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How a Dental Content Strategy Can Give You an Advantage Over the Competition
Ah, the competition. That nagging reality that you must face as a dentist and how you apply a dental content strategy to solve it.
But does the dental-practice-on-every-corner really matter to YOUR production? And what about corporate dentistry practices and their lower overhead due to their buying power?
Those and a number of competitor related questions can keep you awake at night.
Competition is overemphasized and here’s why a dental content strategy matters
Let’s start with marketing strategy. It’s a knee jerk reaction to diss the competition.
- To point out their flaws.
- How they’re different than you.
- How they operate. Etc.
The problem, if that applies, is that your focus is in the wrong place relative to your competitors.
What if you’ve met the competition…and it isn’t them?
Stick with me…
What if you’ve met the competition…and it’s YOU?!
The more you focus on “them” out there…the less you’re focused on your dental patients and your influence on them.
Again, it’s natural to lay awake thinking about the newest dental center opening up a few miles away or blocks away. You’ve seen their mailers, their fancy promotion spotlighting their state-of-the-art new technology, and their new patient promotions.
But think about something for a moment. They aren’t going away and your focus on them isn’t going to change that.
What can change is your decision to embrace the competition and use it to your advantage.
What if the competition could actually help build your dental practice as you improve your dental content strategy?
Start with transparency.
The art of being transparent has huge benefits to your practice growth. Transparency should not be equated with weakness or giving-away-the-farm so to speak.
In fact, when you’re transparent – authentically so – your patients and growing base of site visitors will begin to trust you.
And that’s the first thing that transparency does…
Being transparent builds trust.
Once trust is established you can speak openly, honestly, and even glowingly (is that a word?) about your competition.
Why?
Because you’ve lightened up and stopped being concerned about your competitors impact on you. Instead, you’re recognizing that you can use their position to your advantage.
Transparency enables you to speak the truth about what anyone could find out on their own about your competition.
Remove the mystery and you’ll stop concerning yourself with every ad, promotion, and competitor move.
What does transparency look like?
Good question.
Think of it like being yourself.
- Know your skills, expertise, and influence.
- Focus on the unique value you deliver to your patients via your services, your team, your practice brand, your history…and your dental marketing content.
- Be comfortable in-your-skin. In essence, be so in tune with your grasp of your patient’s and the dental seeking public’s unique questions that you’re doing them a disservice if you don’t answer them with relevant content.
Think like a teacher
“But I’m a dentist,” you say. That fact doesn’t change your role as an influencer.
You must think like a teacher…not only a dental practice owner.
Level up your role as a dental professional. And I’m not talking a CE based, colleague driven dentist.
I’m talking about your ability to influence your patient’s “buying decision” via intuitive, organic content.
By intuitive I mean the kind of dental content that isn’t focused on your latest, greatest, state of the art-ness (like your competition). Rather content that’s focused on their burning questions about a dental procedure, related costs, fears, emotions…basically anything your patients or the dental seeking public is asking about.
You differentiate yourself from your competition (and stop worrying about them) when you focus on content that solves the problems and answers the questions the dental seeking public (including your patients) are seeking and asking.
- Ramp up your listening strategies. Tune into every available source of questions, problems, and goals that your patients and site visitors provide.
- Create content that addresses the questions, problems, and desires of your patients and the dental seeking public.
- Monitor and share your fresh content. This lifts you to a place of influence and expertise rather than merely a promo-of-the-month service provider (something your competition is probably focused on).
Your ability to listen and leverage information on behalf of your patients and potential patients will differentiate you from every other dental practice you fear as competition.
Practice dentistry out of abundance instead of scarcity
Make this your new reality (when you’re not obsessing over your competitors):
There’s more than enough dentistry to go around.
Focus on your influence rather than how to out-promo your competition down the street. Doing this enables you to always be in a position of strength.
Why?
No one else is doing this…and they’re not likely to start. The reasons vary but it’s always easier to follow the crowd.
In this instance the crowd of dental competitors are quite content (successful or not) to throw marketing dollars at patient attraction like everyone has always done it.
The sales mindset is difficult to shake.
And the patient focused content driven strategy is perceived too risky or ineffective for most.
Stay the course and you’ll never be lacking for patients. Because every patient or potential patient will reflexively search online for answers and solutions.
When they do…you have the advantage when your website is a solutions platform rather than a digital brochure.
The competition isn’t likely to go away. Why lose sleep over it and try to game your way past them?
Instead, accept them, befriend them…but mostly stop worrying about them. There are more important things to do…like answering your patients questions and solving their problems.
