Thursday, December 18, 2014

The Importance of Being Mobile

After extensive testing, Google officially launched the mobile-friendly label in the mobile search results last month. Google has added a text label under the URL in the search results to let people know that a particular site is mobile-friendly and can be viewed without any problems on their devices.

seo1Why is this important?


Viewing a website that is not optimized for mobile devices can be very problematic for mobile searchers. The graphics and fonts do not scale as they should, the navigation is clumsy and often does not work, and much of the information on the website is virtually inaccessible.

There are also compatibility issues, especially if a website utilizes Adobe Flash technology. If a website cannot be viewed properly on a mobile device, people will simply not bother with it and move on to one that does–possibly your competitor.

According to searchenginejournal.com, in 2014, 25% of online searches were done from a mobile device. That number is set to increase next year to almost one in every three searches. And since more than 60% of mobile searches result in phone calls to a local business, having a mobile-friendly website is more important than ever. In fact, 57% of users won’t recommend companies with poor mobile sites.

Here at Solutions by Design, we have seen a steady increase of mobile traffic to many of our clients’ sites. Our SEO clients average approximately 30% to 35% in mobile traffic, while a handful of those see 45% to 50% each month. However, those clients who don’t have mobile-friendly sites have below-average web traffic, and their numbers keep falling.

Mobile usage is rapidly on the rise and now is the time to address the friendliness of your website. It’s almost a certainty that your competition already has.

How Social Media Contest Can Help Boost Engagement

Are you looking for a way to increase patient engagement online? Maybe it’s time to try a patient contest.


 

7-Key-Things-Every-Great-Facebook-Contest-Needs


 

Social media contests are easy and fun way to engage patients. Creating a contest is a marketing tools used to increase followers and give back to your loyal patients. Before liking your Facebook page or following you people want to know how liking your page or following other social media accounts will benefit them. Contests are fun ways to build customer relationships, improve online engagement and strengthen lead generation. If your Facebook page LIKES don’t reflect the majority of your patients there’s a problem, but no worries a contest can help.

Benefits of Contests:

  • Boost page LIKES

  • Boost engagement

  • Reach new users (including friends of fans and those seeking you)

  • Create an affinity for your practice


How to Create a Success Contest


Create contest idea and select a prize:
Contest ideas can range anywhere from guessing games to raffles. Get together with your team and come up with a creative idea that reflects the personality of your practice. You must also select the prize the winner(s) will receive.

Decide how to promote:
Decide what channels you are going to use to promote your contest. Will it be strictly social media or in-office as well ? It is important to focus on channels where your target audience is present or the channel you want to drive traffic to.

Create promotion material:
How are you patients going to know about the contest? Staff word of mouth isn’t enough. In-office flyers, online post and even video announcements are great ideas.

Promote, Promote, Promote! :
During the duration of your contest you must focus on promoting constantly using promotion materials to engage your audience.

Here’s a great example:


10402469_10153382074738275_6274510155807192696_n     Graphic created by Solutions by Design


Dr. Mark Lenz’s offices in Racine and Waterford Wisconsin has gotten his patients to participate in numerous contests, offering prizes such as Rewards Hub points, gift cards and other fun prizes his patients enjoy. With these contests Dr. Lenz has seen a very noticeable spike in Facebook (Lenz Orthodontics) LIKES and online engagement. For the holidays Dr. Lenz is currently running an “Elfie Selfie” contest that is being promoted in-office, on Facebook and Instagram.

No time to create your own contest? We have a solution for you. Social media contest are included in our social media packages. We plan, design, execute and manage your contest from start to finish. For more information regarding our social media packages contact us today!

Montage December News

Recently, Account Manager Nikki Schoettler spent a week in the beautiful Napa Valley area taking meetings with wineries interested in Montage. During this trip Nikki was able to visit over 30 different wineries and showcased Montage. Montage, the ultimate tasting room interactive display board, is garnering a lot of interest in the Wine capital. The functionality and interface design has received rave reviews. “Once people learn how Montage works and how it is different from a POS system they get really excited,” Nikki said.

