

With smaller populations and even smaller resource pools, rural residents are largely underserved. Due to the recent economic downturn, rural sectors have experienced high unemployment rates, which in turn increase the amount of uninsured and underinsured residents. Many patients are simply unaware of their options regarding insurance and treatment. A need exists for improvement in rural health care, and where there is a need there must be change.

HealthCare Partners is at the forefront of this change in Nevada, particularly in the rural areas where it is merging with or acquiring small, independent practices. This type of change can be intimidating to rural residents who are not early adapters to change. When HealthCare Partners entered the community, we knew that to be successful we needed to educate residents about the medical group and quickly integrate it into the community.

The first step before planning any communication campaign is to research your audiences. This is even more important in rural areas. Combining rural residents with metropolitan audiences can be detrimental to your efforts. Another mistake is thinking that rural communities all fall into the same category. Every community is different and you must understand each town’s unique culture and style. To be effective, marketing strategies must embrace the town’s nuances. For HealthCare Partners, the tactics we used in Las Vegas were not the same that we used in Pahrump or Boulder City.

Next, we assessed how news and information are shared in the area. One channel that seems to remain consistent in every rural market is the community’s support of local media outlets. Although the print media industry may be declining in urban regions, the local paper is still a trusted source of information that rural residents read on a regular basis. They still listen and watch local broadcast programming and purchase products and services from those who support the community. One could make the argument that the media is even more important in rural areas, as news tends to spread like wildfire because of rapid word-of-mouth diffusion. We can overcome rumors and misinformation with news articles placed in key outlets viewed and trusted by residents.

With the HealthCare Partners campaign in Pahrump, we worked hard to establish good relationships with the editors and reporters at these outlets to ensure our news was communicated to the community. In addition, we were looked at as a valuable resource for their stories. HealthCare Partners’ doctors served as expert sources for public health and safety articles, and we also submitted guest columns which ran in the local papers.

Another way to ensure success is to build relationships within the community. Being perceived as a “local” is the single most important thing a practice can do to be successful in rural communities. Whether it’s providing a free service to residents, supporting a local cause, attending town meetings or identifying key influencers to engage with, you need to build trust and support to be considered a source in the community.

Throughout the campaign we worked closely with James Oscarson, director of marketing for Desert View Hospital in Pahrump, who says one-on-one communication works well when raising awareness about new services, equipment or physicians.

“Relationship marketing is the  most effective tool for health care professionals,” says Oscarson.

He explains that offering health screenings, immunization and flu shot clinics are very successful in Pahrump. “They must be at no cost to the patient. That doesn’t mean free, of course, this service should be subsidized by new groups entering the market.”

As with any relationship, rural community members will accept you as long as you remain true to the things you say and the commitments you make.

“The service has to be demonstrated and available before the advertising begins,” states Oscarson. “Always under-promise and over-deliver; the community will respect you and will be more likely to keep using you.”

By: Georgeann Pizzi – @gpizzi & Pam Myers – @pammyers310

Adults more than 55 years of age account for nearly 25 percent of the population in Southern Nevada. This demographic segment continues to grow at an increasing rate. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans over the age of 65 will double by 2030. Because seniors are large consumers of health care, medical groups must be keenly aware of this demographic shift from not only a service standpoint, but also as it relates to their communications efforts. In the new era of online and digital marketing, doctor groups should not lose sight of the power of traditional media and its ability to reach senior patients.

The goal of any outreach or advertising campaign is to convey your message to your target audience and the first step is to find out how they obtain information. Pew Research recently reported that nearly 70 percent of seniors read newspapers and magazines as their primary news sources. Further research shows that despite the shift to online communication, seniors continue to consume news mainly through traditional media, including print, television and radio. Despite these compelling statistics, a blanket campaign across traditional media channels will not ensure you’re reaching the right audience. There are specific TV networks, radio stations and publications that rank high among the senior population and others that reach only a small segment of this group.

To effectively reach seniors through advertising, it’s important to take your strategy a step further and do the research necessary to gain clear insight into their behavioral patterns. Important aspects to consider include what communities or areas have higher concentrations of senior residents, what publications are specifically devoted to this group, what television and radio stations have the highest concentration of viewers and listeners, and what programming and day parts are most popular. The answers to these specific questions will help guide where and when you place your advertising, and it will ensure your efforts are reaching the right group.

