December Charity | Action Against Hunger

Our Check-in 4 Charity members are supporting Action Against Hunger this December. Action Against Hunger saves lives while building long-term strategies for self-sufficiency. Their global efforts save hundreds of thousands of lives each year, but millions of malnourished children remain in need of lifesaving treatment. CHECK-IN at a C4C member's office to help make a difference.

Learn more about Action Against Hunger on this video and find out why you need to check-in on Facebook at a local Check-in 4 Charity member's office.

Interested in becoming a Check-in 4 Charity member? Visit our website or give us a call at 800-888-4084 and sign up today!

Become An Exclusive Concierge Client

Google’s New Mobile Index Split | How It Will Effect Your SEO

Due to the fact that the majority of searches are now conducted on mobile devices, Google has decided to split their index into mobile-specific and desktop-specific versions.

What is the Google index? Every day, Google’s search engine “bots” crawl through websites and index the contents so that results can be presented to searchers. Until now there has been one unified index for both desktop and mobile searches, so no matter what device you were searching from, the results would be basically the same.

Google’s plan is to provide results optimized for mobile users, and they will be updating and focusing on the mobile index to a greater degree than the desktop index. When a search is conducted from a desktop computer, Google will present results from the desktop index. Alternately, when a search is conducted on a mobile device, Google will present results from the mobile index.

Effect on Websites
If a website is responsive, very little will change. The main criteria will be the speed of the website. If the website is slow to load then it will suffer in the rankings compared to faster sites.

• This will be especially important going forward with new websites we build, and the designers and developers will need to be aware of these issues:
• All sites will need to be run through Google’s website speed tester prior to launch. If the site scores lower than 90 out of 100, adjustments will need to be made following Google’s suggestions.
• Images and other design elements will need to be optimized to enhance the speed of the site. These design considerations will need to be made during the initial concept phase to avoid any potential speed issues.
• Scripts and other files necessary to the site will need to be “minified” and placed in the optimal load order. Google has good documentation on this and it should be followed by the developers. In addition, no supporting files should be loaded from external sites wherever possible. This includes jQuery base files and jQuery app files. Wherever possible, font files should be loaded locally.

For SEO clients who already have responsive sites, the same issues above will apply and some modifications will need to be made.

For those clients with separate mobile sites there will be more issues to consider. The main issue will be content. Since most mobile sites contain only an abbreviated portion of the content of the main website, the reduction in content (because Google is now keeping a separate mobile index) will definitely affect the site’s rankings.

To correct this, the same content that exists on the desktop version of the site will need to be present in the mobile version. This ensures that Google will have enough content to index in order to rank the site effectively. Obviously, this presents challenges when it comes to showing interactive content (Choose Your Look, Terms, etc), and a solid development plan will need to be in place to address these challenges.

Also, Google’s focus is moving increasingly toward their AMP (accelerated mobile pages) technology and soon will play a major role in rankings. It is highly recommended that we begin exploring this technology in order to stay in the game.

Effect on SEO Efforts
For existing responsive sites, the main thing to consider is optimizing the site for speed. This will involve a combination of work from the designers and the developers. The designers will need to develop routines for optimizing the images and graphical elements, and the developers will need to concentrate on optimizing the code and supporting files.

For new responsive sites, it will be important to follow the guidelines above during the entire development process.

In terms of additional time needed for SEO purposes, there should be no additional efforts other than a possible change to the monthly reporting. I’m still waiting to see if the SEO reporting software will change to accommodate the index split. But once the site is optimized for speed, monthly on-site SEO efforts should remain the same. For sites with separate mobile versions, a little additional time will be required in order to make sure the desktop and mobile versions are in sync, with attention being paid to the differences needed in order to affect rankings. The additional time needed will have little impact overall.

Conclusion
Unless more changes are revealed by Google, this announced change to Google’s index will have little impact in terms of monthly SEO work required. The primary consideration will be developing responsive sites for optimal speed, developing new techniques and requirements to achieve this, and exploring new technologies such as AMP. The burden will rest on the designers and developers to produce sites that meet Google’s optimization guidelines.

We #MannequinChallenge You

The latest internet craze is the Mannequin Challenge! The #MannequinChallenge involves a group of people to strike a pose while being filmed to hip hop artist Rae Sremmurd’s newly released song “Black Beatles” in the background.

The first viral video of the Mannequin Challenge surfaced in October 2016, and it's now trending all across the net. There are currently more than 56,000 posts with the hashtag #MannequinChallenge and the number rises every day. Now, it’s our turn!

Just a typical day at Solutions by design…#MannequinChallenge



The Mannequin Challenge is easy to create and fun to participate in! It’s so fun, we’re challenging YOU to create your own clip! It may seem a little odd, but trust us, it’s a powerful form of social media marketing and branding. Many brands have received amazing results while posting viral videos such as this, so join us and take on our challenge!

Tag Us! 

Don’t forget to tag us in your mannequin challenge videos! Use #SBDMadeMeDoIt so we can LIKE & SHARE your video!

‘Tis the Season for some FREEBIES!

Get your office into the spirit of the season with FREE selfie signs from Solutions by Design. Download your FREE SELFIE SIGNS to help promote your practice on social media and engage with your patients. Just click the link to get yours now!

Download Now (takes you to this form: http://www.solutionsbydesign.com/freebies.php

What Can Social Media Do For Your SEO?

There is a misunderstanding for many business owners about how to grow your organic rankings on search engines like Google. Having an experienced and skilled SEO director is a key to achieving higher rankings, but it’s important to remember that without social media, particularly a social media strategist, your organic rankings will not advance to the optimum level of achievement. These days, simply having your business profile on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram isn’t enough to boost your search rankings. There is more to it.  You need to ask yourself one simple question, do you have a consistent social media strategy in place for your business? If you don't, you need one in order to see an increase in organic search rankings. Remember, if you're not in the number one spot, your competitor is.

What’s a social media strategy?
Simply having a social media presence is not enough these days; you must be active, engaging, and monitoring your social media profiles regularly. It’s important to recognize what social media channels will fit the needs of your business industry, set realistic goals for these channels, and implement them on a consistent basis. One important realization to keep in mind is social media is overwhelming, and with so many social networks out there comes constant new features to track and stay educated on in order to integrate them into your social media strategy.

