Montage: New Competitive Trivia

This new update is a lot of fun! We have 2 new versions of Competitive Trivia. Our Fun Trivia stays the same. Competitive Trivia for the “Individual Practice” allows your patients to compete among themselves over a defined period of time. The Trivia Placeholder Graphic alerts each Client to “Play and Win” the prize is typically a gift card, but it can be more, it’s up to you.  Each participating client that gets 10 out of 10 is Congratulated and prompted to enter their name, email, cell info etc.

They are then prompted to take a photo directly from the Montage Board board. All 10 of 10 rock stars are automatically entered into a random drawing at the end of the term, which is user defined, it can be a monthly game, quarterly game or a longer duration if desired. The winner which is automatically selected by will receive an email alerting them that they have won.

“Global Trivia” allows your clients to compete nationally with all other Montage Users. Throughout the World. Same basic process and rules apply except 10 for 10 players are entered into a drawing along with ALL of the other Montage Users throughout the world. Solutions by Design will select, pay for and distribute the prize.

Each Game will be comprised of 10 questions and will be random from our library of over 7,000 Montage trivia questions!

Montage: New Widgets in the Works

Montage is the interactive digital bulletin board that provides a flexible and powerful solution for creating, managing, and deploying all of your digital communications. Completely customizable, Montage works for your practice and ensure all your needs are being met. Here are a few of our upcoming apps that are in the works for Montage.

Competitive Trivia: We have 2 new versions of Competitive Trivia. Our Fun Trivia stays the same. Competitive Trivia for the “Individual Practice” allows your patients to compete among themselves over a defined period of time.

Global Trivia: Clients compete internationally with all other Montage users.

Watermark Photos with 2 Imprints: Photos taken on the Montage board can include a watermark of your practice logo and website URL.

Photo-booth Redesign: We are redesigning a whole new look with additional fun filters.

Animal Toxins: Visuals of toxins presented with a description of each.

Disease Graphics: Each of the dog diseases has multiple images associated with each.

Drawing Feature for Dog and Cat Diseases: While in a specific disease, you will be able to draw and diagram the images similar to when you are in the Whiteboard feature of Montage.

Calorie Counter: We have added buttons to the scale where you can incrementally get to the exact weight that you desire.

Chocolate Dog Poisons: Many of our users utilize a paper laminated wheel to determine the toxicity levels of various chocolates. This will now be digital on the Montage board.

P-PSA Slideshow: Our new Pet Public Service Announcement App can assign the location, timing of over 40 Pet Public Service Announcements to auto play on your board.

Additional Imagery for Whiteboard: By popular demand by our clients, we are adding the Disease graphics  tagged to each Dog and Cat Disease to our Whiteboard.

Additional Brochures and Redesign: We are expanding our digital brochures library to include more Toxins, Diseases and Procedures. We are also enhancing the features and current look so viewers can sort through the library more easily.

We are continually adding new content to Montage for our Veterinary Clinics, If you would like to see more contact our office to schedule a demonstration at (800) 888-4084.

Google Local 3 Pack Matters

If you’re searching for anything, chances are you are going to Google it (search on Google). Searching for the best information fast is critical for someone searching for a need or service. Let’s say we are searching for a specific business. Google wants to provide the information that is most relevant to you, depending on geographical location, prominence, and relevance, Google will determine which local business listings will be displayed. These listings are at the top of the page in a special list accompanied by a map. This is called the “Local 3 Pack” - because Google displays the top 3 results.

According to Google, “Local results appear for people who search for businesses and places near their location.” Let’s say we are searching for a “Veterinarian,” Google will display the top 3 local businesses, based on my geographical location, prominence, and relevance.

There is no denying the top spot on Google is the desired spot for all businesses with an online presence. Only 3 businesses are displayed at the top of the first page on Google, leading to an increase in competition. Google only shows the name of the street where your business is located, with a description of your services. As a user searching for information, you have to click to get the full address, phone number, and reviews.

The top 3 results are local, meaning you will get different results based on your physical location and depending on your search terms.

Through the Local 3 Pack from Google, local businesses have the opportunity for more exposure. Especially with ‘Map View’ you get an overview of most of the local businesses, which expands to a list, leading to more exposure.

How does Google Determine Local Ranking? 

According to Google, “local results are based primarily on relevance, distance, and prominence. These factors are combined to help find the best match for your search. For example, Google algorithms might decide that a business that's farther away from your location is more likely to have what you're looking for than a closer business, and therefore rank it higher in local results.”

Filling out your Google My Business page correctly and constantly update all the information is the first step in ensuring your business is being ranked properly. Adding detailed business information such as business hours, description, address and phone number and photos, will help Google match your business to those searching for your services.

Of course, the distance will impact your search results, showing the local business closest to your location or search terms. Prominence is a determining factor in search results, telling Google how well a business is known. Google gathers this information about a business from various places such as links, articles, websites, and directories. This is where an effective SEO strategy comes in.

It is important to note that you can not pay for a better ranking on Google. According to Google, “There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google. We do our best to keep the details of the search algorithm confidential to make the ranking system as fair as possible for everyone.”

The Google Local 3 Pack has allowed businesses to reach an audience and become more discoverable. Local businesses have the opportunity for more exposure. Be sure to ensure your business or practice is optimized as best as possible. Searching for help on SEO or social media? Contact us for a customized package that is the perfect fit for you. 

Google Plus Shuts Down! What this Means for You?

In December 2018, Google announced to shut down Google+ in April 2019 due to low usage and challenges in maintaining their social platform.

Launched in 2011, Google + (Plus) was Google’s own social media network that was aimed at being different from its competitors back in 2011, such as Facebook and Twitter. Google + was said to become the next big social media platform. If you are unfamiliar with Google +, it allowed users to organize their connections in circles like “family” or “acquaintances”, the names of which remain private. There were no friend requests, and users could be added to each other’s circles, reaching out to people and following their updates.

Like many products that never fully take off or get to the level of social media giants such as Facebook or Instagram - Google + eventually decided to shut down entirely in 2019. What does this mean for you?

If you or your business utilize Google + as another way to distribute information or post updates such as photos, you will want to download all your information before it all disappears.

As of right now (Feb. 2019) you will no longer be able to create new pages on Google + (Plus). On April 2nd, your Google+ account and any Google+ pages you created will be shut down. Google will begin deleting content from Google +. According to Google, photos and videos in your Album Archive and your Google+ pages will also be deleted. You can download and save your content before April. If you have photos backed up in Google Photos, they are safe and will not be deleted.

If you utilize the Google+ Sign-in button when logging into a website, these buttons will stop working in the coming weeks but in some cases may be replaced by a Google Sign-in button, according to Google. You'll still be able to sign in with your Google Account wherever you see Google Sign-in buttons.

With that said, this is another example of technology and social media ever-changing daily. It is important to adapt and have a great social media strategy that is adaptable. Social programs are very much like any other specialized task or responsibility in your business. There is a steep learning curve that requires full-time attention and a continual focus on changing technology. Need help or some tips. Contact us for more information.