social media
The web has changed – do you know what to do?
As a dental service provider or dental marketer, let’s agree you want a piece of the online action. But how does your web presence compete for the attention of today’s savvy web surfers.
And once you’ve established an online presence – that brings in business – how do you keep it?
You do know the web HAS changed…right!?
Securing that attention is both a technological AND content issue. The web presents countless waves of opportunity for dental industry and dental marketing pros like you.
Here’s a few reminders of how savvy, A-level dental marketers are strategically using the web for their front-line dental marketing efforts:
–>E-mail (Are you maximizing this tool?) – use product/service promotions, autoresponders (a series of strategically written email promotions that provide a click-through link to your website or promotional webpage).
–>E-newsletters or e-zines (Got one? – they work in ways you may not have considered) – keep your products/services front-of-mind through a series of articles and tips published weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
–>Blogs (For some they’re better than an e-newsletter and…they’re more than a place to vent or rant) – stay on the radar of the your target market through consistent, relevant content that establishes you as an authority – or at least one with your finger on the pulse of your industry. See it…say it – that’s the power of having a go-to blog.
–>Social media (Seriously! What are you waiting for?) – think Twitter, Facebook pages, LinkedIn, YouTube, Foursquare, Gowalla, etc. I’ll be as bold to say – “Get on board or be irrelevant (that’s a kind way of saying you’ll go the way of the dinosaur)!”
–>Home pages (perhaps the most strategically under-utilized and ineffective website page) – set the pace for your entire website here.
–>Landing pages…squeeze pages (could be the difference between a customer and potential one) – warm up your market with a product/service promotion before they even get to your website.
–>Podcasts (if you’ve got something valuable to say) – be the voice with a portable…listen-as-you-go marketing tool (IPhones, IPads, Blackberrys, and the Android market of smartphones make this a slam-dunk)! Embed it on your website and build your subscriber list. For some hearing is better than seeing (reading).
–>Webinars (nothing to fear…much to gain when used right) – create an online educational system. Save cash-flow on training travel and related fees. Offer the occasional free webinar to build your educational tribe.
New and efficient forms of communication require fresh, targeted content. Design is a significant feature of your dental industry website for sure.
But without benefit-biased copywriting all the *pop* and *flash* technology risks diverting attention…and the web, brothers-and-sisters, preaches the doctrine of attention!
3 Ways to Step-Away-from-the-Crowd with Better Dental Copywriting
Do you know how much marketing content is published in the dental industry? Your response is probably like mine – “How much…? Not sure. But a lot!”
Your approach to copywriting as a dental marketer, dental supplier, or dental service provider will most likely follow a certain pattern. But the issue is always – will it produce the response you desire for your marketing efforts? And if it does, can it be repeated with equal or greater effectiveness each time it’s sent via email, mailed directly to your list, or posted on your dental website’s blog?
What you already have going for you may be the secret you’ve been looking for in your promotions. In print or online, revealing more of this can lift you above the crowd.
Speaking of crowds…remember a recent social function (a party or networking event). Someone – maybe only one – stood out from the pack of those you interacted with. What initially got your attention? Was it how they were dressed? How they looked? What they said or how they said it?
When all’s been said and done – this shines through. It’s…personality!
Add some personality to your dental marketing content and track the results. It’ll mean avoiding the window dressing mindset (e.g. flash, design, colors, etc.) typical of many copywriting approaches. In the end people will remember you more for the personality that shines through than the exterior coating.
Don’t misunderstand me, I’m a fan of creative, colorful, out-of-the-ordinary promotions. They catch my eye and keep me engaged.
But…
I’m hooked more when I’m drawn into the marketing conversation and it seems like only seconds have passed while it’s actually been several minutes. Good copywriting – the kind with personality – does this.
No more sleep-inducing content!
If your dental copywriting and marketing materials come with a warning label – WARNING: Do not drive or operate heavy machinery after reading this…you know what I’m talking about! More than that they’re TYPICAL…and in business – typical isn’t memorable.
