The Chiropractic Marketing Connection

What is the first experience you offer prospects? For many chiropractors’ it’s a free consultation or an “introductory consultation”. Some charge for it, some don’t. These savvy chiropractors promote this consultation as “their offer” in all the marketing they do – everything from advertisements to coupons – it involves coming in for that first consultation. Prospects are driven to get an initial consultation.

Many chiropractors charge $100 for that initial exploratory appointment. However in their marketing – whether in coupons, ads, etc. – they give it away for free to entice people to visit. Talk about no risk – it’s free!

Some chiropractors get frustrated because they are giving away their services for free and they still don’t have any patients! What else can you do?

For all of us in the alternative health care industry, I want to challenge you that the “free consultation” may not be enough. Let me rephrase that and say it may be too much too soon. Many folks need to be comfortable with the fact that they are even seeing someone about their health that is “alternative”.

I recommend you offer some education about what you do before the free consultation. Ask and prompt people to download a free report or a free e-book that educates them on your niche in the healing arts and how it is helpful for them. THEN ask them to come in for their initial consultation.

Putting more educational information out there provides another layer between your marketing and the patient actually staying with you and becoming a lifetime believer in you and what you have to offer.

The people that don’t need this step and are ready for their initial consult will just skip that step. When they are ready to take action they will jump right in. But, if they are not sure about what they’re getting it is more likely they’ll  hesitate and be unsure of their decision – and ultimately not buy.

To your success!

Kelly Robbins

Kelly@AMarketingConnection.com

About the Author

Author of Healthcare Copywriting Secrets Revealed and The Practice Evolution Success Kit, Kelly Robbins is a healthcare copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, 5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.

Thrive in 2009! Learn What You can do Right Now to Ensure Next Year is Profitable - I’ll Show you How on This Free Call!

Register now and you’ll receive a complementary copy of a 2009 marketing planning guide with the call!

You’ve probably been hearing from everyone now that it’s the end of the year, “now is the time to plan for 2009″. And it is. However, with the economy where it is today (panic mode for many) you can’t do the same things you’ve done in the past and remain profitable. We’re in a different place and we need to take different actions.

The key to thriving in 2009 is being strategic in the planning and the actions we take NOW. It’s important we slow down, take a breath and rationally make smart business decisions rather than jump on the next thing that sounds like a winner and lose our shirts.

Understand there are two things you can’t let happen because everyone around you is in a panic:
1.     You can’t keep doing the status quo and get different results.
2.     You can’t disappear from your target market’s radar because you cut back on marketing.

It’s important to understand that marketing that works in a prosperous or expanding economy is not the same marketing that works in a recessionary or contracting economy. People’s mindset changes and the factors that weigh decisions change. Especially for businesses that are considered “non-essentials”, which chiropractic care often falls into.

Just because your current marketing isn’t working as well as it used to doesn’t mean you should stop marketing completely, it simply means you need to make some adjustments to what you have been doing to meet the current needs of your market.

We are going to discuss those adjustments on our free call Tuesday, December 16, at 1PM Eastern/10AM Pacific. 
•         What does it mean to “become invisible” in a nonessential marketing when people aren’t spending money? How can you avoid becoming invisible?
•         Is it wise for businesses to change their marketing strategies right now or should they stay the course and wait out the storm?
•         What are best marketing practices for businesses in these tough economic times?
•         What is the number one mistake entrepreneurs make when they need to tighten their belt?
•         How can you take what marketing and advertising you already have and make it work better rather than reinvent the wheel?

Register now at: http://www.amarketingconnection.com/thrivein2009
 
We are going to talk about marketing plans. Not the two month, 35 page marketing plans fortune 500 companies put together. We’re going to teach you how to do an effective marketing plan in one day. If you do what I teach you correctly, this one thing will make thousands of dollars of difference in your bottom line and increase sales. 

In a free call on Tuesday, December 16, at 1PM Eastern/10AM Pacific, marketer and copywriter Kelly Robbins will be interviewed by Michelle Salater, expert online copywriter and marketer, and talk about your marketing plans for 2009 and share some best practices. You’ll also receive a complementary 2009 marketing planning guide with your registration.

Frankly, this call with us could be the kick in the pants your business has been needing. If you’ve ever attended one of Kelly’s free calls you know you’ll leave info-rich AND excited to rock the world! I hope you can make it - we’ve got some awesome work to share with you!

Register now at:  http://www.amarketingconnection.com/thrivein2009

Register now and you’ll receive a complementary copy of a 2009 marketing planning guide with the call! And yes, the call is being recorded, so if you can’t make it you can still listen later.
Learn how to make 2009 your best year ever on this one free call. We will be recording the call, so even if you can’t make it be sure to register!

