Why MARKETING is such a bad word
Why MARKETING is such a bad word.
Most people hate MARKETERS.
Why?
Because most people think MARKETERS are trying to, always SELL you something. But that’s NOT the primary goal of marketing.
The ‘selling’ marketers are those marketers who don’t know what they are doing. That’s why you don’t like them. They don’t understand human behaviour.
But thinking that you shouldn’t do “marketing” (which most chiropractors hate to do) is a terrible mistake.
And in fact, it makes are our profession worse.
How?
Let’s think about this.
Consider your smartphone you have in your hand right now. What model is it?
Now, if you didn’t see a single ad, read it on a blog, heard it from a friend, saw it in a store, watched a video, glanced at it on poster, saw a post on Facebook, saw a commercial, talked to a salesperson about it, read or look at a review of it… would you have PICK that MODEL or brand of phone?
What about the laptop you use? What about the car you drive? What about the TV/fridge/washing machine you have in your house? The book that you are currently reading at the moment? The podcast you are listening to?
Marketing is education. Marketing done right is about educating you (the buyer) to take ONE step closer to a better buying decision on a product or service.
Marketing is NOT only about selling. Marketing done right is about EDUCATION.
Let me ask you this:
What was your marketing budget for your practice last year? (e.g. Something that helps educate your potential prospect in your product, service or your practice).
Most chiropractors’ last BIG marketing spend was the “Yellowpages Ad” they had five years ago!
If you don’t market your brand, service, product or practice… how do you expect people to hear or know about what you do, why you do what you do, or why you can help them?
And if every chiropractor stops marketing to the public – what do you think is going to happen to the utilisation rate of CHIROPRACTIC in general? This is one of the reasons why I believe less marketing or marketing done wrong will only harm the profession in the long run.
Like anything else – there is an art and science to marketing. You can’t learn marketing from a book. You have to find out how to do it effectively and more importantly in modern times!
In today’s world, you not only have to be a chiropractor… but you also have to learn to be a MARKETER and a SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT.
You can wait to learn of course – but you and I both know – the longer you wait, the harder it is to catch up. (Think how hard it was for your parents to adapt to the internet age).
Stop waiting and hoping for patients to come to you (because they are not coming). Go and learn how to attract them to you.
Your profession depends on it.