MassMedia Healthcare Marketing has conducted a number of focus groups on behalf of our clients to get direct feedback from seniors with regard to their communication preferences. Our findings consistently show that seniors are loyal to specific radio and television stations and print publications, and that they listen, watch or read their trusted sources on a daily basis. This is good news for marketers and we can be confident our placements will achieve favorable reach and frequencies relative to our advertising dollars.

With its moderate year-round climate, Southern Nevada is fast becoming a retirement destination for seniors throughout the country. As a result, there are a growing number of niche publications and special sections that specifically serve the senior community. The Las Vegas Review-Journal publishes a monthly supplement to its daily paper with content for senior residents. Master-planned senior housing communities, including Del Webb’s Sun City Anthem and Sun City Summerlin, publish their own magazines. These are great opportunities for doctor groups to promote their services to seniors through highly targeted advertising, which can be much more affordable than marketing to the general masses.

While traditional media remains king among most seniors, it’s important to note that adults over the age of 65 are using the Internet at an increasing rate. For that reason, online advertising should always be considered for your advertising mix. Remember, advertising is only one way to reach the senior community. The best approach is always an integrated one with grassroots, public relations and direct marketing strategies and tactics.

By: Carmesha Thompson

MassMedia Healthcare Marketing has always encouraged our clients to use social media to provide their current and potential patients and/ or constituents with useful health content pertinent to their practice/organization. As a result, their target demographic will perceive them as being a valuable resource and trusted source of health information. By posting this content on social media applications, practices/organizations are bringing the information to their patients and/ or constituents, saving them from otherwise having to look for it themselves.  We also recommend that practices/organizations take advantage of the accessibility of others through social media  and use it to interact with and influence their target audience.

Recently MassMedia launched the social media pages of Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council whose Head Start and Early Head Start programs promote school readiness for economically disadvantaged children by enhancing their social and cognitive development through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services.

Using their Facebook and Twitter pages as well as their blog, Head Start plans to interact with and influence media, political and community leaders, and of course Nevada parents on a daily basis.  By establishing a branded presence, interacting with influencers and sharing appreciated and unique content, Head Start and MassMedia will create an online community that provides valuable information and fosters increased engagement.

These networks will feature tips for parents on keeping children healthy, cognitive development (such as counting games), and family activities that are local. Their social media pages will also include useful facts and health-related news, trends and reminders regarding children. In addition, the networks will also include links to assess children’s development and milestones as well as links to tips and resources to help children learn and understand (such as printable worksheets to practice writing).  Many of the updates will be translated in Spanish to further the reach of the message.

Be sure to ‘Like’ their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/NevadaEarlyChildhood) and follow them on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NevadaECAC) to not only receive this beneficial information, but to also observe how we utilize social media to engage and inform their audience.

By: Melissa Gonzalez

I was recently tasked with determining how relevant localized social marketing like Four Square, Groupon and Facebook Places is to the healthcare industry. As an engager, it’s easy to overlook the obvious progression of social media changes, but through a marketing lens the changes and patterns that are beginning to shape and drive consumer habits are quite enlightening.

We all know the healthcare industry has been slow to adopt social media; for an often very conservative industry it’s uncharted territory. But recently the industry is beginning to accept its importance and get involved, realizing it’s vital to continue to engage with consumers/patients where they are – and right now, they’re online.

Here are some recent social media trends on the rise. Don’t be surprised if you find healthcare joining the ranks of the many small businesses that are using these resources to get their brand in front of the computer and most of all, move the needle.

Group-Buying Websites: Groupon and Living Social

Group-buying sites like Living Social and Groupon grew ten-fold in the last year. Living Social had 7 million unique visitors in March alone, up 27 percent from the previous month according to ABC News, April 2011. With Facebook small business accounts growing daily, users are able to share local deals sent to their email with online friends and social media networks.