To your success!
 
A Marketing Connection, Inc.
Helping you connect with your customers
www.AMarketingConnection.com

What’s the first thing people do when they even think they have a health issue?

Studies show over 80% of the American population heads straight for the internet. This is a fact. Whether you or your office is referred by another physician or a friend of the patient, people go straight to the internet to check you out.

Why do people do this? What are they looking for?

They want to know what is wrong with them and who in the world you are. Can they trust you? Are you legitimate? Are you really good at what you do or are you a newbie? Are you reputable? 

Knowing this, doesn’t it make sense to have a strong online presence no matter what field of healthcare you are in?

Many practices don’t leverage the internet as much as they should. Beyond “should we have a website”, practitioners should be doing several things to attract and retain clients. Blogging, publishing educational content (such as how to know if you are having irregular heartbeats), press releases, and more… make it really easy for people to find you and learn about who you are and what you do.

Let me share a story with you. Two years ago my daughter was diagnosed with something scary sounding by our orthopedic doctor (an osteoid osteoma). The orthopedic doctor didn’t know much about these and nervously referred us to a specialist in Denver. He assured us “Dr. M” was the best in the state.

Of course I came home and immediately googled “osteoid osteoma”, which I couldn’t spell and couldn’t find it online. Next thing I did was google Dr. M – who I couldn’t find either! I had to wait until the next day to call the office to find the name of the practice to look them up. Sure enough, they did have a website and Dr. M was on there and yes, he is a big shot in his field.

But, he should have been much easier for me to find. I shouldn’t have to wait, worried and stressed, until the next morning to learn these things. Dr. M’s office should have done a much better job of promoting his name (and the name of his practice, even though that wasn’t what I was referred to) online.

Can your patients find you?

You don’t need expensive pay-per-click advertisements or banner ads to be found easily online. There are several very simple and inexpensive, systematical techniques you can use to be found easily.

Contact us about our “New Media Marketing Package” specifically for chiropractors at Kelly@AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285

About the author

Founder of A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute, Kelly Robbins, MA, is an award winning author, copywriter and healthcare marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, “5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits” at www.AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.

Having a Web site is now a necessity for any type of business, especially a chiropractic practice. In fact, statistics show that over 80% of consumers search for health-related information online first – before they do anything else.

And while some chiropractors tell me their clients don’t specifically find them on the Internet, they feel it’s important to have a Web site because it acts as a brochure. A place patient’s can check them out once they’ve been referred. It’s also a place doctors can easily send their clients to learn more about their practice. They can showcase their services, offer educational information, post testimonials, and give prospects some background on their business.

Because they don’t obtain much business from the Internet and don’t think they will, chiropractors often don’t put much thought into how search engines, like Yahoo! or Google work and whether their site even comes up when prospects search.

The fact is, nothing is more frustrating for a consumer trying to look up a chiropractors phone number, find their address or directions and they can’t find it because they are not listed in the search engines.

Strategically placing keywords that search engines use to locate your business is beneficial for many reasons, but most of all because you never know where your next lead may come from.

Here are a few easy things you can do to optimize your Web site for better search engine placement:

1.                  Make a list of keywords prospects would use to find you. Make another list of keywords prospects could use to find someone who does what you do. For example, if someone is specifically looking for you, they may use keywords “Joanne’s Closet Organizing”. If they were searching for a closet organizer, they may type in “closet organizer” or “closet organizer Colorado”.

2.                  Put your most important keywords in the headline on each page. Headings on pages are one of the most important criteria search engines use when determining what your Web site is about. Many businesses have a “welcome” headline, which is wasting a heading. “Joanne’s Closet Organizing” can just as easily be the headline and you’re using important keywords the search engines use to find you.

3.                  List your keywords in the beginning of your sentences rather than the end.

4.                  Use your keywords throughout the copy, not just in the headings. However, make sure the copy sounds good. You don’t want to use keywords just to use them, but if you can incorporate them into the text and still say what you need to, do it.

5.                  Make sure important sites are linked to YOU. “Important” is pretty subjective, however, search engines place more importance on a link to big sites, like a large Chamber of Commerce that gets thousands of hits a day, compared to smaller sites that may only receive 10 or 20 hits.

About the author

Author of Healthcare Copywriting Secrets Revealed and The Practice Evolution Success Kit, Kelly Robbins is a healthcare copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, 5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits at Kelly@AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.

Imagine your ideal patient. She cares about her health. She takes an active role in the healing process. She is a long-term client that refers others to you. Sounds perfect doesn’t she? Why are these ideal clients so hard to come by? Why are these types of patients such a rare find?

