What are your weaknesses?

What are your practice weaknesses?

Patient communication? Staff issues? Less than ideal location? Outdated technology? Fees too low ... or too high (this can be a strength or a weakness depending upon a number of factors). Lack of experience? Practice ambiance? Dental skills? Ineffective marketing?

Figure out what your practice weaknesses are, research solutions, and commit to overcoming them. You'll be surprised how much more effective marketing *seems to* become once you turn your practice weaknesses into strengths.

Effective marketing can deliver the the metaphorical chicken, but it can't turn chicken droppings into chicken dumplings?

Copyright 2008 by Galen Stilson

Two Types Of Dental Marketing Ads ...

There are two basic types of dental marketing print ads ... the presentation ad and the response ad.

PRESENTATION AD: The presentation ad simply presents you to the reader with basic information.

This is who I am.

This is what I do.

This is my address.

This is my phone number.

These are the dental services I offer.

The design of presentation ads can be starkly simple or regally elegant.

The primary purpose of the presentation ad is to get and keep your name in front of your prospects. If you consistently run this type of ad, it will build name recognition and, ideally, lead to a call from a prospect when that prospect is in need of a dentist. It is unlikely to produce an immediate response unless that prospect is actively looking for a dentist at the time he or she sees the ad.

RESPONSE AD: The response ad, conversely, is written and designed with the express purpose of producing an immediate response ... a phone call to make an appointment.

It too can lead to name recognition, if run consistently, but it's primary purpose is to generate new patient appointments ... now. Unlike the presentation ad, the response ad goes beyond the basics and utilizes a variety of tactics and techniques designed to assist the prospect in recognizing a dental need or want NOW ... and then persuading him to call to set up an appointment with you NOW.

Which type of ad should you use?

Obviously, as a direct response copywriter and consultant, I'm going to favor the response ad. There are a number of reasons for this beyond just immediate response, but I'll cover those reasons in a different brief.

There are times when the presentation ad makes sense. For example, if your practice is running pretty much at full capacity and you don't want many new patients, simply keeping your name in front of prospects will give you name recognition and the slower influx of new patients that you do need.

Should you mail a brochure ... solo?

It's not uncommon for dentists to use their practice brochure as a mailing piece. There's nothing wrong with that UNLESS you mail it solo ... alone ... all by itself.

In over 20 years of direct response experience, I'm not aware of a single test where a brochure-0nly mailing beat a letter-only (or a letter plus brochure) mailing. So, if you're going to make an envelope mailing, opt to include a professionally created letter (or letter and brochure) and not a brochure-only.

Why would a letter outpull a brochure?

Because a letter looks and feels more personal ... it's perceived as a warmer, me-to-you communication. And when written appropriately, it can evoke a reader's emotions ... a good thing when you're trying to entice a response.

Conversely, a brochure is perceived as more cold and impersonal.

What if you want to use the brochure as a self-mailer (no envelope)? Ideally you'd use one or two of the brochure panels to graphically create a letter look-alike ... using sales letter copy. It's unlikely to be AS effective as a stand-alone letter and brochure but it will likely draw more response than the brochure copy alone.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Is the problem non-quality patients or ...

If you were to take the exact same 10 prospects (who needed dental work) and sent them to two different dentists, what would be the result?

There's a reasonable chance that one dentist might convert 6-7-8 to patients while the other might convert 2 or 3. Plus, the dentist who was able to convert the higher percentage would, most likely, end up with intial cases worth 2, 3 or 4 times more than the other dentist.

Why the difference: The dentist's personality, persuasiveness and case presentation ability.

I've worked with a number of dentists who have had an uncanny ability to convert prospects into patients ... and I've worked with a number of dentists who haven't.

The dentist who is able to convert, thinks s/he's getting high quality patients. The dentist who isn't able to convert, thinks they're low quality ... even when the demographics are similar.

The moral: Patient Quality is often determined by the ability of dentist to convert ... and not by the patient's situation.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Knowing What Turns Patients Off Can Be As Important As Knowing What Turns Them On ...

In fact, it's probably more important. When you know what it is about your practice, staff, procedures, fees, etc. that occasionally turns patients off ... you can correct it. If you know their objections, it gives you a shot at overcoming them.

It pays to listen to patient complaints. In fact, it pays to solicit patient complaints. Not only because studies clearly show that handling complaints quickly and satisfactorily will keep patients happy and coming back, but also because it will help you quickly correct real and perceived problems. And those corrections will not only make your prospects and patients happy ... but they will also make you happy when you look at your bottom line.

