How to Market Neuromuscular Dentistry - Page 5
Internal Marketing
Internal marketing is a vitally important component of your neuromuscular marketing strategy. It helps to build your brand as the pain expert in the community. The primary cost is your time.
Practice Portfolios
Since NMD is such a new treatment option and the recommended therapies are often comprehensive, it is wise to provide the patient with some take home materials that discuss the treatment in more detail. We commonly create a practice portfolio for offices that includes inserts on key procedures (including NMD) and a brochure that highlight before and after photography of NMD or aesthetic cases.
Professional Referrals
Most medical professionals are as uninformed about NMD as their patients. Lunch and learn presentations can be an effective way to generate new professional referral sources. Supply the lunch and give a 15-20 minute presentation on patient problems the referring office regularly sees that your NMD can alleviate. Explain treatment options, and turn a skeptic into a believer by performing a simple NM evaluation on the spot. Offer a complementary NM workup on the physician so they can get a first hand understanding of the science.
Some of the best doctors to meet with are orthodontists, oral surgeons, chiropractors, ENT's, neurologists, physical therapists and orthopedic surgeons. These professionals all have numerous patients with unresolved symptoms who are looking for treatment alternatives.
Conversion of Existing Patients
Another excellent way to generate neuromuscular patients is to include a preliminary evaluation as part of every new patient exam or annual comprehensive examination. Ask leading questions such as:
Do you experience frequent tension headaches or migraines?
How often do you deal with neck pain?
How often does your jaw click and pop?
Follow these questions by telling your patient, "You may be wondering why I'm asking you these questions. May I tell you about neuromuscular dentistry?" You may also wish to provide a neuromuscular evaluation (in depth questionnaire, muscle palpation and possible jaw sonography) at no charge at a separate appointment.
Patient Referrals
Having successfully restored a patient with NMD, don't hesitate to ask for referrals. Say, "Ms. Jones, we've loved helping you to feel better. There are so many people like you who need care. We would love to help patients like you who want to look and feel better. If you know of anyone who would appreciate the kind of dentistry we provide, please tell them about our services." This type of scripting can help recruit new patients while simultaneously building your reputation in the community.
Referrals should also be recognized for sending cases to your office. Flowers sent the office, dinners out, a day at the local spa and other thank you's will be appreciated and remembered.
D. Maintain the message.
Once you have established your position in the minds of prospects through an appropriate message and a product launch, don't stop! It will take months of continuous exposure of your message for your position to become established and for people to take action.
If you stop spreading your message, you leave a hole where the competition can quickly step in and replace you, undermining everything you've created. However, if you stay consistent with your message and competitors try to jump on the bandwagon, they will have to spend twice as much money to achieve half the results.
Step 5: Evaluate your plan.
No plan is foolproof. What works in one market may flop in another. So, how do ensure the most return on your marketing investment?
Simply, track the results of your marketing. This can be as simple as a new patient checklist at the front desk. Ask every new patient that calls how they found out about you: a referral, an ad, an article, etc. Don't take all the answers literally. Often patients will see your message in several venues but only mention one.
What is even more important is to note the type of patients calling or coming in, as well as the total numbers. It's about quality versus quantity. Are you seeing more patients who are pre-heated, asking you about their bite before you ask them?
Are you seeing more professionals, wealthier patients or patients from farther out of your typical market area?
Other ways to track your efforts include website software that shows original hits on your site, and the use of a non-published phone number (typically the number for the second or third line) in your marketing.
Step 6: Revise/tweak your message.
Every three to six months, take some time to look at your plan and see how it's working. Don't revise the plan too often or you'll sabotage yourself. Every new medium takes time to work. If you change the plan every other month, you'll only confuse your audience.
When you're evaluating the past six months, review your tracking sheets for clues. The more information you have, the easier it is to refine your efforts. If you notice that you get more responses from TV than print, but less of them are qualified (thus wasting time in nonproductive consultations), you may want to increase your print budget and cut TV time to well-planned flights.
Remember, there are few home runs in marketing. Get good at hitting singles and doubles. Every market has its quirks. It will take some experimenting to find the best way to talk to your prospects.
In summary, it's absolutely necessary to market NMD through internal and external channels. Start slowly so you don't overwhelm your market or scare off existing patients. Like marketing cosmetic dentistry, it will require both a monetary investment and confidence in your skills. Ultimately, with a well thought-out plan and a consistent message, patients will connect your practice with the type of care that can solve their pain and bite problems.
If you position and market your NMD practice appropriately, the patients will come. Now, you have to deliver the product. In order the deliver the product, you will have to make some changes. Making changes is what Section Four is all about. Flip to it now and get started.
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