How to Get Your First 1K Instagram Followers- Chiropractic Edition

Instagram- a great place for pictures of food and selfies or a great place for business?

As a chiropractor, it's a GREAT place for business and building an audience of people who know, trust, and like you.

Today we're going to break down five things you can do starting today to get your first 1,000 followers on Instagram. We all know to be an influencer you need to be on Instagram. There are over a billion active users! So regardless of what demographic your targeting of your specific healthcare niche, Instagram is a place where you should be to build, connect, and ultimately grow your brand.

And there are five things that you can start implementing right now to get on your journey to that first 1,000 followers.

1. Consistency Wins

The first step is to post consistently. Consistency wins the game whether you are posting once a day, or even if you only have the time twice per week. Staying consistent with your post is a great way to start expanding your brand and expanding your message on Instagram.

2. Tagging People and Places

Your second step is to tag people and places. If you stop by a healthy restaurant; tag that restaurant! If you're hanging out with a colleague, be sure to tag that person! Tagging others can accomplish a couple of different things. First, if you tag a specific business or place it "geo-targets" your location which means people searching for that business or place will be able to see your post — more opportunities for exposure= more followers. So tagging the places you visit is crucial.

It not only helps people find you through research, but it is much more likely that those businesses are going to share your post/content across their platform which will further amplify your message and get more new eyes on your channel, your content, and your profile. So be sure to tag people and tag places.

3. Collaborations

Collaborations with influencers can really explode your follower count. Search out the popular people in your community and reach out for a collaboration. Perhaps it's a post that both you appear in. Maybe it's a story, or it could be just sharing content back and forth. And remember micro-influencers matter. You probably won't be collaborating with Jay-Z or Beyonce anytime soon- so but that doesn't mean it isn't worth it. Micro influencers in your community 5,000-20,000 followers will be happy to do collaborations with you because they are also trying to grow their audience and profile. So find collaborators do collaborative stories and host to help expand your message.

4. Engage With Others Content

Number four engage with other people's content. The more engaged you are on the platform, the more likely it is that people are going to notice you, recognize you, and follow your profile. So engage with other people's content. One way to do this is to find five hashtags that are relevant to your industry and add a comment onto the top 10 posts with that hashtag each day. Once you do that for 30 days, I can guarantee you boost your follower count and be "known" in that circle of influence.

You will become somebody that everybody recognizes by name, and in turn, you will have people coming back to your profile following you and engaging with your content. So take five to 10 minutes at the beginning or end of each day, search up you hashtags that are relevant to your business, your industry, your circle of influence comment and engage on that content.

5. Hashtags

Number 5 is hashtags. Hashtags are not dead; they are a great way to search out relevant content that you can contribute on and also for other people to find the content that you are putting out. So one best practice that I've seen lately is to create the first comment on your post and load it will up to 30 individual hashtags. You don't need to do 30 every single time, but if you choose appropriate hashtags, it helps amplify your message people will see your content and again more people will follow you.

Those five steps will help you get as quickly as possible to 1000 Instagram followers. It's how I've done it. It's how thousands of other people have done it. When you get started on Instagram, it can seem daunting to get the first 50 or first 100 but if you follow these five steps- post consistently, tag people and places, do collaborations with other influencers, engage with other people's content, and use hashtags; you will be well on your way, and you will be smashing a thousand Instagram followers before you know it.

How to Negotiate an Awesomely Fair Chiropractic Contract

You made it through school. Now the real fun begins...negotiating your first chiropractic contract.

Most of us have heard the adage that chiropractors "eat their young." Well, I hope that by reading this article you can avoid some pain and negotiate a fair chiropractic associate contract.

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I wanted to give you three crucial pieces of information that I wish I knew when I "negotiated" (aka- took the first offer thrown at me) my first contract.

I know for many people of us the thought of going through a contract negotiation or a salary negotiation is about as comfortable as a root canal. But having a few key things clarified before you go into that conversation can make a world of difference in making sure you strike a mutually beneficial arrangement.

