unleash the power of dental marketing

Unleashthe power of marketing

Unleash the Power of Marketing

Introduction

The Art and Science of Marketing


IntroductionObjectives‣Understand more clearly the impact marketing has on a veterinary clinic‣Learn specific strategies and tactics that will increase new-client flow, profitability and brand value.


Introduction

1. The Influence of Brand-building on Marketing Success2. Online Marketing Breakdown3. Understanding and Using Social Media4. Personality Profile and Presentation Methods5. External Marketing Tactics6. Referrals Building Methods7. Marketing to Female Consumers8. Marketing Plans and Why You Need One9. Avoiding Marketing Mistakes and Pitfalls

Key Topics:


Introduction

What is the purpose of marketing?


Introduction

The purpose of marketingis to shorten the sales cycle.


Introduction

“Sales Cycle” in a veterinary clinic:1. Client chooses a veterinary clinic 2. Client complies with vet recommendation3. Client remains loyal and re-visits clinic as needed 4. Client refers friends or family to clinic

Compliance is the key activity in the sales cycle


Introduction


Hunting or Farming?‣Hunters eat what they kill‣Hunters often go hungry‣Farmers harvest for future rewards

Introduction


Introduction

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Introduction

Marketing Strategy?or

Marketing Tactic?


Introduction

A strategy is an overall plan


Introduction

Examples of marketing strategies:‣Improve the technology image of the clinic‣Acquire 20 new clients per month through referrals


Introduction

A marketing tactic is a specific tool or method.


Introduction

Examples of marketing tactics:‣Begin a pay-per-click advertising effort‣Implement a monthly direct mail campaign


1. Branding / Identity2. External Marketing3. Internal Marketing4. Presentation Skills

4 Marketing Targets

Introduction

Brand building


Brand Building

Sergio Zyman quote:“Building a brand means planting your business in the reward behavior area of a customer's brain—the same area that responds to chocolate, love, and beauty. It is being first and foremost in the mind of a customer when they need your service, and they should feel a sense of reward just by thinking of you.”


Brand Building

The Influence of Brand-building on Marketing Success

What is a brand?


Brand Building


Brand Building

A brand is not a logo.


Brand Building

What is a Brand?‣A brand is a company’s reputation and promise of quality and excellence


Brand Building


Brand Building

Brand Equity and Brand Loyalty


Brand Building

What is “Brand Equity?”


Brand Building

Brand equity is the perception of value or superiority of a product or service in the eyes of a consumer.

Brand Equity: Definition


Brand Building

is expressed in the form of consumers choosing the clinic and following recommended treatment with little or no regard for price.

Brand Equity in a veterinary clinic


Brand Building

What is “Brand Loyalty?”


Brand Building

Brand Loyalty: Definition

Brand loyalty is a client’s commitment to continually repurchase a product or service regardless of the marketing pressure generated by competitors.


Brand Building

is expressed in the form of clients continually returning to the clinic with little or no regard for competing options.

Brand Loyalty in a veterinary clinic


Brand Building

Your Brand is Your Reputation


Brand Building

Branding Defined ‣A strong brand will protect you from economic volatility and competitive challenges‣A great brand is a buffer.


Brand Building

®HEARTGARD and FRONTLINE are registered trademarks of Merial. ©2010 Merial Limited, Duluth, GA. All rights reserved.

The Art of Leveraging Giant Brands‣Intelligent marketing strategies always include leveraging the power of nationally recognized brands.

Identity development


Identity Development


4 steps to a great identity1. Create a clear vision statement2. Design a great logo3. Develop a tagline 4. Establish design standards



1. Create a written vision statement‣How will you treat each and every client?‣What level of service will you provide?‣What is your promise of clinical excellence?