It’s vital to insert personality between every line of your communications with customers and prospects (most read between the lines of what you’re saying anyway). The *personality-ethic* applies to your email promotions, your blog posts and the social media content you post on your Twitter and Facebook page, the copywriting on your website, your e-newsletter content, and more.
Here’s 3 ways to add some personality or better yet get yours working for you and the copywriting that promotes your dental products and services:
1) Inc. yourself (and not in the corporate sense)!
I consistently remember the words a colleague and mentor said to me several years ago – “be yourself.” No one else can be you better than…YOU. Management guru, Tom Peters calls it “You Inc.” or “brand-you.”
It’s about the unique personality…the DNA…you personally bring to your marketing communications. Be unafraid to let people “in” on your life and the behind-the-scenes aspects of your business-story (we talked about this in a previous post).
Step away from worn-out, weak, or ineffective branding! What you keep hidden or overshadowed (too much dependence on brand or image) might be the key to winning a client’s heart.
2) Step from behind the professional veneer.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m a believer in being and remaining professional in all your business practices. Just don’t confuse professionalism with being pretentious, aloof, or out-of-touch.
Why is it that someone talks in plain, easy-to-understand words yet when they get behind the key-board or take pen in hand they become this austere (there I go…using a big word) “plastic” person.
Corporate jargon is just that – jargon. It may or may not reflect your niche in the dental industry…or, for that matter – you. Think about it – how effective does bureaucracy communicate – really?
3) Be anything but typical.
Aim for authenticity. I’ll continue to beat-my-drum about avoiding typical, hype-driven marketing approaches.
Hypey…salesy wording alienates more than it attracts. People do business with hype-sters for much they same reason crowds show up at a freeway pile-up…!
People much more enjoy doing business with someone who’s real…authentic…open…honest…non-salesy! That’s untypical and it works.
Personality shines through every time. Get yours going for your dental copywriting and marketing approaches. Real people enjoy doing business with REAL people. And smile while you’re at it!
Does your dental marketing content survive the “3-second” rule?
You’re enjoying a favorite snack at home. And suddenly the morsel slips from your paws and on to the floor!
That unfortunate moment sets a rule into play jokingly known as the “10-second rule.” Basically, the rule holds that any food item remains edible if it’s quickly scooped up and dusted off within ten seconds (shorter or longer depending on who you ask).
(Trust me, there are limits to the “10 second rule” and where it applies. Anything that falls to the floor in a public restroom or anywhere “public” – for that matter – stays there as far as I’m concerned. It could be a $5 piece of Godiva Chocolate. If it’s public domain I’m sad to say – the rule doesn’t apply! You with me…?)
There’s a similar rule at play in copywriting. It’s the “3-Second rule.”
Here’s the premise – Your headline must grab your prospect’s attention! And you have about “3 seconds” to do it!
Seems like a short time-frame but consider the amount of information that streams into our consciousness every moment.
>An email hits your inbox. The subject line either compels you to open it or delete it.
>A piece of direct mail arrives in you mailbox among a few bills and credit card statements. It may look compelling enough to tear it open. Once opened, the lead sentence determines whether you give it any additional time.
Marketing content is a “dime-a-dozen.” And since a lot of “dimes” are invested, I’m amazed at copywriting that ignores the “3 second rule.”
Here’s 4 things your headline content must do to seize attention (and survive the 3-second rule):
1)Make a promise.
Typically, it should be a big promise. But big or small – promise something! Tell your reader what major benefit will come to them from your product/service.
You must think (strategically) about this. And your thoughts should be guided by below-the-surface research about your prospect, their problems, and how your product/service is THE solution. Start by answering their dominant “what’s-in-it-for-me” question.
2)Draw a picture.
This is why I often default to a story-lead (like my earlier “food” story). People can relate to a situation, a story, a popular/trending news item, etc.
It’s true – showing beats telling!
An active social media presence helps. Social media keeps “what’s current” in front of you consistently. Keep a notebook or use Evernote to capture story ideas. Subscribe to newsfeeds with services like Google Reader. Keep your ink fresh and ready to create captivating images of your product/service in action. Pictures don’t paint-a-thousand-words by accident!
