The worlds of customer acquisition, marketing, search engine optimization and client management can be quite confusing to those not engrained in them. Add in the complexities and legalities involved with the medical field—for example, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulations—and it’s that much more to navigate.
Enter Miami-bred Practice Bytes, which is helping local practices, and well beyond, with a unique all-in-one system. The company was founded three years ago by podiatrist Dr. Raymond Lopez, now chief executive officer of the company, along with marketing guru and chief technology officer, William Geronco.
“We really were founded out of a need,” Steve Barron, director of customer success for Practice Bytes, explains. “In having his own practice, Dr. Ray wasn’t getting the ROI he had hoped for in terms of optimization for his website. He then met William, who is a true expert in marketing techniques and building plug-ins for websites and had created a patient management system. I also knew Ray and have 25 years of experience in the marketing and sales worlds and, well, the rest is history.”
In its first year of operations, Barron says that Practice Bytes built a client roster of 50-plus. Here in 2023, that roster is composed of more than 80 clinics nationwide. The clients geographically span South Florida to Nashville to Colorado, including the likes of South Florida Walk-In Orthopedics & Sports Medicine and Carpal Tunnel Pros, which operates five clinics in the Houston area.
“We’ve definitely seen a shift in private practices that want to move away from insurance-based payments to cash and we can help businesses with the framework to do just that,” says Barron. “Also, we’re seeing a lot of physicians looking for ways to get out of hospital-based practice and into their own private practices. They want to run a lean operation, so we help to move them forward in that regard.”
Practice Bytes’ specific service categories span the creative design, digital marketing, software solutions and artificial intelligence spectrums. Specifically, the company can manage everything from social media marketing to pay-per-click advertising campaigns, design logos and websites, customize clients’ mobile apps and practice management systems and build AI-powered chatbots. All services and bundles are customizable, depending on a practice’s needs.
“We really do help practices run with an all-in-one setup,” says Barron. “Our differentiator really is our software, which integrates into the marketing that we do. We do have some proprietary techniques and run very tight campaigns, helping to drive down the price of marketing while increasing the patient flow. We also have our finger on the pulse of AI and how it relates to search engines. It’s an ever-changing industry and now, more than ever, it’s important to have new content and, for SEO, stay on top of keywords and with consistency.”
Looking ahead, Barron says Practice Bytes is “continuing to grow and scale,” hiring a sales team, customer success department and marketing experts. Among its key investors is Lily Tapia, founder and CEO of ExelVest Partners. The company is also entering the equipment financing space, via an offshoot company, Turbo Funds Direct, and can assist with working capital and term loans.
As for those still lost or hesitant when it comes to pursuing help in the digital space, Barron says to stay proactive. “A concept like search engine optimization, for example, is a little nebulous to people and they may not understand what to look for in terms of results,” he says. “Too many people deal with mediocrity for a while and don’t know who to turn to for help. The best advice I can give is to explore new options and take a look at different techniques. I can say with confidence that we offer efficiency in one place. So, make it easy on yourself and have everything you need that ultimately works for you.”
Photos by Alexia Fodere