Tim O’Shaughnessy, the CEO of LivingSocial says, “The business model is based on two fundamentals: People can’t resist a bargain; and small businesses are always looking for more customers.” It’s astonishing how one little email can generate more business than some could have ever possibly imagined and it’s because of the ease of use to share these deals with friends over social media.

Healthcare providers that would work the best with Groupon include dentists and optometrists who can perform a routine service that is often paid out of pocket. Groupon could be considered a strong alternative to the typical couponing they might otherwise do.

Targeted Localized Marketing: Foursquare, Facebook Check-ins and Google Places

When trying to engage and interact with your consumers/ patients within their community, healthcare providers will need to take a more localized approach.

Targeted localized marketing in a more defined geographic area can benefit consumer engagement, especially in day-to-day transactions that surround family life such as grocery shopping, getting an oil change or going to the doctor’s office. Web searches for products and services in specific geographic regions or neighborhoods done on the computer or smart phone are growing increasingly common; i.e. “Dentist Summerlin Las Vegas.” If you are a dentist in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas, you want to make sure your practice shows up in search results such as Google Maps.

Applications such as Foursquare, Facebook Check-ins and Google Places lets consumers share their whereabouts with the ability to comment. In fact, some businesses have gone as far as to incentivize checking-in with coupons codes for discounts on products and services. Facebook Places has benefited from this high level of adoption, soaring past Foursquare to reach a 32 percent current usage rate; while Foursquare’s location-based service has remained steady over the past two quarters.

It appears that the important message for healthcare is this – stay current with localized social media and how your consumers engage with it, and make sure you’re brand is involved.

Follow Melissa on Twitter at mmariegonzalez or contact her at melissa@massmediacc.com  

By: Jocelyn Torres

What does the department of motor vehicles, an airport and a doctor’s office have in common?

They all make you wait long hours in waiting rooms.

One of the top complaints that people have about doctor’s offices is the waiting rooms. Patients are waiting too long, being treated poorly or simply just bored. Some healthcare companies have focused their attention and budgets on improving online communication but unfortunately have forgotten about basic face-to-face interaction, which happens mostly in waiting rooms.

Improve your waiting room interaction by staying away from these three common mistakes.

1. Rude Receptionists

Some patients will overlook a rude receptionist if they have a great relationship with their doctor. However if no previous relationship exists and your first contact with a particular doctor’s office treats you rudely, chances are you are not going to book that appointment. It is important to remember that all employees not just the doctors are brand ambassadors for your company.

2. Boredom

Keep your patients busy. Provide them with brochures to read, surveys to answer, your social media tags, etc. The key is to give your patients something to do that will benefit both themselves and the practice.

3. 30 plus minute wait

Reducing the waiting time may not be an option; however there are ways to make the long wait bearable. The Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health in New York updated their waiting room to include TV’s with health information and family-friendly cable programming, computers and adjustable group sitting areas. In addition, they allow patients to use their cell phones. Ideally you want to make your patients forget that they are waiting in a doctor’s office.  

Do not waste an opportunity to market your brand and communicate with your patients.

Treat your patients politely and be considerate of their time, and you will see an improvement in your patient’s attitude towards and investment in the brand.

Follow Jocelyn on Twitter at @Jocy_Torres or contact her at jocelyn@massmediacc.com  

If correctly utilized, media can be a powerful third-party endorsement for your practice. Recently, Good Night Pediatrics was able to position themselves as excellent sources for health-related news stories and promote their practice through the media.

Challenge

Six years ago, Good Night Pediatrics opened its first all night urgent care for children in Phoenix. The popular practice was an instant hit with parents.  Five years later, three more clinics were operating in Arizona and business was booming.

Last year, Good Night Pediatrics expanded to a new state and opened its first clinic in Southern Nevada.  After a year of slower-than-expected business, the practice managers contacted MassMedia to develop a plan to grow the number of new and returning patients. They wanted to get the word out that Good Night Pediatrics was a new urgent care alternative to the emergency room.  They wanted parents to know that this was the best place to take sick kids in the middle of the night. 

Good Night Pediatrics had two main message points to communicate with potential patients. 

1) They are experts in children’s health care.

2) They are open every night, including weekends and holidays and every child sees a pediatrician rather than a nurse practitioner or ER doctor. 

