Watch Out For These Five Mistakes When Running Chiropractic Newspaper Ads

You just received your copy of the new chiropractic ads you ordered.  Read all of the material, did your research, formatted your ad and your ready to run your ad in the newspaper.  However, there are a few more things to consider.  Sometimes others try to give you their advice, their opinion or you forget little steps that could sabotage your ad campaign.  Everyone means well, but that doesn’t mean they know what they’re talking about.  So consider these five mistakes before sitting down with your newspaper ad rep.

Mistake #1 – Allowing your ad rep to decide if your advertisement is a good ad to run

Your ad rep is there to help you get the best rate with their newspaper.  Yes they are in the advertising industry, but they are not there to tell you if your ad is a good advertisement to run.  For one thing your ad is unique.  It looks different, it’s formatted different and it reads different than most.  They might tell you it’s not the typical ad they usually see and that it won’t get the response you would want, and that you will be wasting your money.

These chiropractic ads have been written by a chiropractor who is extensively trained to write and develop advertising and marketing for chiropractors.  They are tested and proven to be effective ads.  What does your rep know about your chiropractic practice, or for that matter, chiropractic marketing?  The type of patient you see and the type of emotional words and copy that will draw the best response?  You thought they were good enough to try.  Trust that they will do what they are written to do.

Mistake #2 – Allowing your staff to give their opinion about your advertisement

Your staff is an important part of your practice. They are your office support and are there to help you run the front office.  Meet and greet patients, answer phones, make appointments.  Yes they are familiar with chiropractic, but you didn’t hire them to give their opinions on what they think about your ads.  They are not trained to know what a good advertisement looks like.  They most likely are not trained in marketing or advertising.  They are probably not trained in advanced copywriting and lastly, they are not the patient that the ads were designed to target.   It doesn’t matter if they think it’s too long, or that they wouldn’t read the whole advertisement.

You had the good judgment to buy these chiropractic ads, trust your judgment and don’t be swayed by what an untrained person might have to say.

Mistake #3 – Allowing your ad rep to tell you what section of the paper to run your ad

It is apparent that your rep knows a lot about the newspaper that they work for and no one is disputing that, however when it comes to which section to place your ad; that is your decision to make.  There are specific areas of a newspaper that typically see better results than others.  Optimal positioning would be, Section A, a full page ad if your budget allows that, above the fold, for half page or quarter page ads, and right hand side of the page.  Also, if you are looking at a quarter page ad, request an article next to your ad, not several other ads.

Mistake #4 – Not letting your staff know that you are running an advertisement

It will not look very good for you or your staff if you run chiropractic ads in the newspaper, the phones begin ringing with new patients ready to set their appointments and your staff doesn’t know what the caller is talking about.  Schedule a meeting with your staff and explain to them what your advertisement will be about and when it will be running.  If the ad includes an expiration date, let the staff know that.  Also address the issue of people calling after the expiration date.   Explain to your staff that this ad will be for a specific condition and will offer a discount.   Give your staff specific instructions as to what the offer will include and how to schedule the follow up appointment when the new patient has been seen.

Mistake #5 – Doing too much with the new patient on their first visit to your office

When your new patient comes for their appointment, have your staff remind the patient in a positive manner that they are coming in for a special evaluation.  This sets the patient at ease knowing that you remember why they are there.  Then you collect the necessary information or paperwork as you would for any new patient.  Have a staff member escort them to the exam room and then proceed with the consultation, exam and x-ray.  Thank the patient for coming in to see you, tell them when you need to see them again to go over your findings.  Let them know your front desk will help them with scheduling.   Have your front desk staff collect their fee for the visit and set the next appointment.

Performing extra services the first day only confuses the patient and leads to a drawn out appointment.  Plus extra services were not included in the offer, therefore if you charged for extra services performed that would not reflect the quoted price in your offer.

Your new chiropractic newspaper ads are going to generate a lot of business.  By addressing these mistakes before you place your ads, you will be more confident in your negotiations with your ad rep.  You will avoid confusion by keeping your staff in the loop and your new patients will have a great attitude about their first appointment and a positive outlook about their future care in your office.

Is Newspaper Still the Best Choice for Your Chiropractic Advertising?

The newspaper industry has indeed taken a hit due to the availability of the  internet world wide.  Without a doubt,  making sure that every household across the globe will have the capability of accessing the internet, is on someone’s agenda.  Much like the push at one time to assure that every home had a phone line.  As exaggerated as that may seem, isn’t that a great goal?  But then again, having access to any and everything just by typing a few keywords or phrases into a little search box, doesn’t replace the comfortable habit of reading the daily newspaper.  I for one would terribly miss cuddling up in bed at night with my daily crossword puzzle.   So while computers and the vast array of information they provide is fast becoming a way of life, I’m wondering how long newspapers and other forms of print media will last.