How to Create a Better Path to Your Services Using Informative Dental Content
Though I can’t remember the source or a few details – the story is still practical. Especially as it relates to establishing your authority and influence via well-timed, informative dental copywriting and dental content.
Here’s the story as I remember it…
A developer built a multi-story office complex on several acres. The general structure was in place. Now came time for sidewalks and landscaping.
His contractor was quick to plot out the location of various greenbelt and water features and sidewalks throughout the pristine acreage. The location of sidewalks would follow the predictable layout leading to all points of entry from an expansive multi-story parking facility.
The developer placed a pause on the sidewalk construction. He asked the contractor to delay for a few weeks.
The perplexed contractor pushed-back asking why, knowing that sidewalks are standard for such a facility. And noted that any delays would create problems for the already beautiful landscaping being placed.
The developer held his ground while offering his somewhat outside-the-box wisdom.
Being practical, it made more sense to him that the people using the facility on a daily basis determine where the sidewalks should be placed.
He noted that people predictably walk where they have the easiest and most convenient access to the facility. In his experience, sidewalks are best placed where the highest percentage of foot traffic travels to and from the facility.
His wisdom: let the people create the path then place the sidewalk where they routinely to walk.
Are you building “sidewalks” with your dental content that no one’s using?
Traffic is everything to your online presence as a dental practice or dental service provider. Patients and/or clients arrive, stay, and then exit your dental website for a variety of reasons.
As important as navigation and trendy eye-candy graphics are to many – they matter less to your target audience than you might think.
Why?
Everyone’s doing it or done it…countless times. What was once trendy is now numbing and a distraction to what site visitors come to your site looking for.
Investing thousands in a flashy, trendy, or otherwise templated website is like placing a sidewalk where no one’s walking – simply because it’s where you think a “sidewalk” should for all practical purposes be placed.
Your dental website visitors are looking for one thing!
Dental services? Yes, but something more.
State-of-the-art technology? A nice feature if you have it…but no!
Amenities like coffee and tea in the waiting area? Again, a nice touch…but again, no!
Contests, give-aways, a chance to be your 1000th “Like” or “Follower” on Facebook or Instagram? Really…?!
I think you get the picture (and if not, you will or your website will continue to be a “sidewalk” that few use).
So, what are your website visitors looking for?
Solutions!
Why?
Because they have a particular problem they believe or at least hope you can solve.
And they’ll find your website and stay on your website to the point of making contact with you if…and only if…you provide solutions to their problems and/or answers to their questions.
Gone are the days when you can throw up a templated, looks-like-every-other-dental-website up on the web, fill it with feature-heavy, industry-speak, technical, self-aggrandizing, flashy content and wait for the phone to ring or the contact forms to pour in.
How to create a path that generates more patient or client leads (without doing what everyone else does)
Know your audience…who’s your avatar?
“A dental patient,” you say.
Right, but who are they?
- What are their health goals?
- How do they view dentistry?
- When was their last examination and cleaning?
- Why haven’t they scheduled treatment that’s been planned?
Those are all dental related questions. But go a bit deeper.
- What embarrasses them about their smile?
- How will they finance treatment they know they need?
- When is their next big social event (e.g. wedding, reunion, interview, etc) that they want to look and feel confident attending?
The latter questions probe a bit deeper. You’re getting to an emotional core when you ask and seek answers to these questions.
Transform your dental website from an “online brochure” to an information platform
This might “sting” a little.
Without consistent, informative published content (e.g. a blog, articles) your dental website is nothing more than an easily discarded online “brochure.”
To step away from you crowd it’s essential that you share your expertise as it directly relates to the “pains” and “desires” of your “audience.”
Realize, the dental seeking public search for your services for basically two reasons:
- They’re in pain and want relief.
- They have an emotional or physical motivation to repair or restore something about their smile.
Sure, there are more reasons but those are fundamentally what compels your “audience” or “avatar” to seek your services.
It’s essential that you position yourself as the “expert.”
How?
Through publishing (weekly is best, bi-weekly at a minimum) informative content that compels a person seeking dentistry (for whatever reason) to schedule.
So, you must “pour your sidewalk” where they’re walking…
- Probe for questions and problems during every opportunity you have with a patient. Your current patients will provide clues to what the dental seeking public desire.
- Keep a running list (spreadsheet, etc) of every seed thought, seed question, or verbatim question or problem you encounter from patients. This is a goldmine for content and copy themes.
- Write conversational content that answers questions and solves problems. Few (really) are doing this. And you’ll grow your influence (and production) when you position yourself as a problem-solver.