What can social media do for your SEO?
Social media and SEO are in a tactical relationship with each other. How so? They are both strategies that focus on creating an appealing identity that will increase visitors.  Having a strong plan for each of these will benefit the other. Having a solid social media strategy and presence can influence your Google rankings and improve your SEO. This includes updating, monitoring, and implementing everything on your social media pages from the quality of your followers to the content you post and engagement on your page. If you don’t have a skilled social media manager with the expertise of utilizing social media for increasing your SEO, then you need to think about how serious you are about achieving the highest organic ranking you can.

If you don’t have a full-time social media manager at your business, no need to panic. Solutions by Design has social media services with experts who will develop and implement social media strategies for you. We specialize in working with businesses on social media and SEO and can help you reach your goals and increase your search engine optimization. Visit our website or give us a call for more information. 800-888-4084.

Google’s War Against Pop-Ups

Last month Google announced that they would begin penalizing websites that display content-blocking pop-ups. These are called “interstitial ads,” you can find these all over the Internet as you try to browse certain websites. This is how they work: you navigate to an article that you want to read and as you are just starting with the first paragraph, a pop-up appears that blocks the content. These pop-ups usually want you to sign up for their newsletter, purchase a subscription, or will display an advertisement for a product or service.

Sometimes it is hard to find the button to close the pop-up, and some even prevent you from closing the pop-up unless you click through the advertisement. These pop-ups are irritating and Google is making sure that websites with these types of ads don’t make it into their search results. Google’s focus is on the user's website experience, especially when it relates to mobile browsing, and this type of advertising interferes with that experience.

What does this mean for our clients? We have always advised against adding pop-up advertising for our clients and will continue to do so. There are much better and less annoying ways to get your message to your visitors. Now that Google will start penalizing websites that utilize pop-up advertising, you can’t afford to choose this option in the future.  

If you have a website with interstitial ads, contact Solutions by Design to discuss updating your site. We have a full in-house staff of graphic designers, web developers, programmers, and more, as well as specialize in custom websites.  Also, we don't use templates and have over 30 years of experience assisting clients all over the world with maintaining branding, web presence, and our clients have top rankings on Google. Call us today 800-888-4084.  

EXCLUSIVE LIMITED OFFER! Save 40% With This Bundle Package

Important Reasons Why You May Need To Revamp Your Website

The internet is ever-changing so it’s important to remember your website must reflect those changes as well. Maintaining your website is essential to your business because most potential leads come from searching online for goods and services. Typically, the first impression potential customers of your business get will come from your website and other platforms your business is connected to online. Because of this, it’s imperative your website stays fresh with new content and design trends. What worked for you in the past may not work for you in the future, especially as the audience to your site changes and web developments continue to occur. So when is a good time to update the look, feel, and operation of your website?

Keep reading to learn some important reasons you may need to revamp your website with redesigning and functional modifications.

Maintenance
Just like everything else, your website may need repairs once in a while. Unlike a car, however, you may not be aware of when something breaks on your site. Having a trusted team to help you with website repairs will make your life a lot easier as most of your staff members in-house don’t have expertise on browsers and servers that operate your site. Sometimes what may seem to be a minor change may actually result in a major web redesign. Regularly revamping your website will keep your business updated with the latest technology changes and leave your customers with a flawless website experience.

Results
You might have a breathtaking website with amazing functionality and gorgeous graphics, but if you’re not getting the results you want it may be time to redesign your site. One major purpose of a website is to build a customer base, so if you’re unhappy with the analytics of that, redesigning may help. Updating and redesigning things such as the call to action, too much text, or the tone of voice can help you achieve your goal results.

It’s Not Responsive
Out of our clients at Solutions by Design, over 50% of their website visitors browse from a mobile device, that’s why we make sure our website clients have responsive websites. Responsive websites are crafted to provide an easy experience and website navigation to users on a wide range of devices and browsers. Also, another important factor is Google algorithms give preference to responsive websites. If you want to keep your rankings up or increase them, you need to have a responsive site. Responsive sites must be built from the ground up, you can’t convert these, but you’ll likely see a return on your investment once you update from a non-responsive.

There are several other factors as to why redesigning and routine maintenance to your website is significant. From outdated third-party tools to your competitors who keep up with the trends. Realizing that investing in your website regularly will keep your business modern, functional, and ideally it will appeal to visitors and turn them into new customers. Do you think your website may be in need of a redesign? Give us a call to set up a consultation. Call 800-888-4084.

Introducing Instagram Stories

Many of our clients have asked about or considered starting a Snapchat account, but after realizing that it really requires a full-time staff member to maintain an active successful account, they opt out. Well, we have some good news for those of you wanting to add to your social media presence, but not ready for the responsibilities of Snapchat. Earlier this month, Instagram announced its latest feature: Instagram Stories.

Instagram Stories allows users to upload impromptu or behind-the-scenes pictures and videos to their followers that last for 24 hours. After the 24 hour period, the upload will disappear without changing anything on your Instagram profile. The process of uploading your Instagram Stories is almost identical to that of Snapchat, but if you’re unfamiliar with the process don’t worry, we have you covered!

Check out the steps of adding a story to your Instagram account and take advantage of this feature for your business.

Step 1: Click the plus symbol on the top left corner of your Instagram feed. 

Step 2: Hit the circle camera button to take a picture or video. Hold it down for the video option.

Step 3: Be creative. Add a drawing to your upload by using the buttons on the top right corner.

Step 4: Swipe left or right to choose a filter. There are 7 options. 

Step 5: Hit the check mark on the bottom to add the picture or video to your Instagram Story.

For more tips and tricks from Solutions by Design be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on our Facebook & Instagram.

The Death of Flash

There have been warnings from the major browser companies in the past couple of years regarding their decreasing support of Adobe Flash. Google and Firefox have both stated that it would eventually drop all support for Flash, and it looks like Google is making good on that promise.

This week Google announced that the new version of their Chrome browser, Chrome 53, which is set to be released next month will block Flash content by default. Users will still be prompted about enabling Flash support, but this is the first major step toward dropping support altogether. Firefox will soon follow with the same type of Flash blocking.

