One of the novelties of mobile is the development of mobile apps, which have taken the tech world by storm. Because of the popularity and nearly instant success of certain apps, many people think that this is the way to go.  Our clients are frequently asking us about which apps they should use, which they should buy and yes, even which apps they should develop.  While many apps are quite useful and can make life a lot easier, to some of the more app crazy folk out there we would like to say, “Stick to your day job!” We certainly would not recommend leaving your ophthalmoscope to delve into the world of app development, at least not yet.  While certain apps seem to be all the rage, research shows that very few consumers (as low as 4%) actually prefer branded apps to other means of online search.

According to a study published last month by Nielsen, when combining mobile web and app usage over five months (which happened to be pre-holiday, prime shopping months), the top five retailers’ sites- Amazon, Best Buy, eBay, Target and Walmart – reached 60 percent of smartphone users in the US!  Still, studies showed that mobile shoppers prefer mobile web to store-specific apps.  According to another recent study published by Zmags, not only do only 4 percent of “connected consumers” choose smartphone or tablet apps as their preferred platform, but 87 percent prefer shopping via retailers’ and brands’ mobile sites and websites.

This means that the majority of mobile users are still using their devices to search for and visit websites even when it comes to shopping, so while apps may be fun, it’s important to recognize that mobile friendly websites are the way to go. Ultimately, your focus right now should be on making sure that all of the mobile users out there can just as easily find your website on their smart device as they can on their PC.  FYI- for all of you with ECP websites, making our sites mobile friendly is currently a major focus of the EyeCarePro web development team.

In the meantime, if you have a smartphone or tablet have some fun with the apps out there!  Here is a recent article from Review of Optometry with some recommendations for some great apps for ODs. If you know of any other useful apps out there, please share!

If you are thinking that you are in the know because your practice has a Facebook presence, think again. Not only is social media changing at a rapid pace (have you upgraded your Facebook business page since the new Timeline format came out? If not, check out our blogpost on upgrading your Optometry Facebook Page to Timeline) but the mode of connecting to it is also evolving.

A recent study showed that in 2011, the number of smartphones purchased in the US exceeded the number of personal computers sold. Projections are that this trend will become the norm – that the worldwide conversion to smartphones will be quick and that mobile devices, including tablets, will surpass PC sales globally within 2-3 years.

Why do these facts matter to the OD?

The answer lies in what people are doing on their mobile devices.  Consumers are not only using mobile in similar ways that they use a PC such as consuming content (including health information), searching for goods and services (such as the best local optometrist), making purchases, using social media, looking at ads etc… But mobile also adds an entire new and unique platform that people are using that is unique to mobile- apps. According to the research, apps are now a $10 billion market and growing at 100% per year. Apps that combine mobile with social functions and other popular uses such as Instagram for photos (which has over 30 million users and was purchased last week by Facebook for $1 billion merely 17 months after its launch) and DrawSomething for games, have been growing at astronomical rates.

Now we are not proposing that you drop patient treatment to go launch a really exciting, interactive optometry app, in fact, we would discourage this (more on this to come) but it is important to know that people are moving away from their PC’s and toward their mobile devices and that they want to interact while they are there.

This may not have any practical implications for you right this minute, but it is essential to keep in mind. If you aren’t already sending appointment reminders by text, why not? Take a few minutes to check out the apps available and see which, if any, could improve the ease and image of your office procedures. Consider purchasing an iPad for patient use in your waiting area. Most importantly, be aware that consumerism is moving mobile and therefore if you want to be relevant, you should be where your patients are.

Here’s the kicker:  In addition to gaining practical, relevant and expert advice on how to improve your revenue through the use of the Internet, you can “learn and earn”!  That’s right. We are giving away over $1000 in credits with different optometric service providers just for attending a webinar.  All together we’re giving away 1 Million Dollars in product and service value.

Here are the details:

Attend any webinar in the series and receive the following*:

• $100 voucher from EyeCarePro.net (BONUS: Get a $100 voucher from EyeCarePro.net for EVERY webinar you attend!)
• $200 voucher from Eyemaginations
• $299 voucher from Websystem3
• $299 voucher from EyeConx
• $299 voucher from DemandForce

*The Fine Print: One voucher from each vendor per customer regardless of the number webinars attended (with the exception of the EyeCarePro bonus noted above). Vouchers valid for six months. Good for new services only. Limit one per practice. Not redeemable for cash. Not to be combined with other discounts.

