Danny Bobrow, MBA

	Example of direct mail campaign tracking program

	There are many elements to a marketing plan you can track with TTN (tracking telephone numbers). Here’s a sample marketing plan and how you can track the results.

	Twice monthly placements in a local newspaper: if you only run one ad, acquiring an additional Tracking Telephone Number should be sufficient to gather the necessary data.

	Direct mail to current and new residents as well as direct mail to area employees. Because the practice is deploying two distinct direct mail tactics, it’s important to distinguish between the responses. Acquire at least two tracking telephone numbers, one for each strategy. You may also want to acquire more than two TTNs for ‘a/b testing,’ which involves changing a variable, such as the headline, to see if there is any significant difference in response.

	A Web site, including paid and organic Web marketing. Your Web site should have a TTN prominently displayed near the top of each page. It should be in text, not graphics, format. This helps search engine robots (bots) identify yours as a local business which, in turn, helps you rank higher when Web surfers are looking for a dentist in your area.

	If you are invested in SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (pay per click) strategies, consider using JavaScript rewrites. These permit a different TTN to appear on your Web site as a function of how the visitor got there.  For example, if people use Google to find you, they’ll see one TTN. If they use Yahoo they’ll see a different TTN. If you use a drip marketing campaign that is intended to communicate with prospective patient leads who’ve visited your Web site and have signed up to receive your communications, you’ll also want to track these captures. This can be done by using an online tracking portal.

	Be sure some form of analytics is included with your Web site, and that you have access to and are familiar with its use.  Most Web hosting services include an analytics service, so you should be able to ascertain detailed information about who is clicking through, when, from where, and through what pages. This feedback is indispensable in learning what visitors find interesting as well as what they do not, which in turn permits you to make improvements to your Web site and Web-based marketing.

	Automated email-based communications with patients of record (what we call Patmetrics©). Tracking the benefit of your internal marketing efforts can also be enhanced by using TTNs. But because you already know who these people are, you may or may not care about tracking to that degree.  For instance, if you measure average patient production (by dividing total production for the year just ended by the number of active patients) just before you implement your new tactic, then perform the same measurement one year hence, any increase in average patient production will at least be partly attributable to the new tactic. Because the cost to implement such strategies is usually relatively low, any increase should justify continuing the tactic.  

	If you want to be more precise, calculate response rate by assigning a unique landing page containing your “Special Patients Only” offer, then monitoring the number of click-throughs to the landing page, and dividing that number by the number of patients contacted.  To calculate your closing ratio, or how many patients accepted the offer, divide the number of patients who paid for the offer by the total number contacted.An annual cause-related event. Cause-related marketing continues to be one of dentistry’s least used practice building tactics (see Marketing Insider: Cause Related Event Marketing).  Tracking the efficacy can be easily accomplished by setting up a unique event registration page for your event* and having the link to the Registration page placed on your practice’s home page.  Following the event, compare who on the attendee list (who is not already a patient) becomes a patient.  Be aware, however, that as with all marketing tactics, there may be a considerable time lag between the exposure and the response.
	
	*Event Registration and Fund Raising Pages are offered free to ClimbForACause.org participants, courtesy of American Dental Marketing. Alternatively, you can dedicate a landing page on your Web site exclusively for this purpose.

Articles

        Example of direct mail campaign tracking program  There are many elements to a marketing plan you can track with TTN (tracking telephone numbers). Here’s a sample marketing plan and how you can track the results.

Marketing Insider: Have a plan

	The history of the public's perception of dentistry may be viewed as consisting of three waves. I like to describe the first wave with the term "Feel Well Dentistry."  During this wave, dentists were perceived as first and foremost who to call to get you out of tooth pain. 

	The next wave, spearheaded largely by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), is "Look Well Dentistry,” where the public began to perceive the dentist as able to improve one’s appearance, as well as alleviate pain.  

	The third, latest, wave is "Be Well Dentistry,” that is, a commitment to overall health and wellness, which entails eliminating the false distinction between oral and systemic health that persists in the minds of the public, as well as many dental and medical professionals. When all people come to rightly view the dentist as an oral physician, offering the ability to diagnose, treat and prevent systemic illnesses, collaborative care is fostered, and “Be Well Dentistry” is born.

	It is not a question of whether, but when this becomes reality.  In fact, the general public has already begun to move in this direction, as evidenced by television programs like Dr. Oz featuring such topics as  Can good oral health save your life?

	In October of 2010 an organization was founded in Madison, Wisconsin by Dr. Chris Kammer, whose  father Jack founded the AACD in that same city and which has, since 1984 grown to be an internationally recognized organization of over 7,000 Members.  It is the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH), and it promises to do even more for “Be Well Dentistry” than the AACD is doing for “Look Well Dentistry.”   

	As its Mission on their website reveals AAOSH is:

	…a network of dedicated health care leaders working to change professional ?and public behaviors, and address the importance of oral health as it relates ?to whole body health…AAOSH will bridge the gaps among all health care pro-?fessionals through unprecedented cooperation across all disciplines…based ?on sound research principles. We are passionate about elevating the quality ?of health care, and will work to communicate the mouth-body health link, ?so people worldwide can live healthier, longer and happier lives.

	The formation of this organization could not have come at a better time.  Research continues to unequivocally demonstrate connections between the health of the mouth and that of the body, as do plain old common sense.