2. Design a great logo


Identity DevelopmentUnleash the Power of Marketing


2. Design a great logo ‣Logos can change



2. Design a great logo ‣Use your logo everywhere possible



3. Develop a tagline‣Develop a meaningful and concise statement that captures the essence of your clinic.‣Sell the benefits – not the features

Improving Lives One Pet at a Time! (benefit)

Full Service Veterinary Care (feature)



Samples of Taglines‣Your Pets Deserves Our Vets‣Caring for Pets and Their People‣Warm Hearts for Cold Noses‣All Creatures Great and Small



3. Develop a tagline McDonald’s is Your Kind of Place (1967)You Deserve a Break Today (1971)

Have you Had your Break Today? (1995)I’m Lovin it! (2003)



3. Develop a tagline



4. Establish design standards for your marketing materialsDesign standards consist of fonts, textures, shapes, color schemes, photos and even language style.



4. Establish design standards for your marketing materials


Online marketing

Website design


Website Design

Choosing The Right Domain Name ‣www.somanypeoplemakethemistakeofcreatingcomplicateddomainnamestobecreative.com‣Always get a “.com” (avoid “.net” “.biz” “.info”)‣Easy to remember and type ‣Absolutely NO hyphens


Website Design

Website Design ‣Hire a professional that follows market trends


Website Design

Website Content (Content is King) ‣Hire a Copyrighter or Editor ‣Simplify Your Homepage‣Have A Solid About Us Page‣Testimonials and Awards‣Make it easy for them to contact you‣Content should say less of “Look at me” and more of “This is how we can help you”


Website Design


Website Design

Typical Source of Website Content‣ Veterinarian writes it — 56.2%‣ Staff Member — 27.2%‣ Friend or Family Member — 9.5%‣ Consultant — 29.5%‣ Templated veterinary websites — 17.8%


Website Design

Mobile Websites

Search marketing


Search Marketing

Why Search Engine Marketing?‣Local search for grew by 86% in 2009‣Expected Growth in 2011 94%


Why Search Engine Marketing?‣86% of local searchers follow up with a phone call or visit‣61% end up making a purchase

Search Marketing


Who Rules the Search Engine Market?2 billion global searches a day

72%

3%

15%

10%

Everybody Else

Search Marketing


Four Critical Factors of SEO‣Site architecture‣Content (relevance)‣Links (trust & authority)‣User action

Search Marketing


Search Engine “Gardening” ‣SEO creates “organic” results‣Organic traffic is always free ‣Searchers trust organic results ‣Success requires ongoing attention‣Easier to maintain once established

Search Marketing


On-Site Factors That Influence SEO‣Age of Site and Content

- The expiration date of the domain (1yr. or 5 yrs.? )

‣Structure of Site- Site map and menu structure follows best practices- Site code is clean and easy to analyze- Text is readable and not in graphic form (Flash is bad)

‣Keywords throughout the site- Keyword use in important tags- If density of keywords is too high can be a penalty

‣PPC usage- Google shouldn’t be biased but they are.

Search Marketing


Off-Site Factors That Influence SEO‣Overall popularity of site

- Popularity of site within topical community

‣Overall popularity of linking sites- Popularity of linking sites within topical community- Age of links is weighed heavily. Old is good.- Too many too fast looks artificial and can be a penalty

‣User Actions- Time spent on the site and number of pages viewed- Did the user bookmark the site?- Returning visits are excellent

Search Marketing


SEOUnleash the Power of Marketing

SEOOrganicSearchResults



SEO

Reviews


SEOMap Listing



SEO

Paid Ads


Don’t expect your website to be listed on search engines the day it goes up. Google for example, in their fine print, estimates 6-8 months for your site to be listed completely.

Common Misunderstanding

Search Marketing


Benefits of Using an SEO Company‣Understand in-and-outs of all search engines. ‣Keep keywords fresh, and up-to-date. ‣Can speed up the listing process. ‣Monthly analytics reporting

Search Marketing



SEO

Paid Ads


Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising‣PPC are sponsored links on Google, Yahoo! and MSN‣Simple to set-up and manage budget‣Can target as many keywords as you choose‣Results can be limited by budget‣“Fast-Food” (Hunting) Search Engine Marketing

Search Marketing

Search MarketingUnleash the Power of Marketing


Setup a Pay-Per-Click Campaign: ‣Create a Google AdWords account‣Set a budget—$100 or $500 a month ‣Choose your keywords ‣Compose your ad and description of services.