Join us for the entire five-part series or choose specific sessions. The first webinar, Your Internet Marketing Strategy: Start with the Right Framework, will be Tuesday, April 24^th at 8:30 pm EST.  Pre-registration is required so sign up Today!

Presented by Jason Daniels, Business Development Manager of EyeCarePro, this webinar will teach you how to create a comprehensive and cohesive Internet strategy by learning about the tools and options available. Jason will provide the architecture required to build your “online store front” such as:

• Understanding terms, terminology and the language of the Internet
• What’s important and what is hype?
• What aspects are “tried and true” and what is the newest app to hit the Web?
• Understand how all of these components affect the way to manage and grow your Practice.
• Learn how to tailor your Internet marketing especially to the needs of Optometric patients.

Learn more and register for the upcoming webinar series designed to make sense of the complex and often confusing world of Internet marketing.

Save the dates! The Complete Five Part Series includes:

• April 24th, 2012 – 8:30pm EST: Your Internet Marketing Strategy: Start with the Right Framework
• May 15th, 2012 – 8:30pm EST: Google+: Do I Have To?
• June 20th, 2012 – 8:30pm EST: Five Fan Building Strategies that Work: Expert Panel
• July 18th, 2012 – 8:30pm EST: Taming the Google Monster: Get the most from all things Google
• August 22nd, 2012 – 8:30pm EST: Using Patient Communication Tools Effectively: Expert Panel

SEE you online!

Dr. Nate, a fan of Foursquare since before he was even able to access it in his city, originally came up with the idea while playing around with the numbers in his head. An active observer of “geeky” holidays such as Mole Day (10^23) – which is also his birthday, Pi Day (3/14) and Star Wars Day, May 4^th (May the force…said with a lisp…be with you), he came up with the idea of a 4-squared day – on April 16^th (4/16 – the fourth month and the 4-squared day of the month).

While Dr. Nate was originally brainstorming about ways he could promote his own practice through social media, within a very short span of time after proposing the idea on a Foursquare forum, the concept took off and he had garnered the support of a couple of other social media enthusiasts to help organize the grassroots effort. With under 36 days to prepare, the small team got to work spreading the word and finally, on March 26^th, Foursquare announced via Twitter that the holiday was official. Cities worldwide participated in the event, which continues to grow and prosper into its’ third year.  Read more about the history of Foursquare day on the official 4sqday homepage.

Foursquare Day has been described as the first globally recognized grass-roots celebration of the power of social media as a positive force within the community. For businesses, 4sqDay is an opportunity to get involved in a community event, gain publicity, attract new customers (usually by contributing some sort of deal) and form relationships with enthusiastic social media users. Each community celebrates Foursquare Day differently; some host a central public party, others a lecture and others just check-in stations across the city. But what unifies the movement is the presence of all of these communities around the world engaging on social media and connecting by participating in the same holiday.

Learn more about Foursquare Day from Dr. Nate himself on his Bright Eyes Family Vision Care blog post and check out the Foursquare Day Facebook Page!

Way to go Dr. Nate for not only having a great idea, but for seeing it through to fruition. Foursquare fans worldwide thank you for it! Enjoy your day.

In an informational panel session at an SEO conference earlier this month, Matt said: “And the idea is basically to try and level the playing ground a little bit. So all those people who have sort of been doing, for lack of a better word, “over-optimization” or “overly” doing their SEO, compared to the people who are just making great content and trying to make a fantastic site, we want to sort of make that playing field a little bit more level. We are trying to make GoogleBot smarter, make our relevance better, and we are also looking for those who abuse it, like too many keywords on a page, or exchange way too many links or go well beyond what you normally expect. We have several engineers on my team working on this right now.”

This is pretty big news in the SEO world where a lot of discussion has ensued.  Many believe that this update will mainly affect sites that are employing what are known as “black hat techniques” such as keyword stuffing, or link farming, but we will have to wait and see.  To read more about this announcement, check out these two articles on SearchEngineLand and SERoundtable.

In a similar vein, clear evidence of Google’s attempt to knock out those trying to manipulate search results came out also this month when Google reportedly toppled one of the larger blog/link networks, BuildMyRank.com, causing it to shut its doors immediately and refund all its customers. This is far from the first time Google has shut down link and blog networks that are using questionable tactics to gain rank, proving that in the end, it is best to play by Google’s rules.

Most optometry practices will likely not be affected by these actions, but it is good to know that Google is not rewarding sites that are compromising quality of content to get ahead.

