What makes Marketing Work?

If you’re not skeptical and cynical about marketing, then you haven’t been in practice for more than a week. I talk to many chiropractors about marketing and advertising, and the overwhelming statement that I hear over and over again is “I have tried everything, spent lots of money and nothing is working anymore.” Someone comes along every day with a great song and dance, tragically promising you more patients lined up at your door than pills streaming out of the drug industry, and before they walk out the door, the quick-fix scheme has fallen flat. You’re standing there crestfallen, broke, and wondering what happened.

I evaluate marketing every day and can tell you why they take your money and produce nothing. The problem is largely that they are unscientific in their approach, based on successes of the past, while not taking into account that the game has changed. They are lacking three key elements, and I can promise you without these, any marketing effort is destined to fail. Lacking specific focus, consistency, and quality, they are based on emotion rather than facts and knowing the rules of the game.

FOCUS - The rules of the game are this: Reach a specific segment of potential patients and repeatedly hit them with a consistent message. That is how you establish trust and get results. Let’s talk about your target market. These are the people who are most likely to respond favorably to your message. Sorry guys, but the target market is women between the ages of 18 and 54. That is where you will realize the biggest response for your dollar. Women, overwhelmingly, are the decision makers for health care choices for a family. I can go into all the demographics and psychographics of the chiropractic target market, but it would make this a very long article!

CONSISTENCY - In the marketing/advertising industry, we also look for a rating of 10. What this means is that it takes the average person 10 impressions of your message before it gets through to them. You better be good at hitting that target market too or you will waste a lot of money broadcasting. You are competing with a myriad of things for their attention, so you have to be consistent and rival the quality of national advertising brands, because consumers don’t respond to the amateur materials of the past.

QUALITY -So what makes marketing work? Here is how you win the game! Take control of the message with high quality materials, and focus on specific market segments until they trust you. Then integrate yourself into their life, and it has to be accomplished with a two prong approach, internal and external. This is a tall order for you to accomplish, because as a chiropractor you wear so many hats during the course of the day. But it can be done! Start with that branding plan and a strategic marketing plan for the year. Support it with materials, have them ready to go, and keep yourself on a consistent schedule. You expect your patients to stay on their treatment schedule; marketing is no different. If you want results, stay with the game plan. One ad in a newspaper isn’t going to cut it. Although it may net you several new patients, it will yield no long term practice building gain. However, if you combine an ad with another piece containing similar messages, distributed through other venues, you will start building a real presence. Marketing successfully is similar to successful chiropractic treatment. The more consistency, quality and focus the better the outcome!

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

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