7 Tools For Wordof Mouth

7 Tools For Making Word of Mouth Happen on the Internet 

I 
t is no surprise that word of mouth is still the best way to grow your health care
practice. The majority of Americans continue to rely on personal referrals over
rankings, reviews or even price when choosing a health care provider.

The biggest change in health care promotion today is that a growing number of people
are getting to know you online. And that change is happening quickly.

This handbook provides an overview of the most effective tools to power-up a word of
mouth marketing campaign on the Internet. It shows you how to reach a much broader
and more targeted audience and engage in conversations with the people who really
want and need your services. By using any of these seven tools consistently, you can
build meaningful relationships with new prospects and nurture loyalty with the patients
or clients you already have.

The Power of Word of Mouth Marketing
Word of mouth marketing, both offline and online, involves sharing valuable and
relevant information in a way that gives people a reason to talk about you and the
services and products you provide. Unlike other forms of promotion and advertising,
word of mouth is based on real experiences people have with you, in person, in print
or on screen. It is a powerful, ethical and affordable way to increase your business
and add value to the services or products you provide.

While you can’t buy good word of mouth, you can encourage and amplify it by
engaging with your target audience. You have the opportunity to explore people’s
concerns and respond to their questions with valuable resources and information.
And you can network regularly with prospective clients as well as other health care
providers who have the power to send new clients your way.

Your Market is Online
The majority of Americans aged 18 to 64 look for health care information on the
Internet. Additionally, over 60 million consumers are sharing their health care
experiences online, according to a 2009 report by the HealthCare New Media
Marketing Conference. Through community forums such as WebMD and
MedHelp.org, health care consumers provide support to one another and
recommend the resources, services and providers they find most helpful.

When you tap into these communities and provide participants with valuable
information, you can build a network of advocates who will share your information
with their connections across the Internet. The more often you appear on the
Internet, the more familiar you become to your audience and the more you establish
yourself as the go-to expert in your field.

It’s natural that people would rather seek treatment or counsel from someone
they’ve interacted with or heard about rather than a provider who is completely
unknown to them.

lisa stockwell & partners
2
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


Quality Content is the Name of the Game
The seven tools I recommend in this handbook all involve content—the written or spoken
word. Content is the engine that powers your word of mouth campaign. Articles, reports,
blogs, videos, audios and even comments in community forums are all forms of content.
When written well, good content will reinforce your reputation as an intelligent, credible and
honest professional.

Effective writing
There are many good books and blogs on writing that can guide
you, from how to create attention-grabbing headlines to how to use
a semi-colon. If you feel writing isn’t your strength or don’t have
time to do it, hire an editor or a professional copywriter to ensure
your communications match the quality of your services or
products.

Keep in mind the following guidelines to develop the kind of content that gets passed
around.

 Focus on your target market: Whom do you want to attract? What is their age
group? What is their education level? What are their concerns? What questions do
they ask most frequently that you have the knowledge or experience to answer?
Where do they hang out and talk? When you’re clear about your market, you can
address them efficiently with information they want in a way they can understand it.

 Put the care in health care: Your goal on the Internet is to build connections with
your target audience in a way that encourages them to talk about you and with you.
Communicate compassion so people know you care about their health and want to
help them manage it.

 Align your story with what you do: Relate your content to your area of expertise
so that your name is associated with the services or products you provide. You don’t
want to spend your time promoting someone else’s specialty, even if it may be
interesting to your target audience.

 Think like a journalist: Transparency and accuracy is critical to establishing a
reputation for credibility and professionalism. When you use someone else’s
research or data be skeptical and make sure it is factual. Whenever you have a
bias, acknowledge it and include other points of view.

 Create an attention-getting headline: 8 out of 10 people read headlines. Use the
headline to tell the reader what value they will get when they read on.

 Understand what makes people talk: When you disrupt people’s natural patterns
of thinking with information that is new and surprising, they feel compelled to pass
that information on. This is the real secret to word of mouth marketing.