What does this mean for you as a customer? If you still have a Flash-based website, or if you have any Flash content on your website, your customers will be unable to view it. A Flash-based website is now a virtual dinosaur and it’s time to upgrade.

If you don’t have a Flash-based website, or any type of Flash content on your website, congratulations! This will have no impact on your online presence. If you’re still using Flash, it’s time to update it now to prevent complications in the future. If you are ready to take the steps to update now, call Solutions by Design at 800-888-4084.

Get Your Pokemon Go Social KitToday

We've created the ultimate solution for your practice with our Pokemon Go campaign. Get involved with your community, meet new prospective patients, and grow your social media presence with our new Pokemon Go Social Kit!

How it works:
We provide all of the printed materials you need for your Pokemon Go campaign. Use the materials to grow your social media presence with your local Pokemon Go players. Offer the players your WIFI guest password when they LIKE you on Facebook! It's simple, fun, and allows you to grow your social presence all while keeping up with the latest gaming trend.

Pokemon Go Social Kit Includes:
1 - 24" x 18" Campaign Sign
1 - 8 1/2" x 11" In Office Sign (frame not included)
1 - Social Media Digital Graphic (display not included)
2 - Selfie Signs
3 - Photo Booth Props

CALL US TO GET YOUR POKEMON GO SOCIAL KIT TODAY! 800-888-4084

Pokemon Go Social

The Pokemon Go phenomenon has taken off and is now a leading app since its launch on July 6th. Though many may look at Pokemon Go as just a game, others are looking to it as a huge marketing opportunity. In just a week, some businesses have decided to use the game to lure in new customers…so we want our clients to have a heads up on this and do the same!

Get your practice involved in Pokemon Go by learning how to play, and taking advantage of PokeStops and Lures. Doing so will result in creating brand awareness, engagement, and foot traffic to your practice.

What is a PokeStop?

PokeStops attract foot traffic without any effort. Pokestops are located on or near monuments, schools, museums and other historical buildings, and players flock to them like they’re giving away a million dollars every minute. So figuring out whether your practice is a PokeStop is the first thing you should do. If you haven’t already, download the Pokemon Go App (it’s free). Once you have it downloaded, open it up and check the map for a Blue Spinning Tower. If you see one on your screen without having to walk too far away from your practice, lucky you, you have a PokeStop! Now all you need to do is sit back, place Lure after Lure on your PokeStop, and watch all of the prospective new patients flock to your office.

While there are rumors of PokeStops being available for purchase in the future, as of today, there is no way to own or create your own Pokestop. However, if your practice happens to be located next to a PokeStop you need to be taking advantage of it now.

What is a Lure?

Lures increase the rate of Pokemon generation in the area around the PokeStop where they're placed for a half hour. Lures are completely affordable, for about $10 you can purchase enough Lures to have your PokeStop in pink sparkles for 7 hours. So for a little more than a dollar an hour, you can bring crowds of people to your practice when you place a lure.

If you want to take advantage and lure in new patients, Pokemon Go provides you the opportunity to do just that. Jump on the Pokemon Go bandwagon and get your practice name seen by your community when they become a part of the Pokemon Go phenomenon. Also, it’s important to know what to do with these prospective patients when you get them to your office. Set a goal of what you want in return and create a strategy to reach the goal. Confused on what to do with the prospects once you get them to your office? Ask us about our Pokemon Go Party Package!

Rank Before Your Competitors! Tips For Effective Local SEO

The majority of businesses provide goods or services locally, meaning their customer base is confined to a certain geographical area. For example, an orthodontist or a veterinarian provide their services to a city, county, or region where their client base is within easy driving distance.

So for these businesses, all of their SEO efforts should be tuned to providing local results. But what are some of the ways in which a business can effectively target the local market and get the highest possible rankings?

Optimize your “Google My Business” page

Some of our SEO clients prefer that we handle the setup and maintenance of their Google My Business page. This is Google’s portal for local businesses to provide important information such as location, hours, business category, etc. Having an optimized Google My Business page is essential for your local SEO efforts.

But by far, most of our SEO clients control their own Google My Business page. For those of you that do, here are some tips for properly maintaining your page:

• Add a business address that is consistent with local directories as well as your website 
• Select the correct category for your business 
• Add a local business phone number to your listing 
• Add a unique business description, and include links to your other social media pages 
• Add your business hours 
• Upload a high-resolution cover photo and profile image 
• Upload as many photos (and videos) as possible 

Ask your customers for reviews

Having positive reviews builds trust in your business and gives your customers confidence. It also helps a great deal in how your business is ranked locally with your competitors. There’s no such thing as too many positive reviews.

Some SEO clients offer incentives for customers to leave reviews, which can certainly be effective, but there are other ways in which you can encourage your customers. Remember, it is best to capture reviews as soon as possible from your customers because they are more likely to respond favorably to your request rather than six months down the road.

• A simple hand-out or email that lists various review sites, and asks them to choose one or more 
• A place on your website that captures their attention and provides links to the various review sites 
• An occasional posting on social media that asks customers to leave a review, along with links to top review sites 
• Train your staff to routinely ask your customers for reviews 

There are many more tips for local SEO. The important thing to remember is that you put in the time and effort for the best results. If you are interested in improving your local SEO rankings, now is the time to do it. Your competitors are. The longer you wait the harder it will be to catch up to them. Contact Solutions By Design today to get started, call 800-888-4084.

The Ultimate Facebook Secret to Success for Orthodontic Practices

Lately, we’ve been getting a ton of questions from clients confused about social media and how to create effective social media strategies on social networks. This is a huge topic, seriously, we could write pages and pages on it! To make your lives easier, and save our hands from carpal tunnel, we decided to share with you the ultimate Facebook secret to success for orthodontic practices.

Here it is…USE YOUR CURRENT PATIENTS AS BRAND AMBASSADORS ON FACEBOOK FOR YOUR PRACTICE!

How do you do this, you ask? Simple. Engage with your patients when they’re at your practice and encourage them to connect with you online, specifically on Facebook. One way to do this is something a lot of our social media clients currently do; use strategic Facebook contests.

Let’s explore this a little more.

