Dental product case studies
Support Your Dental Reviews with Case Studies
Your patient or client reviews speak for themselves. And their message can have a positive or a negative effect.
I’m not talking about a “troll” who makes life difficult for you. Instead, it’s those legitimate opinions that have a make or break impact on your dental practice or your dental industry business.
No mistake, reviews are good and useful. Yet, there has to be another (and perhaps better) way!
A case-in-point
Case studies pull back the curtain. These strategically crafted stories are a timeless tool to have on hand for those good and bad review days.
Michael Saba confirms the value of an exceptional case study (content edited):
A good case study creates serious value for your brand by showing your (patient’s) real-world examples of the benefits your (practice) can bring them. That translates to more (new patients), more (appointments), and more (scheduled production).
The basic anatomy of a case study
A newsy headline
The first and most compelling piece of your case study is the headline. It must grab your reader’s attention and communicate a direct and relevant benefit.
“Newsy” implies that your headline must be clear. Cut to the chase and avoid being overly creative, “cute,” or cryptic to arouse curiosity.
A headline requires a journalistic persona. Think like a journalist who’s on a breaking story. Deliver straightforward, no-nonsense, non-salesy information.
Like this…
Dental Implants Gave Her the Confidence to Make a Career Change
New In-Office, Professional Teeth Whitening Increases Results by X%
Each are clear, straightforward, and reveal a direct benefit. The use of tangible percentages and related, real-life benefits helps boost the headline’s credibility.
And there’s only one big idea in each. This is vital to keeping your case study focused and free from the clutter of unnecessary “rabbit-trails.”
A well-defined “Who”
The patient or client is your “Who.” This is where you describe the main character of your “story.”
- Where they’re from (their condition as well as any other important, identifying information)
- What they experienced (their pain, problem, challenge, etc)
- What they wanted, needed, desired
- The number of solutions they’ve tried
- What their ideal outcome looked like
- What your service or product helped them accomplish (how it solved their problem)
- Where they are now, how the solution is continuing to work for them, etc.
These various “where,” “what,” and “how” perspectives will help define your case study character and create a connection with your reader.
A clear and compelling “plot”
Story line is everything. And how compelling it is depends on doing your homework.
Interview prep is the foundation of your homework. Relevant questions that probe the experience you’re highlighting are essential.
- Provide questions to your interviewee ahead of time. This gives them emotional “air” to relax during the interview and provide better answers.
- Be prepared to listen more than you speak during the interview. Keep the interview as much like a conversation as possible. This allows the process to feel less scripted and leading.
- Keep your questions open-ended. Yes-or-no questions will shut down your conversation and produce a weak storyline. The goal is to get to the solution-based benefits of their experience.
And remember, the purpose of your case study is to set context and reveal the journey to the desired solution. Advanced preparation is the key to a clear and compelling plot.
A case study puts-skin-on your services. It’s to your advantage to show as much real-life, real-people results as possible.
How Copywriting Uncovers the Hidden Value of Your Dental Products & Services
A local paper ad caught my wife’s attention. It was promoting an international coin buyer’s event taking place over the weekend at a local hotel.
Our experience prompted my thoughts about some important dental copywriting and marketing principles. I was reminded how it’s essential to think about the untapped value within your dental products and services.
Along with gold and silver items, the company was offering cash payouts on coins of a certain vintage. My wife knew we had a few silver and half-dollars lying around so she scoured the house, drawer clutter, and forgotten containers to find a few hopefully valuable coins.
Bingo! Among some kitchen drawer clutter she uncovered a 1966 half-dollar. And we did a halfway serious happy-dance as if we were holding the winning Powerball lottery ticket.
We arrived at the hotel, took our number and a seat waiting among a few others who hoped they too had discovered the mother-lode in a jar or coffee can among their house clutter just as we had.
In a moment I’ll tell you how much our 1966 half-dollar was worth and what we walked away with check in hand. But first, our experience reminds me of some basic copywriting principles to apply to your dental marketing content.
Understand perceived value
Remember that people buy for emotional not rational reasons. This holds true for how they perceive the value of your dental services and dental products.
Imagine a client or patient seeing your latest promotion for the first time. Once they hear the price for treatment or service they’ll immediately form an opinion about whether there’s value for them (perception).
Of course, you know the value. And it’s the job of your promotional content to sell them on it.