3
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


What makes people talk?
Ordinary information is rarely passed along.

Think about your reaction to your own health care experiences.

When was the last time you had a check-up and felt the need to call a friend to talk about
it? How often do you share your routine blood test results? Do you often insist others try
the supplements you are taking?

If you get the treatment or results you expect, you probably won’t talk about it.

People talk when something surprising happens.

A mother will talk about the pediatrician who sat up with her all night in the ER while her
baby awaited surgery. An athlete will pass on an article about a novel chiropractic treatment
for tennis elbow. A pet lover will write a blog about the vet who saved his dog’s life. An
insomniac will talk about the remedy a health coach prescribed that helped her sleep.

People need to share information or experiences that are unexpected and novel. When
things catch us by surprise or force us to think in a different way, we make sense of this
new information by talking it over with other people.

When you develop articles, blogs or videos, or leave comments on social networks, you
need to provide your audience with unexpected solutions to their problems or a new way of
looking at their health care. Disrupt their notion of the status quo with unique ideas, feelings
and perspectives and they won’t wait to pass this new information along.

Where to find ideas for content
 
  There are a number of ways to discover what information people search for
most often.
 
Start with a word search on one of the following websites:

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
http://www.google.com/insights/search/#
http://www.freekeywords.wordtracker.com

Type in a word or phrase that applies to your practice. For instance, a recent
search in Google Adwords using the word “canine” showed that 40,500
people searched for “canine cancer” last month while only 3,600 searched for
“canine ear infections.” So, if you are a veterinarian, this tells you an article
on cancer will most likely draw more readers than one on ear infections.

See what topics are hot on Facebook at www.itstrending.com

Search for keywords on Twitter at www.search.twitter.com. (The advanced
search lets you check on local tweets.) And use www.tweetmeme.com to see
the comments most frequently forwarded.

Use Google Blogsearch to find top blogs on health issues.

All this information gives you clear guidelines about what people want to
know versus what you might want to write about.

4
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


Start With a Great Website
Your website serves as the hub for your online marketing program—your home—
the place where you have total control of your message. Over time other networking
tools may change or disappear, but your website belongs to you and all the content
in it stays where it is.

A traditional resume-style website (one with a home page and sections that explain
your services, your background and your location) is invaluable as a reference.
However, most people won’t return to a static website where the content rarely
changes. You want to give them a reason to return again and again until they’re
ready to talk with you.

How do you make your website more dynamic?

Think of your website as your own publication—a rich source of health information
that provides solutions to your target audience’s problems and concerns. As a
publisher, your job is to ensure that this content is current and refreshed regularly.

The more valuable and relevant your content, the more opportunities you create for
building both your audience and your credibility.

Everything else you do on the Internet is about engaging with your prospects and
bringing them back to your website to learn more about you.

An array of tools to get people talking

I have recommended seven tools you can use to enhance your website and
promote greater interaction online. There are, in fact, other effective marketing
tactics, such as e-newsletters and testimonials. But these are one-way
communications and don’t have the same power to stimulate conversation and keep
word of mouth alive.

Consider implementing one new tactic at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed and
give up before your program has time to build momentum. Then make sure you have
adequate time and resources to dedicate to one tool before adding another to the
mix.

Get certified
When you begin adding more information to your website, I
recommend you get an HONcode certification from the Health on the
Net Foundation, an NGO that certifies the reliability and credibility of
the health information you publish. It is a free service you can access
at http://www.hon.ch/home1.html.

5
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


#1 A Buzz Piece
What is the number one problem people want solved when they come to you for
treatment or information? Is it maintaining good health, curing an ailment, supporting
them through a crisis or something else?

The answer to that question can provide you with a direction for a 5 to 10 page free
downloadable e-booklet that builds buzz for your practice or program. This buzz piece
positions you as the go-to expert in your field. It can provide the same authority as a
published book, but is much easier and more cost-effective to produce and distribute.

In some business circles an e-booklet is becoming as important as a business card. In
the health care arena, it is a relatively new concept, giving you a marketing advantage
over your competition.

