January 2016
How to Create Headlines That Compel a Positive Response to Your Dental Marketing Content
How important are headlines? Before I reveal how to create them, understand that your dental promotions, dental web page copy, and even your dental blog posts can succeed or fail based on the headline.
Advertising and copywriting legend, John Caples, once said they are the most important part of your advertisement. He proved his point by committing four of his 18 chapters to them in his book, Tested Advertising Methods.
Your headline copy can make or break your dental marketing. This is why they’re so difficult and occasionally time-consuming to write.
Professionally speaking, I invest the first phase of writing to the headline. You should expect to do the same if…you want to compel your reader to engage with your content.
Your headline has ONE job
Your headline MUST grab your reader’s attention.
John Caples adds this jolting perspective – “If the headline is poor, the copy will not be read. And copy that is not read does not sell goods.”
You could say, “I”m a dental provider, I don’t ‘sell’.” I encourage you to not get caught up in the semantics of what is or is not “sales.”
Bottom line, your headline compels or it doesn’t. The middle ground is littered with well intentioned, creative, salesy hype, or lame attempts at trying to be cute.
How to Create Headlines that Compel Your Readers to Keep Reading to the Point of Doing What You’re Asking Them to Do
(By the way, there are two bonus insights in that sub-heading.)
1-Promise something.
Too many promotions are vague. Vagueness should not be confused with compliance with dental industry marketing standards.
There’s a difference in making unsubstantiated claims about a treatment or service and being vague about the benefit they can potentially deliver.
Make a promise that introduces a benefit.
“Who else wants whiter teeth – in less time?”
(Promise: whiter teeth, less time)
“Great new discovery controls bad breath – makes your teeth healthier too.”
(Promise: fresher breath, healthier teeth)
Those promises include practical benefits. The stated benefits compel your reader to read deeper into your promotion to discover more.
Promised results or benefits compel your reader to stay in the conversation with you via your promotion.
- List at least 5 benefits of the service you’re promoting.
- Use specific, direct wording that establishes your service as THE solution (promised result) for taking action.
2-Embed an image in your reader’s mind.
What your reader can see themselves using, doing, etc will compel them to take action. Avoid language that’s overused, technical, industry-oriented, insider-based, etc.
You “know, like, and trust” your industry, right? This makes it natural for you to feel as though everyone else (including your patients/clients) do also.
This is where “How To…” headlines work well.
“How to [COMMON TASK] That [REWARDING BENEFIT].”
The “common task” creates an image of an action, activity, priority, etc. And again, you compel with a “rewarding benefit” – in this instance, something the reader can “see” themselves enjoying, etc.
3-”State a fact.”
Facts establish credibility. When you can highlight a fact in your content headline – do it!
Your reader will be drawn deeper in to your content. And they will begin to trust you as a credible source of information.
Select portions of your positive reviews or testimonials. Remember: You can protect the identity of your source by using their first name initial or their full name initials (e.g. “E” “ES,” etc.) for attribution.
Here’s an example:
“…I went to my high school reunion and the compliments made me feel like I’d been crowned homecoming queen!” – JS. Want the Same Results?
Research data sources of your product or service. Share benefit oriented statistics in you headline.
92% of Our Dental Patients Said This One Thing Eliminated Their [PROBLEM]
If You Do This Two Times Per Year You Could Reduce Your Dental Treatment Costs by [X]%
Facts help compel a response.
4-”Ask a question.”
Questions create curiosity. They also produce engagement with your solution or answer.
In the previous headline example using the quotation (“I went to my high school reunion and the compliments made me feel like I’d been crowned homecoming queen!” – JS Want the Same Results?) the question creates curiosity on two levels.
1) Tell me more about the “results” and 2) Give me more information about what she did to achieve them.
Questions also give your reader a way to process their assumptions. Your question-oriented headline can create a “Hmmm, I haven’t thought about that before…” response.
Your reader will begin to engage with your content by answering the question you posed. It’s important that your question headline prompts curiosity.
A question headline works for a simple reason. It creates a compelling reason to stay with your content and eventually take action as result.
