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J3 Relational Marketing
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#1e73be”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”712″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_border” qode_css_animation=”” qode_hover_animation=”zoom_in”][vc_column_text]In This Article
- What Kind of Marketing Is This
- Why Do People Choose You
- The Right Stories
- The Right Pictures
- The Right Words
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What Kind of Marketing Is This?
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#1e73be”][vc_column_text]It was during a routine sales presentation in 2008. I was telling my prospective client, Marco, about how to powerfully differentiate himself by using the right words, the right pictures and especially the right STORIES. He said, I’ve never heard of this before, “What kind of marketing is this?”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]I had never been asked that question before. I heard myself say, “It’s relational marketing.” The term just came to me. No one used the term in this way in those days. But I liked it so I stuck with it. [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#1e73be”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text]
Why Do People Choose You?
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#1e73be”][vc_column_text]I said, “Marco, I have a question for you. Why do people choose you as their dentist? There are more dentists than Walgreens. Why do people choose you?”
He said, “Some of my patients choose me because of where I located my office.” Some choose me because my patients refer them to me. Some come from insurance.
I said, “Marco, may I respectfully suggest, that doesn’t answer the question I asked.” I asked you why people choose you. You told me how people know about you.
People know about many dentists. The question is why do some people choose you. I believe it goes deeper than where you located your office, or even who recommended you.
Would you agree with this statement? People find you the same way people find any dentist. But why they choose you, most of the time, is more about how they and their friends feel about YOU as a person than where you located your practice or the cool new machine you just bought.
Marco sat silent, thinking about what I said. After a moment I went on.
I believe people choose you because you’re different. We both laughed. WHO you are as a person is different.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][blockquote text=”Marco, I believe that how you are different is your
most powerful marketing advantage.” show_quote_icon=”no” border_color=”#006e9e”][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]
How you are different from every other dentist they know about, Marco, is why they CHOOSE you as their dentist.
To give it a name, they make a “Relational” connection with you in some way. Location is important. Referrals are golden. Ultimately, though, people choose you for a deeper reason…WHO they are as a human being connects with WHO you are. It’s a relational thing.
“Do you agree?” I asked Marco. He said, “Well, since you put it that way, I guess I do.” The light started to come on. “Yeah, I really do!
That’s why you call it RELATIONAL MARKETING!”
You Got it! And, if that’s so it raises another question: How can I put whatever that is in my marketing message?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text]
Two TYPES of marketing
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Marco, There are two types of marketing out there.
- Transactional
- Relational
The transactional marketer goes after the sale.
The relational marketer goes after the long term relationship.” [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Most dentists I know are relational marketers. They value and go after the long term patient/doctor relationships. They value it, they work at it. They require everyone in the office to bend over backward to make every patient feel like FAMILY…even the cranky ones.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text]
Two TYPES of website content
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In the same way you could say there are two types of website content.
- Informational
- Relational
Informational content contains the facts people need to know.
Relational content contains personal specifics that help people get to know you.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text]
The Big Fat Marketing Disconnect
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Marco, it seems to me there there’s a big fat marketing disconnect when it comes to a lot of dental marketing I see.
- Most dentists are relational marketers.
- Most dentists build informational websites.
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]We all work to make the atmosphere in our offices relational, but we tend to overlook the importance of giving our websites that same feel.
But isn’t the website the place where most people get their first impression of you and your practice? Will Rogers said, “You only get one chance to make your first impression.”
At J3 we say, “If we do this right, the first impression people get, when they meet you on line, will match what they experience when they actually walk through your door. What they feel when they experience your website … feels like what they will feel when they receive your care.”
If we can do that, we create an unfair advantage over our competition.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Marco said, “That makes a ton of sense. How can I make my website more relational?
I said, “Marco, it’s really pretty simple. I’ll break it down.
- The RIGHT STORIES
- The RIGHT PICTURES
- The RIGHT WORDS
Tell “Who You Are” stories. Use “Storytelling Pictures.” Use “You” words instead of “I” words. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#1e73be”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text]
The Right Stories
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#1e73be”][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”848″ img_size=”960×540″ add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_border” qode_css_animation=”” qode_hover_animation=”zoom_in”][vc_column_text]It was on a Monday morning in 2007. We were having breakfast at Clair’s, a quaint locally owned restaurant in Catalina, Arizona. It was on that day I met Stan Hustad, an executive coach with whom, I went on to work for a season.
As we enjoyed some of Clair’s wonderful pancakes, we discussed business, leadership, marketing and other things we had in common. At one point, Stan said something that totally arrested my attention. He said, “Johnny, the future belongs to the storyteller.” Deep down I knew he was right. I knew storytelling was going to be one of the most important tools in my dental marketing tool box.
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Storytelling The Oldest Form of Communication
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]He went on to explain, “Storytelling is the oldest and most effective form of communication…and it’s making a comeback in the marketplace.” He was right. These days, in ways that you never saw it back then, some sort of storytelling is at the heart of almost every ad campaign you see. I love the Subaru adds, the iPhone ads. Great examples.
In her book The Story Factor, Annette Simmons gave this striking instruction. “Use specifics,” She said. “It’s the specifics in your story that allow people to see that you are like them.” (You are their kind of peeps…of the same ilk…operate on the same wave length, on the same page, out of the same cut of cloth.)
People prefer to do business with someone they trust. When they perceive that you are “like them,” their trust in you begins.
One of the huge side benefits of relational marketing is that as you make it more obvious who you are, you attract the kind of patient you will enjoy having in your practice.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Like Stan said, “Storytelling is the oldest and most effective form of communication.” That’s because storytelling activates the mind’s eye and reaches the heart.
