Increasing New Patients – Key Ingredients, Part 2: Marketing the Soul of Your Practice

We are not talking religion here. We are putting a little different spin to a common concept in marketing to those in the know: positioning.

Positioning, according to the original gurus on the subject, Al Ries and Jack Trout, “is what you do to the mind of the prospect. That is, you position the product in the mind of the prospect.” It’s how a prospect thinks of your product or service in relation to other products or services.

Take BMW. What do you think of right away? They would like you to think of BMW as the “Ultimate Driving Machine”. Most brands want to have a unique identifying position. Coca-Cola is “The Real Thing” and with Burger King you can “Have it your own way.”

We take it further for a dental practice. A dental practice is a combination of the area it is in, the objectives and approach to dentistry of the owner and the expertises and services offered by its dentist(s) and staff. Through market research and close study of that practice, we establish how to best communicate that practice’s strengths and give them an edge above competitors.

That “soul” is communicated throughout all marketing materials and on the Internet to create strong interest in the target audience and a desire to do their dental work with that practice.

Positioning is a fascinating subject. If you want to learn more you can pick up Al Ries’ and Jack Trout’s basic text on it: “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind.” Just remember when reading it that they are talking about big brands competing against each other, so take it with a pinch of salt!