Turn Around Dental Marketing
The Sameness Stampede Saps Value
There are two ways to approach dental marketing: compete or turn around. Competing marketing is very challenging and costly in many ways because there are numerous players. Turn Around marketing is like judo: using the "generic heft and creative complacency" of this large group to take advantage of what they cannot see or target.
Competing dental marketing players are looking for everyone to be their dental patients. They see this huge mass of dental consumers and wonder why they can't get a large chunk of them. They want to fill the dental chairs and maybe at some point move them to higher-level procedures like cosmetic dentistry.
There is nothing wrong with dental practices that go this route. It is just that to compete in the general arena means you communicate in simple and similar terms like your competition. You say "FREE", half-off, toothache, and dental emergencies. Possibly you now say CEREC, Invisalign, Lumineers, and ZOOM! But pretty soon every dentist is saying those things as well.
Dentists that follow and compete like this often get worn out. In addition, as they pursue this sameness strategy, dental consumers get trained to expect sameness. For example, most consumers want things at the lowest cost possible, you and me included. But there some things we also will pay a lot for. "I would like a new smile but it’s a lot of money. Plus I just bought a big screen TV and we are going to Mazatlan again this year."
What is wrong then; why is your dental expertise not a higher priority? Consumers do not see YOU! They see a dentist. They see dentistry. And they already "understand" dentistry. "It should be covered by dental insurance. It should be low cost. Of course, something should be free. And finally, when the dentist tries to explain why I need a lot of dentistry and it does not fit this sameness pattern, he/she is trying to 'sell me' something."
But what if you have tons of dental CE? Can create lasting, healthy, beautiful smiles? Have many years of experience? Treat people not teeth? If you are doing one or all these things, YOUR consumers should see something else besides the "same idea of dentistry" people saw 30 years ago when things were more similar.
Yes, dental technology and all the cool cosmetic and restorative techniques can get you noticed. But the "new service/technology theme" is short-lived and often shallow in value because it is not focused on people. People make decisions and that means the "justification process" is complicated. Some of it is logical but it also has to do with fear, ignorance, complacency, and emotion. And a beautiful smile might only be a small influence on taking that final step.
People only connect to things that have deep meaning; otherwise "simple" rules the day. Free Whitening focuses on simple. Exciting, yes. But still simple, especially when Wal-mart also sells it. They only remember FREE -- whitening is forgotten quickly and then they think - free dentistry from the local dentist who must not have much expertise if he/she is promoting free services. Low cost marketing "works" - but where does it take you?
When dental consumers are not connected - you can lose them very easily. When you do general (competing) dental marketing you invite them to not expect value because you are competing with the same message everyone is offering. You are making the blur of sameness blurrier. Sameness is valueless.
So TURN AROUND. Go another direction. Say something different. Be something different. Don't be a dentist. Don't offer dentistry. Be an expert, a lifesaver, a people problem solver, a comfort achiever, or whatever fits your expertise, experience, personality, location, etc. Differentiate!
Simply by turning around you will get noticed. This is not about exclusivity or being a boutique dental practice. It is specificity. Be specific about who you are and what you can do for the dental consumer. Yes, this is focused mostly on people with a lot of discretionary funds. But people who want what "they now see" and would pay much more than you would ever expect -- will start coming in as well - even in this tough economy.
I have seen - how this tough economy is an opportunity for making this happen. While the go-go days are gone for now - in times like this people will think about what is really valuable to them. They are ready to change their focus.
Because everyone is chasing the same thing -- there is a lot still left on the table. Turn Around your dental marketing and you will see the rewarding banquet and so will they. Think about it. There are 75 million baby boomers and 10 of millions of even older Americans - the two groups that have all the discretionary money. Plus they have more extensive dental needs than the younger set. More dental needs, more discretionary money, not sure how things can get better than that!
More specifically, I read an article that estimated there is 0 billion in dental implants to be placed right now if everyone that needed them got them. Even if it is 0 billion - if 25,000 dentists turned around and focused on them that is 0K more per year in their pocket for 20 years. Just for dental implants. Without turn around dental marketing, most people will never "see" the value.
In reality a lot less than 10,000 dentists will turn around their dental marketing because following is very seductive. For example, there are oodles of low-cost "following/competing" dental postcards, websites and other marketing products online right now. Google makes it even easier to follow and consume sameness.
But let other dental practices chase the tail of sameness because that means even more money is on the table for you. Of course, being creative and changing the dynamic takes some thought and commitment. But if you want more consumers to turn around and see the value in your dental expertise, then turning around how you value communication might be worthwhile as well.
Your Dental Marketing Choices
- A) To compete, go to Google.com, Yahoo.com, and MSN.com where dental marketing sameness can be searched in all its sapping splendor.
- B) If you are ready to turn around, see things differently, and help your patients and consumers in this way as well, Niche Dental can help put things into focus.
Contact Niche Dental - Email or Call 866-453-1026
Dental Marketing Commentary by
Dick Chwalek