So many practices do contests, but the real question is, are contests being done right? This Summer, Solutions by Design’s social media clients have tons of custom created contests that are efficient for the practices social media marketing strategies. Several of our custom created contests promote patients to post selfies and tag the practice on Facebook, in order to be entered to win a prize from their doctor.

By doing this, we have the patients utilizing the power of social media for the practices brand awareness.  Yes, posting photos of the patients to the Facebook business page is great, but having patients post their own photos and tagging the practice is even better, and the ultimate secret to social media success. By doing something like this, your patients become brand ambassadors for your practice on Facebook.  Ultimately, this connects their closest friends and followers with your practice because they tag your practice on Facebook, and this shows the world of Facebook they do business with you. All while they think they're just entering a contest.This eliminates extra costs of paying to boost Facebook posts, purchase Facebook advertisements, or worrying about HIPAA consent forms.

Also, when your patients tag you in a post, Facebook will notify your practice, and provide you with the option to share the post on your practice's page.

Custom designed contests are just one of the several ways our social media clients use patients as brand ambassadors. Are you interested in learning more about our social media services? Contact our trusted social media department and ask for more details or client reviews.  Remember, there are several companies out there claiming to provide similar services, but they’re based on limited experience and misguided advice; especially when it comes to the area of orthodontic marketing. 

Oh What A Show

The 2016 AAO Annual Session was a success for the Solutions by Design booth! We traveled all the way from California to Orlando, Florida to showcase our wonderful products, services, and offer great promos that so many new and existing clients took advantage of. If you didn't have a chance to stop by our booth, don't worry, we are creating some wonderful post-show promos that will be coming out soon.

Check out this time-lapse video of our booth from the 2016 AAO Annual Session to see if you made the video cut!

Again, thank you for coming to the show! See you all next year in San Diego, California!

3...2...1...Launch!

April has been an amazing month for Solution by Design’s website clients. We have had several of our website clients finalize their websites and are now live! Solutions by Design would like to congratulate the following clients on their recent live websites.

These beautifully custom crafted websites created by our SBD team show detailed skill, knowledge, and professionalism of each practice. Check them out now!

1. Dr.Rupali Wadhwa : Morristown Orthodontics – New Responsive Website, Social Media Program and bLink Patient Reminders
2. Dr.Jeremy Albert: Albert Family Ortho – New Responsive Website
3. Dr.Alex Cranford: Cranford Orthodontics – Responsive Website Upgrade and bLink Patient Reminders
4. Dr.Eric Sacks: Sacks Orthodontics - Mobile Website Re-Design
5. Dr.David Kemp: Kemp Orthodontics – New Responsive Website, Social Media Program and bLink Patient Reminders

Our team is proud to call you all clients. It was a pleasure working closely with you during this process to provide you with a truly amazing website. Solutions by Design features custom website development. No templates and no canned content. Each site is developed based upon the attributes of the individual practice and its markets.

Our clients choose Solutions by Design for the creation of their website after evaluating their other options and realize that we are the only company that truly offers a unique combination of design, marketing, programming, SEO, social media and clinical knowledge necessary to create effective and functional websites. We are the total solution and offer several levels of website development based upon your needs and budget. Give us a call to now at 800-888-4084 and ask us about our newest promotions.

FAQ Of The Month: How Come My Camera Is Not Working?

Montage was developed to create the ultimate patient experience in the reception area of your office. You can organize, manage and display educational and informational content in one place and make it fun at the same time. We understand that technology isn’t always easy to use, so this month we decided to take one of your Frequently Asked Questions, and provide the answer for you below!

Question: How come my Camera is not working?

Answer:

1. Please check if the camera is plugged into the computer attached to the back of the Touchscreen board or try using a different USB Port. 
2. Next refresh the contents of the page that is currently running on the Montage board. When prompted make sure you are selecting “Allow” when it asks if you want to let www.andisolutions.com use your camera. The message should right above the content of Montage. If it does not please do not hesitate to give our office a call. 
3. If the problems persist, let us know and we can get this resolved for you.

If you have any further questions or concerns, our Technical Support can be reached @559.765.0638 or support@solutionsbydesign.com.

How To Select Patient Information And Care & Use Forms

We understand that you’re busy helping your patients and may not always remember everything after your ScreenPlay training course, so we decided to provide you with a quick & easy refresher course on how how to select patient information and care & use forms.

Because this section has been customized for your practice, the information on Policies, Procedures and Care & Use are all specific to the way you practice. Simply click on any of the individual information sets that you desire, or select all. Each can be printed, included in your online presentation or included on a CD with the balance of your presentation.

We hope we’ve helped to refresh your memory on this area of ScreenPlay. If you would like more help navigating ScreenPlay, or have specific areas that are confusing, please contact us and we will gladly review areas of concern with you.

bLink App: Featuring Bluetooth Beacon Notification Technology

Our bLink email and text appointment reminders application is still in the process creating our bLink App; but it’s coming soon. The bLink App will provide your patient’s mobile device an appointment reminders notification, financial transaction notification, and patient education notifications. This will allow you to uniquely communicate with your patients more efficiently with a branded bLink App from Solutions by Design. Patients will be able to download your branded App free from your website to their phone to receive notifications on their mobile device.

New Special Feature on the bLink App: Featuring Bluetooth beacon Notification Technology

At Solutions by Design, we’re always ahead of the trends when it comes to software and technology. Introducing bLink Beacon Technology, a highly advanced feature that automatically detects when each of your patients arrives for their appointment at your office. Once your patient enters your office, a text with any desired message specific to any appointment type is sent to them. This new technology allows bLink App to understand the patients location and automatically send custom text message notifications. This is a great solution for any office.

Give us a call to now at 800-888-4084 and ask us about our newest bLink promotions.

How To Get Your Patients To Check-In On Facebook

Reminding customers to check-in on Facebook is a key to success for your social media marketing campaign. It’s important to remember the exposure on Facebook is great for your business, but we understand the big question is, how do you get customers to check-in?

Chances are most customers are armed with smartphones, and have an active Facebook account. As it takes only a few simple taps on the screen for them to check-in, getting them to do so can be a bit tricky at times. Here are a few ways you can increase the odds that your customers will take the small effort to check-in at your location.

