Marketing Lessons from a Dentist
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Loading ...I have been driving past the practice of a particular dentist for over two years now. He works from a single storey house with a large front yard which is located on a main road near a set of traffic lights. Everybody who stops at the red lights will notice his various marketing activities.
The first thing he did was to display a massive white plastic tooth – roots and all – on wheels outside his front fence. (Mind you it is chained to the fence!) I am sure I pass at least 6-10 dental practices on my way to work but could I tell you where the are? No! Do I know where the practice of Dr. Tooth is? You bet!
The next thing that happened was the appearance of a small billboard near the front fence. It stated in big bold red letters that this practice was open 7 days a week and that is was the ideal place for dental emergencies. This sign was up long enough for everybody to take note. For a while the sign disappeared and as it was close to Christmas, the dentist really got into the spirit of things – glittering tinsel would around the fence, flashing Santas on the roof, reindeers, fairy lights all over the place. Especially at night you couldn’t miss the place.
To get the new year started the right way, the next sign reminded potential customers that there was no need to lose valuable work time to get your teeth seen to, you could conveniently arrange your check ups on weekends. Part of the advertising arsenal is yet another billboard mounted on a trailer which lists all available services, the telephone number, web address and Fax number. On the other side it describes the new technology used at the practice, like digital x-rays and the like. This particular sign gets moved about a lot. It is white with blue writing – cool, clean and professional looking.
A couple of months ago (around September) the arrival of laser tooth whitening was announced on the billboard. Just letting everybody know that this service was now available. Over time more specific details were added – that it is really quick and only takes one hour of your time to have shiny pearly whites. A little stop sign and telephone number appeared. The price and the information that you will receive a massive discount getting your teeth whitened now was added last.
Last week an extra sign went up underneath the bill board. It is time to buy gift vouchers for your loved ones. Dentist gift voucher – who would have thought of that? Can you see how this ties in with the tooth whitening?
What can we learn from this dentist?
* Be visible, pick a clear, simple symbol, make it big – in this case the huge tooth – everybody will understand it and take note
* Make use of the passing traffic or trade, organise your material so the motorists or pedestrians can read it without too much effort.
* Use bold colours and large lettering. White background and simple primary colours work best.
* Put enough information to make it interesting but avoid overload.
* Put your information out in increments – get people curious.
* Change your signs often enough to keep people interested and make them take note.
* Keep the signs displayed long enough so the message has time to sink in.
* Have your signs or other advertising materials on wheels so it is easy to test different locations. You can see which one works best.
* Use the different times of year to tie in with your promotions, however far fetched it may seem to you. How about a plumbing gift voucher for mothers day? Or accounting gift vouchers near the end of the financial year?
What I would like you to take away from this article are some ideas. Remember to be successful people have to know that you are in business and what you offer. Don’t be afraid to be creative and don’t say “this wouldn’t work for me!” You won’t know till you try.
One time or another people will need your services. Who are they going to call? The business they remember. Make your business memorable and noticeable whichever way you can. People love to talk about unusual experiences they had in a particular coffee shop, restaurant or clothes shop. Or at the dentist for that matter!
Little things count a lot, especially in a very impersonal world like ours.
Till next time,
Connie
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Daniel A. 'Danny' Bobrow Says: November 14th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
“White Noise” is the bane of effective marketing (I would, however, qualify that by saying “No Noise” is far worse).
In other words, what impresses me by what this dentist knows, and is acting upon, is the fact that he is capitalizing on his great location by varying the message he/she is sending to passers by. Were the message to remain the same, it would eventually fade into the background. Not only is the practice showing a new message, it is also showing it is a vibrant and active part of the community.
The challenge for practices that may not be blessed with so much drive by traffic is to consider how to apply these principles to its other outreach tactics e.g. an annual party with a different theme (like my friend Brad Engle does with his practice in Naples, FL) or an ad whose frame looks the same, but the offer and other content vary just enough to make readers want to take a look (think about those Vonage TV commercials and you’ll get the picture).
Connie Says: December 1st, 2009 at 10:34 am
Hi Danny,
thanks for your comment. I had never thought of dentistry being such a “marketable” profession. In most people’s minds dentists are to be avoided and only to be seen when in pain….Only after seeing that dentist in action I started doing some research and found a huge number of specialist marketing and consulting services for dentists.
By the way, the dentist now has new large tooth with a red cross on it mounted above his main window. An especially bright light shines on it during the night!
Connie
Danny Bobrow Says: January 28th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
Hi Connie;
It is not unusual or surprising that you and many other people do not think of dentistry as a business. This results from a number of factors.
Dentists, like their physician colleagues, were actually prohibited from marketing until the landmark 1979 Decision FTC vs. American Medical Association, in which prohibiting doctors from engaging in marketing was found to be a ‘combination in restraint of trade’ i.e. non-competitive and therefore, not in the best interest of the public.
Other de-factor reasons are a lack of business training offered by dental schools (to this day, very little attention is given to the fact that dentists, once they graduate, are expected to be entrepreneurs) and the perception my many (usually older) dentists, that marketing reflects poorly on the profession i.e. is unethical.
As you know, marketing, like any tool, is only as ethical or unethical as the person using it.
The good news is that more dentists are coming to understand the value and power that marketing holds for accurately communicating the wonderful benefits modern dentistry holds, not only for alleviating pain, but for diagnosing and treating systemic illness (like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer), and helping restore function, and oh yes, a beautiful smile!