Dental B2B

3 Fundamentals for Publishing an Enewsletter as a Follow-up Tool

The problem may not be your lack of follow-up but how consistently you lack it.

Think about it! You have good intentions when it comes to following up on prospects and potential leads in your dental marketing.

But how many times can you draft an email or hand-written note and keep doing it over and over. At some point you must somewhat “automate” the marketing follow-up process.

An effective way to “automate” your follow-up is through consistently publishing an enewsletter. And it can be as simple as repurposing a blog post.

In fact, that’s a good place to begin as a I offer a few tips to get started with publishing an enewsletter.

1) Start blogging

Your blog is the blank canvas to explore, explain, and, express your expertise (how do you like that “ex” theme I have going there?). It’s a place to log insights.

Lead with a blog. Many posts will “seed” other ideas and topics. These deeper explorations form the content that can be expanded through a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly enewsletter.

2) Show up regularly

Speaking of follow-up frequency…how often should you publish an enewsletter? Preferences vary. Some say weekly is best, others bi-weekly or monthly. I previously published weekly. Now (as I’m planning the 2.0 version of my enewsletter) I’m leaning toward monthly.

The advantage of monthly is you can use your enewsletter as a way to aggregate the numerous blog posts published over the course of a month into one issue.

You can expand a thought that a blog post simply introduced. You can incorporate the wisdom gained from comments to a particular post. Even social media feedback from retweets, likes and post comments (Facebook page) can improve upon a topic blogged about weeks before.

Bottom-line: consistency. Whether you promote your enewsletter as a weekly or monthly – stay with it. Your subscribers will drift (unsubscribe) if you lack consistency.

3) Open the window

I’m talking about letting people see into your life, practice/company culture, product/service stories, etc. One thing social media has taught us is that getting personal is okay.

If you want your enewsletter read and shared be unafraid to open up the windows a bit. Don’t be a life-voyeur or a verbal flasher. TMI (Too Much Info) applies here too.

If you’ve taken a trip, been on vacation, achieved a milestone, celebrated the milestone of a child or loved one, purchased a new gadget…you get the picture! And that’s what I’m talking about – give your readers a “picture” of who you are in addition to your expertise.

Authenticity opens the door to better business connections. It’s the basis for effective marketing follow-up – what we call “engagement” these days.

An enewsletter is a perfect follow-up companion alongside a blog and any other business communication you share.

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What a toddler taught me about marketing

My almost-2-year-old grandson loves books. He walks across the room book in hand, plops down beside me and we read together.

One of the books in his stash of favorites is  – “What Do Babies Need?” He’s  now several months removed from baby-hood. But he’s still occasionally captivated by the pictures and short answers that tell the story about what little ones need. Stuff like baths, food, and most of all, love.

Experience tells me – when a baby’s in need, run the list of basics – food (check!), clean diaper (check!), pacifier (check!)… Find and meet the need and they’ll be satisfied (until the next “need” arises).

Brings to mind another question…

What do people need? Answer that question for every marketing approach with your dental industry supplies, products and services.

Copywriting must target not only the surface needs of a prospect but also those deeper emotional needs. Anyone can market to the surface stuff – and most do.

Getting to the core of what people need takes extra-mile effort. And the extra effort separates a marketing promotion from all the rest.

Lessons from my grandson for discovering the needs of your market:

1) Be naive. My grandson has innocence therefore he learns. Simple things entertain and educate him.

Approach your target prospects with a healthy niavete’. When you think you know them…truth is – you don’t.

2) Be diligent. My ‘lil guy brings the same book to my lap again and again. To him it’s a fresh read every time.

If you want to know the needs of your market – research, research, research – and then research some more. You probably missed something the first or fifth time around.

3) Be resilient. My g-son’s attention span is a nano-second. Two pages into the book and he’s off to something else. Am I offended at his back-and-forth…up-and-down-ness? Not at all! I roll with the changes.

The needs of the moment for prospects change like a child’s disposition. Remember and respond accordingly (see Lesson 2).

Childlike innocence, diligence, and resilience. It’s what babies…toddlers…and your marketing copy need.