Remember, sidewalks provide convenient access to a facility or they’re simply a place to go for a stroll. The easier the access the better.
The same applies to your dental website. Create an informative platform and you’ll make accessing your services easier.
What Makes a Great Dental Blog Post?
“A blog post…, you say? First, let’s be realistic!”
Writing takes time. And most days as a dental professional that may be in short supply. You have patients to treat and a practice to run and promote.
Perhaps you already know the value of blog content to your dental website platform. But keeping the flow steady and the quality high…that’s another challenge.
A process will help
Dentistry is subject matter you know something about. Dental content might not be all that “sexy.” But creating a steady flow of it can be easier with a system in place.
The first step in the process is committing to content creation. Your search results and online influence will rise the more useful content you publish.
Next, is quality. Too technical or wordy and you’ll lose your reader. Too brief or unprofessional and you’ll also discredit yourself.
Make a commitment that you’ll provide ongoing, quality content. Here are some field-tested insights into the making of a “great” post.
1-A benefit-focused headline
The headline will, in essence, tip your reader in the direction of the blog’s topic. A great blog post is laser-locked on one big idea, about solving one problem, by telling one compelling story.
One and done! A great blog post engages the reader from the start.
A benefit-focused headline peaks their interest and lures them into the content. The more specific the better.
Too often headlines provide an easy off-ramp for your reader. A headline can be the first (and last) thing they see before clicking away from your content or…your site.
Experiment with a variety of headlines options. Do they compel you to read further? Is it obvious that “help” is on-the-way if they read the post?
Headlines require a high level of attention before you publish.
2-A compelling opening (lead) paragraph
You’ve probably heard the saying, “You never get a second chance to…make a first impression.” That applies here.
Remember your headline raises the curtain on the “story” you’re about to tell. And it’s a story that you have little time to set up.
Dive in!
Wait…why so fast?
Attention spans are short. And online readers have notoriously short spans of attention.
Journalists get it. They’re trained to not “bury the lede.”
If you snooze-them-you-lose-them!
A bold question. A quote. An attention-getting statement.
These will help engage your reader.
3-“Meat”
You know, as in give them something substantial to “chew” on.
The goal is helping them make an informed decision about a particular dental service or treatment. Paint the picture starting with the problem then lead them to a solution.
Again, keep this to one big idea. If you wander all over the map they will too…right off your page.
- Use benefit-charged bullet points. Online readers like to scan. Make sure when they do that they’re getting the substance of your content in small “bites.”
- Break up the post with subheads. Keep them benefit oriented and compelling.
- Avoid “cute,” cliched statements. Be creative but not to the extent that you lose your reader by trying too hard to impress them.
The best impression is how your content answers their burning question or solves their problem.
4-It compels them to do something
This is where you wrap it up. Avoid being vague or too general.
The more specific your closing the better. What do you want them to do? What’s your call-to-action?
- Call us now…
- Schedule your next…
- Contact us for more information…
- Refer family or friends to…
- Leave a comment…
- Ask us about…
Be specific. And fearlessly “tell” them what to do.
These four tips will help you frame a great blog post and evaluate your content.
Remember that the beauty of digital (online/web) content is that it can be repurposed and republished when necessary. And if your time is lacking…why not ask for assistance?
How Influence is More Vital Than Ever to Your Dental Content Marketing Strategy
Election season. You love it or hate it.
Wherever you affectionately land there’s more to the process. The same is true for having an online presence for your dental practice or dental industry business.
I don’t blame those who are a bit disinterested or jaded about American politics. And I’m not here to “stump” one way or the other.
My better point: the right to vote (however you feel about the current stable of candidates) is a privilege of citizenship. It’s a right granted you and I as result of our country’s fight for and preservation of freedom.I
What comes with the “territory”
Rights and privileges are worth protecting. Better is their ability to be used or maximized to their fullest potential.
You don’t have to agree with everything or everyone. But you do have a cause to act.
Action is the energy of your online dental marketing efforts. Succeed or fail, “casting-your-vote” is the essence of the privilege associated with having a piece of territory on the internet.
Sure, it’s a massive space. And you’re one among the billion or so.
Daunting. Yes.
But it comes down to one thing
Value. Not everyone who owns a piece of cyberspace uses it deliver value.
You? Me? I count myself among the value-delivery crowd. And hopefully you do as well.
No, not every blog post, Tweet, newsletter, email, or shared article is a world-changer. But I do approach it feeling as though I deliver something my growing “tribe” will read and be helped by.
And frankly, for starters, that’s enough!
