If you are new to “link building”, it really isn’t as hard as it seems.

Basically, link building is just a link from another website back to your own medical spa or laser clinic. The more back links your site has, the higher it will rank on the major search engines.

Link building can be very time consuming, but the FrontDesk SEO tool can really help you go out there and find the sites you should be listed on. This saves you a tremendous amount of time.

Because you will be resubmitting the same text over and over again, make yourself a document that you can keep all of your submission text on. This should include your Page Title, your website’s URL address, a brief description of your practice, and important keywords. Website submissions also ask for a name of the submitter and email address. I would suggest setting up a email address with Google or Yahoo, one that you only use for submissions, this way your personal email won’t become inundated with confirmation and/or spam emails as a result of your submissions.

View: 5 minute video introduction to linkbuilding and SEO

There are several types of link building methods you can do. Some are just basic data submissions, and some are blog and article submissions. I will describe the differences amongst the major link building methods:

Article Submission

There are directories on the web designed just for submitting articles and some for writing blogs. When you submit something you wrote about your practice or even a particular therapy you offer, you can attach hyperlinks to keywords in your article that direct the reader back to your website. Some quality sites are Squidoo, Hubpages, Blogger, and Wordpress.com. Let me show you how this works with just one line taken from a blog I wrote on my own blogpost:

“It’s your body and you do have to be careful of who you choose to perform your laser lipo procedure. While no physician can have a 100% satisfaction rate, don’t be afraid to ask questions about how long a physician has been performing these procedures, who they trained with, how many procedures do they perform a month, and also if they have any satisfied patients you can chat with. Also, it’s important to ask to see a before and after photo book with their patients, and not someone else’s.”

By choosing a keyword you think your reader would be interested in, you can immediately direct them right to that page on your website with the hyperlinks.

Google considers a “Yahoo Directory” link as a quality back link. Unfortunately, they charge an annual fee of $300. It may be worth submitting to; however, there is no guarantee from Yahoo Directory that your site will be accepted.

Directory Submission

DMOZ is a directory worth submitting your site to. DMOZ is an Open Directory Project (ODP) mainly known as DMOZ which stands for “directory.mozilla.org” and is owned by Netscape. While DMOZ can substantially increase your SEO ranking, it’s tough to receive their approval and the entire process could take months. If you are fortunate enough to receive their approval, many smaller directories use the DMOZ directory categories so if you can become listed with DMOZ this would mean you would also become listed on many other web directories as well.
There are other major directories you can submit to such as the BOTW (Best Of The Web) directory ($99/year or $299/permanent).

Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking is changing in it’s effectiveness all the time. In social bookmarking websites, users save links publicly (not personally on their own computers) to web pages that they want to store and/or share with others. Usually, these bookmarks are shared within an individual “group” someone may subscribe to (such as “Laser Hair Removal”). You can add descriptions to your bookmarks in the form of metadata, or meta tags, so that other users can understand what the content is of your bookmark without having to download it beforehand. Different types of “descriptions” can include comments or even reader’s votes (favorable or not – like on YouTube or Digg). Again, FrontDesk SEO makes this process relatively easy.

Blog Commenting

MedicalSpaMD is a blog and, like most blogs, it is highly susceptible to spammers like we have all seen and Jeff so diligently tries to eliminate on a daily basis as it can be a true nuisance for people like us who use this site as a valuable tool for your practices.

If you want to find blogs to participate in and comment on, try to find quality blogs that are related to what you do as a profession. Again, FrontDesk SEO can help with this. And when you add your comments, try to make them content-relative because not only do your comments add value to the blogpost in general, they also have greater chance of staying on the blogpost with a link back to your website.

Press Releases

Press Releases have worked well for me, and I’m not too proud to say that I didn’t write the ones that really worked. There are a lot of good and bad example press releases out there and I am no exception. Writing a quality press release is an art and, frankly, I don’t have the talent for them and pay someone else to do it. Let me give you an example of my own good and bad press release experiences.

While this press release still continues to give my website hits, all it is is words: Paula’s Bad Example

Now look at the one I paid Fran Acunzo from Acara Partners to do for us. It includes a photo, links and even video: Paula’s Good Example

If writing a good press release including videos and back links is not your forte, then it’s worth it to farm it out. Just writing a good press release is half the battle. Submitting it to the right press release agencies that will index it effectively for you is the other half.

Social Media Sites

Social Media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube work very well by providing quality and relevant back links to your site that all the major search engines love.

So, this is back linking in a nutshell and we can really go deeper into the categories, but I fear you will become bored or even glassy-eyed if you’re not a geek like me. So if you don’t have someone out there performing these activities for you and you really are serious about your web presence, you really might want to take a look at FrontDesk SEO and see what it can do for you. Just remember, building links doesn’t increase your website’s internet presence overnight. It does take some time, like my good friend Jeff keeps reminding me! In a world of available “instant results”, it’s hard to be patient sometimes!

