Defense Articles

Most of us today are so pressed for time that we are always looking for the shortest route possible. And there is such a proliferation of information begging to command our attention that we often choose what is easiest (and quickest) and takes less effort.

Of course, that is why such popular services like MapQuest exist, why almost all magazines today are designed via mini “sound bites” and why Apple places a premium on simplicity and clarity.

I was just looking at some old magazines the other day and the visual layout is completely different - once linear, they are now modular. Some examples include USA Today, Readers Digest, Men’s Health and Consumer Reports.

This is particularly important with anything that has a high percentage of text. This includes brochures, sell sheets, magalogs, proposals, emails and the like. I am always a bit surprised when some of my design coaching clients send me an email that stretches from one side of the email browser to the other.

Try using more: sidebars, subheads, quick summaries, “what’s ahead” content, informational bullets, drop quotes and “mini-profiles” in all your communications. As designers, we are particularly tuned into this but we can all improve and refine our communications with these principles in mind.

If it takes to much “perceived effort” to read something, believe me, people will not do it. So think about giving your clients clearer and easier access to information. You will find, slowly and surely, an increased response to your communications.

With all of the options today for your practice, knowing which marketing strategies to use can be difficult. Here are three chiropractic marketing tips that you should consider using in growing your practice.

Chiropractic Marketing Tips 1: The Internet

Who isn’t connected to the internet these days? People spend countless hours on the web just surfing, downloading, chatting etc. Why don’t you make use of this market by setting up your own website. Just set up a basic website first. A website that tells somebody about yourself, the services that you aim to give, and even a special offer to new patients.

Once you set up a website, you can ask current patients for testimonials to post on your website. These testimonials will help convince prospective patients that you are a real, caring doctor that has seen successful cases in your practice.

It’s important not to focus on building a fancy or pretty website. Not only will this cost you a lot of money, but it is not effective in getting new patients. It’s best to keep it very simple, yet focused. Your site for new patients should be easy to load and read. You want the new patient to call you to schedule an appointment, so your website should lead them to this action.

A simple web address that people will surely remember can be one of the steps that you can take. Aside from that, make sure that your site contains common keywords that your prospective patients will likely search for. The more keyword focused you can be on your website (within reason), the more traffic will be driven to you through the major search engines. When I teach doctors on how to set up their websites, I will recommend they focus their pages on keywords people are searching for in their area.

Chiropractic Marketing Tips 2: Radio

You can try radio broadcasting. Before anything else, figure out the market that you are targeting because this will play an important factor in the radio station that you will get, the time slot that you will play, duration of your ad, etc. As a tip, the time that most people drive to and from work are the peak hours since most people will be tuned to their radio. Although it will definitely reach a lot of listeners, this will cost you more money.

Chiropractic Marketing Tips 3: Yellow Pages

When people need help right now, they still turn to the Yellow Pages for a chiropractor. Once you decide to put up an ad in the yellow pages, make sure that you provide an attention grabbing headline. After the headline, a list of bullets detailing your services and how they benefit the patient. Also focus on what makes your office different. Keep the images small and to a minimum. You want to use the valuable space in your ad to convince the prospect to call you.

Use these three chiropractic marketing tips as a basis for growing your practice and profits.