Your buzz piece should show your audience about your unique insights and
understanding of their health issues with information that addresses a common
question or concern. This is not a sales brochure. However, in return for providing
valuable information, you have the right to include your biography at the back of the
booklet promoting the services you do provide.

Select a format

You can structure your e-booklet in a variety of formats, depending on the kind of
information you’ll cover and what you think will be most useful to your audience. Some
ideas to consider:

 an educational handbook
 a tip booklet that provides your audience with actions they can take to improve
their health (i.e. exercises, special recipes, a skin care ritual, a diet plan, self help
tips)
 a research report on an emerging treatment or procedure
 a chapter from a book you have written

Display it on your website

Give your buzz piece a strong title and an eye-catching cover. Then display an image
of it prominently on the home page of your website that visitors can click on and
download after providing you with some basic contact information. You can use this
information to build an email list of interested prospects that you can keep in touch with
through email letters, e-newsletters or announcements.

You can use an autoresponder program to handle these requests. Your webmaster
can install the software on your system or, if you want to handle it yourself, you can
contract with an online company for a small monthly fee (see last page for resources).
The autoresponder will send the buzz piece automatically and manage your email list.

6
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


Promote it widely

Once your buzz piece is on your website, let more people know about it through:

 a direct mail offer to all your existing clients and prospects
 a digital press release sent through an online distribution service targeting
health care journalists, bloggers and websites
 notices on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and WebMD
 links on your email signature
 title printed on the back of your business card
 Google Adwords purchased on a pay per click basis so that every time
someone searches for your designated keywords and clicks on the link, you
pay a nominal fee

Most of these promotional tips can also be used to publicize other kinds of content
you create.

Repurpose your buzz piece

Your buzz piece will have a long shelf life as an ebooklet, requiring only minor edits
to keep updated. Because it can also be broken into smaller segments and used in
other formats, it is one of the most versatile and cost effective information products
you can produce.

Sections of your buzz piece might create a series of blog posts. If you don’t have a
blog, you can break the material into short articles that you feature on your website,
distribute to online magazines or print and give clients as handouts. You can turn
the buzz piece into a power point presentation or record sections of it to be used as
podcasts or scripts for videos. Use it in as many ways as possible and post it in a
variety of venues to broaden your visibility and increase the return on your
investment.

7
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


#2 Case Studies
Who isn’t fascinated with complicated medical cases and how they were solved?
The subject is so compelling it has spawned popular weekly television dramas like
House, ER and Grey’s Anatomy.

Case studies are very share-worthy because each one is unique. And often they
elicit emotional responses that create a personal connection between you and your
reader.

A good case study should spend more time focusing on descriptions of specific
symptoms than on presenting the diagnosis and treatment. This creates a sense of
mystery that makes for a more compelling read. And for a lay audience, good story
telling is key. The main objective of a case study is to illustrate the kind of attention
you provide to each of your patients or clients. In some cases you may not have
found a treatment but may have helped the client learn to accept the condition you
have diagnosed.

A case study should include:

 A description of the patient or client
 Symptoms and how they affected his or her lifestyle
 Tools and techniques you used to diagnose the problem
 What you discovered
 The diagnosis
 The treatment
 The results

Because medical case studies are personal, you need your clients’ permission to
use their stories, even if you change names to protect their privacy. You can find a
release form on the Internet or ask your attorney to draft something for you.

Case studies are versatile. In fact, one case study can be used to create a blog, an
article, a giveaway at a medical conference, a testimonial (if you pull out a sentence
or two), part of a presentation, or a feature in a newsletter.

8
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


#3 Articles
It used to be that you could only develop a readership for your articles if a
newspaper or magazine agreed to publish them.

Now you don’t have to wait to be discovered by the mainstream press. You can
publish articles on your own website as well as on numerous online magazines that
welcome new content. The more places you publish, the more visible you become.

