dental website copy

dental content clarity

How to Assure that Your Dental Content is Clear and Useful

I love it when clients “get” what I’m about to share with you! It’s simple really and it can add value to your dental content – online or offline.

I recently wrote the copy for a dental client’s website. The pediatric dental content was brief and to the point – as they preferred.

They asked for a minor revision. It involved copy on a somewhat obscure dental issue. Though pleased with the copy, the client recognized that the existing content could be a bit confusing to their “audience.”

It’s vital that your content connect on a compelling AND clear level with your reader.

I made a minor adjustment to the copy. All it involved was a simple tweak in the language followed by a clarifying explanation of the issue.

I’ll share the “language” I used in a moment.

Clarity first

I’ve written about what is called the “power of one.” It’s the principle that your copy/content is more compelling and useful when it focuses on one, clear idea.

It’s common for marketing or promotional copy/content to take on too much. Words carry weight but too many ideas all at once can weigh-down and confuse your reader.

Narrow your focus to one clear, compelling, big idea. And make sure that idea is clearly communicated (what my client gets).

How to Assure that Your Dental Content is Clearly Useful

1-Know your audience

This is Communication-101. Who are you talking, writing, marketing, promoting to? Dentistry is a technical, knowledge-based industry. As a dentist, your education holds esteemed value to your patients (and it certainly should).

Your audience “pays” for your knowledge and expertise. But that knowledge-base requires a clear explanation when it’s shared with those other than industry colleagues (i.e., your patients).

  • View your services through the “eyes” of your patient. Explain, promote, educate them with words they understand. This is a fundamental task of my dental content writing – clarifying and attaching benefits to what is otherwise obscure or irrelevant.
  • Get to the benefit level as quickly and clearly as possible. Remember that the benefits of your services must connect with your patient’s emotions. Features, on the other hand, appeal to their logic. Use both (features and benefits) but clarify what you provide around the benefit they will receive.

2-Paint a “picture.”

It’s useful to illustrate the “idea” you’re communicating. This is what I did recently with my client.

I used a few simple words to clarify the complex issue. Instead of using albeit accurate technical language I illustrated it by saying, “Think of it this way…,” then crafted a short connection to a relatable idea.

Those simple words shifted their thinking to something they could understand. When your reader makes the “shift” they inch closer to accepting what you’re communicating.

Art takes work.

Invest time creating clear ways to communicate your services. What can you compare it to? Is there a connection to something your patient(s) know and understand?

3-Tell a story.

This is about your core message. Those who read your content aren’t looking for a screenplay but they are looking for value in what your provide.

The more you draw them into your services the better your outcomes.

  • Help your patient see themselves using and benefitting from your service. It’s not about “whiter teeth” it’s really about confidence at their daughter’s wedding or feeling attractive at their upcoming high school reunion.
  • List as many plot-lines as you can think of for each of your dental services. By “plot-line” I’m referring to the path you guide them on from problem to solution. What ultimately does this “problem” cause if avoided and what would it look like if they accept the “solution?”
  • Mine your reviews, surveys, and patient testimonials for story themes. Patients tell you their story through their post-treatment comments. Listen chair side for clues to your patient’s story. What are they really wanting from the service you’ve treatment planned for them?

That’s story!

Simplify your copy. And remember that clarity adds value to the content you publish to promote your services.

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features and benefits

Is This Obsession “Killing” Your Dental Marketing Content?

An obsession. You probably have one (or more).

I do.

Relax. This isn’t confession time.

But I will confess to one thing. I’m obsessed these days with helping dental website owners and developers end their obsession with feature-heavy content.

Features have their place. Actually, they have one strategic purpose…and overuse isn’t one of them.

My so-called, “rant” is valid these days. It’s a “sore-spot” with me primarily because I’m still recoiling from related (“You didn’t tell people how great we are…”) push-back on a client’s web page copy I recently shipped (it’s not the first time and probably won’t be the last).