3)State a fact.
Think action-ability. What actions do your products/services compel a client or prospect to take? Actionable facts give the readers of your marketing promotions something that confirms the trustworthiness and viability of your products and services. Don’t allow your copywriting to ramble. Go ahead and state it!
4)Ask a question.
Questions create necessary tension or clarify tension that’s already present. Ask your prospect a question that reminds them of their core problem or need.
Create copywriting around the answers that solve their problem(s).
Asking questions shows intuition and intelligence. Be intuitive through your marketing content. Show your prospects that you know them. And give them reason to trust you through the answers your copywriting provides.
Seconds count…whether it’s food…or copywriting!
How to Clean-up Your Copywriting for More Profitable Marketing
My wife gets the urge, on occasion, to have a garage sale. So we teamed up with a couple of neighbors on either side of us (one of them did the advertising so it was a nice way to piggy-back on their efforts) to unload some of our stuff.
For those in other cultures, or perhaps the unfamiliar – a garage sale isn’t a literal selling of one’s garage. On scale, a garage sale is typically much smaller than the commonly understood estate sale. And (if I could go so far as saying it) is a bit more sophisticated than a yard sale.
Aside from the few dollars of “fun-money” you earn (one summer we actually paid for all of our vacation road meals for our family of four with our earnings) a garage sale provides a good excuse to clean and sort.
It’s important to get rid of the clutter.
How cluttered is the copywriting used to market your products and services? A thorough cleaning before you unleash it to your niche market will sharpen its impact. And that translates into more earnings!
Here’s a 3-step “copy-cleaning” process I use and recommend:
1) Read your promotion aloud.
You get a feel for the voice, tone, and emotional connect-ability when you actually hear it read. And here’s the deal with reading it aloud…
If your writing doesn’t sound like you’re talking to a friend, it’s NOT good copy! Copy that connects – whether it’s a sales letter, web copy, an email promotion or autoresponder, a case study, or a social media feed like a Twitter, Facebook page, or blog post – needs a conversational voice.
2) Let others read it.
A fresh or different set of eyes and ears is an effective copywriting test-drive. It helps too when you allow someone (if possible) in your content’s target/niche market to read it.
For example, if the marketing content is targeting the baby-boomer market niche, find a reliable baby-boomer aged person to read it. If it’s targeted to a female audience, by all means have a female read it.
The extra eyes and ears can sharpen the focus and sound of your copywriting.
3) Proofread every sentence of your promotion – from the bottom up!
Yes, you read that right. The bottom-up approach helps spot misspellings and unnecessary words easier than merely reading it top-down.
You’ll miss a few here and there. But the bottom-to-top idea gives you a less routine and even more efficient way to proof the copywriting before it hits your market.
Clean copywriting helps increase the crystal clarity of your marketing approaches. And I’m close to certain you’ll earn more in the process than just a little extra fun-money when you get rid of the clutter!
Why saying “trust me” destroys trust in marketing
A close family member recently experienced a salesperson’s attempt to close-the-deal by shoving a contract across his desk with the words, something to the effect of, “Come on…sign the (expletive) papers and let’s get this done…!”
Had this been a multi-million dollar deal, built on months of negotiations, with significant upside potential, I’d understand the context. And I’d probably take the expletive emphasis as bold, banter between two soon-to-be business partners one of whom was probably attempting to prove he had a “pair!”
It wasn’t that at all…
The close family member is a young, nervous-as-one-would-expect, first time car buyer. The salesperson (obviously trying to prove he had a “pair”) couldn’t be further from earning the trust he needed to secure the deal.
Would the salesperson have made a better impression saying what’s commonly said in such deal-making scenarios – “Trust me!”
You hear or read those words all the time in advertising.
- “Trust me, ‘X’ the single best product on the market for…”
- “You can count on us…the most trusted source of…”
- “Trust us to deliver the most effective…”
Do you instill trust by merely asking someone to trust you or saying your product/service is the most trusted?
I’ll let you make up your own mind. But I’ll go on record saying, trust is earned.