Articles can be structured in many different forms, from academic essays to human-
interest stories. The needs and makeup of your specific audience will dictate the
topics and style that will be most appropriate.

In your search for inspiration you may discover other authors have already covered
the topics your audience is most interested in. Don’t let that stop you.
Communication on the Internet is generally less formal than in other media and you
have the opportunity to insert your own anecdotes and insights to make your articles
unique.

When writing for the Internet, articles can range from 500 words (the minimum
requested by many online magazines) to several thousand, depending on where it
will be published.

If you already have an e-booklet, case study or a blog, you may be able to edit it to
create an article or even a series of articles. You can also hire a freelance writer to
ghost-write articles that run under your byline.

When you’re ready to publish an article, make sure it has a headline that is
compelling and easy to find in a search using the same keywords your target
audience will mostly likely think to use.

Include a short bio at the end of the piece that includes a link to your website. You
want people to be able to find and learn more about you in one click.

You can find websites that accept unsolicited content by doing an online search for
“where to submit health articles.” Some options include:

 www.medicalnewstoday.com
 http://www.articlehealthandfitness.com
 www.e-healtharticles.com
 www.motleyhealth.com
 http://www.ayurhelp.com (Ayurvedic)
 www.ezinearticles.com (all topics)
 www.webarticles.com (parenting, family, eldercare)
 www.wrongdiagnosis.com

9
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


#4 A Blog
A blog is like having your own editorial column in a newspaper or magazine. It’s a tool that
lets you communicate ideas, news and information and show your viewers how you solve
problems.

But more importantly, a blog lets your audience engage in conversations with you and
others. If you say something that triggers a question or comment, they can reply under your
blog post. Then others with similar interests and concerns can join in the dialogue. You can
very quickly develop familiarity and credibility with your readers.

Since every blog post includes the option to subscribe by email or share it with thousands
of connections through email or social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn,
it can travel around the Internet rapidly, building word of mouth as it goes. And as with the
other types of content, every blog you write is picked up and listed on search engines like
Google and Yahoo. The more posts you write the greater the chance that your blog will
appear closer to the top of these search engine pages.

A blog involves a long-term commitment. But it also provides your audience with lots of
great content. Once you have a dynamic website put together, blogging may be the only
thing you need to do to keep word of mouth working for you.

How to structure your blog

A blog is meant to be a more personal and informal style of communication, so you should
select a format that feels comfortable to you. It can be educational, with a regular dose of
useful health information; or it can be inspirational, with encouragement and support that
enhances your patient/client service program.

A few formats include:

 A commentary on health news items or issues
 In-depth answers to frequently asked questions
 A daily meditation or words of inspiration
 Tips for healthy living
 Parenting tips
 Short case studies
 A “Dear Abby” style question and answer

Blog length

Blog length depends on the subject matter and audience.
A recent online survey by the viral marketing company
Viral Chill found that the average length of the top five
health blogs posted on Twitter was 666 words. The
average for the top five personal development blogs was
1,470 words.

10
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


How often should you blog?

There is no golden rule for blogging frequency, but if you post less than weekly your
audience may get bored by the silence and look for their information somewhere
else. Consider your audience when deciding the frequency and length of your posts.
How much time do they have to read a blog and what kind of information are they
looking for? New moms, for instance, may welcome daily parenting tips from their
pediatricians and the opportunity to connect with other readers as they cope with
new situations. Someone considering cosmetic surgery might only visit a blog
periodically to see if new content has been added.

Who should write your blog?

If your goal is to develop relationships with your audience, you should write your
own blog, especially if you use your name in the blog’s title. If you want to start a
blog but worry you’re going to run out of ideas, you can hire a consultant to do
research and provide you with topics that will draw the kind of audience you want to
serve.

It is also common to ask your associates or other peers to write for your blog. Or go
to www.bloggerlinkup.com to find guest bloggers who can fill in for you when you
are away or don’t have time to write something yourself.

If you don’t want the burden of publishing your own blog, you can write occasional
guest posts for your peers or a local hospital or clinic.

