How close have you been to a Killer Whale?
No, I’m not talking about at the zoo looking through twelve inches of bullet-proof glass… I mean in the wild WILD outdoors? Yeah the postcard pictures and YouTube videos look pretty cool, but imagine this:
My (almost) state record catch
I’ve loved fishing all my life, and growing up in a big fishing family and with a three acre pond certainly nurtured that passion. But going to Alaska I quickly realized that the lures and techniques I used to catch Large Mouth Bass, Redear Sunfish (I have one on my wall ten ounces shy of Indiana state record), and Catfish back home just wasn’t cutting it for catching those big Salmon in the Alaskan Wilderness.
That’s why they call it “fishing” — not “catching”
After a forty-five minute fastboat ride from our camp in Angoon (a tiny fishing village) across the Inside Passage, we disembarked into canoes to continue our journey up the streams into shallower water. Along the way we stopped in a few pools to try our luck, but after three dozen casts the only thing I had caught were a pair of Dolly Varden’s weighing in at under a pound each.
Was it my technique? Was I reeling too fast?
Maybe I needed to have my brother spit on my lure, because he was certainly catching the big Salmon!! So the next time he reeled in I stole a look at the lure he was using: a big yellow fly with a big treble hook. I was using a red fly with a reflective spinner and a little single hook.
Without admitting he had chosen a better lure, I quickly switched mine out. First cast out Bingo! Salmon on!
With just one simple change I went from catching ‘bait fish’ to a 17lb Chum Salmon.
What kind of patients are you catching with your “advertising lure”? Are they the ones YOU really want? Or are they the ones that just “keep you busy”? Are you reeling in those big Invisalign, Botox, Sleep Apnea, Cosmetic, and Implant cases… or are you happy just drilling and filling all day long?
The difference between true success (helping the patients YOU most want to help and having time to spend with your family and do the things YOU love doing) and “running the treadmill” could be as simple as just changing the lure that you are marketing with.
Your marketing is a mirror reflection of the type of patient you will attract. If you want to catch the larger cases and patients with money to spend, your marketing message must be targeted to the mindset of those patients (Hint: “Free whitening and x-rays” isn’t going to do it…).
Your patients are exposed to 5000+ marketing messages EVERY DAY.
The reality is your “advertising lure” in today’s world has to be “killer.” The days past of just “hanging out your shingle” and hordes of patients flock to your office are far gone. If you want to stand out in your patient’s minds and earn their business, your message must be strong and persistent. This flowchart shows the marketing systems we’ve put into place with one of our Premium Package clients (we blacked out his Zetetics™ phone tracking numbers to protect their integrity).
This flowchart shows the marketing systems we’ve put into place with one of our Premium Package clients (we blacked out his Zetetics™ phone tracking numbers to protect their integrity).The general dentist we developed this marketing system for has taken specialty training in Implants, IV Sedation & Sleep Apnea and is currently marketing his dental practice very successfully using a mixture of advertising mediums, including newspaper ads, directmail, newsletters, his 110pg “No More Living with Teeth in Your Pocket” dental implant book, webinars, automated follow-up systems, free reports, pre-qualification packets, and multiple websites.
The “advertising lure” that he’s using to attract the types of patients and cases that he wants (all things our Premium Package helped him to accomplish…) allows him to “touch” his prospects six to eight times before they ever pick up the phone to call his office.
The “big fish” are chomping on his bait. What kind of fish are you catching?
When your patients see you in multiple mediums and your message is consistent and compelling, you will take the lion’s share of new patients. Why? Because persistence always pays off. Seen once, they probably won’t even remember your name. Seen thrice, they will know who you are. Seen a dozen times, you are now their “expert.”
Your prospective patients are searching the web right now for answers to their problems. If you answer their questions, humanize yourself through killer video and web marketing, and position yourself as their expert solution, you will be their hero, and they will call you.
So which lure will catch the right patients — the red or yellow one?
Just like in fishing, what works for one dentist in one area might not catch the right fish for another dentist in another area. This is why meticulous tracking is paramount to success in all marketing.
We provide our world-class Zetetics™ call tracking system complimentary for every one of our clients – a system we built from the ground up specifically for dentists to allow them to SIMPLY and QUICKLY track all their leads from phone calls to consults to cases to exact dollars generated from any advertising campaign.
Once you know exactly what’s working (and what’s not) with your dental marketing, it’s very easy to RAMP up your RESULTS and make your marketing produce killer results for you.
What’s the next step?
Give the online dental marketing experts at SmartBox Web Marketing a call today at 888-741-1413 for help. We offer full-service online marketing solutions for dentists. We would be happy to help you with website design, search engine optimization, phone call tracking, video production, mobile & iPad friendly websites, and more. Let us help you present your dental practice at its very best!
What are you thinking? Leave us a comment below!!