Online presence and social media - Are you doing all you can?

This article is part of the Vegas Cosmetic Surgery and Aesthetic Dermatology Show Coverage.

Social media and Internet marketing are hot topics for any business, and at the 2013 Vegas Cosmetic Surgery & Aesthetic Dermatology meeting, it's no different.

Several online marketing gurus gave insight and tips Friday to making the best use of social media and online marketing campaigns.

If your practice isn't on Facebook yet, you're behind the game, says Monique Ramsey, founder of marketing firm Cosmetic Social Media.

It's important to have an online presence, but also to promote it offline by giving patients "social cards" that list all the social media accounts for your practice and maybe a QR code so a patient can scan it and be taken directly to your page, she says.

"You've got to have an offline component," Ms. Ramsey says. "Your social media person can't do it all themselves; you have to live it in the office."

Facebook fans are great, but they have to be relevant and people who are or could become patients.

"If you Google (the term) 'Buy Facebook friends,' you'll be horrified. For $50 you can buy fans," Ms. Ramsey says.

Buying fans who are in another country or who aren't relevant does not do you any good, she adds.

And if you're going to display social media links on your website, display the links at the top.

"I see so many sites where social (media) is the afterthought at the bottom. Nobody scrolls to the bottom," Ms. Ramsey says.

Greg Washington, president of Patients Unlimited Marketing Consultants, also spoke on Friday and stressed the importance of online marketing.

Google is the most important component, Mr. Washington says.

"Google is big - real big. We'll be Googling until we go to the grave," he says.

The ranking for organic searches on Google are key to targeting a specific audience and selling products, he says.

"When it's all said and done, the only asset that your business owns that's going to be worth anything on your exit process will not be the equipment you bought, it's going to be the Internet," Mr. Washington says. "It's the most important business solution that your universe has ever seen."

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