If you have a large practice or clinic and your goal is to provide health news on a
regular basis, you can create a stable of blog writers. Ask other professionals to
take turns and include their bylines with their posts. In this way your blog is more
like a newspaper or magazine featuring several different personalities.

Some people do hire professional ghostwriters to create their blogs, but this can be
risky. A blog is meant to be a personal form of communication. Readers want to see
the blogger’s personality come through. Ghostwritten blog posts often sound too
formal, like a PR department and not an individual wrote them. The blog may
provide good information but may not promote conversation or connection with your
reader. If you find someone you feel understands your philosophy and writes in a
similar style, working with a ghostwriter can be an effective solution.

11
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


#5 A Video
Many people now prefer video to the written word. In fact studies have shown that people
remember 70% of what they see and hear, versus 10% of what they read. So when it
comes to demonstrations and education, videos can be invaluable.

You can create your own video using a digital camcorder or hire a professional to help with
the script and the production. While there are thousands of successful amateur videos, you
want to communicate professionalism and quality in the messages you distribute.

When finished, you can post a video to your website, your blog, YouTube, a Facebook
page or an online article. Or post it to http://www.tubemogul.com to have it distributed
automatically to your chosen video sharing sites.

What to film

Use the ideas on page 4 to find topic ideas. You can also use the search feature on
YouTube, the second most visited website on the Internet, to see what’s popular in your
area of practice. You’ll find the number of times each video has been viewed just below the
viewing screen.

If you have done slide show presentations for conferences or workshops, you can turn them
into videos with the addition of audio narration. Or, if you give speeches, have someone
videotape you speaking and break the presentation into short segments.

You can also use a camcorder set on a desktop tripod or the video camera in your monitor
to film yourself responding to health news stories, answering commonly asked questions,
providing tips for healthy living, or presenting relevant case studies. Another option is to use
a service like www.ustream.tv to create live video broadcasts.

Tips to follow when producing your video:

 Put the most relevant information in the first 30 seconds, before the majority of
viewers tune out.
 Keep the video short to maintain your audience’s attention (under 5 minutes is
ideal).
 Use a great title that can be found easily in a search.
 If you film yourself, memorize your script so you can look into the camera and
connect with your audience.
 Include your logo or the name of your practice at the top or bottom of the screen.
 Include a call to action at the end asking the viewer to call you for more information,
visit your website or sign up for your free e-booklet or e-newsletter. You can do this
with a text box on the screen or through a verbal appeal.
 If you are posting your video on YouTube, where viewers can interact with you
through comments, end your video with a question about what information was most
useful or what other questions people want to have answered. This will give you
material for more content and reinforce your desire to connect.
 Embed your video on your website, with a link to it from your home page.

12
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


#6 Question and Answer Page (Q&A)
When it comes to health care, everyone has questions. Unfortunately, you’re not
always there when they want them answered.

But if you add an interactive Q&A page to your website, they can ask questions
anytime, anywhere and you can provide personalized answers in a timely manner
that either help them manage their own health care or direct them to see a health
care provider.

A Q&A page is an ideal way for you to listen to your audience and find out what kind
of information they are seeking. Over time it will generate a lot of content you can
use to produce other materials such as blog posts or articles. It can be set up so you
are the only one to answer questions. Or you can create a networking forum right on
your own website that allows users to talk with each other. Your forum can be about
general health or focus on a specific condition that you treat.

The key to a good Q&A feature is that you respond directly to the questions being
asked and don’t use the space to push your own services or products. You can
enrich the page by linking to other pages on your website or other resources you
think will be helpful to your audience.

Disclaimer

I recommend you include a disclaimer at the beginning of your Q&A page stating
that the feature is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice,
diagnosis, or treatment. Your goal online is to help people maintain good health with
generalized information, not provide specific advice for an individual patient’s
condition.

Setting up a Q&A page

If you don’t have a webmaster who can design and install a Q&A page for you, a
new online company offers a free Q&A software application you can customize and
integrate on your own website. See www.qhub.com.

