January 2008

Websites changing the way DCs acquire new patients

Almost 20 years ago, in a suburb of New York City, David Rosen founded DRG Telemarketing after realizing there was a significant need for an effective way to connect prospective chiropractic patients with a chiropractor close to their homes or workplaces.

To date, DRG has scheduled well over one million appointments for its clients. Telemarketing has yielded powerful results and those who recognize the power of the Internet know that now is the time to take advantage of this high‑tech way to build a chiropractic practice.

Increased government regulation in the past several years has made it increasingly difficult for the telemarketing industry to survive. However, even during these challenging times, DRG has continued to grow and deliver the quality of product their clients have come to expect. Mr. Rosen continues to think "outside the box" and has developed a new program that he's convinced can benefit chiropractors as never before.

Many chiropractors are skeptical about telemarketing and hesitant to include it in their marketing budgets. Specifically to help those doctors who might otherwise not take advantage of this effective marketing tool, Rosen launched www.FreeChiroExam.com .

With it, prospective patients from across the country can log on to the Internet and request a free examination and consultation from a local chiropractor. "This is definitely not your run‑of‑the‑mill online chiropractic directory," Rosen commented. "We've had an overwhelming response since the launch and the quality of the prospective patients has been excellent. Aside from the fact that they are taking it upon themselves to log on and seek help, many specify the types of pain or symptoms that makes them perfect candidates for chiropractic."

Rosen noted that driving relevant traffic to FreeChiroExam.com  is the key to the program's success. "We use various internet marketing resources such as search engine optimization and keyword‑targeted search result campaigns to stay in front of prospective patients," he explained. "Make no mistake about it; this is a ground floor opportunity for DCs who get in early. Ultimately, they will be the ones reaping the benefits, because we do not plan on limiting the marketing to internet only. As membership to the website increases, we plan on implementing television, radio, newspapers, magazines, you name it. Our goal is to create a full scale marketing plan to reach all of the people out there who are experiencing back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, etc., and who have not done anything about it. FreeChiroExam.com will make it very easy for them to be introduced to a local doctor of chiropractic and get the treatment they need and deserve."

According to Rosen, member doctors are given exclusive "rights" to three zip codes and any inquiries coming from people in those areas will be directed to that member. "Once a doctor of chiropractic becomes a member, those zip codes are locked up and no other doctor will have access to them during the membership period," he noted. "That being said, we have made membership very affordable and it is very possible that should a doctor wait several months to become a member that his or her zip codes will already be reserved for a competitor."

Close to 235 million people in North America have Internet access and many turn to the web to find the services they need and desire. They frequently look to the Internet first to find medical doctors, dentists, babysitters ‑‑ and now, chiropractors. There is definitely a demand for a trusted resource that can qualify and refer a prospective patient to a doctor of chiropractic.

But the proliferation of online directories has caused problems as well. Many doctors have signed up on these, only to find themselves on a long list of competing practitioners in their area. But they also find themselves immediately bombarded with spam and solicitations, since their name and office address are posted on the website.

FreeChiroExam.com solves this problem by keeping names, addresses and phone numbers private. It isn't a generic listing, but an on‑line form which people in search of a chiropractor fill out and submit. That information ‑‑ including the person's name, address, phone number, e-mail address, comments and health issues ‑‑ is directed to the member's office for follow-up. All member information is kept absolutely private and not sold to solicitors ‑ enabling members and their staff to concentrate on what they do best: caring for patients.

To find out more about FreeChiroExam.com, contact Alyssa Mogensen, at 877‑222‑5236 or visit www.freechiroexam.com  .