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The Art of Marketing Cosmetic Dentistry
Dr. John Gordon Cosmetic Dentist Kansas City, MO
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My Message of Hope
Hope is a fragile emotion. We all have hopes and dreams, both personal and professional, that we experience on a daily basis. As dentists, we are certainly familiar with the hopes of our patients, who come to us with problems that we in turn hope to remedy. We also hope that our businesses will achieve various profitable and professional successes, but many of us struggle to find a way to turn those hopes into reality.
There are many avenues to creating a successful dental practice. One of the most important is an external marketing program that will promote you and your services to a desired market. Marketing requires serious thought and careful consideration before you ever take action. So before you begin your next marketing venture, remember four major components to ensure optimal success.
The Budget
Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote, “To reach the port of a coveted dream or goal, we must sail, sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it—but we must sail, not drift or lie at anchor.” This sage piece of wisdom applies when determining one’s marketing budget, which can easily make or break an advertising campaign. Some believe it is better to be financially conservative when deciding how far to take a message. I believe it is crucial to allocate enough money to reach the desired audience—to make only a half-hearted attempt many times offers little reward. So take a cue from Oliver Wendell Holmes and consider the following when creating a workable budget.
- Be Aggressive Calculating an advertising budget is a tedious process one must tackle in order to strategically place dollars where they can deliver the greatest impact. It is wise to allocate enough funds not only to the desired medium, but also to an agency or marketing individual that can help you determine how to fashion a workable budget.
- Sacrifice for the Big Picture When I started marketing externally, I made up my mind to go for it. I wanted to put an effective message out there and I knew I would need to stretch my budget to do so. I sacrificed a little early on, hoping that I would be rewarded later with results—and my persistence paid off. Now I invest about 8% of my monthly collections and have been reaping satisfying rewards.
The Agency
Just as a well-thought out, aggressive budget will determine how you start, a good agency can help you determine how to allocate your marketing funds effectively, while creating that top flight ad that grabs the customer’s attention immediately. In order to make sure that the agency you hire already produces materials that are in keeping with your particular standards, be sure to do your homework.
- Conduct a Background Check The desired advertising agency should have sound professionals who are experts at creating the perfect ad message and layout that will garner favorable responses from potential clients. Be certain you acquire referrals before you even set up a time for an interview.
- Interview to Find the Perfect Fit Finding an ad agency that understands how to help you achieve your specific goals can sometimes be difficult, but don’t be daunted—I have interviewed more than 10 agencies throughout the course of my career, and it took me many years to finally find the right fit. It was definitely time well spent.
- Hold Yourself Accountable As much as you will rely upon your marketing professional, rely upon yourself as well to bring good ideas and relevant information to the table. I discovered on my own that it was effective financially to use a regional purchasing agency instead of an ad agency to buy media space and time. Their volume buying power gave me the ability to maximize my investment. Whether you are dealing with your advertising representative, a medium purchasing agent or a production company that creates radio/television spots, always stay involved in the decision making process. It’s your money and you should never risk the potential of losing control of it.
The Medium
It can all be so confusing. Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the internet, direct mail, billboards, newsletters and web site promotions can all play key roles in bringing your message to the public. But how do you find the select mediums that will work best for you and your practice in your particular area?
- Find Your Ace in the Hole Do a little research yourself and pay attention to the vehicles that get the most attention around town. In Kansas City, I discovered that our newspaper magazine insert garners a huge audience, and advertising in that section has helped my practice a great deal. In addition, I have a well-designed, informative web site that sells our message, beliefs and services so effectively that a prospective client is always excited to come visit me after visiting the site.
- Stick with the Repeat Offenders… or should I say contenders? Repetition is a key component when advertising, so whatever medium you choose, be sure to stick with it long enough to determine its full effectiveness. Why? Your audience typically needs to see or hear your ad 7 out of 11 times before they respond, so it’s important not to waste money by playing the media field.
- Identify Quickly what Doesn’t work for You I’ve always maintained that it never hurts to be picky. I have discovered that my television ads give me instant results, but proper time placement of these ads is crucial. I also would never advertise in just any magazine publication—I want the venue to reflect what I stand for as a professional. Sometimes billboards, direct mail or local papers may not offer the right kind of coverage, so make it your business to track concrete fiscal results. No one wants to spend precious resources on an ad that ends up getting lost amidst all the other promotional fluff.
The Message
The foundation or core of your marketing plan is dependant on the message that you want to promote to you audience. When determining what you want to sell in an advertisement, I believe it is important to examine the values and beliefs that you advocate. What do people look for when they search for a cosmetic dentist? Convey those beliefs and you’ll win over your audience.
- Speak Your Mind I always try to convey a message of hope in all of my advertising. I strive to listen carefully to my clients to discover the emotion behind the common physical problems they may have. I want to immediately make patients feel that I will be an answer to their problems from the first moment they hear or see my advertisement.
- Know Your Audience Keeping up with consumer trends will only enhance your message. I market primarily to women, who usually make the majority of financial decisions in households, particularly where health is concerned. The book, Marketing to Women, by Martha Barletta, states that women are responsible for 83% of all consumer purchases. Faith Popcorn in her book EVEolution not only confirms what Barletta writes, but states that women’s buying power will only increase in the future. Both authors feel it is critical to connect with women for your business to succeed in the future.
- Skip Technical Shop Talk I never mention the terms crowns or veneers in an ad. Patients are more interested in the end-result of how their smile will look and feel. I do my best to connect to my audience by trying to convey sophisticated yet soothing messages. The text of an ad should be simple, short and have a definitive, simple call to action.
- Discover the Power Of the Subliminal Message Nothing appeals to the consumer more than a clean, crisp and uncluttered message, especially in today’s world where we are inundated with thousands of lengthy ads. I tell my ad agency that I want the picture in my ad to capture the eye of the reader in one second. The message of the main header or line in the ad should help the reader make the decision to call my office in the first 5 seconds of reading or looking at my ad.
Hungry for more? Stay tuned for upcoming articles about the art of marketing yourself and your practice. A copy of an advertisement that is presently garnering great feedback has been been placed below for your consideration. Feel free to click on it to see the PDF version.
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Dr. John R. Gordon
Dr. Gordon has practiced full time comprehensive restorative and cosmetic dentistry for over 25 years in the Kansas City Northland area. In addition, he lectures and gives presentations on cosmetic dental procedures, materials and smile design principles. Dr. Gordon also speaks about the business and financial aspects as related to cosmetic and restorative dentistry, marketing, digital dental photography and laboratory communication that assures you get the results you and the patient are happy with. For more information you can email him at ,johnrgordon@sbcglobal.net or visit his website at www.drjohngordon.com.
We welcome your questions and feedback!
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