There is more to a promotional headline than creativity or cuteness. Lead with benefits and you’ll win more often.
Why Consistent Content Creation is a Supremely Healthy Dental Marketing Strategy
My wife and I have done this annually for the past three years. There’s a multi-layered benefit to it and the same is true of the commitment you can choose for creating and publishing content to promote your dental services.
We begin each year in January with a 21 day “fast.” Before you picture us in a meditative pose becoming emaciated by the day as we deny ourselves basic nourishment – that’s not the deal.
Basically, a “fast” can apply to denying yourself anything from food to technology for a designated period of time. Ours fundamentally involves eliminating “junk food” (all that sugar loaded goodness we overindulge in) and eating a cleaner, high-protein and vegetable intense diet.
Our core motivation and benefit is spiritual – denying ourselves cleanses the soul and sharpens our faith. The sub-plot benefits, if you would, include a system-cleanse (body health) and establishing new, healthier habits (diet, self-control, mindset, etc.).
Core benefits
There’s a primary reason for promoting your dental services – to provide solutions or deliver relief from “pain” (physical or emotional). There are more, sure, but this is a core reminder of why you do what you do.
Now, what’s your core marketing strategy?
It’s common to default to direct mail, launching a website, upgrading your website with graphics and other “flash,” purchasing Facebook or Google ads. And there’s nothing essentially wrong with any of those.
But can we talk “denial” for a moment?
Any one of those denies what is becoming a fundamental reality about how your patients or clients are compelled to do “business” with you.
A direct mailer can add to your production schedule (if the timing is right for what you’re promoting). Your new or newly redesigned website can improve your online curb-appeal (if your website is visited). And your Facebook or Google ad dollars invested can increase your online click-throughs and again, increase your bottom-line profits (again, if the timing or appeal of your promotion is spot-on as they scroll).
The core issue that an ever increasing crowd are beginning to understand (Are you one of them?)
Content is king…IF!
If I appear biased via this blog – you’re right…I am!
Perhaps it’s because I’m an information junkie. Or maybe it’s because I have an insatiable curiosity for new knowledge and problem solving information.
Yes to those reasons and many others. But it’s more about the fact that I know and understand that one thing ultimately compels people to respond to what you promote, provide, sell, or distribute.
It’s trust!
So…what does trust have to do with “content (being) king?”
Before I continue building my case for the “content is king…IF” idea, I must say that it’s about framework or context.
Content reigns supreme in today’s marketing when it’s intentional, strategic, and useful. You will need a framework to achieve long-term, beneficial results from it.
Blog posts, email series’, social media posts, newsletter articles, podcasts, etc are all part of a bigger picture, according to Sonia Simone.
Consider this a foundational piece of a framework I’m preparing to lay down over the next few weeks on this blog. My goal is to help you establish a new way of thinking about your dental marketing strategy and to encourage you to “fast” from all those go-to, default, knee-jerk, we-gotta-increase-our-production-so-call-the-printer-for-a-new-direct-mail-flyer type of reactions that are all too typical of some dental marketing campaigns.
Build trust outside-the-box…
…And use content to do it.
Rarely does anyone, if ever, feel a bond of trust with a service business because of flyer received in the mail. Sure, the eye-catching graphics or cleverly worded copy might open the door to a relationship but the appeal can be lost quicker than it’s gained in most instances.
Instead, consider what would happen if, over time, a relevant, useful piece of content was published and easily viewed via a smartphone or tablet. If the content solves a problem or answers a question relevant to your target reader, what begins to happen?
Trust rises.
You have a better opportunity for instilling trust through a problem-solving, question-answering blog post or podcast than you do through a random, numbing piece of paper that’s included in the daily mail. Front of mind can begin with a flashy mailer but trust is sustained over time via usefulness.
And usefulness translates BEST via easy to read and easy to consume content.
I’ll crown content “king” for now with that thought. Stay tuned…
Are There “Gaps” in Your Dental Website That Expose You to Failure?
The recent winter weather did some damage to our property. It’s not significant but some minor repairs are in order.