Search Marketing


The process of analyzing activity on your website

Website Analytics

Search Marketing


Website Analytics‣Unique Visitors‣Page Views per Visit‣Average Time on Site‣Visitors by Location‣Source of Traffic‣Browser Used

Search Marketing

Coupon websites


Coupon Websites

Top 4 Coupon SitesIn 2010, 367 billion printable coupons where distributed. That’s a 237% increase from the year before. One third of all coupons redeemed were for non food items.


Coupon Websites

Online reviews


Online Reviews

‣Each Month 40 million people visit Yelp.‣Yelpers have written over 17 million reviews ‣83% of them rate a business 3 stars or higher‣Setup a free account to post offers and respond to customers

https://biz.yelp.com/

https://biz.yelp.com/


Online Reviews

‣Over 3 million consumers use Angie's List to find professionals in their area‣Reviews are based on an A-F rating‣Companies can respond to reviews‣Each report submitted is reviewed for fraudulent or malicious reviews.


Online Reviews

Promoting Good Reviews‣Good reviews reinforce brand loyalty‣Actively collect your reviews‣Encourage clients to write reviews‣Include good reviews in marketing materials‣Post reviews online—Facebook, Twitter, etc.


Online Reviews

Promoting Good Reviews‣Be Nice—Don’t take it personal.‣Research before you respond—Find out if negative review is valid.‣Assure your reviewer you’ll solve the problem. ‣Keep it short—Too long and it appears you’re covering up.‣Remember feedback is helpful.

Email marketing


Email Marketing

Email Campaign Content ‣Announce New Employees‣News Articles or Educational info‣Promotions and/or Discounts‣Upcoming Events‣New Equipment or Technology‣Client Testimonials


Email Marketing

Timing Is Everything ‣Tues or Wed before 9am‣1/3 will open in first hour‣1/2 will open within 6 hours‣3/4 will open within 24 hours


Email Marketing

Social Media

Social MediaUnleash the Power of Marketing


Social Media

Social Media Statistics‣85% of companies use Facebook in their marketing strategy ‣Over 24 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute ‣150 million professionals have LinkedIn accounts‣Half of all active users log into Facebook each day‣Facebook has over 800 million members


Social Media

How Can Social Media Help Me?‣Establishes that you are innovative and forward thinking‣Pushes more traffic to your website ‣Broadens your marketing reach ‣Improves search engine ranking


Social Media

Personality profiles


Personality Profiles

Personality Assessment Theories Keirsey Temperament SorterMorrisby ProfileDISC Personality ProfilerMyers-Briggs Type Indicator



DISCThe meaning behind the acronym DISCD – Dominant or Driver I – Interpersonal or Interactive S – Security-minded or Steadfast C – Critical-thinker or Cautious



DISC‣18% of population ‣9% of women‣Highly motivated, driven‣High risk takers‣Impatient

Must respect you to buy from you


Personality ProfilesDISC‣28% of population ‣41% of women‣All about relationships‣Require social acceptance‣Concerned about image ‣Hate small details

Must like you to buy from you


Personality ProfilesDISC‣40% of population ‣45% of women‣Hate disruption and change ‣Like to work in teams ‣Hate the stress of decisions ‣Research everything

Must trust you to buy from you



DISC‣14% of population ‣5% of women‣Enjoy data and statistics ‣Ask questions about everything ‣Fear making bad decisions

You don’t even enter into the equation

Presentation skills


Presentation SkillsThe “Trading-Up” Phenomenon


Presentation Skills

Stop giving away Mercedes care at Volkswagen Prices

Get paid for what you deliver!


Presentation Skills

Low Price or Value?


Presentation Skills

Low Price or Value? It’s not about a low price, it’s about value per dollar.


Presentation Skills

Low Price or Value?Consumers LOVE to validate their sense of self as they purchase superior brands.


Presentation Skills

Sell the benefits not the features!A salesman was trying to sell a stove to an elderly lady. He described the construction features at great length, talked about B.T.U.s, thermostats and automatic damper control. Then the customer interrupted him with this wonderfully human question: “Tell me, mister, will it keep an old lady warm?”


Presentation Skills

Learn to listen.‣Body language makes up 55% of a person’s communication. ‣Tone and pace makes up 38% of a person’s communication. ‣Words make up less than 10% of a person’s communication.