Montage Winery

We are getting feedback from many wineries expressing that they have been on the search for a product like to take their business into a digital direction. Montage is coming into the market at the right time to position us in the forefront of winery technology advancements. We have also met with home building companies and restaurants to show how great of a fit Montage is for their organization. We are thrilled to bring Montage to other markets in 2015.

Orthodontic Montage Users

For our Orthodontic Montage users we haven’t forgotten about you all. We are currently working on updating the video sequence feature in Montage II. In the video section of your Montage layout you have the ability to set-up your videos to play in a looping sequence while the board is unattended. With this fix we are working on you will have full control over your video sequence. You will be able to choose which videos can loop and in which order. This will allow you to further customize the experience your patients have with your Montage board.

Montage2

Future Updates: We are working on a feature that will allow treatment, problem and multimedia video animations to display captions. This new feature will allow patients to read what is going on in the video when the sound is not enabled. This feature will be included in the next Montage update.

Bug Fixes: No current bug fixes.

Note: Jean Noble is now our east coast Sales Director. She is currently available for in office visit for practices throughout the Eastern region of the US.

bLink December News

We will be rolling out new updates to our bLink product in the near future, including the big update bLink 2.0. The rewrite of bLink Pro, bLink 2.0, with all new features sure to excite staff and patients alike. Along with bLink 2.0, the bLink mobile application is on its way. The bLink app is almost complete and is slated for a 2015 release.

bLink App provides the following features to your patient's mobile device:
• Appointment Reminders Notification
• Financial Transaction Notifications
• Patient Education Notifications

blinkapp

This is a unique marketing opportunity for your practice. You can communicate with your patients faster and more efficiently with a branded bLink APP from Solutions by Design. Your patients can download your Practice APP for FREE from your website to their phone to receive notifications as desired.

The App is a free download for your patients. Your patients simply enter the required information, including their mobile phone number, at your website. A link to the App store will be sent to their email address. It is that easy. Once they activate the App, they will begin to receive appointment reminders, payment notifications and patient education videos as desired.

E-toonsetoon-showcase


As we get closer and closer to the release of bLink E-toons we get more excited about this fun product we have to offer you. We know your patients will love the animations just as much as we do. “I am having a great time working on these animations,” said John Rios, Solutions by Design Graphic Designer. “It’s fun and challenging making E-toons engaging yet educational at the same time.” In addition to our stock animations we will be offering practice specific animation customization. How cool would it be for patients to see your practice in animated form? Learn more about E-toons by visiting solutionsbydesign.com/e-toons.phpelastics-showcase

bLink FAQ:

Q: How do I access the bLink Doctor Portal?

A: To access you bLink Doctor Portal, you will need your ANDI username and password combination. If you do not have an ANDI username and password, have someone who does log into www.andisolutions.com page and create a user for you. Once this is done, ANDI will email you your password to the email you set as your Username. From here I advise you get the password and login to ANDI and view your user in the “Users” tab then change the password to something more memorable. Once you have the username and password go to my.orthoblink.com and sign in.

Bug Fixes: We want to remind OrthoTrac users that you have the ability to leave notes in the billing area of your patient’s treatment charts. These financial notes can either be marked as public or private. Please be advised that we have a created a filter that makes sure that patients cannot see your private ones within their bLink accounts. We would like to thank Joe Kennedy of Wentz Orthodontics for making us aware of this feature.

Note: Jean Noble is now our east coast Sales Director. She is currently available for in office visit for practices throughout the Eastern region of the US.

ScreenPlay December News

Reminder, all Premium and VIP users you must renew your ScreenPlay service by 12/31/2014. If you have not renewed your services please contact us today.

When ScreenPlay Pro 10 is released in 2015VIP users are eligible for a free upgrade. You can expect 52 new thru-view videos to be available. Thru-view animations allow patients to get a better view of the treatment process. With through-view animations you can see the affect each treatment option has on not only the teeth, but the entire face. The mini videos within ScreenPlay will be getting an updated look as well. We are replacing all 2D imagery with more dynamic 3D graphics and upgrading all mini video images with new, current images.

In addition to upgrading our current videos we also will be DynaFlex SmartJet appliance animations.

dynaflex2 dynaflex1

The SmartJet is super-efficient, super-comfortable and very simple to manage. All mechanisms are built for comfort and convenience. Click here to learn more about the DynaFlex SmartJet.

