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Dental Marketing-101 Webinar

On January 31, 2012, Newell Ledbetter Advertising, Inc., Reach Local, and Q2 Interactive Media held the first in a series of Webinars geared toward educating dentists about increasing top-of-mind awareness in their advertising strategies and goals. The topics covered included choosing the correct media to reach target demographics, branding and continuity of advertising messages, how to rank your current marketing plan, how to best mix your media to obtain high reach and frequency, consumer research and decision-making processes, social networking strategies, explanation of SEO, SMM, and SEM and how to utilize these virtual venues to increase your business presence, branded vs. non-branded advertising models, key terms, and website upgrading.

Webinar Highlights from Newell Ledbetter Advertising, Inc.

During the Webinar, Newell Ledbetter, owner and president of Newell Ledbetter Advertising, Inc., emphasized the importance of the “sales funnel” model, which breaks down the various advertising media (radio, billboard, newspaper, television) and their effectiveness in reaching target demographics with high frequency. One issue with using billboards and newsprint outlets is the inconsistency in advertising messages from month-to-month. However, using broadcast radio and television outlets has been proven again and again to effectively reach target demographics multiple times during the course of the media campaign. The key is building top-of-mind awareness in the viewer/ listener so that when they need a good or service, their consciousness automatically goes to the advertising message they’ve seen and heard the most. Choosing the right awareness-building campaign is key to a business’s long-term success. According to recent media rankings provided by TVB Media Comparisons Study 2010, television remains the primary medium that women age 18 and over rely on. Internet is the second and broadcast radio is third. Print, billboard, and mobile outlets come in last in the race to potential consumers. Statistical analysis shows that regardless of age bracket, broadcast television and radio in conjunction with Internet are the top three most effective means of reaching potential patients, regardless of median household income level. To rank your current marketing plan, follow this formula:

Rank Your Current Marketing Plan!

TV – 10 points

Internet/ Website – 8 points

Radio – 7 points

Cable – 5 points

Newspaper – 4 points

Direct Mail – 1 point

Mobile – 1 point

Results

18+ - Good

12-17 - Fair

Below 12 - Poor

Below 5 - Go Fishing!

For a marketing plan to be successful, several stipulations must be considered. The first is making sure the advertising incorporates an accurate message about the dental practice. This is where the idea of “to brand or not to brand?” comes in. Creating a message that brands the practice as THE ONLY practice to consider when shopping for a specific dental service is becoming the norm, as it should. Creating a brand keeps that top-of-mind awareness sharp and focused in the viewer/ listener mind. The second mandate is to target the correct demographic with the branded message. Selling a good or service to someone who would never buy that good or service is an obvious waste of the client’s time and money. Next is researching and putting together the correct media mix. This involves detailed research as far as age and gender demographics, income level of the target audience, advertising budget constraints, and creative ideas. Taking into account marketing limitations is also key to developing a successful marketing campaign. This could be due to the specific region in which the practice is located. Lastly, developing a strategy in an energetic team environment helps to ensure a successful campaign that is sure to increase patient counts as well as boost practice revenue.

Developing a successful marketing strategy from start to finish is crucial to Newell Ledbetter Advertising, Inc.’s success. Of course, our success depends on our clients’ success!

Webinar Highlights from ReachLocal

So, what happens on the Internet in any 60-second time frame? 600 new videos are uploaded to YouTube. 1500 blog entries are posted. 168,000,000 emails are sent. More than 695,000 Facebook status updates are posted. 98,000 tweets fly by. And nearly 700,000 Google inquiries are made – several of which could be for a dentist. All that (and so much more) in just 60-seconds!

As Google's only global premier SMB partner, Reach Local helps businesses improve their Web presence, an absolute necessity in today’s ever-changing world of technology. During the Webinar, Art Ruiz, Jr., internet marketing consultant at Reach Local, spoke about the importance of the Internet in terms of the “new patient buying cycle.” Understanding how virtual technology is impacting the ways in which potential patients are finding dental practices that offer specific services and treatments is vital to utilizing the power and the reach of the Internet as efficiently as possible. The new patient buying cycle has changed as Internet technology has become more readily available; knowing how this powerful tool works can help boost the number of phone calls a potential patient makes to a dental practice.

