Marketing can be extremely complex, confusing and daunting all at the same time. The burden of launching a good marketing campaign doubles when you juggle this responsibility with several other tasks. This is the exact predicament which dentists find themselves in. They are not just the ones who supervise hygienists and other members of the staff, attend to patients and manage everything that happens in the clinic; they are also the brains behind any practice’s marketing strategy.
In a bid to try to simplify things, dentists should understand that there are really just four elements in any successful marketing campaign – audience, timing, offer and message.
Audience
Before you can come up with an effective campaign, you first need to know who your audience is. Since you’re marketing your services to them, you need to know what their motivations are for availing of dental services. What are your target market’s demographics? Are they young or old? Will they respond more to a marketing campaign which is traditional or online-based? The more that you know about your audience, the easier it will be for you to tailor your marketing campaign to suit their preferences.
Timing
No matter how convincing your marketing campaign is, it might not work to its full advantage just because of the timing. For instance, it’s always more convenient for kids to get their braces fitted during the summer especially since the first few days can result in general discomfort. So you might not be able to attract as many patients if you launch a campaign involving braces in the middle of the school term.
Offer
A huge factor for ensuring the success of your campaign is coming up with right offer. Of course, you’ll need to whip up an offer which pleases those in your target market. For instance, younger patients with higher salaries may be more receptive to trying cosmetic procedures so you can always use that to come up with a suitable offer. Then again, the only way for you to really know if an offer works or not is to test it.
Messaging
In theory, your campaign might be great but somehow your prospects and patients aren’t buying. So what’s wrong? It could be that you’re not creative enough in getting the offer across to your audience. You need to come up with a message which stirs the curiosity of your prospects and entices them to take up your offer.