Once the feature is in place it should be easy to maintain on your own. You might
spend ten minutes to a half hour at the beginning or end of each day answering
questions or moderating comments.

13
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


#7 Social Networking
Social networking is about building connections. You’ve probably done it for years offline.
The difference between networking in person at a business function and doing it on the
Internet is the scale. There are hundreds of millions of people logged into social networks
and many of them are interested in what you have to say or offer.

Social networking in the right places can establish you as one of the most accessible
experts in your field of practice, both among prospective clients and your peers.

While random social networking can be a time drain, a well-designed social media program
can be a powerful tool to build word of mouth. And, with discipline, you can set it up so that
you don’t need to spend more than an hour a day overseeing it.

How it works

The most important aspect of social media is understanding why you want to be involved.
Do you want to increase your visibility, improve your reputation, improve your interaction
with your clients, learn new information or do all of the above? Setting goals allows you to
develop effective networking strategies that give you a road map for where you want to be,
what to say and how often to engage.

Once you know why you are there, locate online communities where your prospects and
peers congregate for the kind of information you can offer (see the next page for ideas on
how to find them). Start by listening to what they are saying. When you feel you have
something helpful to offer, then engage.

After you’ve entered a conversation it’s important to follow up on it, returning periodically to
check for new comments (often you can select to have updates sent to you by email).
Social networking works when you focus on the other person’s needs and not your own. As
with any honest dialogue, you’re not in control of the conversation and need to be willing to
stay engaged even when it gets tough or you get busy.

As with all networking, the more you engage, the more contacts you make and the more
opportunities you have to develop new advocates. Online advocates can be especially
helpful at spreading the word when you add new content to your website, post a new blog
or make announcements about events or workshops. While your advocates may not be
local, they can influence others who are.

Conversation protocol

Anything you say online is permanently recorded and can be seen by anyone. Before
starting, set your own rules of engagement that define the kind of healthcare information
you want to offer, how you will respond to misinformation someone else has posted, when
to engage and when to stay silent. The FDA is currently developing a policy for drug
marketing through social media and, when completed, their guidelines may prove helpful for
all health care providers using social media.

14
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


Online health care communities

One of the best places to start looking for a responsive social media community is
through your local hospital or health center’s website. They may sponsor a health
forum you can join. It may be small, but the participants are generally local.

Many medical associations and organizations, such as the American Diabetes
Association or BreastCancer.org have established online communities. Additionally,
you can type in the name of a specific condition or area of care (such as health
coach, nutritionist, yoga, therapy) and the word “forum” and you’ll find a variety of
venues where you can add value to the discussion.

The largest health websites have the largest online communities. The undisputed
leader is WebMD, which covers everything from general health, special conditions
and diet to mental, oral and pet health. They have expert-moderated as well as
member-created exchanges where people with specific conditions congregate to
share their stories and get advice. There may be an opportunity for you to become
one of their health care experts.

Social networks

In addition to health-specific communities, you can also engage with your clients
and prospects through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or a myriad of other
social media platforms. Each has its specific advantages for health care providers.
Before opening an account, do some research to see if you can find your target
audience on each of these sites and determine how engaged they are in
conversations.

LinkedIn is a great platform for professional networking. It connects you with like-
minded professionals who may be your best source for referrals. LinkedIn is
especially effective when you join groups where you can network with others who
share your interests. In a recent search I found over 8,000 groups dedicated to
health topics. There were over 70 dedicated to alternative medicine, 65 to dentistry,
53 to acupuncture, 200 to veterinary, and 23 to health coaches. These groups can
range from a few dozen members to tens of thousands. You can communicate with
group members through the group discussions or add them to your network of
connections and send direct email messages. LinkedIn is one of the only social
media platforms that lets you download the contact information for everyone in your
network, making it an asset you not only develop but also own.

Facebook is the # 1 visited website on the Internet and the fastest growing
networking tool for business. They make it easy to set up your own business
networking page.

