On August 31st we will be awarding a free marketing program valued at $1,000 to one of our subscribers. To be eligible all you need to do is be an active subscriber to The Spinal Column.

The winning doctor will be announced in the September issue of this newsletter.

Congratulations to Dr. Humiston!

Dr. Humiston is our $1,000 marketing package winner for July. Dr. Humiston, please contact Sonia at Metro Marketing by Friday, August 6th. To be eligible to win for August, just sign up for our newsletter and look at it when it arrives in your inbox. It's that easy to win a $1,000 marketing package.

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There are two ways to grow your practice. The active approach or the passive one. With the passive approach you do basically nothing to promote your practice and what happens, happens. Similar to being in a sailboat with no one at the controls and just letting the wind take you where it wishes to.

What size your practice is in one year or three years from today will be determined by which way the wind is blowing. Is that you?

The active approach has a plan and a budget. Really there are three separate budgets and plans.

1. To keep existing patients
2. To find new patients
3. To reactivate dormant patients

Existing Patients

For existing patients, it includes everything that impacts their decision to stay with you from hours open, to availability of parking, to seating comfort in the waiting room, to everything in between. No detail can be overlooked or ignored.

How do you know what matters? Simply by asking.

Do a short survey of each existing patient and ask them what 3 things they like best about their experience with you and what 3 things they like the least. Then do a lot more of what they like and try to eliminate what they like the least. 50% of your overall marketing budget should be spent on keeping existing patients.

It’s that simple. Ask and do. Ask and do.

New Patients

For new patients, the ways you can spend money is unlimited. The key is to be able to measure the results and do more of what works and eliminate what doesn’t.

Put a time and/or dollar cost on everything you do – be it telemarketing, a newspaper ad, a billboard or a speaking engagement and then measure the results.

What’s your dollar return on dollar invested?

25% of your budget should be invested in finding new patients. Test and fail with small investments and spend big with those that work. Don’t overspend on a test.

Dormant Patients

One of your untapped pots of gold. Literally. The simplest, fastest way to increase your practices income is to bring back dormant patients.

How?

Just by asking. Most of us never do.

The first of each month, invite back with a offer by phone and/or by mail, every patient who has ‘lapsed’.   The longer you wait the less likely you will be to get them to come back. So this program must be structured and timely. Once a month … every month. Make it worth their while to start visiting you again. Some of them will start visiting you again just because you asked.

For a free 8-page special report “How to Effectively Reactivate Former Patients” click here.

Each month we will give you a proven marketing tip or program that will work for you. Collect, read and use all 36 of them over the next 3 years and you will have put together an effective, powerful marketing program.

Last issue: Build a Powerful Database

This month: Direct Mail

The best way to use direct mail is to keep existing patients and to bring back ‘lapsed’ ones.

To your existing patients you should be sending:

A monthly newsletter that is of value and interest to the reader. Not a commercial about you or a canned boring
product.

Appropriate holiday/seasonal cards with a handwritten personal note. It helps create bonds and relationships.

To ‘former’ patients you can use direct mail to find out why they went from being an active patient to being a former patient. A well-written short survey along with a postage paid reply envelope will generate results. Call those who don’t respond to the mailing.

Several times a year a ‘we would love to have you back’ personalized letter will generate far more income than the cost of the mailing.

Remember the famous WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). What’s in it for them to come back?

Writing a letter is a good idea … writing an effective one is even better.

Bonus: Use of Direct Mail

Cross Promoting

If your local dentist friend did a mailing to all of his patients endorsing you and having an offer (e.g. $100 of chiropractic services) only for his patient base … everyone wins.

The dentist wins by offering something of value to his patients. The dentist’s patients get to use the offer at no cost to them. And you get new patients.

Think of all the businesses in your community that you can speak with about doing a cross promoting direct mail program.

If you have any questions on using direct mail to build your practice, you can e-mail me at larry@chirometromarketing.com (24 hour reply max.) or call me at 800 696 7788, ext. 112.

Each month we will give you a ready-to-use letter that can be used to help promote your practice.

A professional copywriter would charge you anywhere from $150 to $350 to write you a marketing letter, but as a subscriber to The Spinal Column you get it for free.

This month’s letter: To Local Businesses

Free downloadable copy

Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader

To grow your practice your professional marketing skills are as important as your chiropractic knowledge, maybe even more so.

For the cost of running a minor ad in your local phone book, you can host a full-page full-color Web site to advertise your services to a much larger audience. When you host with Pro4Pros.com there are no design, no setup and no support costs. That’s right...it's FREE!

Pro4Pros.com also offers you special features that help you manage and grow your practice:

Patient Relationship Manager
Electronic Appointment Reminders and Greeting Cards
New Patient Offer Form
An Appointment Request Option
And so much more

FREE Web site to grow your practice...Sign up today!