	Those of you who are familiar with Climb For A Cause and The Smile Tree know we tend to use the above adage, attributable to Ben Franklin, quite a bit. It’s basically a corollary to Adam Smith’s ‘invisible hand’, which holds that people tend to do the most good for society as a whole when pursuing their own interests. “Win-Win” conveys a similar sentiment.  We mention it here because offering “Be Well Dentistry” affords you the opportunity to grow your practice while simultaneously helping more patients in more ways, which is a quintessential  example of doing well by doing good (those interested in a more comprehensive treatment of this important topic are invited to visit the Climb For A Cause website, or read Joe Blaes’ article on dental cause marketing).

	Once a practice has committed to learn about, acquire, and offer products and services to help patients and their community lead longer, healthier, and happier lives, it must also determine how to best ‘get the word out’, in other words, conceive and implement a “Be Well Dentistry Marketing Plan.”

	The first requirement, as with any marketing tactic, is to effectively translate and package the benefits offered given audiences in ways that first create awareness, generate interest, creates desire, and ultimately, induce action.

	Armed with the ability to truly differentiate your practice, and offer the above-referenced win-win situation, you are ready to conceive and implement your three-pronged marketing plan to build your Be Well dental practice.  The three prongs of you plan are: Physician Referral, Patient Marketing, and Hyper Targeted External Marketing.

	Be Well Dentistry represents one of the best opportunities to collaborate with medical professionals including cardiologists, internists, obstetricians, sleep disorder and diabetes specialists, and, as more manifestations of the oral systemic link become known, this list will grow.  It is all about opening those doors of communication and offering assistance to your colleagues in allied medical fields to improve the health and longevity of the patients they serve by collaborating with you.
	
	Your first step is to acquire your contact (email, mail, and telephone) list, the composition of which depends on which specialists to target which, in turn, depends on what you offer. Another factor in compiling your contact list is geographic proximity. The more convenient it is for a potential referral source’s patients to visit you, the more likely they will. The list may be acquired manually, that is, by referring to printed and online directories, or it may be acquired through a list compiler.

	Once you’ve acquired your contact list, the next step is to select your communication channels e.g. email, direct mail, website optimization, social media, etc., and then craft your messages and offers for maximum impact.  In most cases, you’ll want to create one or more landing pages on your website to which prospective and current referral sources may learn about your referral program and patient handling protocol.

	You will, of course, want to be sure your internal communications effectively convey to your patients, most of whom will need to be made aware of, these valuable additions to your service offerings.

	Communicating with your patients of record, who may not yet know (or care) about the fact you practice “Be Well Dentistry” requires a nuanced approached.  This is because people naturally are resistant to and skeptical of change, even change that is good for them.  So resist the urge to come at your patients like the proverbial bull in the china closet, opting instead to gently communicate over time your transformation to a Be Well Dentistry practice. Email ‘drip marketing’ campaigns, open houses, complimentary screenings involving medical professionals in your referral network (see above), are all good ways to share your commitment to overall health and wellness with your patients

Your ‘Hyper-Targeted’ External Marketing Strategy

	?Targeting people known to have, or likely to be at risk for, such systemic conditions as diabetes, heart disease, various types of cancer, sleep disorder, and more is now possible thanks to the availability of compiled list and ‘pay per click’ ads using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

	As with your current patients, it remains important, however, to ‘run the race at the new patient’s pace.’ In other words, not every person you reach will be ready for Be Well Dentistry.  We believe that your communications should also be inviting to those patients, so you will have the opportunity to meet their immediate needs, as well as help them along the path to embracing Be Well Dentistry.
	
	It is, of course, your choice how you wish to brand your practice.  We’ve just found that, by ‘speaking the patient’s language’, and offering choices with which they are comfortable, your practice can actually help move your new (and current) patients from Feel Well and Look Well Dentistry into Be Well Dentistry, which is of course, where everyone deserves to be.

Daniel Bobrow, MBA, is president of the American Dental Marketing Company, a dentistry marketing and patient communications consultancy. He is also Executive Director of Dentists’ Climb for a Cause™. Readers interested in learning more about integrated marketing and patient communication products, systems and services are invited to contact Mr. Bobrow at 312-455-9488 or DBobrow@AmericanDentalMarketing.com or visit AmericanDentalMarketing.com.

   The history of the public's perception of dentistry may be viewed as consisting of three waves. I like to describe the first wave with the term "Feel Well Dentistry."  During this wave, dentists were perceived as first and foremost who to call to get you out of tooth pain. 

Are you ready for the next wave in dentistry?

	With the economic prosperity of the eighties, and advances in esthetic dentistry and technology, many dentists became of the opinion that treating new patient emergencies was a waste of the dentist’s and team’s time.

	Symptomatic of this is what one heard when calling such a dental practice after hours:

	“If you are a patient of record with an extreme dental emergency you may call xxx-yyy-zzzz.”

	New patients were deliberately discouraged from calling.

	Today, many practitioners have been reminded and recognize that emergencies represent a singular opportunity to establish a solid, long term relationship with a new patient.

	William McCune, whose practice Creekside Dental is located in Buffalo Grove, IL says: “When I started in ’87, I built my practice on needs, not wants, and the most commonly expressed need is a need to be relieved of pain.  I can think of no better way to win a patient’s trust than to relieve their discomfort. That’s all the more true if they already have a dentist, but that dentist will not or cannot see them.”

