A s chiropractors, one of the greatest challenges we face, is our ability to find new prospective patients, explore their concerns, and meet their needs with the services we provide. Still in its infancy, chiropractic is unknown to most and misunderstood by many. As our profession grows in number, we are re- alizing the strength and importance of marketing and the great power that patient education can have in communicating the message of chiropractic. While a lifetime of conditioning, fear-based motivation, misinformation and popular myth fuel mainstream medicine with crowded practices, our quest for success and fulfillment has not come so easily. We often find that we actually need to "reeducate" our prospects, eliminating all that they have heard or thought about chiropractic, up to now, to get our message across. This process, though trying, is not impossible. With a world of information now, literally at our fingertips through vehicles like the worldwide web, people are starting to take a more ag- gressive role in their healthcare and that of their loved ones. Chiropractic is now poised to reap the benefits of this juncture in history; and to succeed, we must be prepared. As you peer out your clinic window and see passers-by just outside your reach, do you wonder what it would take to impress them with your message? Could any of them benefit from your services? Could all of them benefit from what you already know to be the true secret of real health? What will it take to impress them with a message they can relate to, and, thus, begin to understand you and the value of chiropractic? My answer, while twofold, is based on effective brochures and a clinic newslet- ter. A newsletter is a great way to "break the ice" and communicate with current patients and prospects, alike. The benefit of this media is that it allows you to approach people in a friendly, non-threatening manner, while still providing information that they want and will use every day. - Updated Information through a Newsletter Here is a list of the most important things to keep in mind when planning to pick or write your newsletter: 1) Fill it with interesting copy for patients, including short facts and blurbs that people find useful. Don't make any one article too long, because it may have very limited appeal and be discarded quickly. Proofread your newsletter carefully. as it is a reflection of you and your clinic. Be informative. Cover or discuss a variety of topics, and don't bore read ers by going on too long about any one thing. Include money-saving cou pons, healthy recipes and ideas about better health through chiropractic. Be succinct. Your newsletter does not have to be long to have impact. Most people look at a newsletter as some thing they can read quickly to get some useful information. Though many newsletters arc four pages in length, a one page, two-sided piece is more than sufficient and keeps the time and money investment to a minimum. In fact, the only thing a long newsletter will increase is its cost. Invest in a designer for advice on lay out and graphics. Once you have a professional design that works, stick with it. Remember, you are a chiro practor, not a trained graphics profes sional. Make your patients an important topic. Include a patient success story that others who don't yet understand chiropractic can learn from. Have specific goals in mind when you decide on or create your newsletter. It should have a voice and a focus. If you are confused about what the pur pose is, your audience will be, too. Offer a benefit in the title of your newsletter instead of just your clinic name. For ex ample. The Better Health Bul letin is likely to attract more readers than Don 's Chiro practic. However, be sure you mention that this informative publication is offered with the compliments of your clinic. Consider co-oping your newsletter with a complimen tary business such as the lo cal fitness club or health food store. You can split the cost of writing, designing and printing, plus, you each might have something unique and interesting to add. 10) Once you commit to a newsletter program, keep it coming regularly. Publish at least quarterly: preferably, bimonthly or monthly. There arc several avenues available for distribution, all of which are necessary, in one form or another. Start with your existing patient base. Be sure your mailing list has complete addresses for your entire clientele. Since 60% of your new business will come from current patients, realize that they are one of your most valuable assets. Spare no stamp in solidifying these relationships. Place your news- letters in businesses that also target your prospects. Health clubs, vitamin shops, local bike stores arc all good spots that arc visited by health-conscious people with disposable income. Finn the deal by offering to place their cooperative information in your clinic. These types of partnerships increase the reach of your business, without high cost, and build your standing in the community with other entrepreneurs. Even if they, themselves, don't use you as their doctor, they will refer their customers to you. Hand new patients your newsletter at their first visit, and let them know they will receive a complimentary subscription as one of your patients. Ask them to pass it on to those people who may also benefit from the topic covered. However you choose to use your newsletter, realize it is a rctlection of you. Don't place it on windshields of cars or hand them out to people on the street. Place a value on them, by offering them as a benefit. Detailed Information through Brochures Another marketing tool you will find that you can really benefit from arc great, informational brochures. Your newsletter will have important information, but cannot convey the great quantity of detail that most prospects will need on a regular basis. People expect a lot of information from a brochure, so be sure to give it to them. Your brochures will lend an aura of credibility, if they are professionally written, designed and produced. They enable you to answer important questions and battle internal dialogue before existing patients ask, or before you actually meet with some prospects. Here are some tips that will help you to pick or create affordable, attractive and effective brochures. Make sure your cover headline stands out. People should know what you are talking about without having to open the brochure. Include a graphic or photo on the cover that will draw the reader in. If pos sible, make it stand out with the use of color. Include visuals, throughout, that help readers understand what their prob lems or questions look like, and what your chiropractic solutions will be. In this instance, be afraid of long copy, even if it is needed. Give the prospect as much information as you can, with out writing a small novel. Use brochures to create a relationship with your prospect. Tell a little bit about yourself and your staff, and how each of you may have reacted to a specific symptom or situation. Share your health philosophy, and establish the fact that you care about what you do and the wcllness of your patients. Make sure there is some useful ref- erence material in your brochure that will make it worth hanging on to. Though it may seem obvious, this vital information is often forgotten in bro chures. Don't forget to include a stamp or a sticker on the back witli your clinic telephone and fax numbers with area codes; street, e-mail and web ad dresses; hours and days of operation, and perhaps an after-hours phone number in the case of an emergency. Most of all, ask for action. Remember that your patients may be suffering from any of a variety of symptoms that they don't normally relate to chiroprac tic. Migraines, hip or ankle pain, ear infections, arm or wrist pain, etc. Most people don't know that chiropractors arc not just back doctors. Begin the re-education process with solid, well - referenced informational brochures that will represent you and your profession accurately. Whether your brochures are a standard letter-sized sheet folded into thirds or a multi-paged booklet, your investment may be relatively significant as compared to that of the newsletter. Have them at your counter, the reception area, or in the adjusting rooms or therapy areas for patients to read and to, then, hand out to friends and family; or mail them out when requested by a caller. These pieces are valuable assets that will work wonders for you, when created and used correctly. Keep in mind that there is no way to logically afford every potential promotional opportunity. Nor is every idea right for you. However, when weighing your options and making marketing choices, realize that it is critical that you be able to keep current patients, reach new pros- pects, introduce them to your services, and address their primary concerns. Turbo-charge your practice with a newsletter-brochure combination that can be a powerful approach to building a y healthy practice, when done with planning and precision. Dr. Rob Jackson is the president of Back Talk Systems, a company specializing in the creation and implementation of premier patient education and communication materials. For additional information on products to huild vour practice, call for a free cata- log 1-800-937-311, or visit Back Talk at www. Back TcdkSvstems. com.