Presentation Skills

At the end of the day, sales is a popularity contest. Everyone wants

to be friends with the cool kid.


Presentation Skills

‣Strive to become a master communicator‣Sell the benefits and not the features‣Learn to quickly assess personality types‣Provide your clients with expanded options‣Position your fees so that consumers can upgrade

Case Presentation Review

External marketing


External Marketing

External Marketing Tips and Tricks


External Marketing

‣Analogy of Seeds ‣Too much reach results in millions of wasted budget!Frequency vs. Reach


External Marketing

The Impact of Client Attrition


External Marketing

Clients Move‣Using US Census Bureau data from 2003, 14.1% moved. ‣Half of homeowners move without notifying the US Postal Service.


External Marketing

Other Attrition Factors‣Clients Die (approx.1% of US population)

‣Clients Diagnosed with Cancer (nearly 1%)

‣Clients Lose Jobs (1.25%)

‣Clients Divorce (1.5%)


External Marketing

What does this all mean?The total number of clients who move or die total nearly 15%. With job loss and divorce the total easily approaches 18%. This does not even begin to factor in issues such as, terminal illness, depression, drug abuse, alcoholism and mental illness.

The client attrition rate will exceed 20% yearly.


External Marketing

Demographic considerations1. Age of head of household2. Home owners vs. renters3. Household income4. Real estate value5. Children in the home6. Time in community7. Pet ownership


Branding and Identity


External Marketing

Income Level?Never assume that consumers who have the highest income will make the best clients.

Studies show that consumers with higher income levels don’t respond as well to advertising regardless message.


External Marketing

New Move-ins“New move-ins” are important for direct mail success.

Names are obtained through utility hook-ups and city and county records.


External Marketing

Response Tracking SystemAnalyze and measure the response

of your marketing campaign


External Marketing

Your Response Tracking System‣Simple and Affordable‣Tracks length of call, time of call and caller ID with address‣Google Map of caller location ‣Demographics detail of the caller’s zip code‣Whisper feature announces that the call is a marketing call‣Recorded MP3 file of each call


External MarketingYour Response Tracking System

Generating referrals


Branding and Identity


Referrals

Seth Godin quote:Something remarkable is worth talking about. Worth noticing. It’s like a purple cow. Boring stuff is invisible. It’s a brown cow. Understand that if your product or service isn’t remarkable, it’s invisible.


Referrals

Why referred clients are smart business‣They are less likely to be “vet shopping”‣They usually have fewer objections‣They are more likely to be long-term, loyal clients‣They are highly inclined to refer others‣The most affordable way to obtain a new client


Referrals


Referrals

Benefits of a referral brochure‣ Helps staff consistently promote referrals‣ More informative than a business card‣ Makes a lasting impression with powerful imagery‣ Eliminates complicated verbal scripts‣ Motivates existing clients to refer‣ Every patient, every day!


Referrals

Patient RewardsTake care of the people who take care of you.

Marketing to women


Marketing to Women

Women in Veterinary MedicineWomen are rapidly becoming a majority in the veterinary profession. They now make up 48% of all practicing vets and 75% of all vet school graduates.


Marketing to Women

Purchasing power of women‣Over 85% of retail purchases made today in the U.S. are made by women. ‣At least the next 10% are influenced heavily by women‣Marketing to women always delivers more profit than putting the same budget against an all-male target.‣Women 50-75 are prime marketing targets - They have the time and money to spend for themselves and others.


Marketing to Women

Jack and Jill Principle:You don’t need to know Jack... but you need to know Jill and know her very well.



Marketing to Women

The Soccer Mom MythOverview of who today's female consumer really is, how she really thinks, and why she really buys.


Marketing to Women

The value of female clients‣Female clients will be much more loyal‣Women are more likely to be compliant‣Women refer more often than men do


Marketing to WomenMarketing to WomenTom Peters quote:“If a man is ignored by a sales clerk, he thinks What a jerk. A woman will think,I hate this company.”

The small things, good and bad, make more of an impact.


Marketing to Women

Women complain for a reason‣A recent study showed that of 1,000 random complaints, more than 80 percent were registered by women.‣When things goes badly they get mad and stay mad.‣Their complaints register words like...