Whatever you do online…do this as consistently as possible.
Create, Deliver, and Share Valuable Content
Increase your influence
I have a client whose influence as a consultant is on the rise. Why?
She recognizes the value, scope, and scalability of hers and her organization’s influence. The weekly content I help her create provides value to a segment of her industry target.
Notice I said, “segment.” You won’t influence everyone.
Focus on a niche within the greater industry universe you occupy. Tap into their pain, problems, and search for relevant solutions. Write, broadcast, email, market to that…consistently!
Showing up on their consciousness “radar” on a regular basis will nestle you into their thinking when they need the help you provide.
Online search these days revolves more and more around your intent. What kind of intent?
Your intent to help. Your online presence that’s branded, so to speak, with a particular library of useful content.
Invest in your influence
Desiring to have influence and being able to consistently deliver on that desire are two different things. For example, as a copy/content writer and content strategist I’m an investment to my previously mentioned consultant client.
I collaborate and create content for her “brand.” She has invested an amount of her marketing stake in my skill to research and write content.
Many dental professionals, dentists, and dental industry business owners desire to expand their influence. And they take a step into the content marketing sea.
Then they become weary. Why?
Consistent content curation, content writing, and content publishing takes time. For most, it’s time you as a professional do not have.
Outsource content curation and creation to other skilled professionals. Locate a go-to copy/content writer, resource them financially, and set them free to consistently stoke your influence via your brand’s content.
Your name is still the one in lights. The content shines on your behalf.
It’s a better approach than a random blog post or digital article here and there. Consistency reveals that you’re dialed in, available, and in tune with your “audience.”
And the quality is also no longer an issue. Although being there with consistently, useful content holds the top spot.
Influence transcends many things. And I’d have to agree that (given the current season where I live) politics is one of them.
What Simple Intuition Can Do for Your Dental Content Marketing Strategy
He’s smarter than I give him credit for. And there’s another more valuable trait that he’s developing at a young age.
I’ll let you in on our grandson’s growing personality in a moment. On a related note, there’s a trait within his intellectual development that applies to how your create your dental content.
Our grandson is six (”and a half…” as he’s quick to remind). The time I spend with him is priceless.
Being a freelancer and solopreneur has it’s perks. Especially when I can take a day off and spend time with the “B-man” as I call him.
I had that opportunity on a recent school holiday. Following breakfast, I reflexively viewed my incoming email on my iPhone as he was playing on the floor in our family room.
That’s when he schooled me…
“I thought you were taking the day off, G-pa!?”
Busted!
He made a connection that face-in-phone means work. He’s six and already more intuitive than I realize.
Intuition
Your power of observation or your ability to use your intuition can improve your dental content creation. It’s natural to make assumptions about your target audience.
After all, you’re a dental professional. You provide a certain set of services and the assumption is that people know it.
How people access your particular brand of services is the issue. Most approach who you are and what you do with questions.
Those questions – as we’ve discussed before – are your gold mine for creating compelling, useful content to promote your services.
Assume less – Intuit more
Your patients or clients are consistently in search of solutions to their “pain” or problems. And like most, they type a word or phrase in the form of a question into their chosen online search engine.
They, like you, do this more often on-the-fly via their smartphone or tablet. Pain, a problem, an unforeseen setback invades their space and they go searching for a solution.
Content Intuition and What It Can Do for Your Dental Content Marketing that Assumptions Cannot
Intuition creates real-time opportunity
Thoughts are fluid. You are always experiencing a constant stream of them.
So are your patients and clients.
It’s essential that your intuitive content finds its way to their thought consciousness. Your success rate will increase as you appear on their conscious “radar” consistently.
Monthly content…that’s a stretch. Sure, if it’s dense as in a content rich newsletter, industry case study, or informative ebook.
Start with a bi-weekly published content. But consider the opportunity-value of appearing in their space with useful content on a weekly basis – this is optimum.
Why? Your patients/clients are busy.
And volume of content they consume for information, entertainment, support, etc is off the charts.
Be there consistently. Be there usefully.
And you’ll occupy a small space in their content stream.
Intuition compels an informed response
The information your patients or clients search for depends on their current need, mood, pain, etc. Getting a response relies on your ability to intuit their condition.
How?
Listen!
- Set up listening “stations.” Encourage your business team, consultants, assistants, hygienists to develop an open-ear approach. Train them how to pick up on the signals your patients/clients are sending. Develop ways to log/archive that data.
- Create content around the questions, pains, problems, and solutions being sought by your patients/clients.
Remember that useful information compels…and “sells.”