	To illustrate the positive impact welcoming emergencies can have on a practice, McCune shares that, in one week in March of this year, he performed more root canals and other emergency treatment than he did in an entire quarter last year “…because I am not shy about letting my patients and my community know I am here to serve their immediate needs.”

	Among the techniques McCune employs is adding variations of the term ‘dental emergency’ to his Google adwords campaign, and including a telephone number in the ad:

	The tactic entails bidding for the terms an emergency patient might use, and including a telephone number in the resulting ad, making it quick and convenient for the patient to reach the practice. This can have the added benefit of reducing your outlay for paid search because Google does not charge for impressions, but only clicks, to your website (hence the name pay per click). So, if someone calls, instead of clicking, no fee is assessed.

	Emergency patients also represent an opportunity to diagnose and deliver complete as opposed to ‘patchwork’ dentistry.

	Dr. John Cranham, Clinical Director at The Dawson Academy, who practices in Chesapeake, VA, says: “Sometimes front desk people assume there must be pain for there to be an emergency. It can also be esthetic. Consider a patient who breaks a tooth just before her wedding. To her, that’s an emergency.”

	According to Cranham “The emergency appointment is an opportunity to educate your patients about your philosophy and commitment to complete dentistry. Be sure to have, and promote, a policy which states your commitment to seeing patients with an emergency as soon as possible.”

	Not withstanding such innovations as CAD CAM dentistry, it’s important to recognize that, if the emergency is not a patient of record who you’ve seen regularly and, therefore, whose dental history you know, delivering a permanent restoration is probably inappropriate. Only a comprehensive exam will determine for example, if the tooth is compromised in other ways. You can do a quick, but effective, ‘fix’ using e.g. a composite resin, without a permanent restoration. Once you’ve addressed the immediate need, use the appointment as an opportunity to perform a general assessment.

	Cranham continues “Dentists sometimes miss the boat when they do not recognize that an emergency represents a pivotal point during which the patient’s perceptions of the practice are formed.  If you want to establish yours as a practice focusing on comprehensive care as opposed to ‘patchwork dentistry,’ avoid tunnel vision: do not recommend a permanent solution without a thorough evaluation of the patient.”

	Your dental team will likely be the first to connect with the emergency patient, so they need to thoroughly understand, and be able to effectively communicate, the practice’s policy with respect to emergency appointments.  They also need to be adept at conveying empathy and determining what constitutes a true emergency.

	The extent to which a doctor is willing to meet a patient after hours depends, of course, on a sometimes ‘gut’ assessment of the patient’s situation, as well as desire to grow the practice.

	Dan Marut, DMD owner of Today’s Dentistry, a private practice based in Ashland, OR, and Founder of Complete Dental Plan says “Balancing ones professional and personal lives can be a challenge. Establishing an emergency protocol helps when the inevitable emergency calls. I always ask myself, ‘If it were me or my family, what would I do, and what would I want done?’."

	If the emergency is not a patient of record, a decision should be made on a case by case basis. Active listening is a key skill in helping identify the true extent of emergency.

	To attract emergency patients, you’ll want to include reference to them in your promotional strategy. Consider the following:

		As part of your referral marketing protocol, suggest your team use the following verbiage when checking out a new patient, whether or not it was an emergency visit: “We’re glad we were able to help you today.  Relieving pain is obviously an important part of what we do.  But even more gratifying is when we’re able to help people avoid discomfort before it arises.  So if you know anyone who is not currently under the regular care of a dentist, I hope you’ll give them my card and share with them how we helped you today.  Prevention is always preferable to, and less costly than, treatment.”

		Emphasize the importance of prevention, but also your willingness to treat emergencies in your newsletter (both print and Email-based)

		Your on-hold message should convey your readiness to treat patient emergencies, as should your outgoing message (unlike the example referenced above)?

		If you know that a patient is planning to travel in the near future, encourage them to receive an examination prior to their departure.  Of course, not all patients will come in for a check-up prior to an extended trip, so consider incorporating this suggestion into your printed and electronic communications.  You can even include tips for what to do in the unfortunate event your patient needs dental care while out of town.

	 
	Remember too that, even if the patient you treat does not become a permanent part of your practice, as might happen if the patient is only visiting the area, if you deliver great service, that news could well travel around town (to the limo driver, concierge, restaurateur, meeting planner, the visitor’s host(s), etc.). Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool too. You never know whom an out-of-towner will tell about their positive experience with your practice in their time of need.
	 

 With the economic prosperity of the eighties, and advances in esthetic dentistry and technology, many dentists became of the opinion that treating new patient emergencies was a waste of the dentist’s and team’s time.  Symptomatic of this is what one heard when calling such a dental practice after hours:  “If you are a patient of record with an extreme dental emergency you may call xxx-yyy-zzzz.”  New patients were deliberately discouraged from calling.

Marketing Insider: Emergent opportunity

	2009 was a year filled with opportunity and challenge (more of the latter than some may have preferred).  As the pace of change continues to accelerate, we should expect no shortage of challenge and opportunity in 2010.

	Much of this opportunity for growth will continue to be found online, specifically, in the area of reputation management. The challenge will lay largely in trying to keep up without being distracted from what you find fulfilling and profitable.

	My friend and mentor Bill Blatchford suggests that the decision to engage in any activity be made by answering two simple questions: 

	If the answer to both questions is no, then don’t do it.  While that sounds simple, sometimes we don’t know the outcome of a given activity until we try it, and therein lay the challenge.