Timing isn’t always on your side when the weather is involved. But the timing is always right to evaluate your current dental website and close some of the gaps that make your marketing vulnerable to failure.
A gap is precisely what I have in my fence as result of the strong winter winds that blew through my region recently. As I early mentioned, the damage isn’t significant by comparison but my suburban property feels exposed now that I lost two sections of privacy fencing.
Close the gaps
I write a significant amount of webpage copy for dental practices, dental consultants, and dental industry businesses. There’s a gap these days between those that are riding the wave of content marketing strategy (one that I do not believe will go away anytime soon) and those that are either satisfied with their online (website) presence or assume that having one up-and-done is enough.
The gap is widening. If you’re on the side of the fence that values consistent, useful content published via a blog, newsletter, podcast, online course, ebooks, email series’, etc you’re positioned to take your “world” by storm.
On the other hand, if you’re resisting or uninformed about the value of content to stimulate your dental marketing, brace yourself for a storm of frustration. You could find yourself wondering why your dental website visitors arrive but don’t stay…or more important – don’t schedule.
It’s time to close the gaps. You shouldn’t feel exposed to frustration or worse waste your valuable dental marketing dollars over the next 12 months on a website that’s basically a digital brochure.
Exposing Your Dental Website “Gaps” and the Strategic “Repairs” You Can Make to Increase Your Value to Patients or Clients
Assess the “damage”
Your patients/clients visit your website for one, primary reason – to access information about your services. Their response hinges on what they discover in the first few seconds of arriving there.
“Gap”: Thinking it’s necessary to differentiate yourself with flashy web page banners or spotlighting your brand image/logo. You can damage your online influence if you’re solely relying on “creative, visual elements” to compel your site visitor to schedule or contract with you.
Damage assessment solution: Build credibility and potential for repeat site visits by providing simple, understandable answers to the questions your patients/clients are asking.
- Fill-the-gap with blog posts/articles published a minimum of two times per month, a downloadable podcast, a consistently published Q&A-like newsletter, or an easy to access and read ebook.
- Spend your available annual marketing dollars on those strategies that provide useful, valuable information your visitors are seeking.
Clear the “debris”
No doubt, dentistry is a technical industry. Healthcare relies on skilled expertise to diagnose and treat effectively.
“Gap”: Thinking it’s essential to thoroughly explain the technical details of your dental services, treatment, and procedures so your patients/clients will want to schedule/use your services. In essence, believing that the more they know, the more likely they are to view you as an expert and schedule.
There’s a better way…
Clean-up solution: Your authority/expertise is recognized more by your ability to speak your site visitors language. Leave the industry-speak to your communication with colleagues, at conventions, or your local study-club.
- Eliminate “jargon,” “fluff-content,” over explained services/procedures, high word count descriptions, and unnecessary credential data.
- Create a compelling connection with your site visitor through every-day language via conversationally written web page copy, blog posts, articles, newsletters, etc. (to keep the language conversational and every-day it’s a good idea for someone to write it other than you…no offense).
Restore the “solution”
Clarity rules. And simplicity shouldn’t imply poor quality or design.
“Gap”: Thinking that a graphically intense, creatively unique, high word count website will build trust with your audience.
Repair solution: Creative design, more words, and indulgent graphics can make your website more difficult to navigate, to understand, and unclear about what visitors should do next. Ditch the mindset that says, “(Our) website must compete on a creative level with every other dental industry site in our area/region….”
Your patients/clients will visit, stay, return, and schedule your services for one fundamental reason – you provide clear, compelling answers to their questions or solutions to their problems. Clarity and simplicity trump creative.
- Stand out creatively through informative and consistent content. Distribute your creative-vibe via your social media channels (Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube, etc.).
- Be an authoritative resource and you’ll compel trust…and action. And speaking of action – restore your web pages to include a clear call-to-action (e.g. “Contact us to schedule…,” “Click here for more information…,” etc.).
These simple repairs will close the “gaps” in your website and your digital marketing strategy. It’s best to create good exposure for your authority and expertise than to be exposed via ineffective web page content.