Dental Business
Why If-You-Build-It-They-Will-Come Isn’t a Good Marketing Plan
“If you build it, they will come…” Really? Will they?
Sure, it’s a good movie line (Field of Dreams) but is it a good principle for marketing your business, products, and services?
Attracting a “crowd” to your business, products, and services these days takes more than a presence. For example, marketing your dental industry services on the web or in social media is huge. But it’s more about how you’re engaging and authentically connecting with your market that attracts new business and increases your profit.
The “if-you-build-it-they-will-come” approach reminds me of the guy responsible for the design and layout of sidewalks for a soon-to-be-opened high-rise office complex.
Time came for the grand opening and there were no sidewalks! The facility foreman inquired – “When will we have sidewalks…?” The landscape foreman replied – “Give it time…I’m waiting for the crowd to tell me where to build them…” Interesting.
Here’s the wisdom of his answer. Experience had taught him that people will naturally migrate between the facilities on certain and natural paths.
Give it time and a footpath will emerge. Bingo! That’s where you pour your concrete investment! Build them too early…or where it seems normal (to you and everyone else) and they’ll perhaps rarely – if ever – be used.
(Observe this next time you’re on a corporate or college campus. Notice the sidewalks. Then notice the path worn through the grass between buildings. Get it?)
Can you rely on build-your-own-path thinking when marketing in today’s economy?
I’m talking about the kind of thinking that says, “We’ll do our own thing…we don’t have time to know who who audience is…”
Here’s the deal…
How often do you launch out with a dental marketing initiative – even worse – pulling out the worn-out marketing approaches or copywriting you’ve used over and over again believing it’ll work again…hopefully better this time than last?
If you’re not experiencing valid…eye-popping…take-it-to-the-bank returns – you’ve built a sidewalk where no one’s walking…! You’ve poured your marketing investments into something without considering the benefits or lack of them for anyone…including yourself.
And in today’s marketplace can you really afford to be wasteful with your marketing dollars?
Do this:
>>Be observant
Watch and listen. What are people saying…concerned about…looking for? How does your business, product, or service solve their problem, speak to their issue, or assist with their challenge? Now…pitch to your observations.
Remember – features attract! Benefits sell! Make sure your copywriting is filled with benefits more than it is with “look-how-great-we-are” features.
>>Develop an action-bias
Talk of corporate rescues and a government bail-out numbs us to what makes this country great – focused…diligent…hard-work! Are you acting or reacting these days?
Action creates momentum and momentum will propel you through difficulty. YOU have something to sell, promote, and deliver to your clients and potential clients. Act…now!
>>Grow resilient and resourceful
Does your business have bounce…flexibility? Can you step outside the box?
Better yet, are you pushing the borders of the box to new and different edges? If you’re saying the same-ole-thing in the same-ole-ways – no wonder people are taking different paths other than the ones to your door.
Flex and find new ways to do what you do best. Then, tell your market about it with fresh words that will benefit your them.
“If you build it they will come…” makes a great movie line. But the bigger question – can you afford to just build it?
Observe. Act on what you discover. Get resourceful. And benefit from what happens! Those paths lead to more profitable places.
Is Your Marketing Content Stealing Your Profit?
Talk of the economy depresses, bores…or empowers (for those not so inclined to believe the sky’s falling every other day). Economy themed communication typically surrounds money, investments, foreclosures, etc.
But…
There’s another realm where an economic forecast could be profitable to your dental industry services.
Being called upon as a copywriter to communicate in writing on a regular basis I’m tuned-in to the economy as well…the economy of words, that is.
When communicating – whatever the form – it’s necessary to maximize your words without minimizing your message. And most bankrupt their intended message through poor word management.
How Word Economy Adds Value to Your Dental Industry Marketing Strategy
Add the term “economy-of-words” to your dental marketing vocabulary. It’s a a fundamental principle for effective copywriting and marketing content.
In business, words add value. But the right words increase your profit and improve your bottom-line. As a professional copywriter I diligently study my craft to understand and utilize the persuasive, compelling power of words.
I know how the right words (e.g. in dental marketing) can lead to more clients, improved client relationships, and the bottom-line – increased business and sales. In an article I read by veteran copywriter, Bob Bly, he asked this question…
“What words sell best?”
Let’s apply his question:
1—Consider the copywriting/content in your dental marketing resources and/or informational products.
Think web pages, enewsletters, email promotions, brochures, product info packets, print newsletters, direct mail, ad copy, etc. Even social media content too (Twitter, Facebook, Blog). Are these a mere afterthought, “micro-waved leftovers”…or a strategic element of your business?
2—Ask yourself and those responsible for your marketing resources 3 important questions.
>Is the copywriting/content you currently use enhancing your image and improving your profit picture?
>Is it an accurate reflection of who-you-are
>Are you measuring its effectiveness?
3—Take necessary steps to improvement.
Does it need re-crafting, editing, or a total re-do? If so, get after it!
Economic decisions matter – with dollars and words!
3 Ways to Stimulate Response with Your Dental Marketing Copy
I’m a visual person. I tend to think in pictures and images. When I set goals I see the process, the path, the end-result of achieving it. And I move forward in that direction (at least that’s the plan).