	84%
	of consumers said they were more likely to check online for reviews prior to making a purchase compared to twelve months ago, according to a recent survey by Brand Reputation
	
	Source: Retail Bulletin, October 2009.

	I use E-volution to denote the Electronic Revolution sweeping over us. One area where growth and change are particularly great is the relatively new phenomenon called Online Reputation Management (ORM), which, according to Wikipedia (as of 1/2010) is: The practice of consistent research and analysis of one’s personal or professional business or industry reputation, as represented by the content across all types of online media.

	I offer a slight refinement to that definition: Effective Online Reputation Management, or E-ORM, is the process by which an entity (or a representative of that entity) exerts control over how its perception is formed, maintained, and accessed via the Internet.
	
	I feel this definition is more useful because it: Asserts that E-ORM is a process, which goes beyond the simple gathering and analysis of information and it's an ongoing, ideally proactive, process of controlling how perceptions are formed and maintained.

	As noted above, there is an accelerating trend where people turn to online media to research and purchase local services (like dentistry).

	Though 63% of consumers and small business owners turn to the internet first for information about local companies and 82% use search engines to do so, only 44% of small businesses have a website and half spend less than 10% of their marketing budget online, according to research from Webvisible and Nielsen.

	This disparity between how business owners act as consumers, and how they market their own services, is termed The Great Divide.

	Another trend is the use of third party review sites such as Yelp, Angie’s List, Health Grades, etc.

	Manage Smarter’s 9/09 Issue reports that 83% of online shoppers said they were interested in sharing information about their purchases with people they know, while 74% are influenced by the opinions of others in their decision to buy the product in the first place.  

	Perhaps more surprising is the online role complete strangers can play in a web surfer’s purchasing decision. North American Internet users trust recommendations and opinions posted by unknown consumers online more than advertisements on television, on the radio, in magazines and newspapers, or in other traditional media*.
	
	*A. C. Nielsen Online

	70%
	of Americans say they consult product reviews or consumer ratings before making a purchase, according to an October 2008 survey by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, a research and consulting firm.
	
	Source: Business Week, October 2009 

	If you don’t yet have a blog, get one. It’s one of the easiest ways to get noticed by search engines.  And, be sure the blog is linked to your website so your efforts yield maximum SEO Benefit.  In general, limit your postings to 1200 characters or 200 words, and be consistent with your rate of postings.  Search engines prefer to see a steady stream of posts than they do a spate of postings followed by inactivity. A good way to prevent this is to ‘bank’ a series of articles so you don’t hit a ‘dry spell’ of inactivity.  Also be sure to use appropriate tags.

	You will likely find the need to expend more effort initially to effectively set up both the look and feel, as well as content of your blog, then shift into ‘maintenance mode.’

Priority two: Encourage positive reviews from your patients

	Make it easy for your patients to post reviews of their favorable experiences with your practice on Google Local, Yelp, Angies’s List, Merchant Circle, and Health Grades, or a number of other sites.

	“From an SEO standpoint, Google Local is best” says Adam Spiel of Pro Host Management, a Boise, ID-based I.T. consultancy.  First encourage, and then demonstrate the process, of submitting reviews, so your patients will do it.
	And, if you do receive a negative review, it’s most often best to ignore it. 

	“The key is to ensure that the majority of reviews interested parties find are positive. Then, you don’t need to sweat it if one or two are less than flattering. In fact, it may actually add to the credibility of the reviews if not all of them are glowing.” continues Spiel.

	It’s also important to have the positive reviews rank above any negative.  While not easy, it is possible to accomplish this, in part, by working with a group which optimizes its own website, based on your practice name (such discussion is beyond the scope of this article.

	You can also consider setting up accounts with Yelp and Angie’s list to advertise there, as well as permit more flexibility with respect to responding to any less than flattering reviews.

Priority three: Post articles, video and press releases

	Regular posting to other sites, with reference to your website address, helps create back links, which, in turn helps increase your website’s position on the search engine results page (S.E.R.P.) when people are searching for you by name, practice name, or for a high quality dentist in your area.

	Upload your articles, videos, and press releases to article and video directories and press release syndication websites.  Among the better known of these are: YouTube, Facebook, ArticlesBase, PRNewswire, and EZine Articles. 

	To derive maximum benefit, be sure you understand how to structure your message and where to use and properly place keyword tags and your website link.

	Priority four: Manage social networking sites

	Most practices are well served by creating and maintaining accounts with YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, but there may be additional sites to consider, depending on the characteristics of your target audience.  To help identify such sites, Google a phrase like "social networking site demographics." Facebook also offers an advertising option which, depending on how it’s structured, and the demographics of your area, can be a profitable venture.

	Pro Host’s Spiel suggests a ’30-30-30’ Plan, characterized by first identifying the thirty Top Questions your target audience would have and want answered about you and your practice. Next, provide answers in the form of thirty articles and thirty videos (don’t worry about a highly polished production, as too much quality can actually lower the perception of credibility).  Then distribute those articles and videos to those sharing sites, which most closely match your desired demographic.

	Launch!
	The final step is to update your chosen social networking sites which, as they are discovered by your target audience (and search engines), will allow their Top 30 Questions to be answered by linking back to your website.

	Regular posting of content to various sites can be time-intensive. One way to minimize the time commitment is by using what are termed aggregator sites. Such sites e.g. www.Ping.fm permit you to submit the same posting to all your sites simultaneously. 

