Defining Your Marketing Approach
By Ivan Delman, D.C.BENEFITS OR FEATURES? Aren’t there times when you just sit back in your chair and ask yourself, "What am I trying to do, here?"
As we go through the process of marketing our practices, we should occasionally sit back in our respective chairs asking ourselves,
"What am I trying to accomplish here?"
For instance, the other day I was working on an article that discussed how to write an ad that'll stand out from all the other ads. As I sat back in my virtual chair, I realized I was following the wrong marketing path.
I was trying to make the ad look special by extolling the virtues of chiropractic care. Guess what, I wandered into the trap of talking about the wonders of chiropractic rather than what it can do for the reader of that ad.
In other words, I was showing the reader features and should have been offering benefits.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? Features would be discussing such subjects as your 43 years of experience or your shiny, spacious and modern office.
Benefits would be discussing such items as your 43 years of eliminating chronic headaches or how minimal patient waiting time before seeing the doc.
Think about most things that you buy. Usually, if you make a purchase it’s done because you are trying to satisfy a need or solve a problem.
Let's see how some TV ads might fit that description. The main thrust of most advertising offers is that offer the promise of resolving some sort of problem or fulfill some sort of desire.
For example... "It's proven to remove wrinkles. You’ll end up looking like Britney Spears (Or Ben Affleck depending on your gender)."
"Tired of fighting with your dry skin? Use our 20 / 50-weight all-temp miracle goop. Never fight dry skin again!"
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WHAT THEIR PRODUCT CLAIMS TO SOLVE...
- The aging process.
- You'll be as beautiful as the models currently slathering their faces with that expensive 50-weight gunk.
- You can be as skinny as Jared (and perhaps as bad an actor) by eating a shopping cart piled high with Subway sandwiches.
APPLYING THE ABOVE Here are two illustrations of emphasizing benefits rather than features:
"Who likes to suffer from headaches? Normally, no one... Why should you? We can help."
Or this...
"Dr Goody has experienced excellent results in eliminating the causes of most patient’s headaches. Find out if he can help you. Call today and ask Dr Goody."
As you can see, it is a more effective advertising approach to offer a resolution to someone's problems as opposed to explaining the benefits of the process.
TALKING TO DISCOVER The best way to find out what solutions you should be offering is to be consistently querying people regarding the chronic physical problems that are nagging at them.
I also discovered that when I talked to my medical friends, they would give me clues regarding what patient problems they were currently fighting.
Our conversations also clued me in on how they were handling (or not) various stubborn conditions. From those talks, I got a strong sense of what unresolved problems were wandering the streets of my community that could be resolved with chiropractic care.
BOTTOM LINES (literally) Keep in mind that when first meeting potential patients, instead of telling them about your no-wait appointment policy, your fabulous techniques or whatever... Find out what ails them or what physical problems might be diminishing their quality of life. Then, focus your attention onto that issue.
All the other good things that you and your staff can offer can be brought into play at a later date...When that person becomes your patient.
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