Who would have thought 40 years ago… when the inventors of the Internet connected scientists around the world to share information that in 2009, 25% of the population of the world have the ability to communicate instantly 24/7 from work, home, or driving in their car by computer or iphone.

North America is the most digitally advanced continent in the world.  If you are not on board with an engaging and search engine optimized Internet marketing program, you are missing out on a wealth of opportunity to target prequalified visitors looking for your treatment services.

 This is a world changing and living at warp speed…  It is the norm in civilized areas of the 21^st Century.   Are you and your business keeping up?

 Below is a table of the just released 2009Q3 Internet Statistics

The following table lists the estimated population for each geographic region, the number of Internet users, and the penetration rate  in each region. The expression "penetration rate" (P.R.) refers to the percentage of the population that uses the Internet.

The total number of Internet users for September 30, 2009 is estimated at 1,724,793,741. This represents a 25.5% penetration rate.

Information Gathering and Social Networking Changed the Way the World Used the Internet

Up until 1994, the Web had been viewed as a mainly technical and academic area, but public interest began to grow, and the term “the Internet” was finally coined in 1996. Over the course of the decade, the Internet integrated many of the previously existing public networks, and it was estimated that it was growing by 100% every year in size. Supposedly, the growth has been attributed to the fact that there has been no central administration on the Internet and that protocols are non-proprietary in nature.

It will interesting to see how the Internet impacts our lives in another 40 years. Regulation on blogging has started and who knows what regulations will be in place down the road. All I know is I won't be here to see it… but I am sure it will be mind boggling and an integrated way of life for for most people on the planet at that point in time.

Leave a comment below to share with me and others what you think about the Internet now as a marketing tool and where we will be in the future.

Acceptx is an online automated financial solution for medical and dental practices across the US and… a TC's or financial co-ordinator's dream come true.  I had the opportunity to sit through a private demonstration of the online system at the AAO in Denver in May.  Where was this service when I was a TC for over 20 years? 

During the NP process, I always felt the most cumbersome and uncomfortable moment was presentation of finances.  There was no quick and easy way to present payment options to perspective patients without first banging away on a calculator to determine appropriate financial arrangements.  Insurance coverage complicated the issue along with determining the correct schedule based on credit rating and family budget. I would often watch out of the corner of my eye, many a parent trying to read my handwriting upside down… as they anxiously awaited the verdict while I completed the process. 

Acceptx and its upcoming parternship with Paul Zuelke has simplified the process by providing doctors the ability to make decisions about the fees, financial terms, collection practices and banking once… then automating the process so TC's can quickly and efficiently present payment options or recalculate again to meet the personal needs of the patient.

From a practice management perspective, the program increases practice cash flow and profitability.  Bottom line…Acceptx enables doctors, treatment coordinators, and financial coordinators the ability to quickly present fee options that are attractive to your patients, substantially reducing your default rate and increasing new starts.

I highly recommend this inexpensive service provided by Acceptx for marketing savvy practices looking to streamline the new patient process and make an ordinary new patient experience EXTRAordinary… in the eyes of a tech savvy patient or parent.

In the movie, "The Matrix", Neo is given a choice by Morpheus to take the red pill, which will shatter his world but show him the truth about it or the blue pill, which will let him go on in his safe and secure cocoon of life.

Rethinking and restructuring your current orthodontic marketing and management strategies with the latest computer digital technology is similar to taking the red pill for orthodontists and their team.  It’s not an easy pill to swallow. Working outside of your comfort zone in the digital world of interactive websites like those designed by Orthosesame™ and Televox™, paperless software management systems with finger scanners and 24/7 digital marketing with presentation software and PowerPoint kiosks, to name a few, are the current strategies recommended to those Orthopreneurs™ ready to tackle the 21st century.

Today's digital technology is Greek to many. Most doctors rely upon their staff to learn, maintain and troubleshoot their current hardware equipment and software programs. Now, adding in the latest technological developments of the computer age, it pushes many beyond their perceived thresholds. The fear of tackling a major learning curve, during a busy patient day, stops many offices in their tracks. Consequently, they opt for the blue pill and their safe secure cocoon.

I experienced, first hand, the learning curve and vast advantages of the computer age and all it can offer to an orthodontic practice. Once the systems are set up and the team has overcome their fear of the unknown, they appreciate the benefits. Now, there is no looking back.  The red pill saved the day! You wonder how you ever managed to operate efficiently with outdated technology and why you fought the restructuring for so long. The amount of TIME SAVED, for the front office staff alone, is well worth the investment of time and energy, by all members of the team, to get through the training and adjustment period.

Email and phone appointment reminders, quick and secure access by parents and patients to their account and appointment information and computer generated email recall systems and enewsletters are CRUCIAL TIME SAVERS and practice builders. They not only save front office team members hours every month, they decrease noshow appointments in the operatory, and parents appreciate the convenience of 24/7 access to information. This is a great marketing tool that improves customer service and builds better patient relationships.

Do you continue to do what you have been doing and risk being passed over by competitors in the race for attention in an attention-deficit society with the blue pill, or do you opt for the red pill and put yourself out there in a strange new world of endless possibilities and fight for your spot in the orthodontic jungle?

Food for thought!