The following dental marketing blog/article is formatted & written in a style that may challenge readers who are partial to concise and self contained concepts.

Why?

The point I am making requires a discerning rethinking of dental care ‘communication. Unpacking the dental care prioritization riddle is NOT found in “Secret” Dental Marketing Reports!

And, why would anyone hide a solution from dentists, which would help improve dental health in their community?

Developing a system to compensate for the ‘reality of where consumers/patients and dentists’ are required deep research, analysis of actual results, long term perspective (years) and finally, a societally reflective reality check.

This was done to determine how all past/current marketing tactics and communication approaches influence dentists and consumers: positively and negatively.

Using the researched data developed, I created a system that does not, like too much of the dentistry focused marketing, ‘paint over’ what was/is and will be ‘wrong’ with the communication environment.

Unless ‘ALL the real issues’ are confronted and the system/solution is fully developed - not slapped together - the dearth of benefits from dental marketing will continue to lag (harming public, economic and office health) whether we are in tough economic times or not. (SeniorJournal.com)

Skimming the shiny objects from the marketing goodie tray is a symptom – but also a major contributor to the flat lining or worse of dentistry acceptance and value prioritization. While ‘good skimming’ will show results – it merely masks the problems underneath: value stays low or does little to move consumers forward.

Like flossing and brushing can only do so much if someone is more ‘predisposed’ to periodontal disease than the above average person, marketing done slapdash that moves one step ahead - will then move 99.5% back.

That said, to make this dentistry communication blog-article somewhat easier to consume I am going to present it in small portions--with a link to the full concept at the end of each section...

Let’s begin:

First, some...

Dental Word Association:

Skimp. Skimp. Skimp. Minimal. Minimal. Minimal. Cheaper. Cheaper. Cheaper. 

Dentistry Priority Digression Questions:

Any other way to approach it? Can I hold off on...? I can't see paying that much!

Dentistry Reductionism Source Discovery:

Words & Questions Above: Who do these words and statements relate to:

• = The Public & Patients Value Perspective of  Dentistry  
• = Most Dentists View of/Approach to Marketing

Hmmm… Notice the similarity? 

Whoa...! Correlation may just Equal Causation!

Theorem = Patients prioritize the value of dentistry as dentists do the value of communicating the priority to patients.

Theorem Research and Explanation

Dental Communication Math

CE Equations

• 100 hours of continuing education + 5 hours communicating to public/patients (beyond 1 on 1) = 95 hours of wasted education
• Exponential Remainder: Few New patients + They do less = lower revenues, lower economy productivity & diminished public health

Advanced Treatment Equations

• Cosmetic Dentistry focused + lack of public & patient communication = 'overselling' sticker-shock blowback
• The Public thinks and often patients only know dental care as about health & teeth, patch & fill/emergency care
• One tooth at a time dentistry is ingrained - so treatment planning is 'overselling' rather than 'modern approach' with long term value
• New Technology + Wow Dental Office + same general public awareness of dentistry = boom then plateau as 'cool' wears off and 'ingrained' beliefs take back the day

> LEARN about ‘New Patient Availability' and Connective Communication© Results:

Part One Video & Part Two Video (of 2).

Low Priority CAUSE Hypothesis

Skimpy Dental Marketing: penny wise - few new patients rule thus.

• Slam Bam Huge Campaign then Thank You Marketing Man till fear about low revenues reappear
• Cheap Slap About Websites: content is generic, value poor, often traditional perspective stagnant = little good news in bad economic times

Statistics to Back Up My Antics Notes:

"Overall, there was no change in the percentage of the population with a dental visit from 1996 to 2004." (SeniorJournal.com)

Ouch! Painless Dentistry Marketing seems to be lacking in the industry. 

Dental Marketing REALITY CHECK UP

Part 1 – DENTISTS

A big rambling rant?

Well, maybe a small part. Mostly, the blog/article is centered on how we approach any part of our personal, public and employment lives.

Success comes when we do what is required: No one can do everything they have 'thought to do' in a successful manner. It just takes too much time and/or costs too much.

Everyone: the public, dentists and dental marketers choose their battles and avoid others. 

Symbiotically and too often unfortunately, dental marketing companies follow the lead of the dentists, who follow the lead of patients who are often guided somewhat or greatly by dental insurance companies and limited by the reimbursements (about $1,000/year/patient).

