Medical Websites Boost Confidence Among Patients

We were ahead of the website trend for physicians. Ten years ago, when websites were a new and unusual marketing tactic, we realized what a powerful tool they’d be for physicians. So we launched our idea: www.mydoctor.com - a tailor-made site for physicians. In addition to providing basic information about services, location and staff, we visioned educational materials including monthly articles and a health tip of the week. We visioned downloadable forms that would be completed prior to an appointment. We visioned showing physicians’ expertise. Everything would tie into their brand and how they communicate that brand through the website, brochures, educational materials, articles and advertising.

The problem was that our core target, medical doctors, didn’t understand the concept. In frustration we abandoned the good idea and moved on. While we do serve physicans and create websites, print materials, newsletters, advertising and an unmistakeable brand identity for physicians, it’s not on the level we originally anticipated.

So I read with interest an April 2007 article in the American Medical News (produced by the AMA) about the importance and value of maximizing an online presence. Alas, all of our visioning has come to fruition and more physicians are jumping on the bandwagon.

Like every other business, they are discovering the challenges of establishing and maintaining a site that is of value to their core target market. They’ve learned planning, content, design, interactivity, production, follow-up, promotion and maintenance are key. What I liked about the article was the analogy:

“Doctors recommend an annual health maintenance exam for patients. They need to do the same thing for their practice. And during that exam, they need to figure out if their web site is doing what they need it to do,” said Rosemary Nelson, a Syracuse, NY-based physician practice management consultant.

What are you doing for the health of your business? Is your website doing its job? Do you have a marketing mindset when it comes to your website? Do you know the 8 golden rules for your website? Is your copy compelling? Are your customers and prospects taking action?

We can help you solve your website challenges with concrete tools and tactics that get results. Find out more about our Fast Track to Marketing Mastery program, Show Your Charm - Write Copy with Character and Build A Website That Works. And do contact us. We’ll help you get on the Fast Track to more customers, bigger profits and a business you can brag about.

© 2007 BoostYourBottomLine.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp are creators of the Fast Track to Marketing Mastery program. To learn more about the step-by-step program, and to sign up for their *FREE* Marketing Mastery Success Kit, visit www.boostyourbottomline.com

Whole Foods Lives & Breathes Its Green Brand

When did Earth Day expand into Earth Month? I’m not sure of the answer but was intrigued with the way Whole Foods Market, the world's leading retailer of natural and organic foods, tapped into the event. When I stopped at the Minneapolis store last weekend to fill my cart with healthy fruits, veggies and fish, I picked up The Whole Earth Weigh-In booklet showing eco-action tips that make a big difference to the environment. They covered a few of my pet peeves:

1. Choose your food like it matters – buy from companies and businesses that do something to support the health of the planet and eat as many whole foods as possible. They’re better for your body and better for the environment because they use fewer resources.

2. Reuse your bags – I carry canvas bags into every store yet still manage to accumulate plastic and paper bags. But when I learned that more than one billion single-use plastic bags are handed to consumers each day and it takes a 15-year-old tree to produce just 700 bags, I vowed to buy more canvas bags.

3. Quench with respect – Yikes! 80% of the 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles Americans use each year end up in landfills. Carry your own reusable, stainless steel water bottles, www.kleankanteen.com and coffee cups, my favorite - www.cariboucoffee.com

My recent shopping spree not only filled my refrigerator and cupboards with healthy goodies, I learned, thanks to Whole Foods, how small steps make a big difference to the environment.

Whole Foods Market, with 193 stores in North America and the United Kingdom, and every person associated with the business, is living and breathing its green brand. The company only sells the highest quality natural and organic products available, they choose eco-friendly construction products, and they use wind power to offset 100% of the electricity used in all their stores, facilities and offices in the US and Canada. They care about their communities and the environment. They hire people who care. They serve people who care.

That’s a powerful brand. We like that.

© 2007 BoostYourBottomLine.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp are creators of the Fast Track to Marketing Mastery program. To learn more about the step-by-step program, and to sign up for their *FREE* Marketing Mastery Success Kit, visit www.boostyourbottomline.com

Portable Ain't Just for Potties Anymore

King James I is known to have had the first version of a "portable potty." The first campers with what resembled a kitchen to be used away from home rolled off the line in the early 1900's. Thus, it would only make sense that an entire office should fit in a cracker box by 2007.

Even though we're huge Mac worshippers, the Nokia N800 piqued our interest simply because of its size. If you're a PC-user and frequent traveler, it might be worth a look.

It's hard to imagine the days when we relied on a microwave-sized contraption that had a cord the size of DSL cable to write memos and crunch numbers. And all this "thinking" occurred in a room the size of a dance hall. Heck, we're such old geeks that we remember computer class: "If F26 = ALL, then goto F14. END."