With that said, does one hesitate when deciding about advertising in the newspaper?  I think not, as the newspaper is still here and still probably the most useful tool available for your chiropractic marketing.

Noting that the success of your chiropractic advertising depends on which newspaper you choose, your hands are tied if you only have one newspaper to choose from and it can be costly at times if competition is not available.  Negotiating  a reasonable rate might be a bit of a challenge.  However, typically there are still at least two papers in the larger cities.    If the  newspaper in your area is only distributed specific days, then try to place your chiropractic ad so that is runs right after the break in service.  Keeping in mind that though the Sunday paper will probably have more subscribers, the rate might also be higher.

Larger cities tend to be segmented into smaller sub cities, not to be confused with suburban areas.  If your practice is located in a major metro area, check to see if the paper offers a section that covers events and news exclusive to your area.  If so, then it would benefit your practice as the majority or your patients would most likely come from in and around your area.

The smaller suburban areas typically have a newspaper, although not published on a daily basis.  A growing trend is for the publication to be  distributed through the mail.  Not relying on subscribers to fund the paper, the paper is supported through advertising.  This can be a benefit in the long run since everyone gets mail, the newspaper overhead is less and since the paper is smaller in size, your visibility is greater.  No one likes getting a great rate for advertising only to get lost in among the many pages and newsprint.

As you might guess, not everyone subscribes to the newspaper.  When you are looking at the various factors that will help you decide on which paper to run your chiropractic ads, the circulation and the subscriber amounts are two very different numbers.  You will want to focus on the subscriber number.  Those too will be broken into groups; weekly which usually includes all days,  M-F, weekend only and Sunday only.   Another way to narrow your decision is to talk to your patients and ask what paper they prefer to read.

When you’ve chosen which newspaper you want to work with,  schedule an appointment with your rep.   You will probably find that the best return on investment will be the smaller paper that is delivered through the mail.  It will reach more readers and the cost will probably be lower.

Other options available like monthly periodicals or magazines that target specific groups, like parents, sports, women, home and family.  Testing your ads in these venues can increase your visibility exponentially because these are mailed out to all residents not just subscribers. This type of media also will include features on local businesses and coupons.  You might call and ask what criteria they use to be featured in their magazine.  Creating a coupon would also be a great chiropractic marketing tool.  It gives the reader something to cut out and save and often reminds them to call for an appointment. Most readers will take time to leaf through a locally syndicated magazine that comes in the mail, especially if it already has the reputation of offering great articles about community events and businesses.

Chiropractic Marketing Tools – Design, Build and Implement for Sucess

Chiropractors…wouldn’t you agree that a  marketing system that guides you, step by step on how  to design, build and implement your marketing plan, would be a useful tool for you and your practice?

Chiropractic marketing is a hot topic these days.  Defined as  “a marketing system developed specifically for the chiropractic field and focuses directly on the advertising and promotion of a chiropractor and their practice.”  In other words it’s not your everyday marketing format.

The slate has been wiped clean and chiropractors are eager to get started with the chiropractic marketing tools available.  Tools would include email marketing, internet marketing, chiropractic ads for print marketing and the list continues with tutorials, guides, tips and strategies.  All of this designed by a chiropractor.  Tested and proven to bring in new patients, regenerate inactive patients and educate existing patients.

With the increase of chiropractic graduates coming out of the top chiropractic schools all around the nation, the time is now.  This is an opportunity to provide structure and guidance for these up and coming doctors.  Even the veteran chiropractor would have to agree that the need for new and updated marketing is long overdue.

Most chiropractors today are faced with many challenges when it comes to running a successful practice.   As if the economy wasn’t enough of a challenge, they juggle many tasks, giving patients the care and attention they need, staffing the office and building a business.  When would they assume to have time to market their practice?   They don’t and here’s why…they go to school to be educated and trained in the art of chiropractic medicine.  During that time there aren’t many doctors who can  recall how many hours they spent learning about business plans or marketing for their practice?

That is why Dr. Beck has put his blood, sweat and….well there hasn’t been too many tears, but he has researched, talked with experts, marketing gurus, listened to patients and fellow chiropractors.  Now equipped with knowledge of chiropractic marketing and trained in creating well written copy, Dr. Beck has designed these tools for all chiropractors.

To find out more about these chiropractic marketing tools visit DC Practice Tools and take advantage of the free audio about chiropractic advertising by signing up to receive free emails from Dr. Beck.