How should you solicit patient complaints?

Surveys ... If you give patients the option to submit anonymously, they're more likely to be honest with their assessment of your practice and with the complaints.

In-office complaint box ... Have a complaint box readily available in the waiting room (close to the door), with complaint forms that offers the option of submitting anonymously.

Eyeball-to-eyeball ... When you're meeting with -- or working on -- your patients, remind them that you want and will appreciate hearing from them when there's something bothering them about you, your staff and your practice.

When you welcome complaints amd resolve them quickly, and your practice will benefit.

Snob Appeal Can Backfire ...

Using snob appeal in your marketing is similar to the use of humor. It's risky unless you really know what you're doing. For instance, the wealth-seekers or newly rich might react positively to the word "envy" ... while the generationally rich would consider it gauche.

Effective status appeals are different for those who have "status" versus those who are seeking it. Bold and blatant may work best to the "have nots" ... understatement to the "haves." There there are the "in-betweens." It's a difficult appeal to pull off successfully if you can't pinpoint the precise type of prospect with whom you'll be communicating.

If you do choose to use status appeal, here's a general truth: Those who DON'T already have it, DO talk about it. Those who DO have it (and have had it for some time), DON'T talk about it. It's the old don't-do, do-don't rule.

Think Inside Out, Not Outside In

Dentists often view marketing from an outside-in perspective ... you place an ad, send a letter, run a radio spot, mail off a press release, or a patient refers a friend ... and from that outside activity you draw in new patients.

While the outside-in approach is important and helps a practice grow, it's not where your dental marketing should start. Instead, think inside-out.

Dental marketing should start with you and your staff and how you interact with prospects and patients.

It's a nice fantasy to believe that people choose you as their dentist because of your skill and education. We've always been told that if we do something better than someone else we will be rewarded for it. But that really only applies if people are able to readily recognize and understand what *better* is.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of people can't begin to recognize a great dentist from a not-so-good one. To most people a crown is a crown ... regardless of which dentist and lab are responsible for it.

Thus, in people's minds, most dentists are pretty much lumped together ... all capable of providing the dental services needed or wanted without any real difference in quality. So, they choose their dentist primarily on how they like him or her and the staff.

If your practice is not patient-focused, patient-oriented, relationship-centered, that's where you need to start the marketing process.

For more, see: Dental Marketing -- Think Inside Out, Not Outside In

Does Your Ad Stand Out?

To find out ...

Take the ad you have created -- or the ad you intend to use -- and overlay it on the various pages of the newspaper/magazine where you intend to run it. Then ask yourself ...

"Does this stand out?"

"Does it attract the eye?"

If it looks like all the other ads (size, layout, type style, format etc.), make some changes. Be bold. Be different. Be successful.

How can you make it stand out?

Here are a few tips ...

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Prompt More Patient Referrals ...

The quickest, easiest, most efficient way to get more referrals is to ask for them.

"But, that makes me look like I'm begging for business" you may be thinking to yourself. " And that's not the image I want to portray." It won't if you approach it correctly. In fact, instead of perceiving your request as begging ... your patients will likely see it as a compliment.

How do you accomplish that?**

• First, instead of asking all of your patients to refer someone, you approach only your best patients.
  
  
• Second, you sincerely thank them for their business and express how much you appreciate, and enjoy working with, them.
  
  
• Third, inform them that you would like to add more patients to your practice who are just like them.
  
  
• Fourth, explain that patients tend to refer other patients who are, in fact, quite similar to themselves. (That's generally true.)
  
  
• Finally, ask them.

The way you word your request is important in both patient perception and success.

** If you're looking to add more quality patient referrals to your practice contact me to request more information regarding my Patient Referral Program.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

What Is Word Of Mouth Marketing?

Isn't Word Of Mouth marketing just another name for seeking patient referrals?

Patient referrals represent only one aspect of word-of-mouth marketing. It involves strategy and tactics designed specifically to facilitate and encourage the media, local community people (whether they're patients or not) and influential people in your community to talk positively about you to others.

One example would be providing appropriately valuable information to local professionals via letters, newsletters, recordings, dvds, etc. What would be an example of appropriate info? Keeping local physicians abreast of the most recent mouth/body connection research would fit that "appropriate" definition.

Another example would be setting up speaking engagements with local groups ... and providing media with press releases to announce it.

Sponsoring high profile events and popular local social causes is another, as is developing unique advertising or incorporating a practice feature that causes people to talk to their friends about it ... and, thus, you.