For the first time in Solutions by Design history we participated in Cyber Monday. We are glad to announce the 8 hour super sale on ScreenPlay Pro was a success. New users were able to get ScreenPlay at a $2,997.00 discount, the largest discount ever on ScreenPlay. Connect with us on social media (Facebook, Twitter) to be notified about all future special offers.

success
Future Updates: ScreenPlay 10.0 is scheduled to be released in the early first quarter of 2015.

Bug Fixes: There are no current bug fixes.

Note: Jean Noble is now our east coast Sales Director. She is currently available for in office visit for practices throughout the Eastern region of the US.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Cyber Monday Sale (12/01/2014 ONLY)

cyber

You have probably heard all about “Black Friday”, the day after Thanksgiving where wild deals hit consumers. However, in recent years another day to grab deals has become just as popular, that day is Cyber Monday.

In 2005, Shop.org created the term Cyber Monday after seeing an increase in online sales the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday. Since then sales on Cyber Monday have generated over a billion dollars. Bargain hunters can find many great deals via their favorite retailers, and this Cyber Monday Solutions by Design will be joining in the mix.

On Cyber Monday (12/1/2014) consumers will be able to get 60% off ScreenPlay PRO. ScreenPlay PRO is an orthodontic patient case presentation and education application ideal for presenting patient case problems and treatment options during the initial examination. Screenplay can be used chair-side for education on compliance, procedures and care and use of orthodontic appliances.

sp-01


How to Get This Deal:


The special Sales Agreement becomes available Monday December 1, 2014. Cyber Monday Pricing applies ONLY to new ScreenPlay Contracts dated 12/1/14. Cyber Monday Pricing valid from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. Pacific Standard Time. Offer Expires December 1, 2014 at 5:00pm Pacific Standard Time. For more information visit our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SolutionsByDesignInc).

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Montage November News

montage header

We have been working hard on improving Montage as we enter other markets. Nikki Scholettler, our ‘Other Markets’ Account Manager, has been doing a wonderful job introducing Montage to other markets.  We are excited to announce that will be making our first other markets install soon for a local home builder. Bill and Nikki will be taking trips to Paso Robles and Napa Valley to build off leads and continue to solidify relationships in the Wine Industry. Although we have entered other markets we haven’t forgotten about our Orthodontic Montage users.

Montage wine

With all the progress were making in other markets we're still working on improving Montage for our Orthodontic users. We are currently working on introducing new features and improving current features. Our Retainer Selector feature will be available soon, this feature will allow you to choose your retainer and have it ready to print or email to the doctor.

Montage orthoRetainer

Future Updates: Here at Solutions by Design we pride ourselves on being able to provide full service to our clients. We are working on adding a link on the Montage Board for you to be able to access your bLink settings. Accessing your bLink setting will allow you to add emails, change telephone numbers and make edits to all patient information.

Bug Fixes: We glad to say there are no current bug issues to report.

*Remember if you have a Mac computer please contact our support team before updating to the new Yosemite

Note: Jean Noble is now our east coast Sales Director. She is currently available for in office visit for practices throughout the Eastern region of the US.

The Power of Selfies

The term “Selfie” was named Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionary. Defined as “A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media”, selfies have taken the 21st century by storm. Have you noticed patients smiling into their smartphones after a deband or bracket change? They’re  likely taking selfies right there in the office.

Happy asian woman taking a selfie

You might think selfies are just another fad for tweens, but you might not realize selfies can be one of the driving forces behind building customer relationships through social media. According to Instagram, over 50 million “selfies” were been posted to the photo sharing app in 2013.

seflie count

Here's a screen-shot from Instagram



“It’s just a picture, what is the big deal?”


Visual content is king in today’s digital marketing world. Multimedia content (photos and videos) is posted more than plain-text updates on Facebook, and Instagram ONLY allows you to post photos and videos. It is common for people to want things available to them quick and easy in today's society, and the quickest and easiest way to deliver a message is through appealing visual content. For example, do you think people would rather read about how an orthodontist can straighten teeth or see an amazing before and after photo? I think we can all agree that they’d rather see a photo. With this being said it is obvious that visual content has to be a part of your social media campaign.