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Does Your Dental Marketing Content Need to Get-a-Life?

What motivates someone to purchase a product or use a service?

Think about your most recent purchase. Consider the promotion that led you to hand-over your earnings.

Freelance copywriter and author, Bob Bly introduced me to a concept in one of his articles. A colleague revealed [in his opinion] that people don’t necessarily care about the idea of being…say, a millionaire or even making six-figures.

Really – the driving force is…a certain kind of life-style…living life on their terms. Money is simply a means to an end.

Of principle, Bly adds…

“…marketers who simplistically trumpet “get rich” in their ads are making a mistake. Instead of selling the obvious benefit, they could be reaching their prospects on a deeper and more powerful level.”

Here’s an example, according to Bly. Historically, career-training institutions would focus their marketing approaches on graduates making lots of money.

One ad featured an actual student standing next to his new Jaguar. What the ad failed to mention, Bly observes, was that this particular student bought the luxury auto with money he won in a personal injury lawsuit, not with money earned as result of the institution’s training.

New ads have a different focus, he notes. They feature interviews with now gainfully employed students…but they don’t talk about money.

Instead, one of the graduates talks about the pride his kids show when they see him leave the house for work every day wearing a suit and tie. Another student reveals the rewarding overseas business trips his company sends him on. He talks excitedly about his love of travel, the new foods, the diverse cultures, and new people his career enables him to meet. He’s joined in the commercial by his mother who glows about how proud she is of her son.

Bly referred to this deeper level of marketing as “life-style promotions.” It’s the appeal to what truly drives most of us to buy products or use services. The what’s-in-it-for-me answer is in many ways a shift in HOW we live more than it is merely about having money.

The persuasive element? It’s all about lifestyle!

The key…?

>>Whatever business or service niche you are in – connect it to life<<

Here’s a couple of insights into choosing words that give *life* to your promotions. First… >Shift your marketing copy into *reverse*.

>Instead of leading – as is typical – with the product, launch your wording around the lifestyle or the lifestyle benefits your target market desires.

Listen to *life* that’s happening in-and-around your business/service and the *lives* of your customers/clients. How does your product or service impact their *lifestyle* (at any level)? When you’ve made a list…you’re ready to write your copy (before creating a product).

Next…

>>Drive your product/service *forward* with copy instead of driving your copy with the product/service.

Write a persuasive lifestyle promotion about a product/service you haven’t rolled out yet (yes, you read that correctly). When you’ve tested the promotion’s selling-appeal (by actually placing it in front of your market) and found it’s effective (meaning interest is gained…order inquiries roll-in) THEN develop the product. Risky, yes! But…now who’s in the driver’s seat?

Lifestyle appeal works in a good (or bad) economy! The promise of a different, and perhaps better, lifestyle will drive your products and services forward…profitably!

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Do You Make These 2 Copywriting Mistakes?

Sometimes I do stupid stuff! I said something stupid and my timing was oh-so bad! To quote Forrest Gump (I think it was him), “Stupid is as stupid does…” (Cue flurry of comments!).

Anyway, my stupidity- foible got me thinking about what “stupid is” with marketing copy.

Here’s a short list:

All features – no benefits

Copy that’s all about the “est” – as in the “big-est”, “great-est”, “short-est” – should fluidly lead to a compelling benefit. Always? I’d stand by that statement for 99% of copywriting that’s feature heavy.

Here’s a tip: Stop before you lazily promote a widget as “the greatest…” Ask/say, “So what…?” Now start answering the “what.” Answer the “what” on as many levels as you can.” Then, you’ll be on the path to discovering some compelling benefits that could increase profit.

Too many themes in a promotion

A laser or a light bulb. What’s the difference? Both are light sources, right? A light bulb is a diffused or broadcasting light source. It illuminates an environment. A laser is a focused light source. And when aimed, a laser has the ability to cut through thick steel.

A promotion should be laser-like! Focused!

To penetrate your target market’s emotions – focus on “one” theme in your copy. Lock in like a laser beam with “one” compelling idea.
That’s it for now. I’ll keep this post brief. The more I write (today), the more I risk saying something stupid…again! :0

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