 Solution

MassMedia recognized Good Night’s unique business model as an opportunity to position its doctors as excellent sources for health-related news stories.  Good Night Pediatrics’ physicians are experts in children’s health care and urgent care, which makes them an interesting expert source to health reporters. Good Night has another unique attribute that makes them an attractive interview, especially in the 24-hour news world – it is open all night long.

On February 3, a report was released that ranked Nevada last in the nation in health care for children.  MassMedia immediately seized on the opportunity and secured a television interview with the doctor and a tour of the facility for the local Fox news station.

Results

That night at 10pm and 11pm, the local Fox affiliate reported the story live from the lobby of Good Night Pediatrics and used Dr. Sandy Kalm as an expert source on the state of health care in Nevada.  Dr. Kalm was presented as a very knowledgeable person in this area, making her a legitimate expert to discuss this topic.  Dr. Kalm explained that Good Night came to Nevada in response to the need for an overnight urgent care for children.  The two key message points were reinforced during the broadcast; the practice specializes in children’s health care and the facility is open all night.  The news station also interviewed several parents who were delighted with the care their children received at Good Night Pediatrics.

Next Steps

With summer rapidly approaching, MassMedia is now pitching Dr. Kalm as a source for stories that involve heat exhaustion in children. She will provide the signs and symptoms of this heat-related illness as well as prevention tips. In doing so, Good Night Pediatrics and its competitive advantages will be highlighted in the stories as well.

The future media coverage obtained will continue to reinforce Dr. Kalm as an expert in children’s health care and will increase her name recognition in Southern Nevada. This will lead to increased awareness of Good Night Pediatrics in addition to more patient care for the urgent care clinic.

By: Carmesha Thompson

What do you think are the top five things that come to mind when someone thinks about your practice? Hopefully one of these associations involves your practice’s branding.

Most people think of branding as just a logo, but branding is more than just creating a recognizable logo. The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.”

A strong and distinct brand will create name recognition, deliver a strong message about your company, confirm your credibility and connect with your audience.  Your health care brand affects all forms of communications, from advertising to public relations to product packaging so it should be well-thought out and carefully developed.

To build your brand you must start off by asking yourself a few questions about your practice that will help with the conceptualization of your brand:  

-          What are the benefits and features of my practice?

-          What qualities do I want my customers to associate with my practice?

-          What is my practice’s mission?

Once you have answered these questions that help you pin down your company’s identity, it is now time to bring this identity to life through the intelligent use of design. Meet with an Art Director or Graphic Designer to discuss your vision and make your brand visual, by creating or updating your logo and tagline.

After your brand has been created, it is important to ensure that it is consistent and seen on all of your marketing materials such as ads, your website and direct mailers. Doing this will help your brand resonate with your current and potential patients. The more times the public sees your brand, the more likely they will instantly recognize it and associate it with your company.

Branding is a major reflection of a practice and conveys its mission, environment, core essence, character, purpose, features and benefits. If done correctly, it should be memorable and so deeply ingrained that it is top of mind when someone thinks or hears of your practice.

Follow Carmesha on Twitter at @carmeshathomps or contact her at carmesha@massmediacc.com.

Heidi Hurst, MA is the Director of the Northern Nevada Immunization Coalition (NNIC). She talks to MassMedia about the implementation and success of their 2010-2011 flu vaccination marketing and public relations campaign.

Heidi has more than16 years of experience in nonprofit program management. She joined NNIC in 2007 and has since lead the coalition in fiscal partnerships, strategic planning and project management. Heidi specializes in coalition building and advocacy.

How has your experience been using MassMedia’s services (scope of work, outcomes, etc.)?

Overall it has been great. MassMedia’s response has been really fast, which was important to this campaign. The campaign wouldn’t have worked without it. Also, even though there were people in the Vegas office working on the campaign and people locally in Reno working with us, everything felt seamless and ran smoothly.

Why was it imperative to create a marketing outreach campaign for the influenza vaccination?

We wanted to create something new that hadn’t been seen before. The problem with flu season is that it’s always the same message, delivered in the same way and people stop listening. We wanted to give people the message in a new and fun way.

What elements did this campaign include and were they effective?