What are some of the major changes you will see and how does this affect how you use your page? Here we point out a few of the most important features and how you can adapt your page to use them effectively. We also recommend that whoever is responsible for your page take a few minutes to take Facebook’s interactive video course on how to use the new pages: http://www.learnfacebookpages.com/

New Photo Layout

Cover Photo: The first difference you will notice about the new layout is the cover photo, which has become the indisputable focal point of the page. The cover photo should be carefully selected and representative of your business, as this is what will make the visual impact on visitors. According to Facebook rules, you are not allowed to post any advertising content or calls to action here but you can utilize this large space to creatively present your brand (the maximum dimensions are 850 pixels by 315 pixels).

Profile Picture: Toward the bottom corner of the cover photo you will find the profile picture which is the image that represents your business across Facebook. This smaller picture, which will appear next to each post in the newsfeed, is 30 x 30 pixels and would be the best place to use your logo or another branding image.

For some inspiration on the design potential for the new cover photo layout, check out this slideshow of some really creative ideas people came up with.

Larger Pictures and More Control over Posts

Another significant change is that posts appear larger on the page, so if you post a photo, video or image, it is much more prominent than it used to be.  This makes images even more valuable due to the eye-catching nature of their presentation.

Additionally, Facebook now allows you to highlight a story by starring it, which expands the post across the entire width of the page or to pin a story to the top of your Timeline for up to one week. You can also change the date of a post to determine where it will fall on your timeline.  These new controls give you more autonomy over the information on your page and allow you to determine the content you want to stand out to visitors.

The Star Icon allows you to highlight a post, which widens it across the width of the page, while the Pin to Top option allows you to select one post to pin at the top of your page for up to a week.

Milestones

Another new feature that is worthwhile to take advantage of is the creation of Milestones, which gives you the opportunity to share your story.  You can include old photos of your optometry school graduation, news clippings, or a photo of you in your first exam chair to give visitors a better understanding of what you are all about when they get to your page. This is an opportunity to add more personality and visual appeal to your Timeline, which makes your page more engaging for visitors.

Applications

Any Tabs that you had on your previous page are now moved to an applications section running under the cover photo. At any given time, visitors can see a photos application as well as three other apps that you are able to select. The remainder of your tabs can be viewed through a pull down menu. If you had a welcome tab with a call to action on your page, this is where you will now be able to find it. There is room to play around here to maximize this section including selecting photos and renaming tabs to include calls to action and other eye-catching strategies. You can find more details on how to do this in the following article from Social Media Examiner.

As more and more brand pages move to the Timeline layout, we will continue to see how this new format can be optimized to maximize outreach and branding for the small business. We will keep you updated! In the meantime, play around with it – we would love to hear your thoughts.

A recent article from TechCrunch entitled Want More Stickiness? Users Logging In Through Social Networks Spend 50% More Time On Site suggests that the best way to get users to spend time on your site, might be coming from the other direction. The article discusses a study that was recently done by Gigya (a company which integrates online businesses with social networks) showing that users that log in to a site through a social network such as Facebook, Twitter or Google+ spend 50% more time on the site and view twice the amount of pages. Out of those social logins, Facebook by far held the majority with 61%, followed by Yahoo, Twitter, Google and then LinkedIn.

This means that when a user that finds some interesting content on your Facebook page for example, finds a link to your website, he is more likely to spend more time there once he arrives, implying that leads from social media might be more effective than those from traditional search engine search (Gigya’s data included the Web, mobile web, and apps).

The bottom line? If you want people to spend more time on your website, it’s a good idea to have a social media presence for your practice which is linked to your site. Then you are likely to get more visits and more “stickiness” which will ultimately lead to more business.

Here’s Jason with Gary Gerber, Howard Purcell and Jamie Cassidy

In addition to a great deal of networking, Jason successfully achieved his goal of learning more about what is happening in all parts of the industry in order “step inside” the optometry practice to gain understanding and provide better service to our clients.

Jason with Dr. Harvard Sylvan and Dr. Larry Sider

Jason is already looking forward to reconnecting with the vision industry along with some of his Eyecarepro colleagues at Vision Expo East later this month. Be in touch if you want to meet up!

Jason with Marc Ferrara and Al Greco, both from Jobson.

Check out more of Jason’s photos from SECO on Eyecarepro’s Facebook page.

(Ahem, now for our shameless plug): Check out the recent blog post in #Tips4EyeDocs, Spotlight on EyeCarePro.net, learn a little bit more about EyeCarepro and see Dr. Hom’s take on marketing consultants in general. While you are there, make sure to check out the past posts and get up to date on some tips you don’t want to miss!