Post Signage

Ask your social media manager for the marketing tools you need to help customers be reminded to check-in. Be sure to utilize posters or table tents by strategically placing them in areas with the most foot traffic. If you need custom posters or table tents created, contact us. We are always happy to design customer work for our clients.

Ask Your Patients to Check-in

Nothing is more effective than simply asking your customers to check-in on Facebook. Tell them about your social media marketing campaign and encourage them to connect with you online to stay updated on promos, events, giveaways, and more.

Encourage Employees to Check-in

One way to get your check-in process moving along is to have your employees check-in. They have friends and family members on their Facebook page that will see the check-in by them, and consider doing so themselves.

Remind your own friends and family to check-in at your location too. When they’re visiting your location, ask them to check-in. Chances are, they will do so without hesitation.

Become A Checkin4Charity.com Member

Solutions by Design introduces checkin4charity.com, an exciting social media tool that creates amazing customer impressions and reach for fractions of a penny. This may be the lowest cost-per-point advertising and social media marketing tool available in the world. Our Facebook integration connects your customer's Facebook account to your Facebook page when they check-in at your business to benefit checkin4charity.com.

As a checkin4charity.com member, we provide you with the marketing tools to help increase the number of check-ins at your business. These tools include a digital display with scrolling details about the charity of the month, and impactful images that encourage your customers to check-in.

Also included in the membership are posters, table tents, social media announcements, and a custom social media graphic every month for your social media manger to post on your current Facebook page and social media channels. Your social media channels are one of the best places to direct people to check-in, since you’re likely speaking to those who are avid social media users. You may want to also add this graphic to your website, or blog, for more exposure to those who may not be following you on social media.

Remember, Solutions by Design is here to support your business and guide you along the way. Contact us to learn about our current social media packages and our checkin4charity.com memberships.

The Secret To Higher Invisalign Rankings

Before Invisalign made a concerted effort to advertise nationally through television and online advertising, orthodontic practice websites usually maintained high rankings in Invisalign searches by simply having one or two pages of Invisalign content. But that’s not the case anymore.

Now that more people are aware of what Invisalign is and how it works, and because more people than ever are searching for information and providers, those websites with minimal Invisalign information are seeing drastic decreases in rankings in the search results. So what’s the solution?

If you conduct a search for “Invisalign in (your city)” you will begin to notice one key difference between those at the top of the rankings and those at the bottom. Clicking on the top websites will present you with far more Invisalign information, including pages with videos, testimonials, and other information. This is a great example of Google’s focus on relevance.

Google has decided, and rightly so, that someone looking for information on Invisalign will want as much information as possible in one location. Given the choice between one page of general information or multiple pages with videos and other resources, which one would you choose?

If you are serious about increasing your Invisalign rankings, now is the time to add more Invisalign content to your website. Your competitors are. The longer you wait the harder it will be to catch up to them. Contact Solutions By Design today to get started, call 800-888-4084.

Montage FAQ of the Month

How do I remove or delete images from the Gallery?

ScreenPlay Montage was developed to create the ultimate patient experience in the reception area of your office. You can organize, manage and display educational and informational content in one place and make it fun at the same time. We understand that technology isn’t always easy to use, so this month we decided to take one of your Frequently Asked Questions, and provide the answer for you below!

Question: How do I remove or delete images from the Gallery?

Answer:

1. To delete images that are displayed through the Gallery you will need to login to andisolutions.com as an ANDI User. Once you are at the Dashboard click on ScreenPlay Montage–>Content–>Gallery. Before you make any changes make sure you have the right Configuration Profile on the top right selected. “Selecting” an image causes it to be displayed in your profile and “Unselecting” an image will take it down.

2. To Delete an image permanently from your profile you will need to make sure it is “Unselected” first followed by a click on the Red [X]. Again it is important that the correct Configuration Profile is selected.

If you have any further questions or concerns, our Technical Support can be reached @559.765.0638 or support@solutionsbydesign.com.

How can you gain the most value from ScreenPlay?

Solutions By Design

ScreenPlay fits into any office system: a one-step, two-step or three-step. Whether you have digital records, or utilize an imaging program, ScreenPlay is the perfect fit for every office. We understand that you’re busy helping your patients and may not always remember everything after your ScreenPlay training course, so we decided to provide you with a quick & easy refresher course on how you can gain the most value from ScreenPlay. We want to make sure our ScreenPlay clients are taking full advantage of the benefits of this wonderful SBD product.

Chairside Presentations- Give you full access to a wide variety of patient education videos that can be played chairside upon demand. Adjusting a retainer? Activate the retainer Care and Use video.

Multimedia Video Library- Our video library is composed of both full length videos and video clips. Videos are organized into three categroies: compliance, care and use, and procedures.

Clinical Findings Report- Produce a beautiful document with patient records, as well as an image of each step of treatment. Record your findings and recommendations as well.

Post-Exam Email or CD- Reinforce the message presented in the initial examination by recording and burning it to a CD, or emailing it directly to your patient.

Practice management Software- Integrates and bi-directionally communicates with most leading practice management software applications. ScreenPlay becomes the front-end presentation vehicle for your practice. Patient records, demographics and even findings can all be passed to ScreenPlay for patient presentation.

Website Integration- Offers an integration path between ScreenPlay and your website. Complete the initial exam and email your patient a link that goes directly to your website. Once there, they can browse your site to find out more about you, orthodontic treatment and the options that may be available to them.

Staff Training- ScreenPlay is the perfect staff training program. What better way to train your staff on orthodontic problmes and treatment options than with a case presentation program?

We hope we’ve helped to refresh your memory on all that ScreenPlay offers to your practice. If you would like more help navigating ScreenPlay, or have specific areas that are confusing, please contact us and we will gladly review areas of concern with you.

How to navigate the Video section of bLink PRO

 The video section allows you to select the videos that correspond to the way you practice. All of the available videos are preloaded for your practice. You can preview any of the videos by clicking on the Play button next to each description.

You can remove any of the videos from your video library by simply clicking the Remove button at the right hand side of each video description. Don’t worry, that video is not gone forever. If you change your mind and wish to add it back to your practice’s library, click on the Add/Remove Videos button at the top of the section. You will see the complete list of videos with your currently selected videos highlighted in blue.