I'll be covering a number of word-of-mouth topics in in the future. If you'd like to read more about it now, a good place to start would be a visit to the WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) web site and read Word of Mouth 101. You can also check it out in Wikipedia.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Use Caution When Using Two Colors In Your Promotional Material

If you choose to use two-color (or more) printing for your ad or other marketing material, be sure to use the second color only to highlight a few key points.

Reason: A second color, particularly a bright color like red, attracts the eye like a magnet. Thus, it give you an opportunity to attract a reader to the key selling points (benefits) in your ad. But when you overuse color and try to make too much stand out, you dilute it's value. In fact, I've seen ads where so much of the second color was used that the black stood out as different. The result, the reader's eye was attracted to the less important copy printed in black.

Here's a rule-of-thumb regarding attention-grabbing devices (of which color is one):

The more *things* you try to make look important,
the less important each will be perceived.

So, be selective with what you choose to highlight.

Also as a general rule ... two color ads will increase readership and response when compared to a single color ad, BUT, not usually by enough to justify the extra cost. However, there are other attention-grabbing devices you can use with a single color ad. For example ... bolding, italics, CAPS (BUT USE SPARINGLY BECAUSE ALL CAPS ARE DIFFICULT TO READ), underlining, font type (use with caution because misuse of fonts can be very distracting, which is never a good thing),

Font Size,

white space, centering,

------Tabbing, etc.

White space around copy can really make it stand out. And, of course, you can combine one or more of the attention-grabbing devices ... as I've done above. But, as you can see, when you combine too many it's very distracting. And again, distractions are not a good thing.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

It Pays To Get Your Patients To Complain ...

... then quickly and satisfactorily recify that complaint.

Here's what one research study found with regard to people who spend money on big ticket items but are, for some reason, unhappy. This would apply to virtually every dental procedure ...

* Only about 9% of the people who are unhappy will remain loyal to your practice ... if they don't complain.

* If they complain but don't get the problem resolved to their satisfaction, only 19% remain loyal.

* If they complain and you ultimately solve the problem to their satisfaction, 54% will stick with you.

* Solve their problem to their satisfaction quickly, however, and happy days are here again with the loyalty factor jumping to 84%.

Re-check those numbers. Pretty discouraging ... or encouraging ... depending on how you look at them, aren't they?

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

How To Get More Referrals From Professional Colleagues?

Let's break it down to something simpler. From my experience, here are the key reasons why many dentists don't get more professional referrals.

1. They seldom, if ever, ask for them. (You will seldom get what you don't ask for.)

2. When they do receive a colleague referral, they don't express or show their appreciation. (Just as you should express and show appreciation to patients who refer others, you should do the same with your fellow professionals.)

3. They don't reciprocate with referrals back to their colleague. (If it's possible, you should refer back ... it likely will be expected.)

4. They don't view the process as a strategic relationship-building (marketing) decision in which both parties should benefit.

If you view getting more professional colleague referrals as a part of your overall marketing plan in which you actively attempt to build strategic relationships -- then ask for referrals -- you're likely to get them.

And if you express appreciation and reciprocate with referrals of your own, you'll keep them coming for years to come.

But where should you start? A Word Of Mouth marketing program is a logical starting point.

I'll go into more detail on this subject in the future.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Are You Hiding From Your Patients ...

If your practice location is not easy to find (and I'm talking VERY EASY to find) then it's critical that you give all new patients precise directions and a map. And if you're in an office complex, be sure to tell your patients how to get to your office once they get to the complex.

Your first impression is not going to be a good one if a new patient has to search and search for your practice. And if your first impression isn't a good one, there's a chance you won't get a chance to make a second impression.

Have maps and directions in printed and digital formats. That way you can quickly mail, fax, or email the info to your new patients.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Docs Make Case Against Braces

One of the suggested benefits of braces for kids has always been that they'll grow up with more confidence and self-esteem if they have beautiful, perfectly aligned teeth. I've used that benefit claim in marketing material I've created for different orthodontists.

But a new study suggests that isn't true.

“'Orthodontic treatment, in the form of braces placed on children’s teeth in childhood, had little positive impact on their psychological health and quality of life in adulthood," said Dr. William Shaw, an orthodontist from the University of Manchester and one of the authors of the study, published in the Jan. 22 issue of the British Journal of Health Psychology. 'This runs contrary to the widespread belief among dentists that orthodontic treatment improves psychological well-being, for which there is very little evidence.'”

