In any given week, we objectively review medical advertising and dozens of healthcare websites. And more than a few of them—for doctors, dentists and providers of all sorts—manage to sabotage their medical advertising effectiveness in a single stroke. The poison? Those yucky photos of clinical procedures are a double-barrel emotional turn-off for prospective patients. You’ll never […]
The global obsession with Pokémon GO is an instant healthcare marketing opportunity for many providers and facilities. This timely tool is especially adaptable for healthcare businesses with a retail component including dental, optometry, family practice, pediatricians, orthodontists…even urgent care or LASIK practices. You can also include anyone doing event marketing, such as health fairs, trade…
A close friend of mine shared a personal story that’s worth re-telling. It illustrates a real-world patient experience that moved the measure of satisfaction from “simply satisfied” to “raving fan” status. Although this story comes from the dental profession, the core concept will easily transfer to other healthcare specialties. Consider how you can apply this […]
More than a few doctors, dentists and other providers suffer from “case presentation phobia.” This seems especially common with elective care discussions. Skilled and experienced providers may have buried the ill-at-ease feeling, and they probably have “avoidance systems” in place that point to someone else in the office. But, in fact, they hate making a case […]
Who says marketing can’t be fun. Here’s a brief post about two lighter-side ideas from dental marketing that you can steal. Look at these little case studies as idea starters for many other healthcare marketing situations. In each, take your inspiration mainly from the exceptional execution. Dr. Rich’s Patient Picnic: Western Pennsylvania orthodontist Richard Ribarevski […]
It seems that at least some dental practices in the United States are doing OK, business-wise, in spite of the down economy. We’d like to hear if you agree with this market assessment. In the numbers-filled environment of research publisher IBIS World, the Dentists Industry—in the collective perspective—“performed well during the economic recession and is […]
We’ve been watching a bit of a brouhaha in the media recently about dental therapists. We’d like to hear from our readers—practicing dentists in particular—about dental therapists and if there’s a place in dentistry for a mid-level provider. There is a wide range of dental procedures that a dental therapist can perform as determined by […]
The following quote is at least 50 years old, but dentists, doctors and healthcare providers can put this classic insight to the task of winning new patients immediately. Marketing guru and Harvard Business School Professor Theodore Levitt often told his students: "People don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!" The […]
The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners is considering how the concept of online healthcare deals and discounts may or may not fit into its advertising and marketing rules for professional practice advertising. There was a small but important news item that touched on this. It's worth reading…and watching where it may lead. In the […]
If a professional reputation is to be protected at all costs, should a healthcare provider file a lawsuit against a patient for a negative online review? From time to time we see news items about doctors or dentists who threaten legal action against patients. But suing a patient for a negative comment (or comments) is […]
San Francisco and Berkeley, CA, are only 20 minutes apart via the Bay Bridge. But for these two practices, their dental advertising, dental positioning and branding couldn’t be further apart. And, from a healthcare marketing perspective, both examples are properly tuned into their community spirit and embrace it in their office décor and branding message. […]
It’s a curious thing. Patients who want or need cosmetic procedures are usually concerned about the cost first. Since they don’t have many ways to measure the worth of your dental skills, experience, or quality of materials, they only know to ask, “How much does this cost?” And the dichotomy is that all-important money matters are […]
This post is mainly for fun. But there’s a practice marketing lesson in this exceptional example of wildly interesting and unique office décor--from an orthodontic practice. You’re going to have to drive to Conway, Arkansas to experience the office decor of orthodontist—and admitted car enthusiast—David J. Myers, DDS, MS. If you’ve never seen a medical […]
A few years ago, my dentist retired and I scheduled my first visit with a dentist who had become a client. After my first appointment, he personally made a follow-up phone call to see if everything met my expectations in the first visit. (It was a step in his new medical practice marketing plan.) Though […]
There are several important healthcare marketing lessons hidden in the recent Los Angeles Times article titled Dentists turn to marketing after getting brush-off from patients. Although it is primarily about dentists and dental marketing in the economic downturn, the important marketing takeaways also apply to medical practices and hospitals. We'll look past any immediate temptation […]
You might be as surprised as we were to learn that there are about eight million people who have elective care financing instantly available--and don't know it. Astoundingly, they simply may not know that they can afford the dentistry, vision correction, hearing care or cosmetic treatments that they want. Here’s the hidden business and marketing […]
Back in the uncomplicated good old days of healthcare marketing, the many and various medical professions, specialties and subspecialties were neatly organized by basic anatomy. Podiatrists, for example, worked on stuff “below the knee.” A patient with a snoring problem might be referred to an “ear-nose-throat” specialist. And dentists cared for your teeth and gums. […]
Two different practitioners called us recently. Let’s just describe them as smart and experienced dentists, in different parts of the country, and on different ends of the promotional spectrum. They both were experiencing “aha moments” of personal insight and needed help pronto. They didn't know how to get started with budget planning. Both are real situations, […]
It appears that the chaps over at King’s College London’s Dental Institute—the largest academic dental center in Europe—think they have something that will appeal to both dentists and dental phobic patients alike. It seems that Professor Brian Millar and associates have developed an “adaptive filtering” technology that erases the universally disliked sound of the dentist’s […]
There's no such thing as a “set-and-forget” Web site. We have yet to find a successful practice Web site that performs well on neglect. We've written several articles that challenge the “If-I-build-it-they-will-come” fantasy of early practice Web sites — and provided practical direction about what to do instead. But if your practice Web site is […]
An oral surgeon called us not long ago. He had been referred to us by a friend, another oral maxillofacial surgeon who knows us well. The caller (now a client) told us that he had just fired his in-house marketing person. He was calling for guidance about not making another wrong hire for his oral […]
[EDITOR'S NOTE: In honor of Groundhog Day, we are re-posting this item from last year just for fun. The advice applies to all referral-reliant provider practices. Enjoy...and hope for an early Spring this year.] It doesn’t seem like 18 19 years since the release of the movie Groundhog Day. There’s an important lesson here for any […]
This item is about a dentist, but it's a local television PR example that could be used by any profession, hospital or healthcare entity. It’s known as the City of Brotherly Love, and the CBS television station in Philadelphia runs a regular segment in the news with the same name. It’s an ongoing feature that […]
We’re impressed with the new AAE website (aae.org). The American Association of Endodontists has revitalized its online presence with more content and improved endodontic marketing messages for the public and the professional ranks. Refreshing (or completely re-doing) a website is good advice for most healthcare practices, hospitals and organizations. Too often their website is a […]
The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) recently launched a marketing campaign about esthetic restoration. Using an effective combination of video and audio material, the ACP placement plan is a good case example for healthcare marketing and advertising decision-makers about how to leverage media exposure for added (and affordable) reach and audience impact. Here’s a quick […]