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In this article, I will give you several tips and tools to evaluate your laser centers culture and operations, so you can successfully navigate any economic downturn… And live to sell another day when the inevitable upturn comes around.

What is the Passion and Purpose of Your Medical Spa?

You reap what you sew. When you engage proactively and passionately in your business you will undoubtedly be successful and see your practice expand. It helps to articulate your passion for your medical spa.

At Assara Laser, our passion is to “help clients look and feel great, not fake.”

Why the Recession Drastically Affects Your Laser Clinics Bottom Line

You’ve probably noticed that generating revenue is not as easy as it once was. There are myriad reasons for this; from the decline in disposable income, to unemployment hitting record highs and tanking real estate valuations. As if these facts were not bleak enough, credit markets are virtually frozen so business owners are finding it nearly impossible to obtain small business loans and lines of credit. Refinancing current loans has become difficult for small businesses.

In short, we’re operating in the perfect storm.

Accepting Reality and Responsibility Today

The easy way out is to close up shop and blame the recession. This will not help you going forward, it will not pay your devoted employees their wages, and most of all, it will not help your clients “look and feel great, not fake.” So, accept responsibility.

The hardships of the recession create a fact-pattern, problem to be solved; not a reason for failure. To paraphrase Michael Jackson, start, first, with the man in the mirror. Think about the following questions. And pay attention – there will be homework at the end of this article!

Finding Your Medspas Winning Competitive Difference?

Let’s be honest. The quality of your laser clinc’s treatments are probably not drastically better than that of your competitors. The proprietary equipment and IPL or laser systems (Thermage, Fraxel, Titan) that you use are, for the most part, available to the competitive skin clinic market at large.

You may believe (and tell clients) that your microdermabrasion treatments are better because you use a diamond-tipped wand or aluminum oxide crystals. You may think that your IPLs or laser hair removal treatments are better because you use cryo-cooling or because you use chilled air cooling, or because you use a diode laser or because you use alexandrite lasers . . .

BUT . . .

Step in to your clients’ shoes. To them, the bells and whistles of your Thermage or Fraxel device don’t matter. Your clients already expect expert advice and cutting edge cosmetic lasers, IPLs and skin tighening equipment, so merely meeting this fundamental requirement is not a winning competitive difference.

What does matter to your clients are presentation, client interaction, customer service, reliability and consistency. Consider this carefully.

What is each of your medspas clients worth?

At Assara Laser, one of the most popular packages is our $449 per month Unlimited Laser Hair Removal Program. On average, a client that signs up for this program will remain a member of the Program for 7 months, depending on the results they wish to achieve. How much is a single unlimited client worth to us?  A client in the program for 7 months, making a monthly payment of $449 is worth $3,143. For many laser clinic owners, a single laser hair removal client is worth more than a home mortgage payment!

Do you treat every single potential laser treatment client that contacts your laser clinic as if they’re worth $3,000?

What is your time and effort worth?

Before my partners and I built Assara Laser, I was an attorney. I still practice corporate law as a labor of love, when a friend or business contact has an exciting deal. I normally discount my rate to about $400 per hour, as law isn’t my primary source of income.

Assume an hour of your time is worth $400.  Assume further that, every time your customers complain, you are willing to give a discount, or a free treatment and that, collectively, free and discounted treatments account for a 20% loss in your revenue. To make up for this lost revenue, how much more work do you have to do?

Well, let’s add 20% to your 10 hour day, which now makes it a 12 hour day. If annual sales are $1,000,000 per year, you’ve lost $200,000. This translates into 500 hours more of work you must do to bring your revenue back to status quo!

Is there a big difference between a day that starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m. versus ending at 9:00 p.m.  You betcha there is!  Is there a big difference between a loss of $200,000 and a loss of zero. You betcha there is!  And these differences drastically affect your quality of life.

Post from: Laser Clinic MD

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An estimated 100,000 cosmetic surgical procedures are performed in Britain each year, many by doctors who have had no specialist training in cosmetic surgery. In addition, hundreds of thousands of non-surgical procedures are done, including Botox for wrinkles and laser treatments to rejuvenate skin, many by non-medical staff with little or no training.

The 200-member Baaps represents the top surgeons in the business who performed 34,187 surgical procedures in 2008, twice the number in 2004. More than 90 per cent of them were on women. The most popular procedure was breast augmentation, demand for which rose 30 per cent last year.

But Mr Mercer, who combines private practice as a cosmetic surgeon specializing in facelifts with his work as an NHS consultant in reconstructive surgery for cancer patients, said the market for cosmetic surgery, of which Baaps surgeons account for less than one third, was an “unregulated mess”.

He added: “There has been a massive increase in plastic surgery marketing, including discount vouchers, two-for-one offers and holidays with surgery. In no other area of medicine is there such an unregulated mess. What is worse is that national governments would not allow it to happen in other areas of medicine. Imagine a two-for-one advert for general surgery. That way lies madness.”