Here’s a simple way to see if your social media campaign is on the right track, ask yourself these 5 questions:

  • Do you have one designated social media manager?

  • Do you post at least 3 times a week to Facebook?

  • Do you have a blog?

  • Do you have an Instagram account?

  • Are you monitoring all of your social media accounts throughout your business hours?


If you answered NO to any of these questions then you social media campaign needs a boost, and we can help you with just that! Contact us to find out which ways we can help you improve your social media campaign.

One way to boost your campaign is to use the power of selfies. You can download our FREE selfie sign and have your patients include you in their selfie fun! Have your patients hold up this sign, snap a photo and post it on your social media accounts for everyone to see!

selfie signTo get this FREE  sign email Taleesha@solutionsbydesign.com

bLink November News

b Header

 

As we previously announced bLink 2.0 is currently in the works. Progress coming along great, and the release date is slated for 2015. bLink 2.0, our rewrite of bLink Pro, will offer new features as well as an integration with Cloud based versions of your management software. Also we are adding a complete suite of management tools that will take the user experience to the next level.

blink 2.0 image




As the year comes to an end we get closer to the release date of E-Toons, the animated cartoon reminder and patient education series. We are on track with the completion of animations; there are currently 5 of the 11 animations complete. Our E-Toons will be located under the Appointments, Patient Education and Events tabs.

showcase-oralhygiene

As we grow  we continue to welcome more and more bLink users. We know there are other patient reminders programs available, but we are very different from our competition. What it is that sets us apart, other than our features, is the relationships we build with our customers. We consistently hear dismay about the services provided by other companies and we pride ourselves on the 5-star service we provide to our clients. We are committed to providing the best service in the industry. When you contact Solutions by Design you are guaranteed to speak to someone and guaranteed to get the help you need. We are always here for you, answering your questions and taking your feedback. Your business is highly appreciated, and as we grow we look for forward to you growing with us.

Bug Fixes:

There are no current bug issues with bLink.

*Remember with the Mass Email feature once you click “SAVE” your email will begin to be sent out immediately. Be sure the email formatted exactly the way you and has all the content included before click the save button.

Note: Jean Noble is now our east coast Sales Director. She is currently available for in office visit for practices throughout the Eastern region of the US.

Why Rankings Are Not the Holy Grail of SEO

SEO Header

Achieving high ranks for the keywords in your SEO campaign is important and necessary. However, far too much emphasis is sometimes placed on the importance of keyword rankings, thereby leaving other elements of good SEO lost in the shuffle.

It’s no secret that rankings fluctuate, sometimes on a daily basis. With ongoing changes in search engine algorithms, along with other factors such as competition, your keywords can often appear in different spots from day to day.

Keyword phrasing also plays a big part. The addition or omission of simple words like “in” or “near” can alter the rankings and make you appear higher or lower depending on the phrasing. And Google’s location services play a part as well. Searching for something locally (where Google detects your location) brings up different results than if you have location services turned off.

So what does all this mean in terms of providing good SEO, and why do rankings appear so prominently in the monthly reports?


rankings-report-screenshot

Keyword rankings provide an easy-to-understand report of the progress of an SEO campaign. Visualizing the rankings gives a client the satisfaction of knowing that progress is being made and that people are actually able to find them in the search results. But what happens beyond that?

Let’s assume that you, as a client, rank at the top for most of your keywords. Someone doing a search on one of those keywords will see your listing in the search results and chances are good that they will click through to your website. Will they be satisfied with what they see? You may have a thousand visitors each month to your website, but if all of those visits don’t translate into more clients then rankings suddenly don’t seem so important.

One of the many factors in determining whether a site is relevant to a visitor is the “bounce rate.” The bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who go to a site and “bounce out,” never going beyond the home page. A lower percentage is obviously desirable here, but if a visitor doesn’t feel that the information presented is of value to them, they will simply go to another site in the search results – likely your competitor.

The quality of your website content, the ease with which a visitor can access the information they’re seeking, and something that grabs their attention all come into play here. You may have the most beautiful website among your competitors but if these important factors aren’t in place then there’s no reason for someone to stay on your site.

You must ask yourself: Is there anything about my site that makes people want to stay? Am I providing visitors with the information they’re looking for?

