“My advertising doesn’t work!” I hear those words of lament frequently…
Is there a set of reasons why some practices are highly successful, while others are just plain mediocre? In my opinion, there are. I would go as far as to say the incorrect use of marketing and advertising is the key reason why many practices fall far short of their potential.
Marketing is not advertising.
Ads send a specific message. Marketing calibrates the message to market to media match-up and delivers the right message to the intended target. Said differently, the way your receptionist answers the phone is not necessarily part of your advertising but it is part of your marketing.
But advertising isn’t bad, if it is done strategically and in the context of a larger marketing plan. So why does advertising frequently fail?
Reason #1: People don’t want to be sold.
Patients (and the referring doctors who send them to you) are ever-inundated with advertising messages. The average consumer is estimated to receive 3000 sales messages in a day. The typical patient weeds out the sales messages and instantly discounts them as being “just advertising”.
Reason #2: Being boring.
Perceptual studies have been done on the behavior of reading the newspaper. The reader scans the page quickly and separates news stories from advertising content. Then headlines are scanned, with about 4 seconds devoted to each headline. After that, articles of interest are read, and boring articles are skipped. Finally ads are scanned and interesting ones are read, while most aren’t.
The point is this. You have a brief window of time to get your prospect’s attention. If you don’t have something of interest to say to your prospective patient he or she will ignore your message and simply move on.
Notice the message has to be interesting to the prospect, not necessarily what interests you. One of the easiest ways to be boring is to be egocentric. The “I’m the biggest, I’m the best” message convinces no one and often has a negative effect when broadcasted to your market.
Reason #3: Lacking credibility
I’ve always maintained that the best advertising for a physician is a full waiting room. The public tends to ignore claims that we make about ourselves and looks to the opinion of other people like themselves as validation of their opinion.
Consider the difference between these two headlines: (1) “ABC Medical Clinic”, and (2) “73% of patients with diabetes get a 1% drop in HbA1c using new treatment”. The second headline makes a more credible and relevant statement to the target market, patients with diabetes and their family members. The use of a specific measure — 73% of patients get improvement — also increases credibility.
Your professional credentials
provide credibility in themselves, but they do not always work in your favor. If every physician has roughly the same level of training, credentials and experience, I don’t recommend you make that your headline. It doesn’t make you the unique and obvious provider of choice.
Reason #4: The ‘Me-Too’ Approach.
Marketing guru Dan Kennedy refers to this as “marketing incest”. Simply copying the other yellow pages or print ads, with the same copy, graphics and message accomplishes nothing. Yet that is what 98% of practices do. Kennedy says that the more marketing incest is practiced, the dumber the ads tend to get.
The most common mistake I see is to make the headline of your ad either your name or your practice’s name. Resist the temptation to create ads that are look-alikes to your competitors. Chances are they came up with their ads the same way you did, and the ads probably don’t work for them either.
Reason #5: Being tacky.
Marketing professional services is different from marketing new cars or soft drinks. Not completely different, but different in some important ways.
“Got milk?” is a catchy slogan-based ad that got a lot of attention through massive placement in magazines, TV spots and billboards. I see other businesses and professions trying ineptly to borrow that headline on a daily basis. Everything from “Got mortgage?” to “Got day care?” Could you imagine “Got diabetes?” I beseech the advertising world: stop using the “Got?” headlines!
The tone and voice of your ads must walk a fine line. Your ads must be professional and dignified without being boring (see reason #2). They must speak to the needs, wants and concerns of your target market. Ideally, your ads position you as an expert, not as a salesman or saleswoman of your services.
Admittedly, very few medical professionals are guilty of being too tacky in their advertisements. More often the fear of seeming too tacky or salesy pushes the ads into a boring monotonous gravitas.
In my next column, I’ll round out the rest of the top 10 reasons why ads don’t work. Understanding the pitfalls of advertising and marketing is a great way to build an effective and cost-efficient practice building methodology.
Practice building is as logical and tangible as any other scientific study once you understand its principles and practice. For a free practice analysis, call our office at 800-297-0711 or visit www.UltimatePracticeBuilder.com. We offer a unique guarantee: We will increase your net income by at least $30,000 or our services are free.
David Zahaluk, M.D
NPMA Director of Practice
Development
800-297-0711
zahaluk@ultimatepracticebuilder.com
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