In defense, Dentists do spend their money in vital ways: Getting their degrees Building their practices Paying all the bills associated Saving for retirement Family financial needs Continuing education

+ Time is another force: Each area above requires time areas as well And of course, sleep takes 1/4 to 1/3 of the day

Part 2 - COMMUNICATING DENTISTRY

Dental marketers are at the end of the line and often get reset to the back before getting to the front*.

Dental Marketing Math:

• 'Almost' No Time Left + 'Hardly' Any Funds Remaining = Simple/Turnkey Systems/Generic/Sign & Forget Programs  & then Dentists are attracted by the Cheap Cheep CHEEP siren chirped song!

• Until the Internet fully blossomed about 5 years ago - the Printed Yellow Pages filled the beak = once a year decision & 'cheap' cost (for a 'comprehensive' plan).

Underlying Cause of Low Value Prioritization

Before concluding, I ask dentists to think back and review what is going on now in reference to how dentistry is presented in most marketing schemes.

One of the concepts I was taught when I first got into dental marketing (over 12 years ago) focused on how to write copy for postcards, websites, advertisements and other advertising pieces.

"Ad copy should be written from the perspective of an 8th grader's level of comprehension."  This did not set well with me.

Actually, the bad feeling initially centered on the 'teachable moment' (criticism) involving the copy my boss told me to do over again, again...

So I should just suck it up and do it right, right? Maybe. But, this 8th Grade approach to writing ad copy for dentistry got stuck in my craw (where is a craw?).

See, I tend to hold a grudge. Just kidding (somewhat). I just kept wondering about how consumers would start learning and understanding all the new dentistry concepts/services/treatments/technologies if I wrote dumbing-down copy.

Staying with terms, concepts and messages in an 8th language as a way to truly impart the ‘value of new/better dentistry’ seemed implausible (meaning of implausible + 8th graders = wait for the movie).

Simpleton Marketing Is As Simple+Ton

Dentists 40 years ago (& even more recent) had much less to 'teach' the public about and few services to offer – at least compared to what seems like a proliferation of remedies today and many variations of those remedies.

Therefore, comparatively, simplicity was fine before 1980: brush, check for cavities, toothache, go dentist and finally drill, fill (or pull) and bill.

TODAY there are dentists who come at dentistry from many service 'style' directions and 'near' specialty level skills within the 'general' dentistry group. The complex specialties surrounding this general dentist group also contributes to the confusion. 

Additionally, everything else is more complex with a multiple iterations of 'general dentistry' services as well as all the 'cosmetic dentistry' techniques and other technologies, which seem to change every six months.

To follow the dumb down model into this 'advanced environment' - would require each marketing piece to be set up like 8th graders doing a group science lab. Four 8th Graders at time, reading all the snippets of skimmed, pieced together into a collage of not quite there explanations.

Schooling & Retooling Dental Value Priority

Yes, brevity is still preferred in some areas. Of course, seven (7) syllable terms every third word would be ridiculous and burying meaning inside laborious paragraphs would be demeaning and/or mystifying. 

However, even a postcard (no matter how big) is limited in the space needed to present by itself all the 'unique expertise' elements of the dentist and effectively improve the value of the advanced dental services. Simple catchphrases will simply associate one dentist with every other: technician/teeth fixer versus smile expert/doctor.

Direct mail is NOT thrown out with the bathwater - it just has to be considered in the whole scheme of communication - rather than as THE answer (or the hammer like many marketers/dentists use postcards/mailings).

While every dentist will have a different level of 'expertise' and the perception of this will have different affects on each dentist (no matter the actual comparative expertise), creating a matrix of elements is the only way to increase the 'value' of dental care and expertise is one of the only ‘real’ value builders available. 

Most consumers think of dental offices/dentists like a Minute Clinic/Nurse Practitioner than an Emergency Room/Physician. Even though many dentists might rise above this perception internally because of specific patients who have accessed higher level services or have personal knowledge/connection in some way with the expertise who then help spread the word. 

Patients who use insurance to determine their care level, are emergency care prone or only do the minimum are very likely to put dentistry in the low priority category as well. Society’s weight on these decisions is not overcome by scattershot and here and there dental marketing strategies.

Retooling Dental Priority IQ Test

This test that will turn your education systemic inside out: 

• Number two pencils ready! I mean: MacBooks Open! 

Which dentist is the most skilled and offers the most valuable services: A or B?

A) Headline of 5 Word Perkiness and at most a few short concise paragraphs of pure fluffiness?

