by Emily Jones

Considering an estimated 75% of Americans use the internet, are vein doctors doing enough to market their practices online? Having a website is an important part of modern marketing, but many physicians find that joining an online medical directory can take their online presence to the next level—maximizing their marketing dollar.

Facility websites alone are valuable, but if potential patients are unable to find them, they aren’t very beneficial.

Online directories help market facility websites and contact information, promoting physicians and practices through a variety of technological methods to make them more visible in multiple places throughout the web. Online directories vary in the services they provide, but the primary feature is a basic ‘profile’ page on their website where the facility name, information, link to their main website, and means of contact are displayed. The facility may also appear in ‘feeds’ that pop up on informational pages, and in other areas throughout the directory’s site. The more places the practice appears online, the greater chance a site visitor will contact them, and convert from a potential patient to a paying one.

In addition to the direct benefits of online exposure and patient lead generation, physicians also join medical directories for an association with a large industry organization. This connection can enhance a doctor’s professional image with both patients and colleagues, adding to their practice in yet another way.

How a Directory Can Help Unique Vein Practices

Online medical directories are one of the most dynamic marketing tools available, providing benefits to a variety of unique practice types and situations.

Larger Practice Benefits: Online Exposure. For those trying to market their practice in a metropolitan area, online directory listings provide an advantage in online exposure and local keyword targeting. This can help a listed practice stand apart from competitors in a highly saturated environment. Appearing in a variety of places online is important to establishing credibility and attracting patients in competitive urban environments.

Smaller Practice Benefits: Local Keyword Targeting.

Local keyword targeting is key for those marketing smaller practices, particularly in rural areas. Rather than losing potential clients to larger urban facilities, small-town vein physicians can benefit from directory keyword targeting that informs potential patients that the treatments they seek are available close to home. Start-up practices also benefit from a listing since directories establish keyword targeting and a strong online presence right away, allowing the practice to get referrals and build business quickly.

Specialty-related Benefits: Treatment Name Targeting.

If the facility being listed offers vein-related treatments exclusively, then joining a network that is industry-specific allows for maximum exposure. Vein-specific directories target popular search-terms like ‘spider vein treatment’ and ‘endovenous laser ablation,’ helping to introduce site visitors looking for information to local physicians. Other directories may offer multiple-specialty keyword targeting, so if a facility offers both vein treatments and cosmetic dermatology treatments all of the important keywords can be targeted, maximizing the listing’s performance.

Benefits of Choosing VeinDirectory.org

VeinDirectory.org is a nationally recognized network of vein treatment specialists, and a great option to consider when choosing an online vascular directory. VeinDirectory.org provides the typical features of a medical directory, but also offers some unique benefits beyond what is available

With eight years of experience in medical search engine strategy, VeinDirectory.org has been developed into a unique and effective system designed to connect patients to local vein doctors. Due to both its established status and extensive content library, VeinDirectory.org is among the first to be listed when many popular search terms are entered into search engines like google.com. When patients are looking for “spider vein removal” or “varicose vein treatments” VeinDirectory.org is represented, capturing the attention of potential patients. Once visitors enter the site their IP address is identified, so physicians in the geographic area closest to the visitor are featured prominently throughout the site.

VeinDirectory.org also offers more avenues for online exposure than the typical directory. In addition to the detailed practice profile, a secondary website that targets keywords and the city of each listed facility is included in membership packages. Additional profile listings on associated networks like OnlineSurgery.com and HealthNews.org, as well as locally targeted sites like HelloLocal.com are also included as part of the overall package.

Interactive features help connect physicians to patients and to other marketing resources, available exclusively through VeinDirectory.org. The “Ask-A-Doctor” feature facilitates physician-patient interaction and increases member’s online presence at the same time. Launched in September 2010, The Resource center allows members to manage their account from one central location—making profile updates, profile performance tracking, and educational marketing information accessible at all times.through other websites.

A significant, unique feature that VeinDirectory.org offers physicians is the ability to track the performance of their membership. Detailed reports of all patient inquiries are sent to clients monthly, and are also accessible through The Resource center. Tracking allows physicians to measure their ROI with VeinDirectory.org. Marketing is an investment, and VeinDirectory.org shows physicians the results and progress of their plan.

As an investment, VeinDirectory.org efficiently provides clients maximum benefit for a minimum cost. Many of the optimization strategies utilized can be performed by individual practices, but the cost of doing it in-house versus letting an experienced, top ranked network do it is significant. The cost is substantially reduced without sacrificing the marketing’s overall performance. Quite simply, the strategy allows physicians to do much more with less money.

Questions to Ask

To make an educated decision about which medical directory to choose, physicians should ask some key questions of each company they consider. Not all directories provide the same benefits, so it’s important to understand what is being offered before subscribing.

• Do you provide detailed tracking reports, showing the emails and phone calls my subscription generates?
• Do you offer additional features that I can use to expand my online presence?
• Is there a convenient way for me to make changes to my profile?
• Do you provide a toll-free number for patients to call?
• How many years of experience do you have with online medical directories?
• What vein industry keywords does your website rank for in popular search engines?

In today’s era of technology, physicians should educate themselves about new media and how to use it to benefit their practice most effectively. The internet provides an opportunity for medical practices to either be overshadowed by competitors or stand out from the crowd. Savvy physicians should consider the value of increasing their facility’s online presence, and evaluate what an online medical directory listing could do for their practice.