And a primary way to develop trust is through a relationship not merely telling someone to “trust you.”
Trust emerges on a solid track record of credible engagement.
The problem with many sales approaches (such as the above mentioned car deal) is the forced timing that many salespeople deploy. It’s why I prefer writing marketing copy and why businesses benefit from solid, credible copywriting in it’s various forms – a story-based email promotion, a series of autoresponder emails, a long-form sales letter, engaging blog posts, Twitter feeds, and Facebook page posts, case studies, etc.
Write these effectively and trust rises to the top much quicker than forced, “trust me,” manipulation. And with it comes credibility your prospects will return to again and again!
Master copywriter and trainer, Will Newman shares these five easy-to-implement strategies to help build credibility on a foundation of trust:
1–“Avoid hype.”
Saying you’re “the world’s greatest…” works in infomercials for a variety of reasons but is that your medium? Calm, authoritative approaches do more to establish trusting clients/customers.
2–“Avoid vague or unsubstantiated claims.”
Backing up your comments with substantial data shows you’ve done your “homework” – adding credibility. Instead of proclaiming, “The world’s greatest…,” describe how your product/service/etc. is proven to accomplish this or that by a certain percentage, etc.
3–“Give your prospect a reason to believe.”
Claims of effectiveness, etc. backed by proof and endorsement within your marketing content adds to your believability. And it builds credibility.
4–“Speak to (prospects) as an equal.”
Know-it-alls are seldom listened to. A friendly, realistic, conversational tone establishes a connection.
5–“Respect your prospect and their needs.”
This is a core trust builder. Respect follows trust.
Build trust in your marketing with clear, compelling copywriting.
12 Reasons Why Businesses Fail at Social Media (And How You Can Succeed)
Browsing my Evernote idea file to write today’s post I came across this one I had clipped weeks ago – 2011 Predictions: Top 12 Reasons Businesses Will Fail at Social Media.
I encourage you…don’t let the negative post title think it’s all doom & gloom. In fact, give attention to the “12” and your business could take the lead ahead of other social-media-wanna-be’s in your niche.
My thanks to FruitZoom for the frontal perspective. I’ll share their “12 Reasons…” and zero in on a quote from each so you get the idea. Go to their site to catch the full scoop from their post.
1-“Don’t understand the ecosystem…
(Social media)…doesn’t work like the days of traditional advertising where you push a message and expect to change thought via a cool ad, billboard or tv commercial. Instead you must not only find a way to become part of the community, build your own community but also be able to successfully grab attention of your audiences authentically and via relationships.”
2-“They hire the wrong consultant or agency…
One size does not fit all and a cookie cutter approach not focused on your market niche is going to bring zero to little positive return. Organizations must take responsibilities to do their research, not believe everything they hear from a consultant and do no accept status quo or ‘one size fits all’ solutions.”
3-“They execute via Random Acts of Social Media (RASM’s)…
Organizations must set goals and objectives before engaging in social media. Don’t tweet randomly…To avoid randomness in social media integration is key to success. Social media needs to be integrated into the DNA of business.”
4-“Have wrong social mindset…
They may lack the understanding that social media requires engagement. They may have the mindset that they’ll simply use social media as an additional venue for blasting noise, coupons and other…Social media cannot be leveraged as other traditional mediums.”
5-“Underestimate the resources and knowledge required…
You need more than an intern with a twitter account to execute your social media plan and connect with your audience in a way that represents your brand and market positioning…Although you’ll hear the clueless tell you ‘social media is free.’ Sorry folks it’s not. It steals your greatest asset which is time. It eats ROI for breakfast if you let it.”
6-“They don’t engage…
Bottom line, you must engage with your audience. Do more than tweet at them, tweet with them. Join in the fun. Inspire them to connect with you. Attract them organically to your brand and the people inside your corporate walls.”
7-“They don’t implement a social media policy…
(A social media policy) will protect an organization from legal risks and set a standard for how employees and partners should engage in social media on behalf of the company.”
8-“Lack roles & responsibilities…
Take the time to iron out the internal battles or insecurities within an organization…Clearly define roles…Flying by the seat of your pants will get you flat on your butt and nowhere fun!”
