UPFRONT | News EXCELLENCE MATTERS Next to share his experience and ex-pertise was Dr. Anthony Lombardi, the founder of the multidisciplinary Hamilton Back Clinic and a private consultant to athletes in the NFL, CFL and NHL. Lombardi started his Hamilton practice right out of school and 12 years later, he averages 12 new pa-tients a week, he said. He attributes this success to the fact that he works with two goals in mind: to provide in-credible clinical results and an out-standing patient experience. He states that in order to be suc-cessful in anything in life, you have to possess the following three elements: passion, motivation and commitment. “Not everyone is going to be suc-cessful, because not everyone wants to be successful – because it’s hard work,” Lombardi said. He urged the audience to develop or adapt a system that can work for them in their practice and allow them to provide clients with quality results. “Focus on the things you can control,” he said. “I have a patient every 15 minutes, and the only thing I can control in that time is what I can deliver to that patient. The growth of my practice, the success of my practice, depends on what happened within those 15 minutes.” According to Lombardi, if a chiro-practor can give a patient what they want and give them results they’re not used to getting – all within their first two visits – that patient will not only return for treatment, but will also refer their family and friends. Lombardi said once a chiropractor has established a quality product, they need to begin thinking like a business in terms of spending, collect-ing and saving money. Like Freedman, he urges chiropractors to do their homework before making any deci-sions, whether it be buying real estate or choosing to incorporate a practice. “Option is power, give yourself every option possible because you’re going to need it,” he said. Lombardi said with systems in place that give patients a phenomenal experience with outstanding results and by thinking of a chiropractic prac-tice as a business entity, chiropractors can boost referrals and overall prac-tice excellence. “If you’re committed to the overall process, you will be successful,” he said. “You’ll never change your out-come if you don’t change your ap-proach.” SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHIROPRACTORS When it comes to social media use, chiropractors should err on the side of caution or risk legal and regulatory repercussions. Tor ont o la wy er A llan Freedman issued this caution at the panel discussion on social media. “Be careful, be careful, be careful,” Freedman said, point-ing out that as regulated health professionals, it is almost im-possible to separate the chiro-practor from the person, espe-cially when it comes to social media conduct. Social media has become one of the biggest phenomena of this decade and a great tool for pro-fessionals and businesses to engage their audience. However, as regulated health-care profes-sionals, chiropractors have a responsibility to conduct them-selves in a professional manner, at all times, Freedman said. Joining Freedman in the pan-el discussion on social media were chiropractors Dr. Ashley Worobec and Lombardi. Rob Lindsay, vice-president of Search Engine People Inc., a digital marketing firm, was also in the panel. Worobec uses her own blog, Twitter and Facebook pages to reach out to her audience and promote her chiropractic prac-tice. Lombardi makes use of Twitter and YouTube to connect with his audience, promote his courses and offer some practical tips for fellow chiropractors. Both Worobec and Lombardi admit their social media efforts seldom directly lead to new pa-tients and referrals, but it has been a good way to raise their profile as chiropractors and ex-perts in their fields. Lindsay notes when engaging in social media, chiropractors need to provide quality, useful content for their audience on topics that they are an authority at. Original content is always a great way to earn the trust of your audience, and to increase one’s search rating in the eyes of Google. If using content from another source, remember to quote the content and attribute the excerpt to the source of the content, he said. – Jessica Beaulieu and Mari-Len De Guzman Attendees get some lessons on social media Social media panelists (L-R) Rob Lindsay, Dr. Ashley Worobec, Allan Freedman and (not in photo) Dr. Anthony Lombardi July/August 2014 Canadian Chiropractor 11 www.canadianchiropractor.ca
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor July August 2014: Page 11
