| If you are an acupuncturist looking for ways to | | | | help. Here's how.' If you don't do this, you will lose |
| grow your private practice, I encourage you to | | | | about 95% of your prospective audience. This is |
| do a little market research and see what other | | | | why typical display ads don't work and why your |
| practitioners are doing to market themselves. If | | | | website may not be generating as much business |
| you surf the web or look at various display ads, | | | | as you'd like. |
| you'll probably notice rather quickly that most | | | | What we are talking about here is basic |
| marketing pretty much looks the same way, has | | | | copywriting and sales skills. Amazingly, even most |
| the same phrases, and conveys the same | | | | large companies pulling in millions of dollars in |
| impression. The problem is that the conventional | | | | revenue don't get this right either. They still focus |
| 'website as brochure' or 'ad as brochure type of | | | | on their product rather than the solution it |
| marketing has the same end result: It simply does | | | | provides. As a business owner, you are a problem |
| not work and is a poor return on investment. | | | | solver for people. If you can show them that you |
| Most practitioners make one massive error in the | | | | have the solution they have been looking for, |
| way they approach marketing, one that could | | | | they will consider your services even if it is |
| profoundly undermine their ability to generate new | | | | foreign to them as acupuncture so often is. If you |
| leads and qualified patients for their practice. The | | | | can speak to your customer's needs and engage |
| most common mistake is that practitioners talk | | | | in a benefit oriented conversation with them, you |
| about themselves instead of their patients. Just | | | | will gain an enormous competitive advantage in |
| about all of the ads and websites I have | | | | your local community. As you create or review |
| researched are guilty of this marketing blunder. | | | | your promotional materials, please keep this in |
| The ad will say something like, 'Balance | | | | mind. People don't want to be sold to. Maybe in |
| Acupuncture, In practice 10 years, specializing in | | | | previous generations this worked very well. Many |
| allergies, located in downtown Denver', with a | | | | of us are still caught in 'old school' marketing like |
| picture of the business logo or some other fancy | | | | this, where we go out and try to find prospects |
| graphic. | | | | to sell our services to. In this day and age, people |
| The problem with this is that nobody cares who | | | | want to be educated first so they can make their |
| you are until you show them that you can help | | | | buying decisions in a relaxed, non-pressure based |
| them. Now, I want you to read that sentence | | | | manner. |
| again. If you fully grasp it, you are on your way | | | | Honestly, there is a very elaborate methodology |
| toward revolutionizing how you market your | | | | to this process that is beyond the scope of this |
| practice. Don't even bother talking about who you | | | | article. I encourage you to keep studying these |
| are or what you treat until you've reach out to | | | | principles as it will be necessary to ensure the |
| that prospective patient and said, 'Hey, I | | | | longevity of your practice. |
| understand what you're going through-- and I can | | | | |