The great thing about September is not that the kids are back in school, it is that this is your chance to leverage the seasonal upturn in the market. I have been marketing chiropractors for 19 years and there is always a natural spike in the market in both the spring and fall that makes your marketing job easier. If you can prepare for and capture the natural momentum, you have a golden situation.

There are many ways to do this, but once again, I am going to revisit the basics of sound marketing before I go further. What are your goals and do you have a consistent plan? It is amusing how many people think that new patients are just going to “find them.” The reality is that that just doesn’t happen. If they find you, it is because you have put forth an A+ effort to lead them to you.

Here are some things to think about in regards to leading people to you. Maximize the effort you expend, by doing your homework on the when, where/who, what, why and how of marketing.

1. When

Seasonal cycles should have an effect on your marketing.

What you can bank on is that your marketing dollars spent in the fall will naturally be compounded if you start a ramp up in August or September. Looking at the way people make decisions for action or to spend money, you will discover some interesting cycles that will help you to increase or decrease your marketing budget based on all the seasons. There are other “whens” to take into consideration, but this is one that most people miss. I suggest heavier external marketing in the fall and not wasting your time competing with the Holiday clutter in December. In December, focus more on referral marketing.

2. Where/Who

Where you put your effort is a multi-faceted issue. In your new patient marketing, who are you trying to reach? No matter what anyone says, you can’t reach the entire market at once. Your target market is the only place that you want to put effort. They are the ones that are the most likely to respond. Most of you will have exactly the same target market, but a few of you will have minor deviations. Universally, it is women because they are the motivators and health care decision-makers, and there are sub groups within this segment of women that necessitate further targeting of your message.

3. What

What are you going to say to the market you are trying to reach? The audience dictates the message. Most chiropractors approach marketing by looking at the message first, i.e., this is what I want to say. That “I” is a deadly word, and it is actually approaching things backwards. Unless you have a lot of money, you need to speak to your audience in terms that they are already familiar with. Speak to your target market using language that they already frame their world with. You can speak to Moms in terms of getting ready for school. A good topic might be backpack safety.

I have a client who is currently realizing a gain equal to 5 times the new patient volume per month that he had just two months ago. He has momentum and I can’t wait to see what happens to his practice this fall! In the next column I will address the why and how of organizing your marketing.

It is simple math just like school, the amount of effort you put into it will result in either an A or failure.

Article Copyright 2007 Educate for Health, LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.

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