Many of us put most of our energy and time into finding new clients. We invest in marketing products – read books and ezines from the experts, keep up-to-date on the newest trends and listen to what our successful competitors are doing – which is an essential part of running any business.

Honestly think about how much time and energy you put into turning your existing clients into ideal clients? Do you “teach” your clients how to be ideal clients? Could you do more?

Let’s use a chiropractor’s office as an example and examine some steps that could be put in place right away to teach their patients how to be ideal patients.

1.                  Teach your patients why you do the things you do and the long-term effects of maintaining their health. Their level of understanding is imperative for getting them to spread the word about you to others.

2.                  Their understanding is also important because a time will come when they need to justify to themselves why they should continue to see you. Explain to them the importance of continuing their visits as well as maintaining their overall health. Teach them at every visit.

3.                  Understand that when patients come for their visit they are thinking about what they’re going to ask you, how they are feeling, what’s not right, where they have to be in 15 minutes. They are not usually in a relaxed state. They may not be in a place of learning and ready to absorb the information you’re sharing with them. Understand that they may be listening but are not hearing what you are saying.

4.                  Remember that not everyone learns verbally. Give patients easy-to-read handouts that explain why you’re doing something. Why it’s important to come to a class you’re offering. Sell them by explaining how chiropractic care and proper nutrition go together, for example.

The important thing here is that it can’t all be verbal. Think of as many different ways to talk to your patients as you can. Post cards, newsletters, flyers, hand-outs, free talks, the receptionist, or articles in the paper. Be creative. Be diverse.

5.                  Communicate with patients in a variety of ways. Talk to them at their appointment of course, but also have hand-outs they can take home (which they can also pass on to spouses and friends). Mail educational information to their home. Even a post-card with a special tip or exercise can be helpful. Email them tips once a week or month.

The key is to talk to them at places outside your office so they don’t only think about you when they are hurting - because when the pain stops so will their visits to your office. It’s your job to become integrated into their life and to become a key resource in their ongoing quest for health.

About the author

Author of Healthcare Copywriting Secrets Revealed and The Practice Evolution Success Kit, Kelly Robbins is a healthcare copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, 5 Critical Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Make that Lose Sales and Plummet Profits at Kelly@AMarketingConnection.com or 303-460-0285.

Strengthen your business – know why those patients leave

We all have clients that love us. And I mean loooooooove us. These are our favorite clients that we like to think about all the time. Clients like these are the reason we are in business and the reason we love our business so much.

Unfortunately, not all our clients are like this. We also have clients that, after a period of time, leave us and don’t continue using our services. We know that in business this is not unusual. Client attrition is a normal part of a healthy business. Clients get better, move forward, change their minds.

However, as a business owner, it’s important you know WHY these people are leaving. I am going to call these clients “inactive clients”.

Why are they not coming back? Are they using your competitors? A company online? Did you alleviate a pain they were experiencing – basically you did your job – and they have no reason to see you anymore? Was there something that upset them or made them uncomfortable that they didn’t want to come back?

Does asking make you uncomfortable? Don’t stick your head in the sand! You need to know this stuff.

While it’s important to acknowledge that all clients don’t stay forever, you need to put a system in place to find out why they don’t.

You may not have ever thought about why you lose clients before. Maybe you’ve thought about it and didn’t know what to do. Maybe you are afraid to know, or don’t want to know. It’s a touchy subject and may be personal. What if they just didn’t like you?

The only way to find out why a client has become inactive is to ask them. I understand this can be uncomfortable, but you need to find out. And the best way to do that is to ask. Asking why patients don’t come back is something that needs to be done on a regular basis – it’s a process you should systemize into your business so it happens automatically.

Systems need to be put in place so that when clients do become inactive (and you need to determine when that is) you make a phone call and find out what’s going on. A less preferable option is to have your assistant call.

Saying something as easy as “hey, we haven’t seen you in a while and we’ve missed you. Is there anything going on? I noticed we haven’t seen you in a few weeks. Is there something I can do to entice you to come visit us again?”

Be friendly and welcoming, but truly inquisitive as well. You may find there’s something going on in your business that needs your attention. You may also find that a client is experiencing some sort of hardship you otherwise wouldn’t have known about.

When you call to check on an inactive client you are doing several things.

• You are showing them you care
• You are telling them they matter and you noticed their absence
• You are checking on the quality of your business; oth its processes and your employees.
• You are being a caring friend and checking on the welfare of another

This is one of those action steps that you just have to do. Your business will run better because of it.

Kelly Robbins
www.AMarketingConnection.com
303-460-0285