- Stories make you see. Stories make you feel.
- People remember what they see.
- People act based on what they feel.
- We want people to remember our marketing.
- We what them to act.
Most dentists describe their services in a way that shows no difference from practice to practice. You or any other dentist could put your name at the top of the message and what is described would be true.
But the truth about how you are different from every other dentist would not be present. But it can be and it should be. The thing that is different about your practice is YOU. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The best way to make your difference obvious is to tell YOUR story.
Who you are stories take different forms.
- Biographical
- Philosophical
- Experiential
Biographical stories picture your experience. Philosophical stories picture what you believe and how that matters. Experiential stories picture what it’s like to experience your care.
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Sample Stories…What Stories Do You Have?
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#1e73be”][vc_column_text]Here’s a cool experiencial story. A pediatric dentist’s story that combines both the philosophical and experiential. A parent can read this story and get a pretty good feel for this doctor. She says,[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text]
We Make Getting Your Tooth Pulled Fun
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]“This kid came in the other day, petrified, terrified. I took out his tooth and he didn’t even know it. My lead dental assistant, Bret, loved this. He goes,
“Are you ready? We’re going to take out your tooth.
“No, no. The kid says, “I’m not ready. I’m not ready.“
Well, the little guy doesn’t know it yet, but I’ve already taken the tooth. It’s already in a little box. Brett holds up the tooth.
“Too late. We already did it.”
The look on the little guy’s face is fabulous. It’s so cute. The mom was just blown away. It’s fun. We make it fun. It should be fun to go to the dentist[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text]
Share an Interesting Biographical Story
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In the old days, because all the dentist’s hand tools were right handed, you could tell a left-handed dentist. You’d see a line down his coat caused by his belt-driven hand tools. If Dr. Smith had practiced back then he would have had a line on his coat, as did his mom’s father and her brother, also dentists and also left-handed. You could say both handedness and dentistry run in Dr. Smith’s family.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text]
Tell Your How-You-Got-Started-in-Dentistry Story
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Dr. John Hughes of Southern Arizona Endodontics tells the best “how-I-got-started stories I’ve ever heard. Here’s peek.
I said, “Walter, you’re so full of hot air. Anybody can get into dental school.” He said, “I bet you $100 you couldn’t.” I said, “I bet you $100 I can.”
That was $100 I didn’t have. Walter made a big deal out of it. A bunch of people were there to watch the scene go down. I had no choice. I applied to the University of Missouri Dental School in Kansas City.
“I got in for all the wrong reasons, but after the first year there, I felt it was good for me, and I just went ahead with it.”
You’ve got to read this entire story. Click here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#1e73be”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text]
The Right Pictures
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#1e73be”][vc_column_text]A picture, in a nano second, can communicate more than you can say with a thousand words. Use pictures that tell your story.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”804″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_border” qode_css_animation=”” qode_hover_animation=”zoom_in”][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#1e73be”][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” use_as_box=”use_row_as_box” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1488820390005{border-radius: 1px !important;}”]
“Use lots of pictures!
The modern website operating on today’s high speed internet provides expansive opportunity to use pictures.”
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”839″ img_size=”300×300″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_border” qode_css_animation=”” qode_hover_animation=”zoom_in”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”840″ img_size=”300×300″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_border” qode_css_animation=”” qode_hover_animation=”zoom_in”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” use_as_box=”use_row_as_box” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_single_image image=”838″ img_size=”600×300″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_border” qode_css_animation=”” qode_hover_animation=”zoom_in”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]
“Pictures that
support the story
MAKE the story.”
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“Beautiful pictures
truly MAKE
a website.”
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”839″ img_size=”300×300″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_border” qode_css_animation=”” qode_hover_animation=”zoom_in”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”296″ img_size=”300×300″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_border” qode_css_animation=”” qode_hover_animation=”zoom_in”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#1e73be”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text]
The Right Words
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#1e73be”][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”859″ img_size=”960×540″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_border” qode_css_animation=”” qode_hover_animation=”zoom_in”][vc_column_text]Finally, Marco, the words you use can enrich the “relational” flavor of your website. One of those little differences we think makes a big difference.
Use “YOU” words instead of “I” words.
Every time you can, use words like you, your, and yours instead of words like I, mine, we, me and ours.
I have pulled actual copy of a typical dental website and replaced “I” words with “You” words.
Which feels better to you?
“I” words: Welcome to our website. Please browse the pages we have prepared to show you our practice. Read about Dr. Deloch and our team of dental professionals. We are dedicated to providing the most personalized, state of the art dental care that we possibly can.
“You” words: You are the reason we built this website, so WELCOME! Make yourself at home. Meet Dr. David Deloch. He wants you to know that he and his team of professionals have dedicated themselves to provide you the personalized, state of the art dental care you need and deserve.“I” words: The Doctor has a wonderful way of communicating and teaching children about their oral health.
“You” words: Your children will love the way the doctor teaches them about their oral health.
Use specifics as opposed to generalities
People can’t “see” generalities. We can only “see” concrete specifics, so, when you can, use words that give the reader something they can picture.
For example:
At Bright Smile Dentistry, you will find a comprehensive variety of dental services readily available to you: Restorative services such as fillings, crowns and bridges, cosmetic services such as whitening and straitening, also preventive services such as cleaning.
What I am not saying
I am not saying never use “I” words. After all you are talking about what YOU have to offer. I am just suggesting you want your patient to picture themselves having the pleasure of receiving your care. So, make them part of the picture you paint, in every way you can. Using “Specific” words and “YOU” words when you can, helps accomplish that.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row]