March Newsletter GPM 202
Welcome to the spring 2007 edition of Insight, the marketing newsletter from GPM. In this issue, we'll offer insight on how to get the maximum performance out of your website. A dynamic website is important, but one that truly delivers qualified new patients is worth its weight in gold.
Do you have all the pieces in place to give your patients comprehensive, life changing care but can't seem to close the deal? It might be your office environment. A new facility or even a major overhaul can make a huge difference in case acceptance. Read our interview with Total Health Environments for insight on creating the office of your dreams.
Our article on testimonial driven campaigns will turn the traditional "sex sells" concept on its head. Today's woman want to be celebrated for who they are, not media's vision of what they should be. There's nothing like testimonials to connect with your audience. We've included a few examples to show you how powerful they can be.
As always, thank you for your past, present and future relationship with GPM. We truly enjoy working with you!
Turning Clicks into Calls
You've got an attractive website. You've contracted for search engine positioning and SmileClicks listings so that patients can find you. Your web stats tell you that people are visiting your site. But are they picking up the phone to call you?
Unless your website incites prospective patients to take action, you're just another stop on the web. So how do you turn those clicks into calls? A few simple tips can get you a lot more success.
- Make sure your phone number is on every single page of your site in a prominent place. Imagine that visitors are looking at the patient gallery, love what they see, and want the same for themselves. Don't make people hunt for a way to reach you - give them the number!
- Put your community's name, and the names of other communities you serve, front and center on the site. Proximity is still important in choosing a health care professional. If visitors aren't sure where you are, they'll go back to Google and revise their search before they'll take the time to dig for the information on your site.
- Include a prominent "Ask the Doctor" button in the main menu. If visitors can ask questions directly, they'll start to establish a relationship with you, which will inspire the feeling of trust they need to call. Check those emails daily and respond quickly!
- Keep your site updated with your latest news - new technology, CE courses, new services. It will help you to look progressive.
- Make sure the site operates intuitively or allows the user to move freely and comfortably, and that it is easy to read and understand.
- Include patient photography and testimonials. Web savvy visitors know the difference between stock photos and the real thing. Actual patient before and afters are powerful indicators of the caliber of your work. A doctor can always claim she does good work, but when she shows it, patients believe it.
Why not take a minute right now and visit your own web site? If it weren't yours, would you stay? Would it make you call? Why wait until you look even more out of touch? Give us a call for a complementary evaluation of your site and learn what you can do to make the phone ring.
Renovating Your Office? Building From Scratch? How to Get the Most Out of Your Investment.
Your current office is dated. It doesn't reflect the quality of care you provide, and your patients aren't committing to treatment like they should. It's time for a fresh start.
Whether you've decided to move to a better location, start a new private practice, or remodel and revamp the one you have, you want to get the best return on your new investment. It takes months of planning and preparation, and if not handled by experts may cost you far more in both time and expenses than you've budgeted. That's why relying on a proven design firm for your office and a great marketing firm like GPM for promoting it, is so important. The right experts can ensure exceptional results.
We interviewed Mike Demaree, President of THE Design for some insider tips on the process. THE Design provides dental, equipment and design consultation, architectural design, interior design, purchasing and high technology integration services for dental and medical offices. They help you understand how your office should flow for top efficiency and stress reduction, how the correct design can maximize the patient's experience, and how the design of your office can actually increase case acceptance. Here's what we learned:
- Contract with a dental or medical office design firm before you buy the land or sign the lease. There may be easements, building restrictions or even hidden problems in your new location that will impact your ability to develop the office of your dreams. Once you've signed the mortgage or lease, it's too late to go back.
- The free layout services offered by many office supply companies may seem like a good deal, but they're not. Your contractor will need more than simple blueprints to estimate the job or obtain construction permits, which means you'll have to hire a local architect or engineering firm to map out the plumbing, electricity, technology wiring and more.
- Involve your team with the design phase. When patients have a comment or concern, the team is usually the first one to hear about it. The team will have some valuable insight to patient preferences.