The 3 Keys to Negotiating a Fair Chiropractic Contract:

1. know your role- understanding what you are going to do within that clinic is crucial

2. new patient acquisition- who is responsible how are they going to do it and who is paying for it

3. identifying your long term goals

1) Know Your Role

First, let's dive into knowing your role in the clinic/practice. Are you merely performing exams? Or are you responsible for exams and treatment? What about modalities? That is very important to understand. Get clarity around your split or percentage on all revenue generating responsibilities. But, don't stop only with the revenue generating pieces of the clinic. If you are responsible for taking care of some administrative items that don't produce revenue then get a feel for how much time that will take each week. Your great asset is time, and time spent away from revenue producing activities has the potential to reduce your income.

Let's use an example of how your role may also be dependent on the organizational structure of the business. Perhaps this clinic has six locations with ten positions and is growing quickly by spending a lot on advertising. That's a lot different than a single doc with a single front desk person that's been in practice for 25 years. Keep in mind that knowing not only your role but the context of that role within the organization can help you tremendously when negotiating your salary. It will also help you be a lot more realistic.

Just because one clinic is in the ideal location doesn't necessarily mean it's the best place for you- so keep that in mind. Location, Location, Location- isn't always accurate for working for another chiropractor.

2) Who’s Getting the Patients?

Number two is all about new patient acquisition. Are you driving new patients into that practice or are you taking care of existing patients? Who is responsible for that lead generation? Patient acquisition is the number one area where I see new docs get tripped up with that initial contract negotiation. If you are expected to go out there and get patients, then you should be compensated for it and make sure that you have that built into your contract.

If you don't address it up front and after your first week or your first month your boss starts asking you to get out there and generated patients you are going to be unhappy. That type of friction can be a very uncomfortable position to be in.

3) Long-Term Goals

And finally, number three is knowing your long term goals. Is this an area where you're hoping to get experience? Is this a clinic that you eventually may want to take over and become a partner or owner?. And most importantly understanding your goals will help drive your contract negotiations. For instance, if you don't intend on being their long term, maybe you can take a slightly less salary for the opportunity to practice there. Otherwise, if you want to be there long term, you may add various reviews and share "buy-ins" that allow you access to more ownership in that company.

Understanding what you want to do, and what you want to achieve being a doctor in that clinic, is crucial to identify the steps to get the most out of your experience.

Keep in mind the organizational structure with all contract negotiations. If you're talking to a hospital or a large multidisciplinary group you might have salary on the table, plus paid vacation time, continuing education credits, and additional perks such as food and much more. However, if you are in a local clinic owned by a single individual, it might be a lot more difficult to get any of those perks or those guarantees.

Neither of these organizational structures is necessarily wrong or right, better or worse.

The key is to understand your goals, getting a clear view of new patient acquisition, and your day-to-day role in the practice. By doing so, you will be on the right path to negotiating a fair contract for both the clinic and yourself!

Chiropractic Postcards- Are They Worth It?

Sending postcards may seem a bit old-school, but you shouldn't underestimate their effectiveness at driving new patients and re-activations.

Today we'll break down the three important types of postcards that you need for your chiropractic practice. Typically I talk a lot about social media and online marketing (because it's SUPER important) because it's the best way you can grow your practice quickly. But there is something to be said for the physical nature of mailing a postcard. And there are three postcard types I would recommend starting immediately which all have an extremely high return on investment.

Chiropractic Happy Birthday Postcards

So postcard type number one is the good old fashioned "Happy Birthday" postcard. We all know getting physical mail carries way more perceived importance than just an email. Think about it yourself. When it's your birthday, you open up the mailbox you'll see a card there. It makes you feel good! You should, of course also send a happy birthday email to your patient but sending a physical postcard at somebody's birthday has that little bit extra pizazz. It's a little bit special, it's a little bit over the top, and I think it delivers a very high return on investment through goodwill and caring.

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Chiropractic Reactivation Postcard Set

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The second type of postcard you should be sending is a re-activation postcard. The goal of this postcard is to engage with your past patients, let them know you've been thinking about them and that you care.

Over time you will have an inactive patients list in the hundreds, if not thousands. Sending a physical postcard and reminder of your practice thorugh direct mail is a compelling way to stimulate re-activations. Incidentally, you should also be sending these reminders consistently through email, but mixing in a physical postcard every few months is a great way to deepen your relationship and add another touch point.

