April 2007

Use your adjusting instrument to attract quality new patients

by Dr. Eric M. Osansky

As you know, there are thousands of people who are terrified of seeing a doctor of chiropractic. Yet, while there are those who will never make that visit under any set of circumstances, there are some people who would be willing to go to a chiropractor if you were able to show them how different you truly are from other DCs. I have found the best way of doing this is by promoting my "instrument adjusting technique."

However, before you attempt to do this, you need to understand that simply telling your prospects you use an instrument is usually not enough to overcome their fear of chiropractic. You need to craft a marketing message that:

1. Captures their attention. This is best accomplished by using a strong headline. And while you don't want to hide the fact you're a chiropractor in your marketing piece, it's probably not a good idea to reveal this fact in the headline. The reason for this is because as soon as some people see the word "chiropractor" they will skip over your ad. On the other hand, if they learn you are different first then many won't be intimidated when they find out you're a chiropractor after reading deeper into the advertisement.

2. Conveys the safety of your adjusting instrument. You of course want to tell your prospects your adjusting instrument is safe and gentle. However, doing this alone is not enough, simply because all chiropractors claim their different techniques are safe and gentle (which they are). So what you need to do is offer proof that your instrument is safe, which I'll discuss shortly.

3. Is easy to understand. Keep in mind that most of your prospects aren't familiar with the word "adjustment" or "subluxation," nor will they understand some of the complex terminology you could use to describe the function of your adjusting instrument. So, you want to use wording that is simple and easy to understand.

4. Gives the benefits of getting adjusted by an instrument. If you really want to tap into the emotions of your prospects you need to list the benefits they will get from receiving an adjustment by an instrument. In addition, you should list other benefits about your practice as well, rather than only including the features the way most chiropractic advertising does.

5. Doesn't criticize other techniques. You never want to criticize other chiropractic techniques in order to make your instrument adjusting technique look superior. In fact, I think it gives you more credibility to talk about the other techniques in a positive light in your advertising, without claiming your technique is superior.

6. Gives some type of an offer. If you are spending money on advertising, then it makes sense to give some type of an offer with a deadline to encourage the prospect to take action. This doesn't mean you need to give away free services, but in my opinion you need to do more than offer the "dreaded" free consultation. If you can show your prospects you are truly different from other chiropractors AND give them an appealing offer, it will be very difficult for them to resist calling you.

7. Includes success stories. Patient testimonials are the best method of offering proof that your instrument adjusting technique is safe, gentle, and effective. Most of your patients will be delighted to provide you with a testimonial that you could include in any newspaper ads, direct mail campaigns, on your website, and anywhere else. You just need to obtain written permission from them after collecting the testimonial.

Hopefully, this gives you some insight as to how you could effectively promote your adjusting instrument so you will experience a surge of quality new patients each month. As discussed, there is no shortage of people who are terrified of chiropractic. Because of this if you get the right message across to your prospects, not only will your practice grow by leaps and bounds, but you will positively affect the lives of many people.

After all, some of the people who respond to your marketing would never have seen a chiropractor had it not been for your advertisement that revealed how you could help them with your "unique treatment methods." And of course these people will know others who are also afraid of going to a chiropractor, so you will have a great opportunity to receive many referrals as well.

(Dr. Eric M. Osansky, a Life University Graduate, is president of Instrument Adjusting Marketing Solutions, which since 2004 has helped hundreds of chiropractors use their adjusting instrument to take their practice to the next level. Visit his website InstrumentAdjustingSuccess.com and subscribe to his FREE six‑part e-mail mini‑course on how to promote your adjusting instrument and to receive free information on his Instrument Adjusting Marketing Advantage Mentorship Program. Dr. Osansky could be reached through e-mail at instrumentdc@aol.com)