However, according to this article, "the study focused on a smaller subset of kids whose orthodontic needs were not extreme, but considered to be 'borderline,' and who did not have them treated."

Thus, the psychological benefits of braces still may hold true (in addition to better overall dental health) for kids with badly misaligned teeth.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Advertorials Usually Increase Ad Readership

What is an advertorial?

It is an advertisement written in an editorial format with an editorial style.

Previous studies have shown that readership of editorial material is five times greater than readership of advertising (that's probably on the low side today). But will increased general readership translate into increased response for your ad?

The only way to know for certain is to test.

According to David Olgilvy, editorial style ads boost readership by about 50% over standard-looking ads. And a few years ago in a true A/B split run test in Reader's Digest, an editorial style ad boosted response by 80% over the standard ad layout.

Worth a test? Absolutely.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

New Patients Require Extra Attention

This is true particularly if these new patients come from external marketing.

Why would they need special attention?

Here are a few reasons ...

1. New patients do not have an established relationship with you or your staff yet ... and a good relationship is what usually bonds a patient to a dentist (and staff).

2. New patients often sport a shoppers mentality the first few times they visit your office. They're deciding whether you are worth their investment of time, money and trust.

Most of your new patients have likely left another dentist to give you a try (often enticed by marketing). So, you know up front that these people will not be blindly loyal to you ... and that they will not hesitate to leave if not happy.

3. New patients are looking for you to deliver on your marketing promises. If you promise a caring, friendly staff ... they'll be looking for and expecting that. If you promise (or infer) low pricing ... they'll be measuring your price against what they perceive to be low. If you promise on-time appointments, they'll be checking their watches in the waiting room.

You must deliver on what you promise in your marketing material or new patients will vanish as quickly as they appear.

So, what kind of special attention should you show your new patients?

Here's the full article ...

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

What Are You Really Selling?

Dental services? Your expertise? Solutions to dental problems?

Yes, BUT ...

While it's true that you are selling those things, once a prospect walks through the door of your practice those things actually become secondary in importance to your prospects and patients. What they are looking for and, therefore, what you should be selling is ....

A RELATIONSHIP -- Prospects/patients are looking for a dentist and staff they can feel comfortable with, a dentist and staff that makes them feel important, a dentist and staff that they can talk to, a dentist and staff they like.

Few patients can accurately judge your skill level, or fully appreciate the quality of your work. But all can judge whether they really like you or not ... and that's exactly what they do.

SATISFACTION -- Once the person becomes a patient, then satisfaction becomes critical. Patients must believe they are getting good value for their dollars ... or they'll ultimately bolt, even if they like you (although it will take them longer to do it).

Good value, as perceived by patients, is not limited to just the belief that the quality of your work must equal or exceed what they are paying. It also includes whether they have to wait for appointments ... how well you can translate their problem into a language they can understand ... whether you hurt them ... whether you treat them with respect and dignity when they have a complaint ... and how you handle complaints ... etc.

If your patients like you and your staff and they are satisfied ... they'll likely be with you for a long, long time. Just as important, they are more likely to recommend you to their friends.

Remember, you are really selling a relationship and satisfaction.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Surveys Are Potent Marketing Tools

When created and used correctly, surveys can help convince your patients that they really are important to you ... that you respect their opinions ... that you are always looking to improve your practice along with their experience and comfort ... and that you listen to them.

Those are many of the ingredients needed to
develop a long-term, loyal patient.

And just as important is the fact that you can easily generate valuable testitonials via surveys ... testimonials that you can effectively use in your marketing to attract even more patients.

If you're not using patient surveys, you should consider it.

[Please feel free to contact me if you would like information on how I might help you generate valuable testimonials through patient surveys.]

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Inspire More Patient Confidence ...

Wouldn't it be terrific if you could inspire instant patient confidence, particularly from new patients.

You can.

How?

Offer your patients a Guarantee Of Satisfaction.

A guarantee demonstrates to your patient that you are confident in your skills and that you do quality work. It also creates a comfort level for the patient, confident that if they have you (versus another dentist) do their dental work there is less chance of a problem. But, they also reason, if there happens to be a problem, they won't have to pay again to have it corrected.

Thus, a guarantee can help improve the success of your new patient case presentations and the loyalty of your patients.

Of course, the more comprehensive -- and less restrictive -- the guarantee, the greater the patient confidence and comfort level it inspires.

Not sure what your guarantee should say? Email me for a couple of samples.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson