March 19, 2008
- Beautiful Smiles Are Like Diamonds in Orthodontic Marketing
Buying decisions, no matter what the product or service, is based on emotion…DeBeers, who is responsible for 40% of world wide diamond productions and has a retail presence in 25 countries world wide, did extensive research on why men and woman buy diamonds. Their research shows that men and woman buy diamonds for totally different reasons. And though their reasons are different, they are both based on emotion, not on size, color, clarity and long term value. The same is true when patients and parents are seeking the services of an orthodontic provider. They are looking for a beautiful smile and straight teeth. They aren't looking for perfection, but the emotional feeling and self confidence one feels after their teeth are straightened.
February 24, 2008
- Is Your Orthodontic Practice "Remarkable" or Ordinary?
My brother sent me this email today and I couldn't help but laugh….Maybe because I always feel like I am experiencing senior moments myself. The news article at the end of this post, hits home with many baby boomers, like myself.We all experience unusual moments in life, read articles, receive emails or watch a movie that you just can't help but talk about or pass on to others, especially with the Internet. It is so easy to forward information, jokes, websites links, YouTube videos or whatever on to friends and family, just like this one.
But lets look at this "through different eyes"
February 11, 2008
- Ideas Are The Starting Points Of Future Success; Document With A Digital Recorder
If you are like me, your greatest strokes of genius occur when there is no pen and paper handy to jot it down. My creativity seems to peak when I am either in the shower, driving down the road, or walking the dog. Many potentially great ideas have been lost by the wayside, stored within the clutter of my mind, until I finally smartened up and bought a digital recorder.
February 6, 2008
- History In The Making Through Word of Mouth
Unleash The Power Of "Word of Mouth" Marketing
Politics is one area that I have never found very exciting. I would much rather spend my limited free time in other pursuits. With that being said however, I found the primary elections for presidential candidates very interesting yesterday. Not only interesting from a political point of view, but a marketing point of view.
I was flipping through the main channels, ABC, NBC and CBS trying to capture a quick overview of what was going on, throughout the evening. I happened to land on ABC, where the discussion was turned over to a correspondent in the studio who was tracking the FACEBOOK crowd, online, with her laptop. The FACEBOOK social online group is mainly composed of the GEN Y population, ages 20 - 30 and predominantly college students.
January 23, 2008
- From the Information Age to the Recommendation Age in Orthodontics
In the past it was difficult to find information on many subjects, especially orthodontic treatment for the consumer. In order for parents to make an informed decision, they relied heavily upon referrals from general dentists to guide them through the selection process, based on their dental knowledge and experience. Today, we have too much information. Patients and parents can search on the Internet and find out anything they want to know about orthodontics. Now they are overwhelmed and look for guidance from people they trust…friends and family.
January 10, 2008
- "GLOBAL TWEENS" In the Current Orthodontic Market Place
Today’s children are increasingly aware and well informed, and have become decision-makers in their own right. “Global Tweens” between the ages of 8-14 are much more sophisticated and savvy than prior generations. They are the first generation to be raised totally in the digital age of computers, DVD’s, ipods, cell phones, text messaging and the ever expanding Internet. It is easy to underestimate their highly developed preferences and the effect they have on global marketing, especially since they do not like being treated like children and play a big part in the decision making process, along with their parents.
December 27, 2007
- 5 Elements to Orthodontic Marketing Success
I’ve seen it over and over…
orthodontists, treatment coordinators and team members who get nervous and uncomfortable when it’s time to assume the role of salesperson and promote their practice. Sales are the backbone of your practice’s health, and most entrepreneurs (or orthopreneurs) and their staff are not trained sales or marketing professionals. In fact, most business owners and their support staff are reluctant, resistant sales people, worried about being perceived as pushy, or worse yet, sleazy. As a result, they don’t get out and sell who they are and what they are all about to perspective patients.
December 16, 2007
- "Marketing Effectively": Getting to Know Your Orthodontic Patients"
To market your practice effectively, you have to KNOW your target audience and what problems they are trying to solve. People don't buy things. They buy solutions to problems; they want to fulfill a desire or meet a need. It should be specific and real…AND you should care about their problem and how best to guide them in the proper selection of an orthodontic team that meets their personal needs.So, what are your patients/parents trying to figure out, overcome, fix, heal, or prevent? What is their biggest concern when dealing with orthodontic treatment on a daily basis? How are they feeling about orthodontic treatment in general? And what is unique about your orthodontic practice and what services do you provide to solve problems? Don't get sidetracked by promoting yourself - stay focused on solving their problem… finding an orthodontic practice to create a beautiful smile and occlusion that will last a lifetime.
October 23, 2007
- The PIE Approach to Orthodontic Marketing
It’s that time of year again…Time to get into the mood and gear up for the holidays. The 4th quarter has three holidays that are major marketing targets; Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is the perfect opportunity to be “ExtraOrdinary” within a group of ordinary orthodontic practices in your area.
September 30, 2007
- The Orthodontic Marketing Matrix - Do or Die?
In the movie, "The Matrix", Neo is given a choice by Morpheus to take the red pill, which will shatter his world but show him the truth about it or the blue pill, which will let him go on in his safe and secure cocoon of life.
Rethinking and restructuring your current orthodontic marketing and management strategies with the latest computer digital technology is similar to taking the red pill for orthodontists and their team. It’s not an easy pill to swallow. Working outside of your comfort zone in the digital world of interactive websites like those designed by Orthosesame™ and Televox™, paperless software management systems with finger scanners and 24/7 digital marketing with presentation software and PowerPoint kiosks, to name a few, are the current strategies recommended to those Orthopreneurs™ ready to tackle the 21st century.
