Do you really believe that your treatments improve the
quality of your patients’ lives?
If you do, then you’ve also answered the question about marketing your practice. There is no doubt that chiropractic treatment can be used to alleviate many problems – not just back and neck pain, but also sinus problems, ear pain, and others problems – but how many people who suffer from these problems actually visit a chiropractor?
That’s the reason you need to market your services and educate both your own patients and the wider public. Yes, you are doing it to grow your own practice and increase your profitability and equity, but you also want to help more people and give them the opportunity to live fuller lives than they can imagine at present.
Do Australian Health Practitioner Regulations Prohibit Any Marketing?
Many chiropractors are intimidated by Australian Health Practitioner regulations, and shrink away from marketing their services because they are happy to serve, and just want to get on with the work of healing. But what if your reticence is depriving people of the opportunity to try your services and live active, pain-free lives?
Actually, the regulations do not prohibit Advertising your services, although they do put restrictions on what you can say. On the other hand, you probably weren’t planning to point out the deficiencies in your colleagues’ treatment plans and steal their patients, were you? The regulations do not prevent you from explaining what you do, and why. Nor do they stop you from saying how this can help, or referring to documented research.
There are a lot of things you CAN say to promote your practice – in fact, just putting up a website that introduces your practice and location will put you amongst the most visible 2% of Chiropractors in Australia.
Raising the Profile of Chiropractic in Australia
I rarely hear people talk about their chiropractor, and I rarely see any material promoting the use of chiropractics except in the health magazines, yet I know many people who suffer from chronic problems which chiropractics could help if they only knew about its possibilities. If you were to promote your services and educate those people who won’t read or learn about you in their general way of life, then you would be transforming lives, whom you won’t otherwise touch.
If you think about it, the deck is stacked against many people ever learning about your services. Traditional doctors are often wary of chiropractors and their methods and promises so they rarely advise their patients to seek treatment from one. If patients ask for their opinion about the possibilities of chiropractic treatment doctors usually respond negatively. There are exceptions, of course, but in general if you say to a GP, “What do you think about my visiting a chiropractor for my chronic back pain?” the response will be a resounding, “NO!”
From time to time, prospects may stumble across an article in a health magazine, or speak to a friend who sees one, but on the whole chiropractors operate in a semi-detached universe and it’s hard to get much information about what you do and why. Or even how you might help them.
Help Prospective Patients to Know and Trust You
There are really two reasons why prospective patients don’t seek out a chiropractor then: prejudice and ignorance. The third reason would be that they don’t know any chiropractors and are afraid of just calling up some random place they drove past.
I don’t know you personally, and I don’t know anything about your skills but I do know, that as a patient I don’t want ‘just anyone’ messing with my spine! I’d like to know someone who recommends them, I’d like to know something about them personally, I’d like a reason to trust them BEFORE I call and make an appointment.
Judicious marketing that builds trust and awareness of what you do, free informational materials to educate and inform, and, best of all an opportunity to come and hear you speak about the benefits of chiropractic treatment builds prospective patients awareness of who you are, gives them a chance to meet you and hear about what chiropractic treatment can help with and to understand that you won’t just bring them in unnecessarily, and you WILL send them away if you don’t believe you can help them will overcome their resistance.
If this sounds like too much of an effort, think about the way in which this will benefit those people whose lives you touch, as well as the benefit of having more patients will add to your practice. Its not just about profits – it’s also about healing bodies and providing hope.
Sequenced Direct Mail & Content Marketing
The Dan Kennedy marketing method has been used successfully by many chiropractors to build their practices to incredible levels by establishing trust between prospect and practitioner. It’s been great for the chiropractors because even more than the added income they enjoy, is then knowledge that they are changing people’s lives for the better. Isn’t that why you went into chiropractics in the first place? If so, why not step up to the plate and get the word out about the incredible benefits of chiropractic treatment by educating potential patients about your services, and giving them a chance to know, like and trust you – and ultimately seek treatment from you.
I think you’d have to agree that marketing your services is not anything to be ashamed of, but rather a way of providing significant service to others.