	Ongoing Priority: Keep Alert(s)
	Success with E-ORM means knowing what’s happening online.  This is important because, as noted above, you are not the only one involved with forming your online reputation.

	One such tool is Google Alerts, but there are many more.  To find these, use your browser for results for the term ‘free online monitoring tools.’

	Effective scheduling and prioritizing of the tasks required to establish and maintain a positive online reputation can yield big results for your practice.  Just be realistic and don’t panic if you should, from time to time, fail to keep to your schedule.  As you become comfortable with the concepts and process, you’ll find that E-ORM can actually be a lot of fun! 

	Sources
	For another great article showing more local business stats - click here

	And then these are a great websites with social media, user reviews, ecommerce and SEO stats - Bazaar Voice. Socialnomics.

 2009 was a year filled with opportunity and challenge (more of the latter than some may have preferred).  As the pace of change continues to accelerate, we should expect no shortage of challenge and opportunity in 2010.  Much of this opportunity for growth will continue to be found online, specifically, in the area of reputation management. The challenge will lay largely in trying to keep up without being distracted from what you find fulfilling and profitable.

Marketing Insider: The e-volution will not be televised

	Effective patient communication requires a simple to use content management system and automated means for delivering messages. Equally important are the chosen messages and interval of the communications. The final success component is effective response tracking and monitoring, without which one cannot determine the relative effectiveness of various communication components and strategies. The benefit is a more loyal and valuable patient base, and a more valuable patient means a higher ROI from strategies that generate new patients.

	If you're investing, say, $1,000 in a new patient acquisition strategy, and you're averaging 5 new patients for every $1,000 invested, your cost per patient is $200. Now, if the average annual value of a patient to your practice is $1500, your return on investment (ROI) is easily calculated to be 750% ($1500/$200). Not bad. But what if you could increase that to, say $3,000? That's right. Your dentistry marketing ROI doubles to 1500%. For the same investment in external marketing, you just shot your ROI into the stratosphere.

	Clearly, this won't happen by itself or overnight. But you may be pleasantly surprised to learn it's not nearly challenging as you think.  The reason is that most dental practices are nowhere near maximizing their average patient value.

	One of the simplest, most cost-effective ways to increase average dental patient value is by doing a better job of communicating (and considering adding to) the wonderful benefits your practice already offers its patients. Remember: there’s a lot your patients do not know (and forget) about what you can do for them.

	The first step in cost effectively communicating with your patients of record is to implement a policy of collecting valid email addresses from your patients. There are a number of tactics to help with this. For new patients, it's simply a matter of incorporating the request into your patient enrollment form (or, preferably, having one of your team do it for your patient while they are in the office. If you do not have an email address for a current patient, your Team Member should be proficient at explaining to the patient how the office will (and will not) use their email address, how it simplifies communications between practice and patient, and how it is ecologically responsible (no need for paper). Of course, if the patient prefers not receiving communications via email, you want to respect and honor their preference.
	
	To collect email addresses of your current patients as they present for treatment or hygiene, the staff should take a few moments to update their contact and health information, and simply request their "preferred email." If the practice chooses to adopt Paperless Forms and On Line Appointment Requests, a mailing may be sent to, or telephone call placed with, the patient advising them of these valuable new services that eliminate the need for paper forms and which simplifies the appointment scheduling process for the patient.

	Now that you're well on your way to capturing patient email information, it's time to decide what you'd like to share with your patients. Most email services provide the means to perform what are called Campaigns and Broadcasts. A Campaign is a schedule of predetermined communications that are delivered according to a schedule (that can be changed 'on the fly') starting from the date the patient is entered into the system. For instance, if I join your practice today, you might arrange for me to immediately receive an online patient satisfaction survey. Three weeks later, you might introduce me to laser-assisted dentistry. One month after that, you could let me know more about mini dental implants. And so on.

	Broadcast communications are sent to everyone (or a selected sub grouping) at the same time. For instance, you can send 'Spring Cleaning', Back To School, Insurance

	"Use it or lose it", Dental Health Month, or other date-dependent messages. Once the system is in place, you are in control!

	The final success component involves measuring response to your Program in general, and specific communications in particular. Response may be further broken down into Open Rate, Click Through, and Conversion.

	Open Rate is the number and percent of total recipients who actually opened your email. Click Through refers to the number and percent of total recipients who clicked on one or more links embedded in your message. To ensure delivery past spam filters and to keep messages short, it is a good idea to ask recipients to click on a link to learn more, redeem an offer, etc. You should also use a unique telephone number on your email communications so you are able to determine how many, and what type of calls are generated as a result of your email campaign.

	Conversion is the number and percent of total recipients who actually took the requested action e.g. scheduled an end of year appointment to maximize benefits, came in for their 'spring cleaning,' scheduled their Back to School appointment, etc. (Click throughs are often considered to be conversions because it represents some form of action taken by the patient. In our view, this is merely an intermediate step toward the ultimate objective, the former being a 'suspect', the latter a 'prospect'). 

Daniel Bobrow, MBA, is president of the American Dental Marketing Company, a dentistry marketing and patient communications consultancy. He is also Executive Director of Dentists’ Climb for a Cause™. Readers interested in learning more about integrated marketing and patient communication products, systems and services are invited to contact Mr. Bobrow at 312-455-9488 or 

Communicating with patients of Record I

	Saving money is always important, especially in today’s economic climate, but remember, a good marketing plan can make you money in the long run.

