Probably the most inexpensive way to promote your practice is through the use of a blog, short for “Web log.” Blogs serve as platforms to easily share with the world written thoughts, photos, audio or video. They are easy to update, and they take relatively little technical know-how to create and maintain. Really, the only thing you need to start blogging about your practice is a computer and Internet access.

Several Web sites, such as WordPress.com and Blogger.com, offer free blogs that provide customizable templates. For example, you can change the look of your blog, add images or incorporate personalization tools, referred to as “widgets,” alongside your main blog entries. You also have the option to purchase your own domain name (i.e. a Web address of doc_example.com instead of doc_example.wordpress.com).

So what’s the advantage of a blog, and how will it help market your practice?

In its simplest form, a blog offers a low-cost way to promote your practice through correspondence with new or existing clients. Consumers can post comments, which you moderate, and ask questions pertaining to your blog posts. It’s a candid way to earn the trust of, and win business from, prospective clients. You’ll be able to establish your expertise on a variety of health conditions and therapies, as well as demonstrate your willingness to communicate and provide patients with individualized attention.

On a grander scale, a regularly updated blog increases the likelihood that potential clients will find information about your practice through search engines, and a good blog should help draw more attention to your practice’s main Web site. The addition of pictures of your practice, audio interviews or videos that explain certain therapies will portray your business as one that is adept in the latest technologies. Whether you consider yourself a cutting-edge practitioner or one who sticks with the tried and true, using a variety of online communications techniques will certainly increase your practice’s popularity on the Web.

Of course, it takes more than a blog and Web site — merely floating in cyberspace — to attract attention. A blog should be updated at least once a week, and successful bloggers usually attract the most traffic to their sites when they do this:

• Regularly add content, including expert analysis, photos, audio and video. A good blogger should respond promptly to those who comment on their posts.
• Find a voice and develop points of conversation. Posts should be opinionative, authoritative and informal; readers want to know the inside scoop, and they need a reason to trust bloggers’ expertise.
• Use tags and keywords that help Web surfers find blog posts through search engines. This is one of the easiest ways to “advertise” each post.
• List business addresses on Google™ Maps. This also is a simple way to help drive Web traffic to your blog or business Web site.