To add a video back, click on the small box located to the left of the video image and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to Save.

There are 3 tabs for videos:

• Care and Use refers to videos on the care and use of specific appliances.
• Compliance videos demonstrate to the patient how to comply with the clinical guidelines.
•  Procedure videos provide treatment animations for a variety braces types, removable appliances, fixed appliances, extraction and surgical cases.

Videos are utilized in 2 different ways: On Demand or playing videos one at a time in the office, and Patient Education Emails, as automated email distribution.

bLink Doctor Portal

On Demand allows you to call up any of our educational videos instantly through your Doctor Portal for patient chair-side presentation. You also have the option of emailing the video home for the patient by clicking the Email button. A new screen will open. Start typing in the patient’s last name and the program will begin listing patients. Select from the drop down which patient and it will automatically list emails you have on file for that patient. You can then type in a subject and message to accompany the video and then click Send. The patient will have a message waiting for them when they arrive home. Auto-event distribution of Patient Education Videos bLink Pro can be synchronized with your practice management software applications to pre-schedule the automatic distribution of patient educational videos as the patient progresses through treatment. You can select videos that correspond with each appointment type and designate the desired timetable for the distribution.

This auto-event distribution is called Patient Education Emails and includes the following features:

• Synchronize each appointment type with corresponding educational videos
• Preset the timing for the email distribution of each message up to 30 days prior to the appointment or 30 days after
• Customize an email message including any pertinent information based on the appointment type

New Websites Launch

We’ve had an exciting start to the New Year for our SBD website clients. From January through February we have had 6 of our website clients finalize their websites and are now live! Solutions by Design would like to congratulate the following clients on their recent live websites.

These beautifully custom crafted websites created by our SBD team show detailed skill, knowledge, and professionalism of each practice. Check them out now!

http://www.carolinaorthopedo.com – Dr. Jesse Arbon (New Responsive Website)

http://www.coolsmilesorthodontics.com - Dr. Simjee (Upgrade from HTML to Responsive)

http://www.southbaybraces.org – Dr. Peter Sinclair (Upgrade from Flash to Responsive)

http://www.texasorthodonticspecialists.com – Dr. Chen (New Mobile Website)

http://www.appletreeortho.com - Dr. Timmeny & Dr. Polgrean (New Responsive Website)

http://www.webbbraces.com – Dr. Brian Webb (New Responsive Website)

Our team is proud to call you all clients. It was a pleasure working closely with you during this process to provide you with a truly amazing website. Solutions by Design features custom website development. No templates and no canned content. Each site is developed based upon the attributes of the individual practice and its markets.

Our clients choose Solutions by Design for the creation of their website after evaluating their other options and realize that we are the only company that truly offers a unique combination of design, marketing, programming, SEO, social media and clinical knowledge necessary to create effective and functional websites. We are the total solution and offer several levels of website development based upon your needs and budget. Give us a call to now at 800-888-4084 and ask us about our newest promotions.

Changes in Google Ads Layout

Google announced that ads will no longer appear on the right-hand side of the search results in desktop browsers. This is not a sudden change, as Google has been experimenting with different ad layouts for quite some time, but it marks a genuine shift in Google’s overall ad strategy. Product listing ad blocks and Knowledge Panels will continue to show up on the right side for relevant queries.

So what does this mean for the organic search results? Not much, but a definite change will be noticeable. Google will begin showing up to four ads at the top of the search results, and there will also be three ads at the bottom. The number of ads on a search results page will shrink from around 11 to a maximum of seven.

The number of click shares that the right-hand ads received was very low, which is one of the reasons why Google has made this change. Of all ad clicks, around 87% were for the top ads and 13% were for the right side. Google learned that people were more apt to click on ads within the organic listings column and are simply following that trend.

It’s too early to tell if this will mean higher ad rates because of the decrease in number of ads. Some industry sources say it will, but time will tell. But for those who prefer to seek higher organic rankings rather than ad spots, this may begin to impact their efforts because more ads will now be prominent above and below the organic results. This is something that Solutions By Design SEO team will be keeping an eye on in the coming months.

Avoid SEO & Social Media Service Provider Scams

More business owners now understand the importance of SEO and Social Media for their online efforts.  If you don’t have proper SEO, or a current Social Media campaign, you’re just not going to grow your business; it’s as simple as that.  With the rise of demand for these services, also come several unqualified companies offering them to business owners, and most with a much lower rate than specialists.  Beware of scammer SEO and Social Media service providers and their enticing advertisements that actually are too good to be true.
Keep reading for red flags of SEO and Social Media service scams.
Learn to recognize these red flags before considering them for hire:

• Offshore or no address operations.

Several scams are headquartered offshore, making it difficult for regulators to shut down the scam and recover investors’ funds.  Also, several people familiar with the basic knowledge of SEO and Social Media claim to be online experts and have started offering these services to companies at dramatically lower rates.  These self-proclaimed experts typically don’t provide an address or location of business on any form of contact; this is because they are not a legitimate company with credentials in the field, but someone offering services from their home.

• Professional websites with little to no information.

Anyone can put up a website or hire a web designer to do so.  Scam sites may look professional, but they offer little to no information about the company’s management, location or details about the services promised.

• Offers that seem too good to be true usually are.

Now that so many people are offering SEO and Social Media services, keep in mind you get what you pay for.  A lot of these companies offering services for reduced rates usually provide generic content used for all clients.  Also, they use word choices that make the buyer think they’re getting much more than usual. We’ve worked with hundreds of clients who have faced this problem. An example of this is an offer that states “we will enhance your social media by streaming it on your website.”  This does not mean they will post custom content on social media, it means they will add your social media page to your website; but not post on it.  This does you no good.

• This company is known for specializing in a different field.