A reminder that you exist is an excellent opportunity for your in-active patients to pick up the phone and call your office. How many patients leave your practice happy and healthy? Probably more than 90%. So think about it, you have a plethora of "fans' of your practice out there in your community. Don't hesitate to remind them with a physical postcard that you are part of their healthcare team and you are ready to help when they need you.

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Chiropractic Holiday Postcard Set

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The third type of postcard you should consider is a holiday card. Around the New Year is a great time to send a physical piece of mail to your patients and let them know you are thinking of them. Pro-tip- the timing of your holiday card can vary. If you are looking for a boost in the new year, then it may be beneficial to wait until after the 1st to send. If you are looking for a little practice uptick before the close of the year (and as your patients are looking at their deductibles) then sending the holiday card towards the beginning of December may be a better idea. It's up to you!

These three postcards will give you touch point practically every quarter with your patients.

I'd encourage you to explore sending postcards in 2019. Test it. See what kind of return on investment you can get. I think you'll be happily surprised with the results.

Chiropractic Salary: How much money can you make as a chiropractor?

In this article we will look at the good, the bad, the ugly and even one avenue you may not have thought of that has been shown to generate up to 10% MORE revenue for your practice.

When we talk about chiropractic salaries, it's important to keep in mind that over 70% of the chiropractic profession are "sole proprietors." So it's not an actual salary that is taken. Most chiropractors take home whatever money is left after expenses. This equation is (top line revenue- expenses = take home pay) That take-home pay is what many chiropractors call their salary, even though by textbook definition it might not be an actual salary.

Chiropractic salaries- how much can you expect to make if you are a doc?

Total Revenue - Total Expenses = Most Chiropractors Take Home Pay (aka- salary)

So what does all that jargon mean?

Well, number one it says if you are not taking an actual salary. Think of an accountant at a grocery store. Their salary may be $65,000 per year, paid every two weeks. This amount stays the same every two weeks, regardless of if they took a vacation, or if the company made or lost money over those two weeks. A salary is defined as a fixed amount of pay over a certain amount of time.

So, you can probably already start to see that for many chiropractors there can be fluctuation. If you are taking home the amount of between the top line revenue and expenses, it can be variable from year to year, month to month, or even week to week. So unlike our accountant with a fixed salary in a corporation that might be $65,000 with a two percent raise each year; as a chiropractor to have the opportunity to make a lot more money OR a lot less money. So understanding the salary for many chiropractors is continually changing is critical to know as we start to look at the numbers.

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Now let's start at the bottom of the barrel. What the research has shown is that the bottom 10% of a chiropractor's salary is around $30,000 per year. Not exactly a good return on investment for eight years of schooling and upwards of $200,000 in debt.

So that is important to keep in mind with your planning. As a new chiropractor, it's unlikely you are going to be out purchasing your first sports car when you start your practice. As a new doc, unless you are bringing a big audience, a unique skill set, or you have found a fantastic opportunity, the starting point for your salary is often going to be quite low. The good news is that chiropractic salaries tend to rise the longer you are in practice. So while the first few years can be very tough, often there is light at the end of the tunnel!

As we get up towards the middle of the curve, we see two different sets of numbers emerge. Chiropractic Economics runs an annual, and the self-reported median salary is right around $100,000. However, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics pegs the middle closer to $80,000.

So the question is when self-reporting are a lot of chiropractors inflating their salaries? Or is it maybe just an incomplete data set?

Either way, it seems as though $80,000-100,000 is a good median point for a chiropractic income or salary. Now interestingly, as I mentioned earlier the data shows that salaries tend to increase as time goes on. So the longer you are around your community, the more that you have built a brand, and the more past patients you've seen, the more money you will statistically make.

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At the highest end, there is not a salary cap. In many cities, there are practices where the chiropractic owner can take home over $1,000,000 per year. Typically these practices have incorporated associate doctors across multiple locations that help grow the revenue.

