Chiropractors are among many who have seen their businesses take a turn for the worse in today’s economic environment. Many of these doctors are looking for way to generate new business, but they lack basic marketing skills and often rely on outdated methods.

Are you still using outmoded marketing and advertising techniques? Postcards, newspaper drops, and telemarketing are pass. Networking at the chamber of commerce or trade shows generates few if any real referrals. The absolute best form of marketing available today is actually 100% free, and has been proven successful time and again.

Only recently (3 years after I let the cat out of the bag), have many doctors begun inquiring about what we classify as fresh Web 2.0 / SEO marketing strategies. I was the first and only one in the chiropractic profession to bring social networks to public awareness, as I was getting massive amounts of new patients coming into my office from Myspace, Facebook, and YouTube.

I had many well-known consultants come to me and basically beg and plead for my secret strategies I was sharing with a select group of chiropractors. Many would try and be sneaky, actually call me from private numbers but they would give me an email or contact information that I could trace-back to a consulting firm. I always thought this was funny because these guys are stuck in the realm of competition, whereas I’m an entrepreneur and creator.

Social networks are absolutely free to join and can reap massive rewards if you know how to position yourself as an expert in the community. Many chiropractors make the mistake of spamming others when they initially get on networks like Myspace, Facebook, and YouTube. Then, they wonder why they get kicked off in little time. So what do they then do? Many will bash this type of chiropractic marketing and claim it doesn’t work instead of faulting themselves for not seeking out the proper coaching and guidance. They’ve already destroyed credibility with their primary niche and have blown a perfect opportunity to bring in boatloads of new patients from social media sites.

While the profession and 95% of chiropractors are playing catch-up, I’ve been on the cutting-edge discovering new, and even more powerful ways to leverage these Web 2.0 technologies to create a steady stream of new patients and multiple sources of income for me and my hundreds of students. Last month was a great example, as I made over $5,000 in one month from just one video that I posted on YouTube. With returns like this for minimal time investment, many are crippling themselves by not learning how to market the proper way with social media.

A couple tips that I can give you for marketing on MySpace include: 1. Never send a friend request to someone unless you first type a friendly message letting them know who you are and why you want to be their friend; and 2. Keep plenty of videos on your profile page. These can be about chiropractic, or even subjects that interest you personally such as sports, music, or movies. Part of the success of social networking involves expressing your own personality to your contacts.

This is going to be a new language for most doctors since we live in more technologically advanced times. You have a choice though. You can either take a year out of your schedule to learn everything you need to know about social media marketing or you can find a mentor who’s been there and done that. The latter will reduce your learning curve by about a year while the first one will cost you an arm and leg in money and mistakes.

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