Keywords: hair transplant practice marketing Internet marketing online marketing search engine optimization hair transplant advertising Internet marketing for hair transplant

98.1 What Is Online Marketing?

Online marketing, often referred to as Internet marketing, digital advertising, or online advertising, is the process of using various aspects of the Internet to drive brand awareness and promotional messages to consumers. In today’s Internet-driven world, advertisers can position their brand in front of targeted audiences that are in the process of making a purchase for hair transplant surgery.

Online marketing has become a valuable tool and a consistent upward trend has been seen in digital versus television ad spending over the years. In a recent eMarketer study, it was projected that digital ad spending was soon going to surpass television ad spending and continue to grow. This is not the result of fewer dollars being spent on television advertising. It is the result of advertisers spending more on online marketing due to its effectiveness. One of the main reasons why digital advertising is so effective is because of the options you have to reach multiple buyers and target your advertising to specific groups of people that fall within your target demographic. The primary options for digital marketing include search engine optimization (SEO), paid search advertising (i.e., pay-per-click and Adwords), social media marketing, display advertising, e-mail, and online review management. Let us take a closer look at each avenue.

98.2 Online Marketing Options

98.2.1 Search Engine Optimization

SEO is the process of positioning your Website in the section within a search engine results page (SERP). In addition to organic, this placement can be referred to as natural, earned, or free. When you search for something on a search engine, you will see a list of highest ranking results at the page with additional results below it. A desirable goal would be to show up on the first page of a search…the higher up the better. Ranking high on a search engine contributes to what is called “ranking factors.” There are many different “ranking factors” and the relative importance of each seems to change over time and by different search engines. There are some constants, however. SEO success starts with a quality Web site, quality content, and quality links.

SEO success is a combination of on-page and off-page SEO factors. On-page factors consist of anything within the Web site such as content, keywords, structure, speed, programming, etc. Off-page factors consist of anything outside your Web site such as domain, links, reputation, history, etc.

It is important to remember that when it comes to SEO, you have international, national, and local SEO. The type of campaign you are running determines the most important factors. For example, a local SEO campaign will require a different approach than a national campaign.

There are advantages and disadvantages of SEO:

•The advantage of SEO is that these results are “trusted” by patients. Having top placement in the organic section of a SERP can result in more quality visitors that result in quality leads. You are able to achieve a much higher quality visitor because you are positioning yourself in front of potential patients who are specifically looking for your product or service.

•The disadvantage to SEO is time. If you want to rank at the top of Google for your keywords, it will take time. It can often take months to years for primary keyword strings to show up at the top of the search engines.

98.2.2 Paid Search Advertising

Paid search advertising refers to paying to have clickable ads placed on the sponsored section of a SERP. Depending on what search engine you are using, these text ads can be seen at the top, bottom, or the right side of the organic section. Often referred to as sponsored ads, sponsored section, or Adwords (Google), paid search is the process of bidding on keywords that are relevant to your practice or advertising goals. Typically, you pay each time your ad is clicked on (pay-per-click). Just as with SEO, paid search is the process of positioning yourself in front of consumers that are searching for your product or service. You are reaching potential patients when they are highly interested in what you have to offer. They are either in the discovery zone of learning what their options are or in the buying zone ready to schedule a consultation. Either way, you are reaching patients at the most opportune time.