Your dental copywriting and marketing content must get inside their head. But don’t stop there. You must reach their heart – the emotional core. How?
>Use benefit-rich action words and keywords.
>Ask questions they must answer in the moment as they read, view, or listen to your content (however it’s delivered).
>Raise the value of whatever your promoting in the minds of your readers with comparative data (statistics, facts, etc.).
>Write to overcome perceptions and objections.
Deliver beneficial value
Your dental products and services have built-in value. But do you know their value inside and out?
Change your perspective and look at your products and services with fresh eyes. Consider outsourcing your dental copywriting and marketing efforts on occasion.
Your products and services contain hidden value. And the purpose of your marketing is to discover it and create solid, compelling content that promotes it.
Show prospects, potential clients/patients, and current ones the benefit-value of your services. But don’t stop there.
The purpose of copywriting is to put the product in their hand…in their experience with words. Use words to paint a picture of the future with them benefiting from its use and the consequences of not doing so.
Use content to get them so emotionally attached to your services that they can’t walk away without buying.
Increase value
Not only give them a picture experiencing the benefit of your dental services. Show others benefiting also.
The “community” or “tribal” effect can increase value. It’s the show-and-tell principle that builds a story around the product/service benefits.
>Use testimonials throughout your dental marketing content.
>Expand your testimonials into case-studies or whitepapers.
>Show your products/services solving problems, altering outcomes, increasing confidence, saving lives, etc.
This has emotional appeal that few can ignore without joining the crowd.
Back to our coin selling experience. Our number was called. And we were graciously escorted to a table where the buyer eyed the few coins my wife had uncovered.
He immediately separated the value-coin from all the rest – our 1966 silver half-dollar – and casually told us to spend the other coins since they wouldn’t increase in value.
We agreed to his estimated value on our 1966 silver half-dollar. We shook hands. A check was issued.
And we walked away…$3 richer. Hey, unless my “math” is wrong (wouldn’t surprise me if I was) isn’t that a value increase of 400%?
“Est” Syndrome & How to Beat It in Your Dental Content
Sometimes I can’t get-over-myself. This occasionally happens when I write proposals to promote my services to a potential client.
My first hurdle with self promotion is taking myself just seriously enough to boldly inform someone that I’m the person to get-it-done for them. Something similar happens with product and service promotions.
The “est” syndrome.
This feature-focused disease includes promotion killing words like bigg-est…fast-est…great-est. The problem with “est” words is their potential to create unhealthy – or unnecessary – comparisons.
There’s a much better focus. I’ll share that in moment.
Think about making an impression on someone. That all important first impression makes it harder to breathe, doesn’t it?
You stress about your appearance – what to wear? You stress over your first words, how firm should your handshake be, etc.
It’s all about the feature presentation. And perhaps that’s the fear source.
When you think features – everything has to fit and flow just short of “perfect,” right?
But like all lasting relationships, you eventually move past the surface appearance and engage with what’s beneath – the real person. That’s where the relationship takes off and has staying-power.
The staying-power of your products and services have more to do with the deeper benefits than surface features.
Write your dental promotional content to the benefit level.
1) Look at the product or service with fresh eyes.
Ask – what problem does this service really solve? Then think solutions.
Perhaps you’ve focused so much creative energy on the presentation (features) that you’re missing your most compelling selling points (benefits).
2) List every possible problem the product/service solves (really, all you can think of).
This list could be creative-gold for your R&D (Research & Development) processes. Whiteboard or mind-map every possible problem and solution your dental product/service engages.
Punch-up your content with these gold nuggets. Benefits connect and compel your prospect’s emotions.
3) Leverage the results of happy users/clients/patients.
When a problem is solved with one of your products/services that’s an emotional deal. No, there may not be laughter and tears (depending on what their issue is) but now you’ve won a customer…perhaps for life!
Why? Because you engaged them at an emotional level – where a dental problem, an issue, etc was causing “pain.”
You delivered a timely and useful solution to their dilemma. And they’ll talk you up because of it.
But…they won’t if you don’t give them a venue. Testimonials, case studies, survey forms are excellent venues for this kind of “love.” Leverage them.
Seeing yourself as the solution (benefits) is much more effective than comparing yourself to everyone else (features).
YOU have a voice that’s uniquely YOU.
Get over yourself. Start using it.