And finally, the data has shown retail services can increase your top line revenue by 10% or more. This could consist of DME (durable medical equipment), nutritional supplements, pillows, and more.

More recently this type of "retail" has expanded into group coaching, clinic-gym hybrids, cross-fit classes, and other services. These new service lines have the opportunity to sit in the perfect sweet spot- lucrative for the provider and extremely beneficial for the patients.

So there you have it. Feel free to comment down below with any questions that you may have!

The Top 3 Blog Post Topics to Skyrocket Your Website Traffic

You may already know that blogging can drive massive traffic to your website and help more future patients find your office by improving your search engine optimization.

But while most chiropractors realize they should be blogging, far too many don't know where to start.

Does that sound familiar?

If so, you are in the right place, because in this article you will discover the three key categories and topics that will help you produce hundreds of future blogs!

The Top Chiropractic Blog Post Ideas

1- Create LISTS

Creating lists is a great way to start blogging, or to pump up your blog because they are relatively easy to execute and provide tremendous value for the people in your audience. You may choose to start with a list of healthy snacks. It's always nice to feature your favorite local healthy restaurants. Or maybe you even put together a list of your recommended stretches and exercises.

There are hundreds if not thousands of different ways you can go with it. The list's also tend to perform very well because the headlines typically grab attention. By putting together a variety of blogs around lists, you can provide a nice quick way for people to see your subject matter expertise.

Also, since they are easy to read, it's more likely the audience will "digest" the material, implement, and take action steps. So lists are an easy way to start blogging — an easy way to start posting that could have a tremendous impact.

Get "The Top 5 Researched Benefits of Chiropractic" Blog Post Here!

2- How-to Blogs

How-to videos blogs and videos are fantastic for many of the same reasons as lists. They provide immense value for the people in your audience. The other great thing about how-to blogs is the extra juice you will get from Google with search engine optimization. Many people start their search by typing "how-to...". So if you have a blog post that answers the question of "how to...", it becomes MUCH more likely that Google (and all of the other search engines) will push you to the top.

How-To Blogs Take Advantage of Google AutoFill and Drive More Traffic to Your Website

As the search engines push you to the top, it can disproportionately affect your website traffic. Studies have indicated the top 5 search results get over 75% of the total traffic, so moving even one position can make a HUGE difference on terms that are searched frequently.

More traffic means more people will visit your website and more people will begin to understand your unique healthcare message which will inevitably result in an increase of new patients into your practice. So "how to" blogs are fantastic. You can go to thousands of different directions; these are an excellent way to start putting out blog content quickly and efficiently while also helping your search engine optimization.

3- Weekly Health Tips

And finally, the third content category is weekly health tips. This is a huge focus of what we do at The Smart Chiropractor and have seen tremendous success. When you can provide health information, health education, and health entertainment every week, it's a tremendous value-add to the people in your audience. It's also great for audience building.

Evaluating research updates and explaining why it matters to your audience (the life impact) is one powerful way to go. You could also feature a healthy exercise that you have found helps your patients with low back complaints.

There are a million different ways you can go with weekly health tips, but the bottom line is that they are a great way to establish cadence and consistency with your brand and practice. Putting out consistent content is crucial. And when you can do it in a way that adds education, information, and entertainment to someone's day- well know you have a piece that ready to be shared!

Get a FREE "Research That Matters" Blog Post!

You'll notice a common theme between all of these categories. They all focus on the other person. They focus on your community, your audience. So take a moment to understand what are you after. Who is the ideal person that you'd want to see in your practice?

Then ask yourself what the primary issues or problems that those individuals are dealing with are.

Then break it down one step farther and ask:

Visual Representation of Your Web Traffic After Following These Tips

• How can I teach them something that benefits with a how-to blog/video?

• What's the list that they might be interested in that will make their life better and or more comfortable?

• And what is a weekly health tip that will tie it all together?

Focus on providing content that will help make their day and life better.

When you're putting out blog content on your website and social media channels it can help position you as that expert. It will help you become a healthcare leader in your community.

If you have any questions or you want to run any topics by me, leave them down in the comments below. I'll be happy to chip in and help you get on the right path to improve your SEO, ramp up your content production and getting more people into your practice!