Okay, we're not that old, we're pretty hip, and we embrace technology as a plan to stay that way. But that's what makes these lightening-speed changes to technology both exhilarating and scary at the same time. In this day and age, technology moves so fast that the young and hip today will be old and broken hipped by the end of the week. Today, we travel with a notebook-sized computer that houses an entire office circa 1984. We get ticked off if our hotel room doesn't have quick wireless internet service. And we just hope we're able to master whatever pocket-sized gadget we receive for Christmas 2047 from our grandkids with the ease in adaptability we rely on today. And we hope our "portable potty" in that same year doesn't mean diapers.

© 2007 BoostYourBottomLine.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp are creators of the Fast Track to Marketing Mastery program. To learn more about the step-by-step program, and to sign up for their *FREE* Marketing Mastery Success Kit, visit www.boostyourbottomline.com

Profit-Pulling Headlines in 17 Seconds Flat

I’ve been racking my brain to come up with a really great headline for an article. I know how important it is. Headlines are your “front line” to any market. It’s the first thing the reader sees. It’s your one chance to interest and influence your audience. And they’re tough to create.

Good headlines:

- Create excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm for more

- Ignite interest through concise, power-packed statements

- Attract more customers

- Pull readers into copy

- Boost your bottom line

Yet most business owners focus solely on copy and give little thought to headlines. I was falling into the same trap because of a looming deadline when I caught myself and remembered what advertising guru David Ogilvy said:

“On average, 5 times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90% of your money.”

Of all the factors that go into snagging attention, attracting new customers and increasing sales, none are as important as a strong headline. On a website, most visitors give you 10 seconds to make an impression. The time is even shorter when a reader picks up a newspaper or magazine and decides whether to read an article or advertisement.

The job of the headline is to get attention. A good headline makes the reader want to find out more by reading the article email, web page or ad.

The problem, of course, is how to write a headline that convinces your prospect to stay and read more, buy from you and become a loyal customer, a raving fan and an evangelist singing your praises. The hard truth is, success or failure hinges on how persuasive your headline is.

I wanted success so turned to a program our clients love and within seconds I had my headline, actually I had dozens of headlines to choose from. You have to love technology when it gets you out of a slump!

Want to create powerful, proven and profit-pulling headlines without wasting time and energy? Check this out; it’s a winner: www.boostyourbottomline.com

© 2007 BoostYourBottomLine.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp are creators of the Fast Track to Marketing Mastery program. To learn more about the step-by-step program, and to sign up for their *FREE* Marketing Mastery Success Kit, visit www.boostyourbottomline.com

Heart and Soul Searching at Google

Whatever you're searching for, you know you'll find it on Google. 56% of net searches are conducted at www.google.com. But with market capitalization of $144 billion, there's much more to Google's heart and soul than searching. Here are some very real growth area predictions for this online (already) giant.

• Office Network. With online networks and office infrastructure options galore, Google may expand on it's office productivity programs. Soon, "Googling" may mean getting almost any office task done online.

• ISP. Cable? Satellite? Phone? Google? Yes - if Google continues to expand its massive server network and fiber-optic capacity, it could become the fastest ISP alternative.

• Living Machine. Once it's comprised of millions of machines, the Google grid could perform "human machine' thinking tasks.

• Media Mogul. Considering its purchase of YouTube, Google may become the leading distributor of video and other media content.

• Ad Exchange. With 31% share of online advertising revenue, Google could expand to provide efficiency and measurability to all ad options — much like NASDAQ does for the stock market.

What does all this mean for you? Stay tuned. Become familiar with Google's offerings. Can any of them help you promote the heart and soul of your business? Right now, you can't lose if you strategically align yourself with this explosive brand.

Facts obtained from "Business Week," April 9, 2007 issue.

© 2007 BoostYourBottomLine.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp are creators of the Fast Track to Marketing Mastery program. To learn more about the step-by-step program, and to sign up for their *FREE* Marketing Mastery Success Kit, visit www.boostyourbottomline.com

The New Silver Standard For American Business

The silver juggernaut has begun.

That thundering sound you hear are the legions of Silver Bulls – Baby Boomers – who are now reaching retirement age at the rate of 11,000 each and every day.

But don’t expect a generation brought up on sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll to follow meekly in the footsteps of their parents and pack themselves off to a beach in Florida on their 62nd birthday.

This generation has never been “traditional” and they apparently find no reason to change their attitude just because they’ve put on a few years.

In fact, according to several recent surveys by AARP, www.aarp.org fully 70% of Baby Boomers see their 60s as an exciting opportunity for taking the bull by the horns and starting their own business, buying an existing business or acquiring a franchise of their own, with fewer than 17% opting for the more traditional view of retirement.

Several reasons have been advanced to explain this generation’s lack of enthusiasm for simply “taking life easy.” Probably the most compelling reasons are the simplest: this is one of the healthiest, most active generations in history and most of them apparently want to continue their active and productive lifestyle as long as possible. The idea of being “put out to pasture” is simply unthinkable.