Whereas a woman would have in the recent past asked for a referral from a friend or family member, today that same woman will likely “Google it” to find a dentist. Once a dentist’s website has caught her interest, she will spend some time getting to know the dentist by perusing his or her website for information about the practice BEFORE she ever even picks up the phone to make an appointment. She will also “Facebook it” and/or “Tweet it,” posting an inquiry on Facebook or Twitter to receive suggestions from others. This “research and evaluate” process is now part of the new patient buying cycle in the 21^stcentury.  So it’s obvious that having a viable, accessible online presence and website is necessary in promoting top-of-mind awareness. There are a few ways to boost the likelihood of a potential patient calling your practice above all others: search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing (SMM), and search engine marketing (SEM).

SEO – optimizing the key words/ phrases associated with the dental practice so the practice name shows at the top of the link lists on Google.

SMM – using all of the social networking venues available (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, blog posts, reviews, etc.)

SEM – remarketing through strategic ad display placement on homepages.

Utilizing each of these strategies can help increase the number of phone calls a dental practice receives, optimizing web presence and increasing patient counts.

Webinar Highlights from Q2 Interactive Media

During the Webinar, Michael Paxton, inbound marketing certified professional and founder of Q2 Interactive Media, emphasized the importance of “the law of attraction.” The law of attraction is a means of creating an inbound marketing “magnet” that draws potential patients to a dental website when Internet searches are done. This is achieved through SEO, SMM, and SEM strategies as well as branding the dental practice/ dentist name through effective advertising. To brand or not to brand is an important question when it comes to using the power of the Internet to advertise a good or service. To “brand” a dental practice or dentist name means that the potential consumer must enter the specific name into the search engine. This can be highly effective if the consumer knows the name of the business through top-of-mind awareness via broadcast television and radio advertising campaigns. “Non-branding” is also effective, wherein the consumer finds a dental practice by searching the service rather than the name. Ideally, in order to build a strong Internet presence and continued top-of-mind awareness, the dental practice must pursue both branding and non-branding approaches to tackle the competition from as many directions as possible. Key phrases, highest-performing key words, and regular evaluations are vital to the branding and non-branding process.

Some common challenges many dental practices encounter when trying to build and maintain a viable website include a general disconnect from the practice culture, a stale and outdated website, a lack of strategy and implementation, and a lack of desired results. Q2 Interactive Media is a leading expert on the best practices for Web development. Q2 stresses concepts like having a brand-centric design, how to position critical information about the dental practice’s services, implementing an intuitive and aesthetically pleasing layout, initiating a call to action, and making the website fun, engaging, and relevant to the dental practice’s mission statement. In creating an easy to navigate website, a dental practice will experience a positive interchange with potential patients.  

To conclude…

This series of Dental Marketing Webinars is designed to help dentists and other professionals optimize their advertising message and increase their new patient counts by learning how to effectively utilize a variety of media to reach their target demographic multiple times.

The second installment of the series, Dental Marketing-201 Webinar, will be held on March 13, 2012 at 6:00pm-MST. Click www.nlamedia.com/webinar to participate or call 1-800-978-6295 for more information.

Zachary Ledbetter is an Account Executive with Newell Ledbetter Advertising. Zach specializes in advertising for dental practices as well as creating broadcast media strategies using network television, cable television, radio and the internet. Call (719) 635-9988 for more information or contact us on www.nlamedia.com

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Since regular network broadcasts began in 1947, television has been the single most powerful means of communicating on a mass level. In fact, Nielsen Media Research shows today’s households spend more time with the television than with any other medium. Today, an average household has the television on approximately 8-1/2 hours per day, and adults 18 and older spend nearly 4 hours per day watching TV. When comparing the amount of time adult consumers spend watching television to the amount of time they spend with other media, television is the winner in every single demographic category.

Television advertising remains the most cost effective and efficient way to get your message out to the masses. However, using this medium involves navigating complex systems, including budgetary limits, local and national negotiations, and market and ad placement research. No matter the medium, ongoing market and demographic analysis is vital to a successful advertising campaign. Being aware of changing shifts and trends helps our clients best apply their advertising dollars so they can achieve the best results – increased revenue and clientele. By developing a variety of television commercial lengths and formats, as well as proven statistical formulas, we can effectively reach our client’s target demographic.

Before television became the powerhouse communication venue it is today, radio broadcasting had been capturing the public’s imagination in creative ways through both long and short formats. Research shows that adults 18 years and older listen to the radio an average of 3 hours per day, and that 8 out of 10 Americans believe free radio programming is a valuable resource and they have no problem listening to advertisements in exchange for the information they gain.

Using state-of-the-art digital technology, we have the expertise when it comes to producing effective radio ads that capture the listener’s attention. We utilize a variety of techniques to increase top-of-mind awareness to help grow our clients’ revenue and customer base. Radio commercials may include a call-to-action message, a direct response message, or a promotional message. There is a lot to consider when deciding on the appropriate radio commercial format. Radio advertising can be a highly-effective, low-cost medium through which a business can reach its target customer.

Zachary Ledbetter is an Account Executive with Newell Ledbetter Advertising. NLA Media specializes in buying media and creating broadcast media strategies using network television, cable television, radio and the internet. Call (719) 635-9988 for more information or contact us on www.nlamedia.com

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For years, we’ve had the privilege of helping our dental practice clients grow their businesses in terms of both revenue and client base. In fact, working with dentists and their specific goals is our specialty! When marketing a dental practice, it is important to consider the specific treatments offered by the dentist. While all dentists categorize themselves as “general dentists” who offer a variety of services and treatments, many dentists also claim a niche, such as pediatric sedation, sports dentistry, or invisible braces. For example, sedation dentistry is a booming business that has helped dentists expand their services for fearful patients, and dental implants are on the rise as baby boomers find ways to maintain an active lifestyle and protect their oral health. Whether it’s cosmetic, sedation, or implant technology, knowing how to market a dentist’s specific niche is crucial to the practice’s advertising success.

Human beings are visual creatures, and we are more likely to develop trust in someone if we can meet that person face-to-face. These same principles apply when it comes to marketing a dental practice. We have found again and again that personal stories are the most effective strategy when it comes to sending a clear advertising message. Real-life patient testimonials allow the viewing audience to hear stories similar to their own, communicating a familiar message that many can relate to – stories about fear (sedation dentistry), embarrassment (cosmetic dentistry), denture discomfort (implant dentistry), or general oral health (hygiene). Patient testimonials allow the viewing audience to “see” themselves in the dental chair.

Additionally, research continues to show that women between the ages of 35 and 64 are usually the ones responsible for making family and health related appointments, so targeting the right demographic when it comes to advertising dental health services and treatments is essential. We have found that having the dentist on camera delivering a message of care and compassion immediately increases the level of trust in the viewing audience. When the potential patient makes that initial phone call, she already feels she knows the dentist who will be helping her and her family. Knowing the right message for the right demographic requires consistent research on the part of the advertising agency. We have the expertise when it comes to marketing professional dental and health related services and enjoy helping dentists grow their practice. 

Zachary Ledbetter is an Account Executive with Newell Ledbetter Advertising. Zach specializes in advertising for dental practices as well as creating broadcast media strategies using network television, cable television, radio and the internet. Call (719) 635-9988 for more information or contact us on www.nlamedia.com.

Take the NLA Challenge!!! Provide Newell Ledbetter Advertising, Inc. with your current advertising budget and media placement information (print, TV, radio, internet) and we’ll prove that we can reach a larger percentage of your target audience more times with less money, or we’ll buy you lunch! Contact Newell Ledbetter Advertising and learn how you can increase your potential client/customer base. Take the NLA Challenge! You’ve got nothing to lose and only customers to gain!

Zachary Ledbetter is an Account Executive with Newell Ledbetter Advertising. Zach specializes in creating broadcast media strategies using network television, cable television, radio and the internet. Call (719) 635-9988 for more information or contact us on www.nlamedia.com.

3- The ability to make things happen

The most unique quality about Newell Ledbetter Advertising is the ability to take an idea or concept and turn it into an advertising reality.

4- The latest computer software and market data available for advertising placement

Newell Ledbetter Advertising constantly updates computer software with the latest market data. Because we have the best programs in the industry, we can find your target customer and use this valuable information to your advantage.

5- Honesty and Integrity

References are available upon request.

6- Control of your business

Newell Ledbetter Advertising realizes you have a business to run; which is no small task.  So by letting us handle your advertising, it enables you to do what you do best, run your business.

7- An employee who doesn’t cost you a dime

The broadcast media allows advertising agencies a 15% agency discount from the negotiated rates. So why not take advantage of the expertise of Newell Ledbetter Advertising?  We can make your advertising work for you.

Zachary Ledbetter is an Account Executive with Newell Ledbetter Advertising. Zach specializes in creating broadcast media strategies using network television, cable television, radio and the internet. Call (719) 635-9988 for more information or contact us on www.nlamedia.com.