Let’s define what I mean by “features.” They are any aspect or related wording that describes your product or service.

Think color, clarity, class, or construction. Features are the easiest to spot and “spin” when writing copy.

Typically, feature-intense writing requires less creative energy. Why?

You’re merely describing what’s in front of you or how you want your reader, buyer, customer, client, or patient to see your product/service.

Features are easy to recognize because they’re commonly accented with words like “state-of-the-art,” “cutting-edge,” or any word ending in “-est” (e.g. “latest,” “greatest,” “best,” etc).

The comparative truth about features in your copy/content

Features have their place. Where?

Alongside compelling benefits.

Features appeal to your patient’s or client’s logic. Benefits connect your patient’s or client’s emotional desire with your product or service.

Compel a response with BENEFITS.

Then…

Rationalize their decision with FEATURES.

Copywriter and author, Bob Bly, shares a classic illustration of the Feature-Benefit issue in his book, The Copywriter’s Handbook.

“Features and Benefits of a #2 Pencil

Feature: The pencil is a wooden cylinder surrounded by a graphite core. Benefit: Can be re-sharpened as often as you like to ensure clean, crisp writing.

Feature: One end is capped by a rubber eraser. Benefit: Convenient eraser lets you correct writing errors cleanly and quickly.

Feature: Eraser is attached with a metal band. Benefit: Tight-fitting metal band holds eraser snugly in place – so you’ll always have an eraser when you need it.

Feature: Pencil is 7.5 inches long. Benefit: Long length ensures long writing life.

Feature: Pencil is 1/4 inch in diameter. Benefit: Slender shape makes it easy to hold and comfortable to write with.

Feature: Pencil is a #2. Benefit: Graphite core is blended so that it writes smoothly , yet is crisp and easy-to-read.

Feature: Yellow exterior. Benefit: Bright yellow exterior ensures that it’s easy to spot on a messy desk or in a crowded drawer.

Feature: Sold by the dozen. Benefit: Sold in a convenient 12-pack so if you lose one, you don’t have to run to the store for another. Also, more cost-effective.” (pp. 59-60)

Understand that features have their place in your content. But ultimately, the “selling/compelling point” is the benefit.

How to Turn Your Obsession with Features Into More Compelling, Benefit-Focused Content

For every feature – think benefit

Review Bly’s #2 pencil illustration. You’ve held a pencil, placed a pencil behind your ear, chewed on a pencil for years, right?

And you probably didn’t give thought to the benefits listed in the example. But they are present nonetheless.

The task of your copy/content is to uncover the hidden benefits, expose them to your reader, and compel them to take action as result. This is the hard work of copywriting.

  • Train your senses to see, hear, smell, touch benefits. View your products/services through a sensory lens.
  • List every benefit you can think of for the product/service you’re promoting. Build your content around them.

Refuse to list a feature in your copy/content unless it’s accompanied by a compelling benefit.

Ruthlessly eliminate feature-fluff in your copy. I’ll go so far as to say that using fluff words (”state-of-the-art,” “cutting-edge,” etc) is the lazy approach.

Again, it takes work to uncover and craft content around benefits. Then apply the extra effort to rationalize them with features.

Ask why your newest equipment, service, product, etc is “state-of-the-art.” How does that “fluff-wording” translate to a compelling benefit? Write to that!

Get emotional.

Compelling copy grabs your reader’s emotions. It’s not only about tears and fears (though those are strong emotional responses).

The better part of emotions involves painting a picture for your reader. It’s guiding them to see themselves using, benefiting from, and being changed by your product or service.

A feature gets their attention. A benefit compels a decision.

  • Think like your reader/client/patient. What would you feel, sense, believe about the product/service?
  • List the emotional triggers that your product/service touches on. Attach a benefit to that emotion.

Get obsessed about your copy/content. But make sure there’s a benefit.

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compelling content headlines

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.

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