	One obvious way to save money is to not spend it. Valid, to be sure, but also subject to what is referred to by economists as opportunity cost, that is, the forgone return from not taking advantage of some opportunity.

	And change nearly always presents opportunity. The trick is identifying how to capitalize.

	The annals of corporate success stories are replete with examples of companies that did far more than make lemonade from lemons during lean economic times: They transformed their identity, product, process, service or some other aspect of their business and forged a bold new destiny, sometimes for an entire industry.

	When do your Yellow Page ads expire? Unless your audience is elderly patients, this is not the best place to invest your precious marketing dollars. Here’s a rundown or other methods you may want to try:

		Beef up your Web site. Be sure your Web site is ‘ready for prime time.’ Think about adding video, a low-cost alternative to which is a ‘flash movie’ using high-quality photographs of the office.

		Provide information request forms. These forms can help capture ‘tire kickers,’ that is prospective patients who are not yet ready to 'pull the trigger.

		Develop calls to action. Try clickable and printable special offers. Avoid using the term ‘economic stimulus.’ It’s overused and irritates people.

		Write a blog. It’s low or no cost, and really helps your Web site’s ranking on the SERPs (search engine results pages).

		Consider a ‘drip marketing’ e-mail campaign. It’s cost-effective and a sure-fire way to convert Web visitors to patients (or at least qualified patient leads) as well as increase compliance and treatment acceptance from your patients of record.

		Volunteer. More people need help now than before, and you may be in a better position to contribute your time. In the process you build goodwill, and your practice. Even better, have a party. Just be sure you don’t keep your good works a secret, because neither you nor the charity will benefit as much.

		Remember the ‘marketing force multiplier’ (MFM). We all know one pleased patient can result in many new patients. While it’s nice to imagine there is one ‘magic bullet’ for growing your practice, the reality is there are many ways to attract a reasonable number of patients. Owing to the MFM, it only takes a few.


	Remember 2008 was a record year for many. It’s great to set your sights high, but be reasonable: with yourself, your team, your patients and your market. Striking the right balance between irrational exuberance and despair can be tricky. A worthy objective may be to simply maintain current production levels, while finding ways to reduce costs.

	Dr. William McCune of Creekside Dental, a Buffalo Grove, Illinois based general dental practice, said “I consider my marketing to be a non-discretionary investment. I’m frankly more inclined to cut staff than marketing because I know that, to keep the lights on, I need a steady stream of new patients.”

	From a cash flow standpoint, and because the benefits of marketing sometimes require time to build momentum, it’s an excellent idea to be continuously invested in an ongoing, well thought out, and integrated dentistry marketing plan. That way, the benefits of past investments are realized later, perhaps when the business cycle is in a trough.

	The only thing we have to fear is... fear itself
	Another justification for marketing in lean times is the very reason many of your colleagues will assume a ‘wait and see’ posture: fear. Anyone who practiced through the last recession in the early 1980s (and who chose to assume an aggressive stance with respect to marketing) will tell you it was a great time to promote by differentiating their practice, thus making their ‘bounce’ from the recovery that much higher.

	Remember a down economy is a measure of macroeconomic activity. To be sure, individual practices are affected, but there are so many other factors that contribute to your success.  There are always things we could do more efficiently and productively, and this may be a great time to work on them-to work on your practice rather than just in your practice.

Establish and solidify patient relationships


	During lean economic times, people are more likely to question their allegiances and habits, including behavior patterns such as where to have their hair cut, nails done, and yes, their relationship with their dentist. ‘Switch and Save’ is one of the most commonly used phrases in advertising these days. Why? Because savvy marketers know consumers are looking for bargains.

	Before I lose anyone, let me remind you the ‘bargain’ is a one-time offer. I neither ask nor suggest you commit to a permanently discounted fee structure. What I am suggesting is you recognize the potential to entice patients to see if your practice is right for them. Be as flexible and understanding of their situation as possible.


	That doesn’t mean you should alter your treatment recommendations. Let your patients decide if they can afford treatment or not. Just understand the time they take to accept treatment may be a bit longer than it would be in a more robust economy. The thing to do now is build your tribe. Then, when the inevitable recovery begins, your 'personal recovery curve' will be that much steeper, because you now have even more patients in your charts.

	Just remember this cuts both ways: do not take your current patients for granted. Invest in communications software (or beef up the content, if you’re already invested) as you can, at close to zero incremental cost, share useful information and special ‘patient only’ offers. These nearly always result in a ‘bump’ in production.


	Let’s say you’ve been doing direct mail for a while, and the return has leveled off, or even fallen a bit. Consider sweetening your offers. People are not only looking for, but expecting bargains these days. Don’t disappoint them.

	For instance, Dr. McCune’s “pre-recession offering” was a $39 exam. He dropped that to a $25 exam, and experienced shortly thereafter an increase in monthly production from $7,000 to $14,000, solely on patients responding to the $25 offer, which appears on both his Web site and his direct mail card.

	David Ogilvy, whom many consider to be the father of modern advertising, famously said “Half my advertising is wasted; I just don’t know which half.” In times like these it is even more important to put into place the means to completely, reliably and accurately track your marketing tactics.


	Marketing, communication and leadership icon Tom Peters is known for saying “Marketing is one third external and two thirds internal. He means that it’s what happens after someone becomes a patient that drives return on investment in external marketing. Here’s why.