We thought the billboards were really effective. We received several comments on them. They were colorful and well placed which made them stand out. The blog was also something we received good feedback on and that was nice since it was something new for us. We also liked partnering with the banks in rural areas. It was a great opportunity for regional outreach and it worked. The rural communities were supportive. From publishing stories in the local paper to handing out collateral, it really helped out.

Describe some of the feedback you’ve received in response to the InFLUence Others: Get Vaccinated campaign?

Our coalition members really liked the campaign, which was important to us. We do an annual strategic planning survey and through this we received really great feedback on the campaign, better than we have on previous campaigns. Our coalition members are not marketing people, so if they saw, liked and responded to the campaign that’s a really good sign. They are a sample of the general public who we also received comments from here and there at events.

Also, the campaign was well branded. I just think the play on the title, tagline, the t-shirts, and everything all came together nicely. The fact that the campaign has won an ADDY Award is a testament to that. We have also submitted the campaign to the National Influenza Vaccine Summit and hope to be hearing back from them soon.

What was your favorite part of the entire campaign?

I thought having people hold the “I Can InFLUence” sign and taking pictures of them was a lot of fun. We posted these pictures on Facebook and they were well received. The Facebook flu shot application was also a great element and I was surprised to see how many were sent, it was a lot! Our Facebook fan base and interaction definitely increased during this campaign. We have never had the opportunity to incorporate social media in that way or to that extent, and it was a lot of fun!

What was the biggest challenge for the campaign and do you think it was overcome?

The biggest challenge was the timeline. I remember thinking when I was writing out the RFP that it would be tough, but everyone at MassMedia really stepped up and did an incredible job with it. We basically had everything designed, done and ready to print within the first week; I have never had that happen before.

By Paula Yakubik

Social media has gotten very big, very fast. Many would conclude that healthcare is somewhat late to the party. Here are 5 reasons why your practice and healthcare organization should engage.

1. 500 million people have a Facebook account, 200 million are on Twitter and there are now 148 million active blogs. I try to explain to most of my clients that the Internet and social media is changing the world much like the telephone did. Many of you were not around, but the telephone made it so we no longer had to send messages by the pony express or the telegraph. It changed the way people communicated with each other and cut down dramatically the time it took to get a message to someone. This is what the Internet is doing. And rather than fight it, you should embrace it and have it work for you and your practice. Done right, your social media sites and a good website can save your practice money.
2. A recent study by the Pew Internet Research study, said that 61 percent of adults look online for healthcare information, while only 25 percent of American adults looked online for this information in 2000. 83 percent of these users have looked online for information about health topics ranging from information about a specific disease, treatments, alternative medicine, health insurance, healthcare providers, medical facilities and ways to stay healthy. 
3. 60 million consumers now use new media to share their health experiences online and look to join online communities with similar symptoms and ailments. Approximately 1,200 Facebook communities advocate for cures for chronic illnesses. Patients are more connected, diverse and sophisticated than ever before. We here at MassMedia call it the word of mouse. It has replaced the word of mouth.
4. 72 percent of e-patients search for medical information right before or after a doctor’s visit. While patients value their doctor’s expertise and advice, that will not stop them from searching the Internet and reading website articles and blogs to try and self-diagnose themselves. Patients like to come into a doctor’s office pre-informed about a condition they think they may have and once they leave with a diagnosis they will turn to the Internet to find out more information about it.  
5. 93 percent of e-patients say the Internet has made it possible to get the medical information they need. Does your practice have an online presence? What will someone think if they Google your practice and there is no site? What will someone think if they don’t find a site and worse yet, come across those pesky doctor review sites in which an unhappy patient last month took to the Internet to show his or her disdain for your front office clerk? Even worse, what if they Google your site and an outdated, horrible site comes up? What does this say about you and your practice? A good online presence will help you establish your credibility. It’s usually the aspect of your brand that patients will experience first so make sure it’s a good one.

Paula Yakubik is a partner with MassMedia Healthcare Marketing. You can follow her on Twitter @Pyakubik. She can be reached directly at (702) 433-4331 or paula@massmediacc.com. MassMedia Healthcare Marketing’s website is massmediahealth.com