| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Advertising Your Private Practice: 6 Tips for Maximizing Your Results-Part 2
As discussed in part 1 of this article, "Your Private Practice: Beware of the Problems," I usually don't recommend advertising as a main method of marketing a practice for new coaches, counselors and healing professionals. There are often more cost-effective ways to get the word out and attract clients. However, if you are convinced you need to advertise or have a reason to believe that your ads will be effective as a method of marketing your practice, here are 6 tips that will help you maximize the results you will get from your financial investment. 1.When placing an ad, make the decision up front that you will commit to run it for 6 months to a year so that people get used to seeing it repeatedly. You can't expect to get results from an ad that you have only placed for a short period of time. Repetition is key here. 2.Your ad will be more effective if you gear it towards a specific target market. Directing your ad towards a general audience is not as effective as directing it towards those who are experiencing a particular problem (e.g. loss of relationship, problem with alcohol or drugs, people experiencing back pain, etc.). People want to see someone who has expertise with their specific problem. In addition, when they see an ad that speaks to their problem directly, they are more likely to respond to it. 3. Advertising works best when you place your ad in a well targeted publication. Think of the type of client you want to attract and their problem(s), find out what they read, and place your ad in these publications. For example, if you work with parents of young children, you might want to place your ad in a parenting magazine. 4. Make the client's concerns the focus of your ad, not yourself or your services. Open the ad by addressing the core problem(s) your clients are experiencing, so that when they read it, they say to themselves, "Yes, that's me. This is exactly the problem I'm having." In the end, not only will you get more clients this way, but your clients will be better served as they will be more suitable for your particular services. In addition, be sure to mention a few key benefits people can expect to experience if they work with you. 5. Find places where you can advertise your private practice for free. Some publications will allow this, especially if you offer free presentations to the public. 6. Don't rely solely on advertising to market your practice. Advertising works best when used as part of an integrated strategy. Again, because of the 5-7 contacts principle, the more ways you market your practice, the more potential clients and referral sources will be exposed to you and your practice. Unless you have a large expense budget, follow the guidelines above, or have reason to believe your ads will be successful, you are probably better off finding alternative means for marketing your practice. After you have an established practice, some well-placed ads can be helpful if used as part of an overall marketing strategy. © Juliet Austin, 2004 Bio of Author Juliet assists helping and healing professionals (coaches, therapists, counselors, massage therapists, chiropractors, etc.) who are struggling to market their practices. She helps her clients overcome resistances to marketing, learn and implement no or low-cost marketing strategies, create compelling promotional materials, and write effective website copy. Sign up for Juliet's free ezine, "Enlightened Marketing" at: http://www.julietaustin.com Visit her Marketing a Practice blog and her Website Design and Promotion blog for socially responsible businesses that she co-authors with Web Designer, Nathaniel Richman, of nrichmedia (nrichmedia.com). The author grants reprint permisson as long as the article and by-line remain intact and the links are made live.
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Writing Guarantees that Sell "This offer is good but can you guarantee it."Why write a guarantee for your product or service? It reduces the risk in the eyes of your customers, enough to turn a cynical customer into a convinced customer. Did You Know Your Mind-Set IS Your Problem? How To Save Yourself From The Pits of Marketing Cyber Hell!"Your Mind-Set IS Your Problem!"Did you know that the one major thing that stands between You and Success is Your Mind Set? Yes it is true. Sometimes our "Own Stinkin' Thinkin'" gets in the way of our Success, or our ability to achieve success. 21 Ways To Expand Your Subscriber List Expanding your subscriber list, whether it be for your ezine, newsletter -- printed or electronic -- takes persistence, and commitment. Not to mention time and letting go of the frustruation of it all. Reverse The Risk And Boost Your Profits As a business owner or marketer, if you don't reverse the risk in your product and/or service offerings, you're really missing out in what can be one of the most powerful weapons in your marketing arsenal.Risk Reversal DefinedRisk Reversal, in essence, means that you, the business owner, assumes all the risks associated with the business transactions, and your customers none. The Seven Deadly Sins of Ineffective Nametags Your nametag can be your best friend. It can be a lifesaver in meetings, trade shows and events to start conversations when you meet groups of new people. Fundraising Letters Are Easier To Write With AIDA Learn a lesson from professional direct mail copywriters. They follow a time-tested format in their sales letters, a format that you can also follow when writing direct mail fundraising letters for your non-for-profit organization. Grab Your Audience by Focusing on Benefits Have you ever chosen to pay attention to someone just because they were so self-absorbed they didn't even know you were in the room? Of course not! We pay attention to people who take an interest in us. If we want our readers to pay attention to us, we better pay attention to them!The people we come in contact with through the course of our jobs are human beings with feelings, needs, wants, and desires. Down To The Wire When you want to win and woo new clients with national publicity -- and don't have an enormous budget to distribute your message -- turn to the news wires. But first, be sure you're telling a story that's worth printing. Beyond the Booth With the advent of spring, trade shows begin to blossom. Research suggests that tradeshows are where today's businesses invest much of their marketing budgets. Increase Your Response with Multi-Step Marketing "There is only one way to judge the effectiveness of a marketing piece, and that is by the number of responses you get." - Heidi Richards -Multi-step marketing is a simple yet extremely powerful strategy when you use it to its full potential. Three Simple Keys Will Make Your Customers Stick Do you spend a lot of time and energy courting prospective new customers, hoping to pump up your bottom line? If so, you're probably missing an untapped source of sales that exists right inside your company -- there's truth in the statement that your customer list is your most valuable asset.There's a gold mine of opportunities to make easier sales and create a loyal following of customers that will return time and again by using your existing customer base to grow your sales. Attract More Clients by Raising Your Profile One of the most common issues I'm asked about is how to raise the profile of a business to attract more clients.This is an important issue no matter how small or large your business may be. Explode Your Sales With Free & Exclusive Content Offering free and exclusive content to ezine publishers and webmasters is one of the best ways you can increase exposure for your products and services. There are several effective methods you can use to employ this marketing tactic and subsequently boost your sales. Logo Facts What makes one logo better than another?Simplicity.A good logo works in the simplest form. Business Postcard Marketing: 35 Ways to Use It Postcards are an effective way for many business owners and marketing managers to attract new customers and increase sales from existing ones. Postcards are inexpensive to produce and mail. What the Heck is a Campaign and Why Do I Need to Do One? Many people ask me, "What is a postcard campaign, exactly?" "And why do I need one?" As I have been educating my clients one on one for years now, I suddenly had the bright idea that I needed to explain this for more than just one at a time and in further detail. So here goes?Campaigns for marketing are, in a nutshell, a series of repeat mailings that are strategically planned so that there is maximum benefit (more new customers) for your business. Are You Ready To Research Your Market? Picture this. You develop some product or service, spend countless hours making sure everything is just right, set up a beautiful web site, make sure the ecommerce end is secure, and then release what you know will be of utmost benefit to others. A Different Perspective On The No-Call List The other day I received an e-mail from an internet marketer who was bemoaning the fact that calling people on the no-call list is now illegal and that puts such limits on marketing. He is far and away not the only one with that viewpoint; I find it almost everywhere I look. Have You Tried Cause Marketing? To help promote your small business or professional practice, consider tearing a page out of the corporate marketing playbook. For years big companies have partnered with nonprofits to co-promote their brands. Resume Writing Service Marketing Marketing A Resume BusinessWhen starting a resume business, your marketing campaign is the most important aspect of your business plan. Without clients being able to find your services, you will not have orders! We suggest starting out with local advertising.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
