100%
grass fed, no hormones added, no artificial preservatives, farm-raised organic
beef.
And,
you’re hungry now, right? Go grab a snack and then come back and read my blog…
If
you’re a “carnivore-connoisseur” like me, you know what a difference there is
in such a quality cut of meat. It just tastes different. Like, a WHOLE lot
different! It’s a tenderer, fresher, higher quality variant. Its post-operative
effect on your digestive system is different, too (yes, I went there).
So
what the heck does this have to do with a dental blog, you ask? Well, I thought
it would be a poignant analogy for selective dental marketing in today’s crazy world.
I honestly get an email, call, piece of literature, or live sales person every
single day I’m at the office regarding some form of potential marketing:
It’ll gain you 200 new patients in
a week!
You’ll literally double your bottom
line overnight!
Do this, and you’ll put the dentist
down the street out of business!
You’ll lose 10 pounds from using
this product!
Well,
I may have thrown that last one in there by mistake, but you get the idea.
These are all very tempting sales pitches. Ones that I’m sure some dentists
jump at or these companies wouldn’t be in business. But I have news for
you—they’re extremely misleading and, most of the time, downright false.
I
call it window dressing marketing. Sure, if you have an unending supply
of money, do everything in the book. Commercials, radio spots, newspaper ads,
magazines, internet, billboards, t-shirt cannons at the Little League game, you
name it. You’ll be the talk of your peers, but you’ll also be out a heck of a
lot of cash. I think we could easily spend $75,000 a month on the various
marketing programs I’m presented with.
You
undoubtedly will gain a few patients out if it but, in the end, what are you
looking to spend PER new patient attained? This is something you should know or
at least decipher before you sign up for these “slam dunk” marketing methods.
And when I say this, I say it with experience in trying these tactics, and in
most cases wishing I had spent the money on something else worthwhile. Like a WaterLase®
laser….
I
kid.
Do
you know what really gets the patients in the door, and keeps them coming back?
Being
a real, honest, and available dentist to your patients.
Treating them like family. Truly caring about their well-being, treating them
fairly clinically and with your procedure costs. Not nickel and diming, or
asking them to take out a second mortgage on their house to pay for their
dental work. Spending quality time at their appointments to find out how they’re
really doing; asking about their family, kids, and lives. Shaking hands. Giving
hugs. THIS is what gets you
those lifelong patients everyone so desires. Let’s call it organic marketing.
Certainly
there are basic needs you have to meet to get your practice’s name out there. A
good website, social media platforms, SEO/online review building. Toss in some community
events, supporting local businesses/causes—all good and necessary methods that
also won’t break the marketing bank. These are the backbones of how we’ve built
up a pretty successful practice through organic marketing. When you do these
basic things, and you treat your patients like family, you’ll be impressed at
how many people they in turn tell about their experience at your office. People
see through the froufrou nowadays. It’s not just about a pretty (or poorly
produced, in the case of most I’ve seen) TV commercial anymore. People want content/depth/honesty.
They want to know that someone THEY know had a pleasant, painless experience at
the practice they’re looking to join.
This
is not a blog meant to put down all of the marketing methodologies that are out
there today, but simply a call to action to my peers of 1) doing your due
diligence by researching and selecting only those methods that pay off in the
end and spending your well-earned money wisely; and 2) being able to back up
that window dressing marketing you’ve thrown out to the masses.
So,
let’s start ridding ourselves of the highly processed, preservative-filled,
decade-old marketing and move toward a more organic program. Your wallet will
thank you but, more importantly, your patients will be happier, healthier, and
more apt to tell everyone they know what an awesome dentist you really are!
Donald Murray III, DMD
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