Marketing to Women

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Marketing to Women

Women complain for a reason‣Research indicates that of 1,000 random complaints, more than 80 percent were written and registered by women.‣When things goes badly they get mad and stay mad.‣Their complaints register words like "embarrassed," "helpless," "out of control," "hurt," and "rejected."‣Business is personal and emotional to them.


Marketing to Women

Mistakes that women always notice‣Strong or bad odors‣Being in a hurry and not willing to invest time‣Being too pushy or aggressive‣Failing to provide supporting information‣Being profiled or stereotyped


Marketing to Women

Build credibility with female clients‣Providing access to rich content resources‣Selling the benefits instead of the features‣Using credible testimonials from other clients‣Selling with stories and not facts‣Understanding the importance of facial communication‣Selling convenience and value over price


Marketing to Women

Jack and Jill Principle:You don’t need to know Jack... but you need to know Jill and know her very well.


Marketing to Women

Women don’t just buy brands... they join them.


Marketing to Women

Marketing to WomenBarbara K's 30 piece tool kit is not only better looking but the tools are sized to better fit a woman's hand and they weigh less than regular tools.


Marketing to Women

A Sears survey revealed that if given the choice of an hour of free advice from home-repair pro Bob Vila or Dr. Phil, 63% of women would chose Vila.

63%37%

Telephone skills


Telephone Skills

Your On-hold Marketing SystemTurn on-hold time into a marketing tool

‣All digital device (no moving parts)‣Simple to update or change audio‣6-10 minute message with music‣Professional voice talent


Benefits of on-hold marketing‣Creates dialogue about services you offer‣Reduces hang-ups. (34% of callers will hang-up to on hold silence and never call back)‣Can make up for a rushed or rude staff member‣88% prefer messages over music only

Telephone Skills


Your hours of operation‣The most frequent call times are early morning on Monday, during lunch hours and Fridays after noon‣Never try to describe complicated hours of operation on your answering machine‣Hours of operation should be Monday through Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm (no lunch breaks)‣You’ll never convert a call that you don’t capture

Telephone Skills


Call Conversion!‣She can make or break a new client experience‣Director of First Impressions‣Clients should “see” you smiling through the phone‣Make training a regular priority‣ Look for individuals with great communication skills‣Pay them well and expect excellence – thousands of

dollars every month can be gained or lost

Telephone Skills

Marketing plan


Marketing Plan

Why do I need a Marketing Plan?


• SWOT Analysis of Current Situation• Projected Return on Investment • Marketing Budget Established

Marketing Plan


• Strategy for Improving Brand Value• New Client Acquisition Strategy • Retention Strategy for Active Clients

Marketing Plan


• Brand and Identity Items Developed • Design of Marketing Materials / Tools• Content Publishing and Updates

Marketing Plan


• Tracking Systems Implemented • Return on Investment Assessment • Adjustments to Plan as Needed

Marketing Plan


Annual Marketing Budget‣4-5% of collections for new, transitional or struggling clinics‣2-3% of collections for mature or already thriving clinics

Marketing Plan


What should your clinic be spending?‣ Clinic Annual Collections: $750,000‣ Clinic Monthly Collections: $62,500

$37,500

$30,000

$22,500

$15,000

5%

4%

3%

2%

Annual Budget Scenarios

Marketing Plan


Client Lifetime Value (CLV)When you know the lifetime value of a client, you can determine how much time, effort and money you can afford to invest to acquire a new client.

*Referrals from these clients will increase the CLV significantly.

Marketing Plan

A = Average time a client remains in your clinic:B = Total income over the time period (A) above:C = Number of active clients:


Patient Lifetime Value (CLV) Calculate your CLV by determining the following:

$3,500,0002,500

$1,400Client Lifetime Value = B/C

5 Years

Marketing Plan


Marketing ROI Variables‣Local economy‣Saturation of veterinary clinics in a community‣Hours of operation‣Ability to convert a call to an appointment‣Poor customer experience‣Presentation skills

Marketing Plan


Developing an Effective 2-Year Marketing Plan

Marketing Plan

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