Each industry is different and has unique demographics. You, more than anyone else, know your market and what appeals to them. If your website doesn’t successfully capture that market then it’s time to make adjustments.

So, while rankings are still very important and something that should be given constant attention, your website is someone’s first impression of your business and you want that first impression to be the best one.

ScreenPlay November News

SP

Our newest ScreenPlay update, ScreenPlay 10.0, is scheduled to be released in the early first quarter of 2015. User with Premium and VIP maintenance packages will be eligible for a free software update. ScreenPlay 10.0 will included updated patients education videos and new animations. In older versions of ScreenPlay you will notice there are some 2D videos, we are working on upgrading all videos and animations to 3D high definition status. Our goal is to provide you with the best looking animations for you and your patients.

 

SP before and after

 

Also, we are in the process of completing DynaFlex animations that will be included in ScreenPlay. DynaFlex is a state-of-the-art orthodontic laboratory and products company. In addition to standard orthodontic appliances and products, DynaFlex is one of the only labs in the country capable of producing appliances from digital (.stl) files. DynaFlex is also one of the largest sleep appliance laboratories in the country with 8 FDA cleared devices.

dynaflex2

dynaflex1

Future Updates:

We are working on a feature which will allow you to select certain content to be available in your ScreenPlay program. We will be introducing “My ScreenPlay”. My ScreenPlay will allow you to log into ANDI and select animations that pertain to your practice. For example, there are mutilple animations for retainers if you only use on technique you can only that video available in your screenplay.

Bug Fixes: We glad to say there are no current bug issues to report.

Note: Jean Noble is now our east coast Sales Director. She is currently available for in office visit for practices throughout the Eastern region of the US.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Facebook Post That Are Ahead of Their Time

There are many different features Facebook Pages offers beyond your standard liking and status posting. Have you ever thought of a great post, but it’s not the right time to post it? Sure you can set a reminder on your calendar, but what if you need to create a post at a time when you won’t be near a computer. No worries, Facebook has a solution for you.  You can schedule your post.

Before Facebook made this feature available the only to have post scheduled for automation was to use outside programs, but now you no longer have to deal with multiple programs to post one status.

What can I post?

Anything, just like you would a normal create a normal post.

How far ahead can I schedule a post?

You can schedule up to 6 months ahead of your current date, and schedule includes a date an exact time.

How To Schedule a Post


Create your post

 

MC1Select the arrows next to "Post" and select Schedule Post

MC2

Set your date and time 

MC3

You have now scheduled your post

MC4

MC5

Having the ability to schedule your post can really come in handy. This feature allows you to create post when you wouldn't have time to do so otherwise. This is a way for you to build engagement and have content posted on your on a constant basis. For any questions regarding Facebook and it's features give us contact us today!

Friday, October 24, 2014

Social Media is Free, but It'll Cost You Time and Effort

“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” – Seth Godin

There are many different social media platforms available for users, from Facebook to Twitter and even sites like Pinterest. The first question many people have when they decide it’s time for their business to hop on board with social media is, “How do I get a ______ account?” Getting an account is the easy part, because most sites are FREE. It will cost you no money to create most social media accounts, but what it will cost is time.

Your social media accounts are not just going to run themselves. You must put for time and effort in creating, building and maintaining successful social media accounts. Let’s put social media in a real-world perspective. Think of your accounts as plants in your virtual garden, you must tend to these accounts and provide them with extra TLC (tender, love and care) to make sure they grow. Some believe that just having a social media pages is enough, they are completely wrong. Having an inactive page is just as bad as not having a page at all. The amount of success your social media pages have depends on the amount of time you put in.

Top 5 Time Consuming Factors of Social Media:


socialmediamanagement

Promotion- Just like your social media platforms can’t run themselves, they also aren’t just going to promote themselves. You have to take the time out to promote your social media pages to your target audience on and offline.  One way to promote online is through email blasters. Email blaster are emails sent from you to a mass list of email your have collected from those who use your services. Offline promotion includes designing signage to display within your establishment. The goal is to let your audience know you’re online and know where they can find you.

