News
Using the Internet in your practice. Part 1: Why social media are important and how to get started
A few free or low-cost strategies can help you add new patients every day
Ron Romano and Neil H. Baum, MD
Ron Romano is President of www.YourInternetDoctor.com and CEO of Instant Marketing Systems. He co-authored The Internet Survival Guide for Doctors (2014, Instant Marketing Systems) and No B.S. Direct Marketing (2006, Entrepreneur Press) and contributed to the Walking with the Wise series (2004, Mentors Publishing). He is an Internet marketing consultant, speaker, and creator of “The Implementation Blueprint System.”
Neil H. Baum, MD, practices urology in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is Associate Clinical Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School and Louisiana State University School of Medicine, both in New Orleans. He is also on the medical staff at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, and East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie, Louisiana. He is the author of several books, including Social Media for the Healthcare Professional (2012, Greenbranch) and Marketing Your Clinical Practice: Ethically, Effectively, Economically (4th edition, 2009; Jones & Bartlett).
Mr. Romano reports that he is CEO of Instant Marketing Systems, which provides consulting advice, marketing plans, and Internet marketing services for businesses and medical practices. Dr. Baum reports no financial relationships relevant to this article.

The bottom line
Web sites are like a farmer’s fence, they are always under construction. Merely having a Web site, regardless of the size, specialty, or location of your practice, is not enough. Be sure your site attracts, holds, and converts viewers into paying patients. We hope you will consider these 5 suggestions as a roadmap to develop a robust site, so that when you ask a patient who referred her to your practice, her answer will be “your Web site” or “the Internet.” This will bring cockles to your heart and bucks in your bank account.
Share your thoughts! Send your Letter to the Editor to rbarbieri@frontlinemedcom.com. Please include your name and the city and state in which you practice.
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