To get a better idea of whether Facebook would work for your practice, visit
healthcare-related pages to see what kind of conversations they’re generating.
There are now over 500 hospitals with their own Facebook pages and that number
increases monthly. (Search on Google for “hospital Facebook” or “[name of medical
condition] Facebook” and you’ll find a long list of public Facebook pages to visit.)

15
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


If you start your own Facebook page, the challenge is to find a strategy that draws
people to it and keeps them engaged. Consider this: People join Facebook pages to
communicate with others who have similar interests or issues. What value can you
provide to a group that gives them a reason to congregate in your community and
not another?

Your Facebook pages can be effective if you provide regular tips, resources and
other valuable information that is aligned to the needs of your community. You can
also attract a crowd if you offer special discounts on your services or products.
(There are also applications you can add to Facebook to run contests, quizzes and
coupon programs that can draw followers to your page.). This will not be appropriate
for all health care businesses but could be effective if you sell products or want to
provide a promotional rate for first time customers.

Once you have developed a following, you can check on the demographics of the
people visiting your Facebook page to see if you are attracting the kind of audience
you want. You can also send direct messages to your entire list of followers,
although unlike LinkedIn, you cannot download your contact list and use it for other
purposes.

Twitter is another top networking site that is gaining popularity with businesses. At
last count, hospitals and academic centers represented over 500 Twitter accounts.

Twitter lets you send abbreviated notices to your followers. Your tweets—the term
for the 140 character messages you send—can be about new content you’ve
written, new information or resources you’ve discovered, events, workshops and tips
for the day. Some hospitals are even tweeting details of their surgeries. If you post
valuable information to a few followers and one of them retweets (forwards) your
message to twenty more followers, and then a few of those retweet it to a few
thousand more followers… Well you can see how quickly word can spread.
Additionally, anyone can search for specific topics using keywords and discover
your tweets in that way.

YouTube is the second most highly visited website on the Internet and also a great
place for posting your own videos. But it is also a great place for listening to
conversations and networking with viewers who leave comments below your videos.

With thousands of health-oriented videos already posted on YouTube, you can get
involved with other providers and prospective patients by engaging in any
conversations that relate to the services or products you provide.

Social media is still in its infancy as a business tool and the jury is still out on exactly how it will
benefit health care providers and the patients and clients you serve. But I believe social media
is here to stay and, as it evolves, it will drive fundamental change in the way we communicate
and maybe even in the way we manage care.

16
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


Final Thoughts
I have compiled this list of seven strategies to suit different styles and budgets. Each
can be effective on its own and also leveraged for use in different formats, giving
you lots of content to enrich your website and increase your presence on the
Internet.

Your program will be most successful if you keep things simple to start and tackle
one strategy at a time. Over time you can experiment with different tools to see
which give you the biggest return on your investment. Online analytics tools make it
possible to evaluate the effectiveness of each piece of content you post as well as
how often people visit each page of your website.

If you want someone to develop and maintain your word of mouth marketing
program, develop new content that matches your philosophy and style, or simply
evaluate your existing materials, please consider Lisa Stockwell & Partners. I offer
the following services to help you reach your marketing goals:

Content Strategy: I work on a fee basis, providing 1, 3, or 5 hour consulting
packages to develop objectives and strategies for your content marketing
program.

Topic Ideas: I will research your market to find out what your target audience
wants to know. I will also review existing blogs and content to find out what
already exists and will provide you with a list of relevant topics for blog posts,
buzz pieces, videos or articles.

Research, Writing and Production: I handle everything from researching the
topics and interviewing experts to writing, designing and producing content. In
the case of videos, I will outsource and manage the production.

Editing: I will edit any of your written materials on a project basis.

Third-party peer review: I offer an objective review of your written materials,
including proofreading, grammatical editing and recommendations for
improvement to the writing and design. Fees range from $300 for 5 pages to
$500 for 10 pages.

