By: Chris Barr
The plain and simple truth is that every business needs to advertise in order to stay afloat, especially in these trying economic times we are currently living in. A Chiropractic office is no different than any other business out there from a simple one man janitorial service to a corporate conglomerate. If consumers don’t know you are there, they certainly won’t be walking in your door! Unfortunately, advertising can also have the opposite effect if you don’t know what you are doing. Instead of bringing new business in, it can kill your credibility in the community and that’s not what you are after. 
Metaphorically speaking, advertising is the lifeblood ofyour practice. Like the human heart, if your advertising is working correctly it will keep pumping new life through your body (practice) but if the ticker goes bad, life comes to a halt. That’s what bad advertising can do for or to you depending on whether or not you utilize it wisely. There are some key techniques that you can take advantage of and it isn’t always necessary to hire an advertising firm to help you promote your business. That’s an expense that you can often avoid. If you aren’t versed in advertising and marketing techniques, talk to your printer! Many of them have resources available to help you plan an effective marketing strategy. Professional medical brochure printers often have extensive resources and templates that will help you plan a successful campaign.
One thing that most good printing companies will advise youto do is keep your advertising brief and to the point. List a few key ‘selling-points’ that sets your practice apart from others. Statistics show that prospective patients are looking for a chiropractor who really cares about them and will listen to their concerns. Medical doctors are perceived as being too ‘self-important’ and patients are tired of being shoved out the door with pharmaceutical prescriptions to dull the pain. You can effectively attract patients who are suffering from chronic pain if you can convince them that your treatments address the cause, not the effect. But keep it short. One or two lines are sufficient!
Prospective patients need to know they can trust you so don’t over-inflate your advertising by giving people false hopes. Consumers are savvier than we often give them credit for so make your advertising realistic and believable, but short and to the point. Use bullet points, graphics and photos while keeping your copy to a minimum. The average consumer just doesn’t have the time to read a page filled with writing. You can often make your point with a picture more easily than you can with paragraphs of words on a page.
And speaking of pictures, patients need to feel comfortablewith their Chiropractor so including your photo or a group photo of your staffis also beneficial in many cases. Yourad may not bring them in the first time it goes to print, but by the second orthird printing they will recognize your face. When they walk in the door they will feel like they ‘know’ you andimmediately feel at ease. Advertisingthat brings in return business is a top priority!
Remember, the key to building your Chiropractic practice isto use good advertising techniques that have been proven to be effective. Your printer will know what is working andwhat isn’t based on orders they are getting and current marketing trends. Find a reputable printer and let them guideyou so that you won’t experience death by a bad ad.
Chris Barr is a marketing professional and graduate of Christopher Newport University. His areas of expertise include direct mail,internet marketing, copy writing, SEO, and new business development.Chris currently serves as Marketing Director for Taradel LLC inRichmond, VA.
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