	Say you spend $1,000 on a marketing tactic and you get five new patients as a result. Let us further assume your average annual patient value is $500 (a conservative figure, as this may not even include re-care or referral). Your return on investment is, therefore, 250% or 5:1 ($2,500 in value divided by $1,000). If another practice invests in the same tactic and receives the same result, but has an average patient value of $2,000, her ROI is four times as much.

	Maximizing patient value takes many forms-just be on the lookout for cost-effective ways to improve your patients’ experience with your practice, and cost-effectively communicate those benefits, and see your marketing ROI soar.


	Be creative in revising your copy and design to ‘speak’ more clearly to your audience’s needs and concerns.

	Help people understand that caring for their teeth now can mean greater savings, especially if their present employment situation is in question. Let them know that, as a member of the community, you want to contribute to the physical (and fiscal) health and well being of your neighbors.

	Once patients are part of your practice, demonstrate your empathy for their situation, and understand if they are not able to accept treatment as quickly or at the level they’d like. Cut them the proverbial break.* When the economy turns around, you’ll be posed to yield a handsome return on your ‘investment.’

	*By the way, we make it a tenet of our business to practice what we preach i.e. to be as accommodating and flexible as possible with our clients who need a little help. To learn more, give us a call or drop us an e-mail.

Daniel A. Bobrow, MBA, is President of American Dental Marketing, a Chicago-based Dentistry Marketing Consultancy. He is also Executive Director of Dentists’ Climb for a Cause™. He may be reached at 800-723-6523.

   Don’t ditch your marketing plan  Saving money is always important, especially in today’s economic climate, but remember, a good marketing plan can make you money in the long run.

Marketing Insider: Don't ditch your marketing plan

	In our last Issue, we introduced and discussed the components of a successful direct mail campaign, included a Planning Checklist, and shared some of the more profitable target audiences, going into some detail about the pros and cons of targeting new residents.

	Now, let's talk about the more promising, and therefore, exciting, target audience, namely, demographically selected segments of the current population. Other 'boutique audiences,' such as brides to be, employees where they work, and persons with specific medical conditions [see my article on integrative dentistry], will be covered in a future  Issue.

	The times when only highly capitalized firms could afford to employ sophisticated marketing research and implementation technologies are thankfully behind us. The advent of the Internet, and the ability of companies like ADM to 'bundle orders' means any dental practice can, for a reasonable investment, have access to precision targeting, list acquisition, mailer design, print, fulfillment, and tracking services.

A Laser Beats A Shot Gun Every Time, Especially When It Saves Money! ?

	For many years, we've advocated targeting at the carrier route, as opposed to zip code, level. A carrier route is a series of physically contiguous addresses used by the postal carrier to efficiently deliver the mail. It is, quite simply, and as the name implies, the mail carrier's route. Targeting carrier routes has two distinct advantages over mailing to entire zip codes. First, it permits the practice to be far more precise in identifying, and connecting with, only those households that are a 'fit' both in geographic and demographic terms, for the practice. Convenience continues to be the number one factor in someone's decision to visit a dental office for the first time, so it is nearly always a waste of valuable resources when a practice is constrained by targeting entire zip codes, instead of only those portions of zip codes that are a fit for the practice.

	Second, because targeting at the carrier route level allows a competent fulfillment house to do much of the work for the Post Office (by sorting and bundling the mail), the per piece postage rate can be as little as half that of mailing to all (or even part) of a zip code. Because postage often accounts for more than half of the cost of a mailing tactic, the savings really add up.

Design, Copy, and Offer(s) That Speak To Your Audience?

	In designing your mailer copy, selecting graphics, and choosing your offer(s), place yourself in the shoes of your intended audience. The mailer must 'speak' to them, that is, get them first to identify with the message, by answering the question "Is this (about) me?" in the affirmative. This requires that the imagery, be it a photograph or illustration, represents a person, group, or lifestyle to which your audience can relate. The offer should be likewise appealing to them.

What's the Frequency (and interval) Kenneth*?

	?As any good marketer will tell you, once is never enough, that is, repeat exposure of your memorable and compelling message is necessary to break through your audience's protective barriers (if this does not yet resonate with you, ask how many times you see the same television commercial before you even know what they're promoting, and I think it will). Our experience dictates a minimum of three, and as many as twelve, identical, or highly similar, mailings to the same person wtihin a twelve month period to be optimum. We typically recommend and A, A/B, or A/B/C program, defined as follows:

	'A' Program: mailing to the same Group each month for 12 consecutive months (total ?of twelve mailers per Audience Member)

	'A/B' Program: divide audience in half and mailing to each Group in alternating months (total of ?six mailers per Audience Member)

	'A/B/C/' Program: divide audience into thirds and mail to each group every third month (total of four mailers per Audience Member)

	The decision as to which approach to employ most often is made on budgetary considerations, but sometimes also on the volume of new patient inquiries the practice feels is can effectively handle over a given month (capacity).

	Issue III will delve into tracking, evaluation, and sound decision making with respect to dental direct mail strategy.

 In our last Issue, we introduced and discussed the components of a successful direct mail campaign, included a Planning Checklist, and shared some of the more profitable target audiences, going into some detail about the pros and cons of targeting new residents.

Principles of effective direct mail, Part II

	We all want and deserve to receive value for our investment. Value can mean different things to different people. One might value getting his or her website up and running quickly, while another might be more exacting and patient. One practice might value appearance more highly than function. Still another might prefer quantity over quality of website visitors.

	Whatever your preferences, know what constitutes reasonable expectations, not only from your finished* product, but also from the process.

