Let others do the talking. People will believe their peers and/or local celebrities before they will believe you. You just need to give them something to talk about.
Many times in marketing, we get caught talking about ourselves. Promoting yourself is a great way to get the message out about what you do, and whom you help. As Donald Trump says, “Brag about yourself and your accomplishments because no one else will.”
I disagree with Mr. Trump. Although promoting yourself and your practice is important, there are plenty of people out there who will talk about you, your practice, and how you have helped them. In this case, I follow the Dan Kennedy creed: “What others say about you and your service is at least 1000% more convincing than what you say, even if you are 1000% more eloquent.” The following are three of these convincing 3rd parties:
Current Patients: You have hundreds, if not thousands of people you help each year. Every one of them should have something good to say about you and your services. Collect testimonials from every patient at every visit. It’s just as simple as having your front office person give them a form and ask them to fill it out regarding their experience that day. Get their ok, and use these to promote your office.
In an insurance office I recently visited, there were 2, 4” thick binders full of testimonial sheets. With some quick math, I figured there were over 2000 in all. I wouldn’t have to read all of them, but it was a great way to display these testimonials for customers to read.
Celebrities: When people think of celebrities, sometimes they get caught up in A-list names like Brad Pitt, or Jennifer Aniston. These people would be great to endorse your services, but they aren’t needed. Think of local people who have some recognition in the community. Find someone like a local news anchor, musician, or maybe the mayor or a state representative. These people are a bit easier to find than Tom Cruise, and sometimes they will be willing to promote your services on the cheap.
News Media: This is the one endorsement you can control. By creating publicity through the local news media, you create an endorsement from them. This is news from your practice produced by you, but rewritten and printed for thousands of people to read. It does not look as if you wrote it yourself, so it appears as a third party endorsement. This is a great deal because this endorsement is delivered to thousands of people daily.
ACTION-TO-TAKE TIP: Take some time to think about how you can utilize these third parties to maximize people’s awareness of you, without you yourself telling them. Let these third parties tell your story, and they will have a big impact in your practice.
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