Did you recently get contacted from a company for SEO and Social Media that typically specializes in a completely different field?  Look into this business and see how long they’ve specialized in SEO & Social Media.  Make sure they have the credentials and aren’t just coming up with new ways to make fast money, and short you on services.  Most of our clients have seen this before coming to SBD, and it’s easy to spot just by checking reviews online.    It makes no sense to hire a film production company to handle your online marketing strategies, for example, so don’t be fooled by those claiming to specialize in SEO and Social Media when they don’t.
Why SBD is the best choice for SEO and Social Media Services:

• Solutions By Design has been in business for over 30 years offering professional services to clients worldwide.
• We offer custom content with every client – no spam, generic posts. All 100% original content and design.
• Our team is experienced and trained with credentials in marketing, SEO, programming, graphic design, videography, etc.
• We become an extended part of your team with constant interaction with office point of contact to keep your followers updated on what is going on with you.
• We’re a fraction of the expense it would be to hire an employee.
• We manage your page & let you focus on doing your job.
• Social delivers positive return on investment because it is another tool in your marketing arsenal.
• 100% of SBD SEO Clients who have been with us for 90 days or more see almost all of their keywords ranking on the first page of results in Google.
• We provide monthly analytical reports of metrics.

Look for us at The Forum 2016!

 



 

Look for Solutions By Design this week at The Forum 2016 in Ranco Palos Verdes, CA! Stop by booth #11 to learn more about our latest products such as Checkin4Charity.com, and learn more about our current promotions. We can't wait to see you there!

 

SBD New Product Launch - Checkin4Charity.com

Solutions By Design has created another solution to enhance your social media strategy.  Are you ready to connect with thousands of potential local customers each month?  Interested in expanding your brand online while making a difference in the world? Then you need this new innovative social media tool we’ve created, Checkin4Charity.com.

What is Checkin4Charity.com?

Checkin4charity.com is a very low cost and innovative social media tool that will greatly and instantly expand your social presence on the internet, while allowing your customers to help make a difference.  By providing digital signage in your office, blasters to your customer base, and information on your website….your patients will “Check-in” at your business and reach thousands…mostly local potential customers per month.

How does it work?

We have established relationships and committed donations to 12 charities, one per month.  Your customers see the “call to action” notifying them that for every Check-in at your business, we will make a donation to the charity of the month.  The provided digital display and your website give an up to date accumulative, by charity total donations by our program.  The digital display slides month to month showing your customers how they are helping to make a difference in the world when they check in at your business. Your patients see the total accumulative donations raised by ALL Checkin4charity.com participants worldwide.

For Montage Users, we will also provide a Banner Ad to build awareness and participation.

You can choose from 5 levels of participation.  Each is based upon the volume of participation by your customers.

Also, you will receive a monthly Certificate of Appreciation from Checkin4charity.com showing the results of donations generated by your customers check-ins.

Call 1-800-888-4084 TODAY!  (Website still in development)

Exciting Changes for SEO in 2016

The SEO industry is constantly changing, and one of the challenges for us is keeping up with this ever-changing landscape and, more importantly, continually adding value to our SEO services.

As we move into a new year, we are planning on implementing some exciting changes for our many SEO clients. First and foremost will be dynamic online reporting. Utilizing our popular ANDI client portal, your SEO reports will be available online for reviewing at any time, along with historical trends and other important information.

If you haven’t used the ANDI portal yet, you will find it powerful and easy. All of our products are at your fingertips, along with the latest news and information from Solutions by Design. Adding the SEO product will make it even more valuable for our clients.

There are even more changes in the works for SEO in 2016. Our commitment is to continually provide leading-edge SEO services, and when combined with our proven social media strategies it makes sense to go with a company that stays current with the changing online marketing landscape.

Shouldn’t your New Year’s resolutions include SEO and Social Media?

SBD Website Development - January 2016 News

All of our website clients received an e-mail discussing the addition of a SSL Certificate to your website for added security.  This is highly recommended for a variety of reasons. As discussed in the document that you received, not only is this necessary for Chrome but we fell will be a requirement by most browsers to add security to the sites visited.

If you didn’t catch the email on SSL security here is a short list of reasons why this is a critical piece to your site:

• Information submitted on the internet often pass through more than one computer before reaching its destination – SSL certificates encrypts communication broadcasted between users and webservers in case hackers are listening or collecting data (data mining) from the webpage traffic.


• Establishes trust with users accessing your webpage – so the public know you are who you say you are and transactions are protected.


• Authenticates your organization identity to public users via a Padlock image on the address bar in case someone else is spoofing with your IP address (trying to communicate information on your behalf).


• Encrypts webpage transactions so users who fill out forms or enter in their information through the website know it is encrypted. Any and all forms will now be secured.


• SEO…(search engines optimization) is enhanced with secure sites.

New Testimonial Page:

Many of our website clients utilize blink and or Montage.  Practice Reviewer is a great tool for enhanced SEO.  We are adding a new twist to those of you that use both of these products.  The new Testimonial feature allows your patients to take a photo with the Montage Board….then post a comment along with the photo to your website!  Before the Testimonial goes live…you will review each in ANDI, controlling all content before it goes live.

ScreenPlay January 2016 News

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ScreenPlay continues to gain market share as more and more users are finding and becoming comfortable with its power.  A new update is scheduled for release soon and will include a variety of new animations on appliances.

ScreenPlay Features:

Extensive Animation and Video Library
You can educate patients at the exam as they sit chair-side using our dynamic 3D animations. ScreenPlay has patient education videos ranges from 1.5 to 8 minutes in length, professionally produced and are regarded as the best in the business.

Malocclusion Specific
Features more than a thousand animations, all specific to patient age classification and malocclusion with problem and treatment options. Each step in the treatment process can be demonstrated the way you recommend treatment. An audio track describing the problem or treatment accompanies each animation.

Sending Presentations Home

At the end of your presentation, you can compile the entire presentation and burn it to a CD or Email it home to the patient. Each contains all of the information presented in the examination, including actual patient records, findings, policy and procedure forms, care and use forms, problem and treatment demonstration animations with audio tracks and patient education videos.

Languages

ScreenPlay has a multt-language interface providing voice-overs and captions for all the animations and education videos in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.

Protocol Management Center
With Protocols, you can create a favorite set of animations. It may be just a single animation like an RPE, or an entire string of animations and videos. This provides simple access for individual appliances or problems.

Digital Forms
ScreenPlay also includes a series of administrative as well as clinical forms for use in the consultation or throughout treatment as needed.

With this offer there are 3 maintenance packages for you to choose from.