Visualization stimulates energy. Imagination taps into emotions. Images ignite thoughts and compel actions toward creating preferable futures – all things considered!
When searching products on-line, for example, I usually click the “see larger image” button on the site. Give me the 360-degree view.
At the movies the preview trailers for upcoming flicks keep me in my seat. I’ll forgo the concession line to make sure I don’t miss one Preview of Coming Attractions. There’s promotional power in watching action-packed, laugh inducing snippets from soon-to-be-released films (occasionally the trailer is better than the movie itself…but that’s another discussion).
Show someone using your dental product or dental service in an embedded site video (e.g. YouTube) and you’ll increase the odds they’ll be hooked. That’s the power of strategically utilized imagery.
Imagination motivates. It prepares you for action. Visualization energizes your receptivity to new ideas and the means to achieve your goals.
What you see is what you get. This says something about your approach to life just as it does the features of your product(s) or service(s).
Let’s talk about that for a moment.
What images…visualizations are you creating for your marketing approaches? Are your clients seeing what you’re promoting before they get it?
Crafting visually stimulating marketing words (copy) for your dental business promotions is essential if you want to captivate the imagination of your target market. Make them see themselves using and benefiting from your product or service.
Here’s how to stimulate your dental industry prospects’ and clients’ responsive imagination.
>Paint-by-numbers<
Frankly, this approach has stroked the artistic in most at one time or another. Effective copywriting involves numbers, i.e. facts, statistics, and relevant data. Provide proof that your business, product, or service delivers by coloring your copy with testimonial and/or expert information.
>Get real<
People (dental industry clients) have real problems. And you are in business to solve your applicable share of those problems. Help them picture the benefits your product or service delivers. Connect it to real life. This means you must know your prospect. Lead them with words to visualize the future – the future only your product/service can enable them to experience. Remember you’re promoting benefits – real…hands-on benefits.
>Show some emotion<
Again, knowing your dental industry prospect involves knowing what reaches, touches, and compels them. My business tagline states, among other things, that I write compelling copy. If writing doesn’t compel…you won’t sell (pardon the rhyme…although it is catchy).
Prospects and repeat clients require you to tap into their emotions. Write in a way that visualizes fear…greed…insecurity…happiness…pride…guilt…confidence…etc (all among common copywriting emotions).
Remember, *people buy for emotional, not rational reasons*.
Visualization stimulates the imagination. Give people an image that compels them to do business with you.
Watch Your Language – Especially When Doing This
On three particular occasions when I’ve answered the “tell-me-about-your-business” question, jargon caused a problem.
Jargon, or insider-language, creates communication gaps that can cost you opportunities.
Think about the “corporate-speak” you use when describing your business, service, or product to someone. Are you using language only those in your niche or who do your brand of work would understand?
Throw around jargon in a conversation and you might as well be speaking a foreign language no one in the room speaks, according to marketing consultant, Ilise Benun,
“If you were at a work-related function in, say, New York or Chicago, would you address people in Portuguese? Probably not. But you’d be surprised by how many businesspeople lapse into foreign “languages.” I’m talking about using technical or industry-specific jargon.”
She adds…
“Using words or phrases that have special meanings within an industry is a sure way to stop a conversation with someone outside the industry well before it’s started.”
In my previously mentioned conversations I somewhat casually answered, “I’m a copywriter…” A few minutes later I was re-explaining that…no…I don’t assure people their documents, marketing resources, brands, etc. are secure from people maliciously inclined to steal them and make them their own – that’s *copyrighting*!
Get the picture…
While those in marketing circles understand what copywriting is (my business) many, I’ve discovered, do not! My lack of language-sensitivity created an awkward moment all the way around.
So…here’s how to watch your language:
**Speak the native tongue**
I’m all about relevance…relevance…relevance! Keep your *talk* relevant to the moment. Remember the *barstool test*. Be conversational – ask yourself, “Would I use these words if I were in a conversation with them while sitting on a barstool…?” A networking opportunity or event is essentially that – a moment where casual, conversational language enhances opportunity. What are the “natives” speaking? Lose the jargon and industry-speak.
**Tweak your spiel**
You’ve got one…a spiel…right? I’m talking about your 10-15 second commercial for your business, product, or service.
Benun recalls, “…for me, instead of saying, “I’m a marketing consultant,” I could say something like, “I show people who work for themselves how to get the clients they want.” You get the point…”
As a copywriter, I’ve chosen to say something along the lines of, “I help business and service professionals create effectively worded promotional resources…” Or, “I write compelling resources that help businesses sell their services/products…”
Take a moment…review your resources…underline the jargon…decide to tweak the wording and how you talk to your prospects and clients about what you do/sell.
**Seek common ground**
Industry insiders know the jargon. To them, it says you’re in-the-know and credible. That’s common ground.
But…
When conversing or promoting to industry outsiders (the bulk of your business) listen…then speak and write to what you’ve heard. It’s more impressive – when gaining interest – to invest time picking up signals and language by listening than it is droning on and on until their eyes glaze over – unimpressed.
Good conversation like good written communication is an art. Learn to measure your artistic ability by how soon and often the conversation continues. Clear, compelling conversations lead to opportunity…and opportunity leads to profit.
Jettison the jargon!