B) Unique, Differentiating Nuanced Complexity weaved in and around high value consumer oriented explanations...

The Prospective Patient Thinks, Says and…

1. “What does that mean? Oh... I see. My dentist and no other dentists have made me aware of that word/concept before. That is impressive.”
2. “Wow, this dentist has a lot of information about how she/he approaches dentistry, with many patients saying all kinds of things - not just trite testimonials.”
3. “The detail is almost overwhelming--so it MUST be important. If they want me to do a lot - I need to make sure they are 'knowledgeable' in what they promote.” 
4. “Plus I like to find out on their website before I even call them. They might try to corner me if I don't know what they can really do or if they are actually legitimate.” 
5. “Then the dentist sends me (the person who will need/want a smile makeover) a mailing with enough data to feel they know what they are doing. Not just that they will give me a deal. Getting a deal on my teeth is very scary when maybe the deal is cheap and my teeth are off the shelf at the discount store.”

Antiserum/Antidote/Antelope

Perceptions of value developed over generations put us on autopilot: both a good and bad trait. It happens all the time because we crave simple solutions to help us get through the day efficiently (but reality escaping as well in some ways), whether it be patients, dentists or marketers.

Thankfully and conversely, the 'simple drug' is so prevalent that when the table is turned - the consumer who is not actually excited about the message being presented is 'ready' to notice something different. It can be as simple as a website with the selling volume turned down and not so sparse in its value presentation or 'style' disruption. 

Just by using less 'common' words or phrasing with a twist the message will standout. The 'Beautiful Smile You've Always Wanted' or 'HALF OFF a New Patient Exam' are often used & easy to recognize dental marketing phrases - but because of their sameness they blend in. Same old, makes same old and traditional; meaning value stays low and priorities will not change!

Break the cycle by doing what needs to be done. Brush, Floss and Visit the Dentistry Marketing Consultant regularly. The mind fools us and the eye contributes with a lifetime and repetition pounding all kinds of nonsense into us.

We can barely help ourselves from going off in the wrong direction, imperceptibly, for a long time, which means sitting back for any length of time is falling back much further than we can know as it is happening. Just ask Mark Changizi about our eyes seeing what is actually not there, and that we may make up to 10% of our lives.

Whether the problem is visual (neural delays), societal dumbing down and/or ignorance (our fault or many reasons) the need for a better pathway to improve the consumer’s perception of dental care and re-prioritize its value is obvious.

The Connective Communication© – a THREE Dimensional System – that opens up a gateway for each consumer to find a way out, sooner than they would have in the past and to accept more as well.

Since this is a communication system, dentists must employ all the connective elements and in a consistent manner to achieve success and break the traditional-standardized-bygone stuck-in-the-status-quo code:

1. Do a thorough diagnosis (demographic & advertising opportunity canvas/patient/tracking data)
2. Use All Appropriate Dental Services (Phase Treatment if need to--but use everything required)
3. Treatment plan (3+ part Connective Communication campaign-Determine Exactly how yours is developed)
4. Sealants to protect/cover everything else (Practice Management Review/& Consulting as needed)
5. Oral Health Rejuvenate (Improving Value Perception: Website with Strong rich/real people lifelike content)
6. Smile Makeover Veneers (Improving: Branding - need to know 'dentist' not the 'dental stuff')
7. All-Ceramic Crowns/Traditional foundation with advanced elements (New Patient Creator: Direct Mail-Big card, Monthly consistency)
8. Fluoride (Gathering New Patients: Online advertising: PPC/SEO to social, PR presence, etc.)
9. Implants (New Patient Creator: External Community Presence - 24/7 Preferable)
10. And Whitening stuff (the twist of prose that jumps a few grades and stands up 'expertise/value' to be remembered)  

*When to Move Marketing Nearer to Front of Priority Line:

1. There is no reason marketers need to move up your priority list.
2. UNLESS, for example: the communication has a value BEYOND the price of a postcard that only brings in 'basic patients' or elicits many 'pricing/insurance' calls. 
3. Moving up would make a lot more dollars & cents if a small number of postcards (1,000 to 2,000) brought in one patient paying $5,000+ for a dental health and smile makeover, and 10 more new patients (over and above your current numbers) paying for treatment 15% to 20% above your current average.

Sincerely,

Dick Chwalek

• NicheDental.com
• Dentist Marketing Coach
• Dentistry Communication Consultant