We've got a few insider tips of our own:
- Budget for the marketing of this new office or renovation at the same time you're getting funding for the construction. You don't want to complete your gorgeous new facility and realize that you don't have enough left to tell the community what you have to offer.
- Many clients want to develop a new brand that complements their new environment. That old mauve and teal logo just won't look right in your sleek new black, copper and cream office. Start the brand development process at least six months out. No, it won't take that long, but you'll need to have that step complete before you can develop new ads, direct mailers, brochures, and more to promote the office.
- Keep your existing patients involved as construction progresses. Talk about it in your newsletters, and show off the construction with a pictoral display in the reception room. Their excitement will build with yours, spreading a buzz in the community about your growth.
- If you're building a new office from scratch, get the community talking. Plan a series of teaser banners on the construction site to pique the interest of drive by traffic. Change the message at least once a month to keep people looking for the next part of the teaser.
Your office environment and your advertising are important parts of your image- tangible elements that patients use to measure the quality of your dentistry. In fact, the look and feel of your practice can say more than the degrees and certificates on your wall. When designed correctly, your office and your advertising will connect you with patients, build their trust, keep them coming back and inspire them to refer others.
Testimonial Driven Campaigns
You've seen them - ad campaigns celebrating real women; ads featuring the words or thoughts of real people. Dove's "Real Women. Real Beauty" campaign is being celebrated by women everywhere. Nike's print ads feature women who are proud of their broad shoulders, thunder thighs and other "less feminine" body parts. Why the sudden rise in "real people" campaigns? Simply, because they work.
Women connect deeply with this kind of advertising. It builds trust. It communicates attainability. It speaks more honestly to a woman's true self.
And you can make that kind of campaign work for you. Probably the easiest and most effective way is by creating testimonial driven campaigns. Use your own patients' photos and words to clearly show the quality of your work. It proves that you have nothing to hide, that both you and your patients have enough confidence and pride in that new care to show it off in national media.
Using patient photos and testimonials also offers a sense of increased feasibility. Regular folks paging through a magazine may see someone much like themselves and feel reassured in the fact that their smiles or body could be improved as well. A leggy, swimsuit model can make a procedure seem glamorous but also unattainable and prohibitive. Showing real people, ones that your potential patients can connect to, proves that your procedures are completely attainable and available to anyone. Real people regularize even your most high-end procedures.
Team News
Just joining our group is our new cracker-jack marketing manager, Paulette. Born in Niagara Falls, Canada, Paulette has two daughters and two cats. Says Paulette "I am so honoured to be chosen to join this distinguished group of dedicated professionals." And we're honored to have her as part of our team -- eh?
In other news:
- Alice is going to be a Grammy on May 25!
- Gayle's daughter, Amanda, is graduating from High School and going off to college.
- Newlywed Sarah is now a homeowner and enjoying making it her own.
- Look for Xana, Amy and Paulette at our booths at Hinmann, AACD, IACA, AAD and FACD this spring and summer. Stop by and say hello!
Happy Clients Make us Happy Too!
"I have six new patients scheduled on Monday morning. Thank you!" Dr. Rich Crosby, Anchorage, AK
"I got the business and appointment cards this afternoon...WOW! They do look pretty impressive. Thanks!" Dr. Patrick Bondad, St. George, UT
"You guys are good. You really impressed Dr. Hilliker and Hartzel. They have wanted this for a long time!" Pam Beaver, Office Manager, Eye Center of Central PA
Golden Nuggets
70% of American adults use the Internet. That currently represents about 141 million people. ¬- Pew Internet and American Life Project December 2006 survey
Women are the Internet's buying superstars, outnumbering men online and spending more time and money online since 2004.
Career women make up 31% of the market but, in spite of higher education levels, these women have the lowest self-esteem. What an opportunity to build their confidence - with a smile!
Traditional sales tactics are giving way to techniques that focus on listening, putting oneself in the customer's shoes and learning to practice empathy in the sales process. - Business Week
Golden Proportions Marketing Company - Providing services in Custom Cosmetic Dentistry Advertising, Marketing Plastic Surgery Practice, Medical Logo Design and Dental Office and Patient Marketing.
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