Dental Articles

The presidential debates got me thinking about how we remember what other people say. Talking points are the way politicians simplify their message so we can figure it out quickly by hearing it often. Without this simplification, fewer people would get the message "right" and remember who the politician "really" is.  

With the complexity of choices, value perspectives and fee possibilities, dental marketing needs to simplify the decision process. Right now, your dental referrals are swimming in a confusion of generic and complex information. Talking Points developed around your practice niche will increase referrals.

While some might deride the "talking point" marketing technique in politics, it does work in many positive ways to increase recall. Currently, dental patients and consumers hear many messages and often end up saying things that they "personally like" about the practice. This kind of referral memory was fine when things were simpler. She is a nice dentist. The people at my dental practice are so gentle.

Now that new technologies and advanced services come out every other day and many dentists are marketing as well as other dental products through retail outlets the quality of the memory has to be upgraded. Your patients and general consumers are lost in the quantity of concepts being presented to them. 

To get more patients to see the value in your smile makeover treatment plans, activate more dental referrals and succinctly promote your message to consumers, dentists need to develop refined talking points to effectively explain their dental brands. 

What Should Be Your Talking Points?

First, know that new treatments and technology usually are not good dental referral talking points. Other dentists can access these same dental services very fast so their value is fleeting. 

Second, talking points need to have deep value and be specific to your dental practice. Most consumers expect nice and friendly so there is little there, there. 

Third, your suite of talking points should have three, maybe four elements: one from your expertise, another from a consumer reference point, and the other related to comfort. The fourth one - if you have another strong one - can be focused on a the most unique element of your dental practice service strategy or service expertise.

Finally, going beyond four elements reduces the value of this memory tool.

Your patients and consumers have many things on their mind. Dentistry only gets a very small part of the memory bank. With its history of pain and fear, dentists who scatter their message guarantee it will be forgotten or continue to be suppressed.

The repetitive nature of talking points provide the referral, patient and consumer with a powerful platform for improving their appreciation for advanced dentistry. The reality is that many people are about 15-30 years behind in their knowledge of what dentistry offers. This is proven out by the number of people who don't go to the dentist: as many as 50%, and 40% of those people are in a fairly high income bracket. Always adding more STUFF to the mix - means they never really catch up.

Rather than continually adding more to a grocery list of dental services and whiz bang thingies like too many dentists employ in their Yellow Page ads, refine, define and repeat, repeat and repeat! Use the new stuff as icing but don't let it get in the way of your true dental brand. 

Take your marketing to the next level. Develop your dental marketing talking points and get them out there.