Mr Mercer, in the journal Clinical Risk, which publishes articles on cosmetic surgery today, he warns that “the doctor’s first duty to protect the patient” has been forgotten in the headlong rush to cash in. “The motive for performing any procedure must never be financial gain … if we cannot self-regulate then regulation will eventually be imposed.”

Citing experience in France, where all advertising of cosmetic procedures is banned, he says: “Perhaps, like tobacco, there should be a Europe-wide ban on advertising all cosmetic surgical procedures, including on the internet search engines.”

Among those who can testify to the dangers is Jill Saward, the former lead singer of 1980s group Shakatak, who last year agreed to a facelift in the hope of reviving her career after her divorce. But she suffered complications aggravated by her high blood pressure and bitterly regretted the decision. Three months after the operation she still did not have full feeling and was warned full recovery could take a year.

“Surgery is not a quick-fix solution,” she said. “The simple truth is that I could have died. I was an idiot, I should have thought much more carefully about the operation and its dangers. It was pure vanity.”

Foad Nahai, president of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, backed Mr Mercer’s warning, and called for tougher regulations to prevent doctors practising without specialist training. A code of practice backed by self-regulation of cosmetic clinics was announced by the Government in 2007. Clinics are also subject to inspection by the Care Quality Commission. But Baaps says the measures do not go far enough.

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Cosmetic surgeons demand ban on advertising… cosmetic surgery!

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Although this chapter from the Advanced Medical Aesthetics Training Manual wasn’t actually requested in the training manual I wrote for the academy students, I felt it was extremely important for the entire medical spa staff, especially for medical estheticians, to know the difference amongst the various treatments used to alleviate the appearance of wrinkles and folds, and the difference between dynamic and static lines.

Medical estheticians have the most “face time” with clients, examining it with magnifying lenses, treating it with exfolliants, moisturizers, galvanic current, high frequency, various acids, etc. They understand the realm of fine lines and wrinkles and know what can be alleviated with topical treatments such as facials, peels, microdermabrasion and laser resurfacing, and what cannot.

I cannot tell you how many patients call or come into our office with no knowledge of the difference between paralyzing agents such as Botox and Dysport, and dermal fillers. We take it for granted that we know the difference, but injectable products can be very confusing to the lay person. Because the aesthetician works with the client’s skin, they should be well versed in the differences in the two categories of injectables and the products that lie within. Estheticians become your most powerful education source for your clients which ultimately leads to an upsell for them (with possible commission).

Many people think all fillers products are the same, nor do they care to understand the difference between hyaluronic acid or calcium hydroxylapetite. All they truly care about is “how long will it last” and will the “results look fake”. Only with proper education can the medical esthetician effectively and intelligently discuss the differences in the filler products, educate the patient about the effects and lasting results, and help lead the patient to the right product, or combination of products, for their expected outcome.

This information in this chapter is very important for your medical spa front desk/phone people as well!

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A Plastic Surgeon in Britain chose a dowdy girl as his bride – so he could sculpt her into his ideal wife.

Reza Vossough hated 33-year-old Cany’s body, but they tied the knot anyway after he spotted her “potential”.

Cany … in 2005

He performed EIGHT operations to change her chest, thighs, eyes and face.

Vossough spent five years pumping 1,600g of silicone into her body, boosting her size A chest to a giant F cup.

He also enhanced her lips, lifted her eyelids and de-creased her forehead.

The former waitress also had nip-and-tuck ops to her bum, tummy and thighs and countless Botox injections.

‘Potential’ … Reza Vossough

Only AFTER £18,000 of cosmetic surgery did Reza, 48, fall in love with her.

But busty Cany, now a model, is thrilled with her new image. She said: “When your husband is a plastic surgeon, then the scalpel is your friend.”

Reza, who operates on 1,200 patients a year at his Berlin clinic, said of his skills: “It’s almost like being God – you have the ability to change nature.

“When I first met Cany, she had physical deficiencies, but I could see there was something there. She had big hips and big thighs, so we made corrections, then did a little bit more.

“On the operating table her face is covered, so she’s anonymous like any patient. I was interested in working on her. It’s better than nature could do.”

Since her hubby’s last op, Cany has had a secret fourth boob job. But Reza has not ruled out MORE work – saying: “There may be some more in the future, like a facelift, but not yet.”

But Reza is wise enough to admit that he’s not perfect himself.

He said: “I inherited a big nose from my dad, so my business partner made me a new one. And I have Botox too.”

Not something that you’ll find in your local Medical Spa or laser clinic since they’re using laser treatments and Botox, but there’s probably some overlap. Perhaps laser hair removal, IPL for skin treatments, or Restylane as a local skin clinic.

Post from: Laser Clinic MD

Plastic surgeon ‘builds’ himself his ideal wife

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