Marketing Mix-Direct Mail, Print, Television/Radio, Internet - Online Marketing SEO

Marketing Mix – Learning from the Dental Players

After taking on a variety of clients it has been interesting to learn through discussion what type of marketing mix they are using. Scary thing is some people actually say, "Marketing mix?"

Marketing mix – the strategic mixing of various mediums to express your message to the marketplace

We have identified the four main marketing mediums for a local marketing mix:
Direct Mail - Newsletters
Print – Magazines/Newspapers/Yellow Pages
Television/Radio
Internet
Direct Mail

Direct mail comes in a variety of packages. You can take two design routes: custom design route ( www.GoldenProportions.com) or template package route ( www.PatientNews.com).

Two factors you may want to account for in choosing custom vs. template are:
Budget & Timeliness Factor
Custom work will cost more and take increased time preparation.
Template will be very cookie cutter where you choose what articles you want and it can be printed and placed in the mail relatively quickly.

The most important element of your newsletter will be choosing the correct mailing list. Unless a firm has experienced Economist/Marketing (demographics experts) working for them you may be best choosing a mailing list yourself. A great source to find this information is www.InfoUSA.com an online database. They charge by the address/lead and allow you to setup your criteria for who you want to target. Key factors to target are Age, Income, Home Value, Sex, Marital Status, and Zip Code proximity.

Television/Radio

Television and radio are great mediums for marketing but experience short shelf life. Your expression is limited to the time you buy, and only as affective as the frequency you can place.

In my local market of South Florida, where cosmetic appeal is what we breed we have been starting to hear associate practices stepping into the marketplace. Consumers know little difference between associates vs. an experienced professional, but they do know who they are hearing. Why do I say this? Well as a single professional practice your marketing budget is going to be far shy of what the associate practice can throw at a marketing push. If you are experiencing this in your marketplace you should once again refocus your marketing to a niche audience and beat out your competitor's guerrilla marketing strategy this way.

Print – Magazine/Newspapers/Yellow Pages

Print marketing works in the dental industry on a local/regional level with the right ad. If you decide to run a print ad, look into a local magazine or newspaper where your budget will allow you to market for a majority of the calendar year.

We have encountered many clients who have been burnt by numerous organizations with nationwide magazines claiming to pitch you to an "exclusive" crowd. We will not mention any of these publications in respect for other mediums but you all know who we are talking about. To pay five figures to get into a nationwide publication, unless it comes with some silent benefits, or other strategy, just isn't worth it.

Yellow Pages = garbage/firewood, need I say more? And yes we believe it worked for you ten years ago, but this is a different era.

Face it our society is not reading print, they are reading the Internet.

Internet

Internet marketing is currently the most affective medium of the above. All the above mediums feed interested consumers to the Internet. Look at you here reading the Internet for information. Your potential patients are doing the same thing; remember that sedation radio ad you ran this week? What do you think your potential patient had better odds of remembering?

Sedation Dentistry vs. Your Name?
Porcelain Veneers vs. Your Name?

Stop feeding your competition's fire, if you are marketing on various mediums today and not the Internet, STOP THE LEAK!!!! Those clients you are grooming to buy your products and services should be coming to you at the end of the day to close the deal and not your competition.

If you would like additional information about Online Marketing and your current Online positioning, feel free to contact me at Zach@SEO.cc for a free consultation.

Thanks,
Zach Hoffman
www.SEO.cc – Online Marketing Agency
SEO, Inc., CEO
Zach@SEO.cc
Dial Up: 954-763-1130