9-“Assume social media will fix their broken business…
If your business is broken, sales is not working with marketing, your message sucks, your audience doesn’t like you…sorry folks, these problems (cannot) will not be solved by social media. In fact, social media will make them worse.”
10-“Make a bad first impression…
Your goal is to build community and inspire people to take action. If you make a terrible first impression the chances of that visitor ever returning to your Facebook page are slim to none.”
11-“Have unrealistic expectations for social media…
Do your research and be realistic with the goals and objectives. You must be patient with social media.”
12-“They are boring…
Social media is about inspiring an audience to connect with you. If you have struggled with this offline or with other traditional media, chances are a Twitter account and a Facebook page are not going to fix it…Connecting with your audience is a requirement not an option regardless of the medium.”
Social media works. Don’t be overwhelmed by the growing list of faux pauxs many are making with it.
Ask for help, plan your use of social media, and work your plan by diving in…start engaging!
Why Your Marketing Should “Get” Social Media
Are you one of those who still don’t get the whole social-media-for-business thing? Or do you just wade in occasionally at water’s edge with a tweet here or a post there because your marketing director said, “We need to get into social media…!”
Frankly, it’s difficult to argue with all the data when you consider that…
- Facebook now has around 500 million users!
- Forrester Research estimates that companies will spend $935,000,000 on social media marketing this year! By 2012 they’ll spend $1,649,000,000. By 2014 they’ll spend $3,113,000,000!
- Web writer and social media advocate, Rebecca Matter, says, “Social media is now mainstream, and it’s growing fast. It’s where the action is, where the money is flowing, and most definitely where the future lies.”
Convinced or not about it’s value to your marketing approaches, perhaps the following will “tip” you over the edge to take some action…now!
User familiarity is increasing daily.
It’s not uncommon to hear the phrase “Facebook me” when requesting information from a friend or colleague. Just this week I told someone they could “message me on Facebook.” In addition to “call me” or “email me” it’s not uncommon for business to be conducted over a direct message via Twitter or Facebook.
According to Nick Usborne, online copywriter and experienced social media expert, “Many millions of users never leave Facebook. They never visit a traditional website. Besides connecting with friends, they use Facebook to browse, shop, and make purchases directly on a company’s Facebook page.”
It now makes sense that asking a client, patient, or prospect to “Like” your Facebook page is another vote for your services. It’s a much more portable referral source to share a Facebook page link than it is to fumble for a misplaced business card.
Imagine a significant number of “Likes” appearing to a potential client when they land on your website and are directed to your Facebook page. That’s a referral source any way you log it!
It’s how people are engaging.
Enagagement, as it’s often called in social media context, is another form of trust-building. We contact people to discover if they’re legit. We do business with those we come to trust.
Engagement over social media can give you a faster track to trust. Not to make light of the value of time-tested trust development but with the options available in your market niche can you afford not to have your expertise accessible to current and prospective clients?
You appear up to date.
These days, one of the first things many notice (and certainly what they look for) is evidence of social media on your website or marketing collateral. A Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube link tells them you’re current. And once they click over to your Facebook page or subscribe to your Twitter feed there’s a better chance they’ll keep you front-of-mind when they need your services.
Social-ability challenges traditional advertising.
Do you know where Ford launched its new Explorer? Not at a major car show. The launch was on Facebook!
Comcast doesn’t handle customer service the traditional way (over the phone). They do it through Twitter.
Thinking about printing and distributing flyers door-to-door? Think again and do what countless local retailers are doing through Groupon.
Major brands are taking notice too! Standards like Old Spice are no longer depending on old media for branding. They’re doing it through YouTube.
Nick Usborne confirms, “There are hundreds of social media sites now, and thousands of services created to monitor, analyze, and optimize the use of social media as a means to connect with new customers, engage existing customers, and even make direct sales.”
Social media will give your business-to-business marketing an advantage if you…
- Embrace it! Don’t ignore it.
- Learn to engage more than you promote.
- Use it as your annual marketing benchmark.