Take 61-year-old grandmother Barbara Jennings, for example. In 2004, with very little in the way of business training, she began her own internet business, providing an on-line decorating service. Today, three years later, her company, www.decorate-redecorate.com grosses about $8,500 a month.

“This business will provide a decent retirement income, and it's also something I can pass down to my two adult children,” she says with a smile. “I'm able to go on trips, play, go shopping, sleep, and do anything else I want. You can't beat that.”

Or how about Melanie Boudar, who was down-sized at the age of 50? Rather than take early retirement she took what savings she had and started her own bed and breakfast on the Big Island of Hawaii. After only 6 months she was showing a profit of $8,000 a month while doing something she enjoyed and living in a tropical paradise.

One of the things almost all silver-entrepreneurs have in common is a need for business advice to help them get started on their new ventures. And that’s where our Fast Track to Marketing Mastery www.boostyourbottomline.com/fast_track/ comes in.

It’s been a kick to work with silver entrepreneurs and those catering to the Silver Bulls to help them create a business they can brag about. We'll share their stories in upcoming posts.

© 2007 BoostYourBottomLine.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp are creators of the Fast Track to Marketing Mastery program. To learn more about the step-by-step program, and to sign up for their *FREE* Marketing Mastery Success Kit, visit www.boostyourbottomline.com

The 4 Essentials of Writing Copy That Sells

If you are looking for a surefire way to market your business and increase sales, look at the copy on your website, brochures, press releases, advertising and sales letters. Good copy makes you stand out from your competition, establishes your credibility and expertise, and attracts ideal customers like a magnet.

You don’t have to have Pulitzer prize aspirations to pull words together into copy that sells. You do need to focus on four essentials:

1. convey key messages in your copy
2. speak directly to your target audience
3. paint a picture using power words, and
4. ask for the sale.

Your goal is to stop your readers in their tracks and elicit a response. Here’s how:

1. Convey Key Messages

If you want busy people to read and respond to what you have to offer, think in terms of benefits, the “what’s in it for me” perspective. Understand that buying is not a rational process; it’s an emotional one. People want to be convinced they’re making a choice that will make a positive difference in their life. They want to know they are buying the perfect solution to their challenge.

Your key messages are based on benefits, but it’s very common to confuse features with benefits. Features are inherent in your product or service. Benefits are the intangibles your buyer gets from your product or service.

For instance, driver airbags are the feature while feelings of safety and security are the benefit. A massage is the feature while stress relief and relaxation is the benefit.

Depending on the type of business you own and operate, benefits may include saving time, saving money, making money, finding success or being pain free. Identify both your features and benefits before you write one single word of copy.

2. Speak Directly to Your Target Audience

Direct your message to your target audience…those who want what you have to offer, will listen to your pitch, and ultimately take action.

You’ll likely define your target audience based on gender, age, family structure (single, married, parent) and income. Your target market will have at least four common characteristics including a particular need, access to your products and services, enough money to purchase your products or services, and decision-making power.

Write a profile of one person in your target audience, even going so far as to give that person a name, age, job and family structure. Once you’ve defined a representative of your target market, you’ll be able to write directly to that person each time you compose your copy. Actually visualize that person, and direct your message to him/her. Your words will be more personal andpersuasive… and more likely to get results.

3. Paint a Picture Using Power Words

Unleash vivid images and power words that inspire readers to take action. Power words are verbs, not adjectives, that make your copy enticing. Show your reader how valuable your product or service is with words like accelerate, boost, conquer, create, ensure, focus, leverage, profit, transform, unleash, winning. Paint a picture that captures their attention and include power words that inspire action.

4. Ask for the Sale

You are connecting with your target market. You are tapping into benefits and power words that speak directly to them. You have their attention. Now ask for the sale! Tell your reader exactly what you want him/her to do.

Few products or services sell themselves. You have to ask for the sale yet this is the most difficult challenge facing many entrepreneurs. In fact, both seller and buyer are nervous about the sale. Sellers are often worried about being rejected while buyers are worried about making the wrong decision.

Use your words to pull readers into your copy, establish trust and anticipate questions and concerns. Summarize your main points and end with a call to action – literally what you want him/her to do next.

Do you want him to call you or e-mail you for more information? Do you want her to call to schedule a free consultation? Do you want him/her to place an order now? Be clear and specific. What is the next step for the reader to take?

Your copy sells you 24/7. When you mail a brochure, hand out print materials or refer someone to your web site, your copy will act as a sales person delivering a message and influencing perceptions about your business, your brand. Make it strong. Make it accurate. Make it sell.

© 2007 BoostYourBottomLine.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp are creators of the Fast Track to Marketing Mastery program. To learn more about the step-by-step program, and to sign up for their *FREE* Marketing Mastery Success Kit, visit www.boostyourbottomline.com