For more information on ScreenPlay Pro and our new pricing please contact us at 1-800-888-4084

bLink January 2016 News

Ask your SBD representative how blink fits into your communications Eco-System! 

bLink 2.0 is in the works.

There is a lot of development going on here these days.  bLink 2.0 is a major undertaking that will add a significant amount of new features to its functionality.

The long awaited Newsletters and Survey feature will provide our users with the tools necessary to allow our users to send Newsletter to Existing/ Active Patients as well as all “Patients of Record”.

This month we are pushing out a new feature that will allow you to automatically send a “Request for Review” email. This specific email can be synced to any appointment “type”.  Based upon the appointment types designated in your PMS.  The same functionality applies here as it does to your Montage Board Reviewer functionality. Reviews once completed and submitted go to ANDI.  Once ion ANDI you can accept them and respond with a request to post.  From there your patients can post reviews about your practice to popular review sites such as Yelp and Google Reviews.

Create your Own Email Types:

This new feature will allow you to add and delete any of the email opportunities in bLink.  Want to add an email specific to “How are you Feeling” to be sent right after the bonding appointment? Want to add an SBD video on how to deal with any possible pain…you can set up your emails with your own message with your designated attachments.

Here is a list of the most requested features for bLink 2.0

1. Newsletter


2. Message Center communication linked up to Doctor/Patient emails


3. Text Message being able to confirm


4. Mass Email fixes, additional features, and improvements


5. Combining/consolidating multiple appointment reminders that go out within a single day


6. Notification settings automatically update when emails/cell numbers are change within clients Management Software


7. bLink fixing RP and P link as long as it is correct from client Management Software


8. Control over which reminders go out (reminders by appointment types)

 

Other bLink news includes:

We added the Automated Reviewer email to blink

We also enhanced the Reviewer feature in Montage so the “Review that the patient wrote goes into the email that asks them to post; it can also be ported to the website.

ALL OF THESE AND MUCH, MUCH MORE ARE INCLUDED IN THE NEW 2.0 UPGRADE CURRENTLY IN THE WORK.

Montage January 2016 News

Montage 3.0 was released and looks great!  We have a variety of additional features that will be released in packets as 3.1-3.2 and 3.3.

3.0 added a lot of great features.  If you want to convert to 3.0…it is simple and it is free.  Simply log into your ANDI account and under the Settings tab select Layout.  A list of “versions” will appear. You will see a template demonstrating the look of each version.

3.1 which is in the works is truly amazing!

Here is a preview of what is in development for 3.1:

Cosmetic features:

Although 3.0 looks really cool…especially on our new iPhone looking Kiosk…we were not happy with the way that each widget enlarged…they were lacking pizazz.  We went back to the drawing board on this function and now…they have pizazz.  Instead of filling the center of the screen right to left with a blue background, each has a fun motion and retains its shape and color background.  They are smaller when enlarged and look a lot more balanced.



Each of the widgets now have motion in them while in their inactive mode.  This adds more interest and instantly alerts any patient of the fact that the display is interactive.

The Main Menu with multiple screens will allow users to select any and all widgets from the main screen.  Look at the list of widgets in development here and you will see a ton of new features.



 

Additional Widgets:

Utilize Sling Box technology to stream your cable TV connection onto the Montage board. This feature connection onto the Montage board. This feature expands at a touch and can be set to enlarge if the board is unattended for more than “X” minutes.





 

 

3.2  is in the final stages of development.  Now testimonials and reviews can go to the Website, Montage Board and to Review sites automatically.



 



Also new on 3.2

Introducing the new Montage Examiner, offering special features:

• Whiteboard Feature with X-ray import and icon import


• Brochure Feature


• Videos feature

For more information on Montage click here or call 1-800-888-4084 TODAY! 

 

A New Year, A New App

The New Year brings a new app to your smartphone that everyone is talking about. Peach is a new social networking app that offers features similar to those of Facebook & Twitter.  Users can create profiles, obtain followers, private message, and update statuses.  Status updates, however, are limited to less complex posting guidelines comparable to Twitter’s character restriction.

Created by the same creator of Vine, Dom Hofmann, many are curious if Peach will have enough features to compete with the popular social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  One notable feature of the new app is what creators are calling “magic words.”  These are words that generate functions. An example is using the word “here” to add your location to a post.  Currently, there are 20 active “magic words” supported by Peach. See them here.



At the moment, this app is not available on Android, and there is no web app or way to view posts publicly. As the app continues to grow we will keep you updated on significant changes.  Have you started using Peach? Let us know your thoughts by posting them on our Facebook wall.

The last days of Internet Explorer 8, 9, & 10

Microsoft will end support for older versions of Internet Explorer on January 12, 2016. The versions included to end are 8, 9, and 10.  This leaves Internet Explorer 11 as the last version of the browser supported by Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. All users of the older browser versions will be notified at the time of launch to upgrade to a recent browser.

What does this mean?

This means if you don’t have the Internet Explorer 11 version, you better update it now.  Those running the older versions will no longer receive security updates or technical support from Microsoft.  According to Microsoft, “Security updates patch vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware, helping to keep users and their data safer.”  It’s important for Internet Explorer users to upgrade and stay current to help protect their computers.

What are the risks of running older versions of Internet Explorer after January 12, 2016?

Microsoft has alerted users of 3 risks they can be exposed to if they run older versions after the final date: security, compliance, and lack of ISV support.

Security Risks: Some security risks of running older browser versions include harmful viruses, malicious software that can take your business data, and spyware.

Compliance: Businesses with governing obligations such as HIPAA should follow up to ensure they are able to satisfy the legal requirements while using unsupported software.

Lack of ISV Support (independent software vendor): Several software vendors, such as Office365, use the latest web programs and are created to function properly and best on the latest browsers available.

If you’re still using an older version of Internet Explorer, it’s time to update it now to 11 to prevent complications in the future. If you are ready to take the steps to update now, please see the guidelines on TechNet.

New Social Media Director At SBD

We are excited to start the new year with a new SBD team member! We want to welcome Ashley Gallegos to our team!



Ashley is our new Social Media Director with expertise in social marketing to effectively enhance your online reputation and communication. She will be working hard to keep your social media strategy up to date with the latest trends for optimal results.