Creating Original Content- In social media marketing your content is king, meaning your content is one of the main driving forces of your social media success. You have to create and distribute relevant, engaging and beneficial content to your audience. You can share links and curated sources, but nothing is more connected to your business than original content. Creating content is time consuming. It takes time to understand what your audience wants and how you can give it to them. However, if done correctly your audience will take notice and see a benefit from connecting with you online.

Consistency- You must make sure that your social media pages are active, this means making sure that you are posting on a consistent basis. The best way to do this is by creating a schedule and sticking to it!

Trend Watching- Trends online are changing consistently, what’s “in” today may not be relevant in a two weeks. Social media users follow trends. You have to stay on top of the trends in order to keep and remain knowledgeable about what’s going on and how it may pertain to your target audience. To follow these trends you must be an active participant in social media conversation, this includes using different platforms, reading articles and keeping up with social media news. A social media manager should be on top of this and making sure your current strategies follows trends most relevant to your business.

Analytics- Analytics is the process of using data collected from your social media accounts and analyzing it to identify your past trends. For social media analytics is important to see what works and want doesn’t within your campaign. There are many different tools available to perform analytics. Sites such as Facebook have “Insights” tab available for you providing you will all the data from your page. Reviewing analytics isn’t a simple task you must be able to break down what the data presented to you means. It takes time to go over data and apply your findings to your current strategies, but it is very necessary to track success.

Social media is a great way to market your business, although it is time consuming the results are worth it. If you have questions regarding how you can get started with social media or improve your current accounts don’t hesitate to contact us today!

1234879_578596982186823_737626734_n

Friday, October 10, 2014

Montage October News

What’s New?

As we have previously announced, we have decided to expand Montage into other markets outside of the world of orthodontics. This branch out has been a big hit!

One industry Montage is gaining interest within is the wine industry. Montage brings something new into the wine industry. With 1,000s of wineries here in California alone we have a lot of opportunity for success.  President and CEO Bill Poss and Account Manager Nikki Schoettler have spent time in Paso Robles conducting market research. They have taken visits to Eberle Winery, Meridian Vineyards, Tobin James Cellar, and Niner Wine Estates just to name a few. During each stop Montage received rave reviews. One major part of wineries is their tasting rooms, which is an area visitors frequent often.  Montage will be set-up in tasting room serving as an informational display along with advertising promotions and encouraging visitors to sign-up for wine club memberships. We are extremely excited about the future Montage and development on the program.

 

kiosk

Bug Fixes:

We would like to send a special thanks to Dr. Spencer Bailey for helping us with development of Montage, which is allowing us to tweak our interface to better serve you all.

The Weather Widget is currently under construction users will now have the option of choosing between two different size widgets.

Bug Fixes: We glad to say there are no current bug issues to report.

Note: We have now expanded our support hours. Support will be available from 5:00AM to 5:30PM pacific time.

Note: Jean Noble is now our east coast Sales Director. She is currently available for in office visit for practices throughout the Eastern region of the US.

bLink October News

What’s New?

bLink 2.0 is almost complete. bLink 2.0, our rewrite of bLink Pro, will offer many new user features as well as offer integrations with Cloud based versions of your management software. We are adding a complete suite of management tools to provide instant messaging to our users advising of any missed syncs, conflict, or errors. The user interface will be easier to navigate and more interactive for administrators. We send out millions of emails through bLink and this update to the database will make the process more efficient. bLink 2.0 is scheduled to be released in the coming months.



Soon bLink will integrate fully with all cloud-based practice management applications. You’ll have the same awesome and reliable service and features, but it will be pulling cloud-stored files instead of locally stored files. bLink Cloud 9 integration is scheduled to be done in the upcoming weeks, it is currently in the final steps of completion. Be on the lookout for the official release date.

For our Oasis users, the bLink Oasis integration update is currently in test mode and will be upgraded in a few weeks.

By now you have heard about our new bLink E-toons animated cartoon messaging. E-Toon is making progress and we are ecstatic about the upcoming release. Our E-toons will be located under the Appointments, Patient Education and Events tabs.etoon-showcase

Future Updates:

We are looking into confirmation options via text message and the blink app is still in the works and should be a receiving a release date soon.

Bug Fixes:

We are currently refining the way we send out emails to make the process more efficient.