17
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501


About the Author
Lisa Stockwell is a content marketing strategist, consultant, award-
winning copywriter and the author of nine books. As a marketing
communications consultant and writer with over 15 years freelance
experience, she shares her expertise with companies who understand
the value of well-written and targeted communications.

Lisa’s success comes from listening closely to the needs of both her
clients and their customers to develop information products and
marketing materials that build the word of mouth referrals and loyal
relationships that are key to any company's long-term success.

She works from her belief that there are four elements that make health
care information products valuable: reliability, relevance, accessibility
and empathy. Any good writer with research skills and a marketing
background can ensure the first three. It takes a special understanding
and compassion to write with empathy.

Lisa brings both experience and emotional intelligence to her writing.
She turned her focus to health care several years ago after a long
stretch coping with the medical issues of several family members and
close friends. From congenital heart defects and implanted defibrillators
to ALS, frontotemporal dementia, breast cancer and lung cancer, she’s
learned firsthand about debilitating medical conditions and the courage
it takes to deal with them. It is from this perspective that she helps
health care professionals develop content that gives their clients the
information they want in a form they can digest.

The  right  word  of  mouth  marketing  strategy  can 
help  fill  your  practice  with  minimum  effort  and 
expense.  I  invite  you  to  call  me  for  a  free  15 
minute  consultation  to  discuss  questions  you 
have  about  the  ideas  I’ve  presented  in  this 
book.   Please  contact  me  t o  set  up  your 
appointment. 

Lisa Stockwell & Partners 
lisa@lisastockwell.com 
707.544.2501 
www.lisastockwell.com 

18
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501

Resources 

These are websites I have found helpful or interesting. Most are free resources. I have no
affiliation with the paid services and recommend you ask for referrals before investing in them.

Topic Search Tools: Use these to discover the most popular topics on the Internet
http://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordtoolExternal
http://www.google.com/search/#
http://www.freekeywords.wordtracker.com
http://www.google.com/alerts (sends email alert when a designated word or phrase appears in a blog, news, video
or group)
http://tweetgrid.com/searchtips (good tips for conducting a search on Twitter)
http://www.search.twitter.com
http://tweetag.com/ (get email alerts when a designated keyword or phrase appears in a Twitter list)
http://tweetmeme.com (shows popular tweets and how many times they’ve been retweeted)
http://www.keywordspy.com (subscription keyword search tool)
http://blogsearch.google.com (search for popular blogs on specific topics)

Health Care Communities: Join to listen to the conversations, search for popular topics or
engage with your target audience
http://www.WebMed.com
http://www.righthealth.com
http://health.yahoo.net
http://www.drugs.com
http://www.medicinenet.com
http://www.mayoclinic.com
http://health.msn.com
http://www.everydayhealth.com
http://www.aolhealth.com
http://www.medhelp.org

Personal Health Information Management: Online healthcare information gathering software
Google Health (beta version)
http://www.healthvault.com

Content Development Tools
http://www.qhub.com (create Q&A pages)
http://www.hon.ch/home1.html (medical website certification)
http://www.AWeber.com (autoresponder and email management program)
http://www.autoresponse.com (autoresponder and email management program)
http://www.verticalresponse.com (autoresponder and email management program)
http://www.bloggerlinkup.com (directory of guest bloggers)
http://www.tubemogul.com (free video distribution service)
http://www.ustream.tv (live video broadcast)
http://www.wildfireapp.com/ (Facebook application that lets you create quizzes, coupon drives, sweepstakes, etc.)

Health Care Article Distribution Services
http://www.ezinearticles.com (all topics)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
http://www.articlehealthandfitness.com
http://www.e-healtharticles.com
http://www.motleyhealth.com
http://www.ayurhelp.com (Ayurvedic)
http://www.webarticles.com (parenting, family, eldercare)
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com

19
© 2010 Lisa Stockwell 707.544.2501

7 Tools For Wordof Mouth

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Tendances

Tendances (20)

Similaire à 7 Tools For Wordof Mouth

Similaire à 7 Tools For Wordof Mouth (20)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

7 Tools For Wordof Mouth