	*In reality, your website should be viewed as a living and evolving instrument in a number of respects.

	To help ensure error-free implementation, someone must take responsibility for coordinating all tasks and resources. Be careful about "promoting" say, your schedule coordinator to the role of website coordinator. If you do choose to manage the process internally, be certain the person to whom you assign this important responsibility is competent, and has the time and resources to take on the challenge.

	It is reasonable to expect that whomever you retain to design your website demonstrates competency so your site is delivered on time, on budget, and as specified. This means your designer will ideally have experience in the dental field, or at least be able to show you sites he has created for other clients, which possess the aesthetics and function you require.

	In general, the firm you retain will listen as much as they talk about your website design because, only by listening will they truly ‘get,' so they can deliver, the appearance and function you desire.

	In choosing your website’s content and layout, imagine your website from the perspective of all who might view it: your current and prospective patients, your team, the media, and yourself.

	Most practices are primarily concerned with how their site is perceived by current and prospective patients. If you want your website to be used by patients of record to: ask questions, request appointments, learn more about proposed treatment, receive appointment confirmations, take surveys, offer suggestions, complete paperwork, etc. be sure the firm is experienced with handling such ‘back-end' functions.  Most websites lack a means for capturing contact information on prospective patients, and an automated means for communicating with them during the ‘gestation period' when they metamorphose from ‘tire kicker' to ‘trigger puller.' As most first-time website visitors fall into the former category, this is an important success component that should not be overlooked.

	Secure your domain name Careful consideration should be given to naming your site. If you have already established a strong practice brand, the name of your website will closely match your practice name. If you select a URL matching your personal name, remember that, when it comes time to sell the practice, your successor may not value it as highly as you do.  Be sure to consult an attorney, or perform a comprehensive name search, to confirm you have the legal right to use your chosen name.

	In structuring the layout of your site consider not only the format of your home page, but also any ?‘landing pages.' You’ll want a landing page for each of your services as well as a(n):

	•Unique telephone number so you can track and calculate the return on your website marketing investment

	•Form visitors may complete to receive a report on a topic of interest and relevance to them

	•Automated direct response communications campaign (more on this in an upcoming article)

	•Easy to use CMS (content management system)

	•Cost-effective hosting solution, report system, and reliable technical support

	•Specializes in the Dental field          

	•Guarantees delivery within a reasonable timeframe, although you must be an equal partner in? this process.

	•Is able and willing to test your existing design for efficacy.            

	•Offers robust, but user-friendly, reporting         

	•Offers references           

	•Will assist with selecting and securing an appropriate name for your website

	If you get the sense the firm’s representative is reading from a canned script, you may expect to be treated as a commodity, which probably is not what you want. In general, trust your gut.

	We usually get what we pay for.  In choosing who should build your web presence, be wary of the ‘free lunch.’  This can happen when the practice chooses to have a friend, relative, student, or someone else perform the project ‘for free,’ at a greatly reduced rate, or 'on trade.' Human nature being what it is, the person who agrees to these ‘terms' will prioritize accordingly. More than one practice has been dismayed to learn the ‘deal’ they made resulted in inordinate delay, an inferior delivered product, or both.

	Rest assured that, once your website goes live, you will want to make changes to it. You might even experience ‘technical difficulties' from time to time. It can be a frustrating experience not to have these concerns and requests addressed to your satisfaction, or within the promised time frame, so ask for references and specifically ask what their experience has been with post-purchase service. ??Caveat Emptor?Tim Healy of TNT Dental warns “If you haven't received correspondence from companies with names like Liberty Names of America or Domain Registry of America, you probably will. Don't let the “domain name expiration notice” fool you. Although the expiration date of your domain name may be real, it is NOT a real invoice. The document looks official, and leads many intelligent individuals to send a check for domain name renewal.” This is a form of "slamming," which changes your service to another company without you realizing what you have done.  Sending a check to such companies constitutes legal "permission" for them to change your service.

	To protect yourself from having your domain slammed, “Know who your registrar is, and if you're not sure, visit www.whois.sc, type in your domain name, and the name of your registrar will appear.

	Here's a checklist to evaluate your site's performance, and to help judge when your new website is ‘ready for prime time':

	•Navigation bar at top makes pages accessible and easy to find

	•Site Layout is organized in a familiar pattern with important section at top and left and main content in?  center

	•Professional and clean Look ‘n Feel ?

	•Page Width not more than 800px (max printable width)

	•Contact Information is ‘above the fold' for quick viewing and access ?•Quick load time e.g. not too much use of Flash and other animation, which is also a distraction to visitors

	•Interactive features e.g newsletter sign up, free consultation, etc. allows practice to efficiently build?  prospective patient contact list

	•Free offer for visitor to further encourage completion of a Form

	•Means to capture site visitor contact information

	•Follow-up aka drip marketing system to communicate with registered site visitors

	•Site ranks in top results in Google for city and ‘dentist' demonstrating ‘relevance.' Goal is to rank in top 3?  results as these listings receive over 80% of clicks.

	•City name is included in the title bar

 Value Defined?  We all want and deserve to receive value for our investment. Value can mean different things to different people. One might value getting his or her website up and running quickly, while another might be more exacting and patient. One practice might value appearance more highly than function. Still another might prefer quantity over quality of website visitors.  Whatever your preferences, know what constitutes reasonable expectations, not only from your finished* product, but also from the process.