We are currently working on updating our mass email feature.

*Remember with the Mass Email feature once you click “SAVE” your email will begin to be sent out immediately. Be sure the email formatted exactly the way you and has all the content included before click the save button.

Note: We have now expanded our support hours. Support will be available from 5:00AM to 5:30PM pacific time.

Note: Jean Noble is now our east coast Sales Director. She is currently available for in office visit for practices throughout the Eastern region of the US.

Social Media Matters in SEO

Search Engine Optimization works to increase the visibility of your website and your overall virtual brand. There is a lot that goes into SEO and helps with your search engine positioning. Keywords,  backlinks ,and website design are very important factors when it comes to SEO. Also, another major factor are social media platforms.

Included in SEO success are social media platforms. Many people are unaware of the benefits that social media brings. Being on social media allows you to gain greater visibility upon your audience. When it comes to SEO social media factors into 6 of the top 8 search engine positioning. This includes social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

However, just having a page isn't enough. You must be active on your social media pages. Being active means consistently updating your content and engaging your audience. Along with engaging your audience, good content promotes social sharing. Social sharing is when those within your audience share your content with other by linking the content on their pages.

seo

Many organizations have social media accounts, but are you updating consistently? Are your post engaging? If not, you may need to rethink your social media strategies and help improve your SEO. If you need help improving you social media strategies or SEO give us a call today!

Making Sure Everyone Gets the Picture

A little app called Instagram has taken the social network world by storm.instagram


Instagram is a mobile application that allows user to share photos and videos with followers. This mobile app has some perplexed on why it has become so popular, “You just post pictures all day?”. Yes, you just post pictures all day. There are different social networks available to users and each serves its own special purpose. Facebook has become a hub for all multimedia content, while Twitter is convenient for quick messages, and YouTube displays video. Then you have Instagram, which allows users to receive messages through photographs. Today’s generation loves documenting all of their experiences online and photos help do that the best.

Top 5 Things you need to know about Instagram

#Selfie

The  hashtag system was initiated by Twitter, but Instagram has taken it to another level. When users post photo they are able to add hashtags (ie, #solutionsbydesign) . The hashtag is like a group or tracking feature, hashtag are clickable and when you click on these hashtag you are able to see all photos that include that hashtag. For example we clicked on #solutionsbydesign we see able pictures that have been captioned with that hashtag.1394132851_ellen-degeneres-oscars-selfie-zoom

It’s a mobile app.

Instagram is only available via mobile application, meaning unlike Facebook and Twitter you cannot use Instagram from a desktop computer. The Instagram app has to be downloaded on a mobile phone or tablet. You may view a Instagram profile from a computer, but use of Instagram’s great functionalities you must be on a mobile phone or tablet.

#Nofilter

When you upload a picture to Instagram there are different editing tools you can use right there in the app. The most popular editing tools are the filters. Instagram offers numerous filters you can apply to enhance photos. For example there is a filter to turn your photo to black and white. This allows users to have fun with their photos.120424193935186

Followers

All users have followers. Those who follow you get to see your post on their timeline, along with others they follow. If your page is private users must ask for your permission to follow your page.

Sharing

Instagram allows you to share photos and videos on other social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr. You can set-up your account to sharing automatically making it easy to reach all of your audiences via each network.

Instagram is an awesome social media tool and with it's wide range of demographics the chances to reach your audience is great. If you have questions regarding how you can get started with Instagram don’t hesitate to contact us today!

ScreenPlay October News

What’s New?

Our surgical case animations are moving along great. We are adding new porter arch expander animations. Also we are adding more through view content. Along with in addition to through-view content, we are working on a consistent basis to upgrade our 2D into better looking 3D graphics.

Our new ScreenPlay release is schedule for December 2014. Those with Premium and VIP maintenance packages will be eligible for a free software update.

The Annual British Orthodontic Conference was held in Edinburgh Scotland September 18th-20th. Andrew Price, Ormco UK National Manager extended an invitation for SBD to participate in the conference as their guest.  We were able to introduce ScreenPlay into the UK market. The market was very impressed overall with the concept of having the ability to preset clinical cases to patients at the initial exam with brilliant 3D graphics. The majority of the market seems to be OrthoTrac users, the ScreenPlay/ OrthoTrac integration will provide a great fit as we develop this market.IMG_1026

Future Updates:

We are working on a feature which will allow you to import your own before and after cases by Malocclusion into ScreenPlay.