Intuition conforms to the solutions you provide
Other “listening stations” are your online reviews, ratings, and strategic surveys. This is useful as you use your intuition to access what’s being said on and between the lines.
- Get intentional by using surveys. Brief, targeted surveys can help you tap-into the needs, wants, and desires of your patients/clients. Avoid lengthy, complicated, or irrelevant questions. Ask what you really want to know.
- Use reviews and survey data to create a content editorial list. Craft content around answering the questions and problems with solution-oriented content.
- Provide variety. Informative content can be shared via a blog, podcast, video, short courses, webinars, etc.
Give your “audience” numerous channels to connect with you. They’ll appreciate the convenience and your intuition.
How “Irritating” is Your Dental Content? And is That a Good Thing?
Years ago, I heard author/consultant, Jim Collins (Built to Last, Good to Great), speak. During his talk he said something I will always remember.
Your dental marketing influence on new patients or new clients rises and falls. It will achieve greater consistency when you create and use content according to what I remember Collins saying.
He made this statement about the sharing of ideas and principles – “I want what I share today to be like an irritating grain of sand stuck in the folds of your brain…”
Not to say that you want to “irritate” new or potential patients/clients into action. But the principle applies.
Content irritation?
The goal of your dental marketing content isn’t to irritate in the purest sense of that word. It’s more a matter of sustained front-of-mind presence.
Your potential patients/clients seek their information differently these days. It’s short of reflexive to reach for a smart phone or tablet device and “Google” the answer to their “burning” question.
What shows up in the search queue is vital to your ongoing ability to reach and compel them. More often than not a link to an article will pop-up in their search results.
Are you there?
I’m talking “there” in the sense of having a consistent presence via content that’s useful and relevant to their search. They’re looking for you, a dentist, or you as a dental industry professional and their “pain-point” is the motivation for seeking your services.
Or your new patient is sitting in your operatory following the exam, x-ray, and teeth cleaning as result of your latest promotion. Treatment is necessary.
A treatment plan is being presented. They have a decision to make.
Are they prepped and equipped with the information to make the decision?
Information flows
Your target audience makes decisions based on the compelling quality of the information presented to them. It would make sense that the more, compelling, informative, useful, and available information…the better, right?
Content creates a river effect. It flows towards expectant and otherwise seeking-to-be-informed people, not unlike yourself.
You’re reading this blog for much the same reason. A need or desire for the information prompted you to click a link and read it.
Or it was shared with you via a respected colleague, friend, or social media connection (always appreciated, by the way).
Welcome to the new era of content community.
How to Use Consistent Content to Inform and Compel New Patients or New Clients to Take Action on Your Services
Use the echo-effect.
Become a voice that “echoes” in the consciousness of your patients/clients. This happens when you show up consistently on their “radar” via compelling content.
You have limited hours of operation, marketing dollars to invest, and time to maximize your connections. Content works for you around-the-clock, so to speak.
Create “echo-points!”
- Create and send emails to your patient/client list. Link to relevant blog posts, articles, and/or social media channels. Limit how much you email promotions compared with the amount of “content-echo” you distribute to your list. A will timed email with a link to a relevant content channel could tip a new or current patient/client to take the next step.
- Use voice-mail (if you must rely on phone contact) more strategically. Craft the message (content) you leave with unavailable patients/clients to include a call to action. Avoid saying “call us back,” etc. Give them a reason to feel they’re missing out on something if they don’t return your call.
- Make audio/visual content available for after-hours “echoes.” Use short podcasts, YouTube videos, Periscope, Instagram, GIFs, SnapChat, etc.
Construct a go-to archive of valuable information.
Your online presence (via a website) should resemble a library more than a digital brochure. Archived content (blog posts, articles, videos, podcasts, etc.) set you up as an authority.
- Catalog your posts and articles by category. This improves eye-scan impact and ease of access.
- Use your content platform as reference point for patient/client questions – “What’s your email address? I’ll forward you a link to a blog post/article/podcast that will answer your question…” This gives you an opportunity to “echo.”
Release your collective influence.
This follows the previous tip. Your content becomes a second voice of influence beyond yours and that of your team.
Again, having content to share increases your authority and influence. Plus, not all of your team members (you included) are rock-stars at closing the “deal.” (treatment plans, etc.).
And content relieves all that “salesy-speak” that’s so easy to use when trying to close treatment or a sale.
Content gives you permission to keep promoting – even when you aren’t present…or as a reference point when you are.
Front-of-mind consistency is the strength of your dental content. It’s the type of “irritation” you shouldn’t mind having.
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.