Advertising Tools (How Do You Choose?)
by Don Zihlman

Why advertise? The short answer is "to bring in more business". Some may think that you want to keep your name visible, and that's fine, but you always want to think of what you are doing in terms of bringing in new patients. There are many ways to do this and what works in one community may not work as well in another. So, let's consider the various tools we have to work with.

Advertising media are tools. You increase your business by using the right tool in the right way. Newspaper, Radio, Television, Direct Mail are the most popular advertising tools. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. It is important that you use each tool effectively. Just as you wouldn't try to pound in a nail with a screwdriver, you don't want to use a newspaper ad to accomplish what might be better done with a radio ad or a direct mail piece.

We'll briefly discuss the aforementioned four advertising tools and describe how they can best be used. Some people get better results with one media than with another. The reason will vary depending upon the "market" where you business resides, and what your expectations are for success.

Newspaper
Every community has a newspaper, in many cases a large dominant daily paper, and then a myriad of weeklies. The large dominant paper may be a good choice as it can reach many people in its area of coverage. If you can attract patients from a larger geographic area, then using the daily paper makes sense. Some may choose to use a community paper or weekly. In that case you reach a smaller number of people, but the coverage is more concentrated in a specific area. You want to make sure that your ad "stands out" in the newspaper, and it takes money to do that. A key way to stand out is the size of your ad, and if you find that you can't afford to do so with the large daily paper, you may have a better chance in a community paper or weekly where the affords usually sell for much less.

Radio
When using radio you want to make sure that the radio station(s) you use match up with the demographics of your patients and potential patients. (This isn't complicated. The basic question is, do the people I do business with listen to that kind of radio station?) Once you have chosen the radio station, you again want to make sure that your ad is heard often enough. This is done through repetition. If you are trying to generate appointments immediately, you may wish to run your ad campaign over a short period of time. However, if you are trying to look at the long-term growth of your practice, you may wish to have a campaign that runs for many months or longer. Then you get repetition by showing up on the radio consistently over that period of time.

Television (Over-the air and Cable)
Television is considered by many to be the most influential of all the advertising media. It has visual, sound, and movement. That's a combination of one or more attributes of the other advertising "tools". Depending upon the size of your market area, it can also be one of the more expensive advertising media. With that said it could also be very effective. Much the same can be said about television as we said above about radio. Both electronic media work in a similar manner.

Direct Mail
This is a very highly used form of advertising. It too can be costly, but if you are looking for specific results, it can be quite effective. However, you should not use direct mail to simply create "awareness" of your practice. You'll be disappointed. Direct mail is at its best when used to generate a specific action on the part of the "customer". Simply put, it is a tool for generating direct immediate sales.

These tools are there to help you grow your practice. There is more to a successful advertising campaign than just choosing the right tool. But this is a good place to start. If you aren't sure which tool to choose, work with an advertising person whom you can trust to work with your best interests in mind. You may need that person to help you develop ideas for your message. It is important to remember that the message in your ad is the most important part of your campaign. What you say matters. So look for a sales representative who will take the time to listen to your expectations and concerns. Now get your tools together and put together an effective advertising campaign.

For more information call toll free:

877-Don-Zihlman
(877-366-9445)