Bug Fixes: We glad to say there are no current bug issues to report.

Note: We have now expanded our support hours. Support will be available from 5:00AM to 5:30PM pacific time.

Note: Jean Noble is now our east coast Sales Director. She is currently available for in office visit for practices throughout the Eastern region of the US.

Highlighted Feature: Informed Consent Video

Highlighted Features is a Solutions by Design blog series where we go into detail about the features of our product in order to allow users to get the full use out of our products.

inc2

ScreenPlay provides users with Full Length Videos and Video Clips on range of topics from First Days in Braces to information regarding Retainers. One video that we have available that is gaining popularity is our Informed Consent video.

Before a patient begins treatment they are usually met with a hefty packet that lays out possible risk and complications of their orthodontic procedure. However, with ScreenPlay you are now able to simply pull up the Informed Consent video.

INC1

The video covers:

  • Results of Treatment

  • Length of Treatment

  • Discomfort

  • Relapse

  • Extractions

  • Orthognatic Surgery

  • Decalcification and Denat Caries

  • Root Resorption

  • Nerve Damage

  • Periodontal Disease

  • Injury from Orthodontic Appliances

  • Head Gears

  • Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction

  • Impacted, Ankylosed, Unerupted Teeth

  • Occlusal Adjustment

  • Non-Ideal Results

  • Third Molars

  • Allergies

  • General Health Problems

  • Use of Tobacco Products

  • and Temporary Anchorage Devices


After the patient watches the video you can then have them sign a form saying they watched the videos and understand all the risk associated with the procedure. This makes the entire process simple and for any Nurse or Doctor.

inc4

 

This video, along with others, is located under the “Videos” tap in your ScreenPlay application. For more information on how to utilize ScreenPlay give us a call today!

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Solutions by Design in the UK!

IMG_1026


The Annual British Orthodontic Conference was held in Edinburgh Scotland this past week.  Andrew Price, Ormco UK National Manager extended an invitation for SBD to participate in the conference as their guest.  Our primary focus was on ScreenPlay and Montage. There was a keen interest in both products and I think the market was very impressed overall with the concept of having the ability to preset clinical cases to patients at the initial exam with brilliant 3D graphics.


Special thanks to the ladies of Leamington Spa Orthodontic Centre for their input and participation. Leamington Spa Orthodontic Centre one of very first ScreenPlay users in the UK. They volunteered earlier this year to test drive ScreenPlay and provide feedback on the market fit.  Bill Poss provided a training session for both Isobel and Susan as they gear up for their first ScreenPlay Case Presentation.


With the majority of the market seems to be Ortho Trac users, the ScreenPlay/ OrthoTrac integration will provide a great fit as we develop this market.


We are excited about our future in the UK for not only our ScreenPlay and Montage products, but also in the web development and SEO areas.


We fully plan on attending the 2015 World Federation Meeting in London!

Monday, September 15, 2014

Highlighted Feature: Drawing with ScreenPlay

Highlighted Features is a Solutions by Design blog series where we go into detail about the features of our product in order to allow users to get the full use out of our products.

ScreenPlay displays dual screens, the right for videos and the left for imported images. Through your patient management system you are able import photos, including x-rays. Not only can you upload photos, but we also have a feature that allows you to draw on the imported photos.



The drawing feature in ScreenPlay allows you to use the mouse cursor to draw directly on the image. You can pick from 4 colors blue, red, green, and yellow to draw with. This feature helps dramatically with patient education. With parent and patient looking at the case presentation chair-side, the drawing feature allows doctors to show the parent and patient exactly what is wrong. For example, say there is a midline issue, with the drawing feature you can show exactly where the alignment is off.

        Capture

Another great thing about this feature is you are able to save these images with your drawing and email them to the patient for further review while at home. In addition to sending the photos to patients, you may also use saved images for future case presentations if applicable.

To learn more about this feature, among others, visit http://www.solutionsbydesign.com/screen-play-pro-overview.php or give us a call today!