Successful Dentist Advertising #2

*** FREE OFFER.  See below.

WHAT IS PRIMARY GOAL OF DENTAL ADVERTISING?

Understandably there are still many dentists who are trying to come to
grips with the idea that advertising may be necessary to compete
successfully in the coming decade.  And when these dentists make the first
move into advertising, the usual attempt is analagous to a 350 pound person
trying to walk across egg shells without breaking any.  They go about it
very cautiously.  They worry about image ... consumer perception ...
patient backlash ... and probably more than anything, the opinions of their
fellow dentists.  For many, it represents a huge step in the  journey of a
successful practice.

For that reason, many of the ads put together for or by dentists are of the
sterile variety.  They look clean, they look professional, they don't risk
saying much ... and they seldom work well(unless they're the only dental
ads in the paper).  These are commonly referred to as "professional-style"
ads, and are usually nothing more than an attempt to put the dentist's name
in front of a lot of people and hope it gets favorably remembered.  These
ads usually, in effect, say "this is our name ... this is what we do ...
aren't we wonderful ... please remember us."  

The reality of these types of ads is that they primarily build
name-recognition ... IF (and this is a big IF) ... you're willing to run
the ad on a near-daily basis.  Dentists who use them would like to believe
that the quality of the practice, as reflected in the professionalism of
the ad, will cause a rush of prospective patients to the practice.  But it
seldom happens.  Don't misunderstand me, these ads can help if you stick
with them on a regular basis.  But ...

There's a better, more effective advertising approach to draw quality
patients to your practice.  And it doesn't require the same intense (or
expensive) advertising schedule to attract the same number of patients.

DIRECT RESPONSE advertising is designed to get a direct response from
interested prospects ... NOW ... not next month or next year.  It is
written and designed in such a way as to first attract the prospective
patient's ATTENTION, then stimulate his/her INTEREST in some aspect your
practice/skills, spark some DESIRE to know more, then prompts the prospect
to take ACTION (pick up the phone and make an appointment, now).  One of
the copywriting techniques I use to do this is to present the reader with a
problem/solution scenario ... "If you have this problem and would like to
eliminate it, we have this ideal solution for you.  Please call and talk to
us about it."  That's obviously over-simplified, but it gives you an idea
of what I mean.

As I've often told my dentist clients:  My job, via the ads I create, is
very simply to get qualified prospective patients to pick up the phone,
make an appointment, and be willing to let you look in their mouth ... with
the expectation that you can help them.  That's it.  That's the essence of
what dental advertising should be about.

Once that prospect is in your chair and let's you look in his or her mouth,
the ad's job is over.  After that, it is your -- and your staff's -- skill
and ability (and the patient's perception of your practice) that takes
over.  Advertising can't convince the patient to agree with your evaluation
or to your recommendations ... it can only get him to your office in a
receptive mood.

Does that make sense?

By the way, direct response dental ads can easily be as image-enhancing as
the "professional-style" ads.  In fact, I would suggest that they can be
used to enhance your image as a truly skilled dentist more than the typical
professional-style ad.  And, if you're worried about consumer perception,
patient backlash, or image in the community, don't be.  If your ads are
tasteful and honest ... you've got nothing to worry about.

Next issue I'll talk about the #1 advertising mistake made by dentists and
how to avoid it.

		******** FREE OFFER *******

I see there's still discussion among dentists about the fallout (and how to
handle) the scathing 2/97 "Reader's Digest" article about dentists.
Shortly after that article appeared on newsstands, I was asked by one of my
clients to write a piece for his newsletter to de-fuse the potential impact
of the article on his patients and prospective patients.  I did ... and the
response from his patients to the piece was truly remarkable and
gratifying.  

Instead of hurting his practice, the RD article ended up helping him
develop an even better relationship with his patients (because of his
response via the piece I wrote).  If you would like a copy of the response
I wrote to the RD article, please e-mail a request to me at
gstilson@mindspring.com and I'll e-mail you a copy.  Free.  

It's copyrighted so you can't use it verbatim, but it'll give you some good
ideas on how to handle the situation.

		****************************

If you'd like more background on my copywriting/consulting service for
dentists (or have a project you'd like to discuss with me), e-mail me.  If
you send your mailing address I'll send you a full packet of info.  

NEW SERVICE FOR DENTISTS:  I've been developing a new advertising service
for dentists that I'm about ready to begin offering.  Because my fees are
quite high for creating new ads I've been trying to figure out a way to
offer my ads (display and editorial-style) at less expensive rates ... but
still give the participating dentist exclusive rights.  I've about got it
solved.  It's going to be an AD SUBSCRIPTION service where a dentist will
get exclusive rights to a variety of my ads.  He or she can renew every
year if they're happy with the results.  I haven't set the fee structure
yet.  

If this ad subscription service sounds interesting to you, e-mail me at
gstilson@mindspring.com and I'll send you full information when it's ready.
 

Talk to you next issue.

	Continued success,

	Galen Stilson

Back to the Newsletters Section