Reading time: 7 – 11 minutes
It’s interesting to note how the most productive use of the computer has radically shifted over the last 36 months for chiropractors.
It used to be where anything and everything that involved the internet was done on either a desktop or laptop.
Today, this is not only not the case for many chiropractors. It’s no longer the most efficient and productive approach for doctors.
As we discussed in the recent blog post titled, “2011 Chiropractic Patient Education With C3“, there’s immeasurable value today for chiropractors to curate content for their patients and prospective patients vs. simply creating more content.
Today, patients and prospective patients need someone they can turn to and trust to give them the straight scoop on the latest health, wellness and fitness updates, news items, and buzz.
Hence, the enormous value of being perceived as a health and wellness thought-leader, a healthcare advocate, and a trusted medical resource.
Think about it like this, for a second:
All else being equal – who is a prospective patient more likely to turn to when they’re ready to get started with chiropractic care?…
…a doctor who has simply advertised his/her practice to them… or…
…a doctor who has been a reliable source of information and guidance on the latest trends and news within the health and wellness realm.
The answer should be obvious.
So, what does this role as “chiropractic content curator”, and the achievement of thought-leader status, have to do with the major shift in the way chiropractors are, and should be, using the computer now in 2011.
EVERYTHING!
Achieving valuable-resource and thought-leader status requires that you process of a lot of information each day.
In other words, in order to be able to curate the best and most important bits of health and wellness information for your patients, you need to process and sort through a lot, if not all, of the related news stories, blog posts, etc.
Thankfully, with RSS feeds and a tool like Google Reader, this can all be done from one central location on the web.
And, today, with things like the iPhone and the iPad it can be done while sitting on the couch or relaxing in bed before going to sleep.
Not only that; all of your information processing and sorting, as well as ALL of your social media distribution and blog posting of your curated content can also be done remotely from these mobile devices.
In fact, that’s exactly how I process all of the information I need to stay on top of for all of the chiropractors counting on me as their advisor and resource.
First, each morning I grab my iPad (and a cup of joe) and immediately open an app called Reeder. It’s my preferred app for reviewing all the RSS feeds (new web content) from all of the sites I want to stay up-to-date with.
In under 15 minutes, using Reeder, I’m able to sort through all of the news stories and new content to see which articles I want/need to read later on.
While reviewing my feeds, when I see a news story I want/need to read, I click a button to send the story for later consumption to another app called Instapaper.
Instapaper keeps a list of all of the stories I checked as wanting to read later on.
During my morning review, I don’t actually read (consume) any of the news stories or new web content. I simply use Reeder to get an overview of all of the new content from all of the websites I want to stay up-to-date with… then tag the stories I want to actually read later on.
If there’s a breaking story or news headline I feel is immediately worthy of passing on to you (as one of our chiropractors), I’m able to click another button and post it to the More Chiro Patients Facebook Page, or our Twitter account, or even direct to the MCP Blog. Or, all three. And, all with just a couple of moves on the iPad.
Finally, at the end of my day, I set aside about 30-45 minutes to actually read (consume) the content (articles) I tagged as “read later” while going through Reeder.
I open up the Instapaper app on my iPad, and simply start reading each of the articles I tagged earlier that day.
While in Instapaper if there’s a story I want to pass along to our chiropractors, once again, I’m able to click a button or two and post it to either our Facebook Page, Twitter, or our MCP blog.
It’s all very quick. Very easy. And very seamless.
In under 1 hour (max) a day, I’m not only able to process and sort a tremendous amount of information, I’m also able to consume the most important stories, AND achieve and maintain my thought-leader, resource, advocate status by passing along the most valuable information to our chiropractors in a variety of different channels.
Keep in mind, none of this is done on the desktop or laptop. It’s all done with a mobile device.
In other words, all content consumption is done away from the computer. Almost all content creation is done at the computer.
(I say “almost all” because I’ve recently begun writing the monthly Millionaire Chiropractic Club ACTION! issues, and some blog posts, on the iPad. This post, in fact, was written on the iPad.)
Consumption = away from computer.
Creation = at the computer.
(Creation, in this context, refers to any articles, videos, or audios you create for your chiropractic blog. Any email broadcasts you create and send out to your list of prospective chiropractic patients. Any marketing materials you create, test, or tweak. Etc.)
You see, today, your computer should no longer be the place where you surf the net, do research, read articles, watch videos, etc. It’s just not as efficient as using one of many mobile devices.
As well, using your computer for both creation and consumption, blurs the line between what your time at your computer should really be for.
When you use your computer strictly for creation, you train yourself to “work” when you’re sitting down at the computer. And, that increase in productivity will pay you back in dividends.
Okay, so, here’s what I recommend you do:
First, I recommend you get an iPad if you don’t have one already.
Yes, it’s a few hundred dollars.
And, yes, it’s a fairly expensive gadget.
I get it.
But, I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt… it will revolutionize your workflow, enhance your productivity, and allow you to efficiently achieve thought-leader positioning in your geographic area (if used the way I just explained).
I mean it.
The iPad will transform how you process share information… if used the way I just explained.
Second, follow the instructions I outlined in our previous article about setting-up and using Google Reader. You’ll need to do that before you can use the Reeder app.
Third, set-up a free account at Instapaper.com. Once you’ve done that, inside your Reeder app you’ll be able to enter your Instapaper access information so you’ll be able to click stories you want to read later.
Fourth, download and install the Instapaper app on your iPad (or iPhone).
Fifth, set-up a time each day to process your Google Reader feeds (via Reeder), and a time to process your Instapaper articles.
Finally, as you’re going through Reeder and Instapaper, pick the stories you feel your patients and prospective patients need to know about… and send them along.
(I recommend your number one sharing spot for daily updates and insights be your Chiropractic Facebook Page. If you don’t have one yet, you’re crazy!)
Make this workflow process a daily habit, have some patience, and I guarantee by the end of 2011 your reputation, positioning, and magnetism to new patients will be through the roof!
(To give credit where credit is due: I first learned about this workflow process from Ed Dale. And, have since gone on to expand my various workflow processes based on suggestions from the Mac Power Users podcast.)
Already have an Ipad. I guess its time to put it to use. Thank you for these tips!