In this world of instant gratification we often waste valuable time and energy looking for the chiropractic marketing Holy Grail. That next new breakthrough “guaranteed” to bring in hundreds of new patients “on auto-pilot”. It’s to be expected. After all, in this information world anything we want or need is generally only a click or two away.
With this point of view many Doctors of Chiropractic eagerly sign up for their first free Twitter, Facebook, or other social media account. After spending ten minutes signing up they are ready to spread the word about Chiropractic, and waiting for the instant influx of new patients to overwhelm their front office staff.
The problem is things don’t work this way. Clicking a few buttons won’t drive legions of new chiropractic patients into your practice. It never has, and it never will!
With the same all or nothing, instant gratification attitude they had when joining, these Doctors jump ship. After two weeks of sporadic tweeting or updating, these practices abandon Twitter or other site because it “didn’t work”.
The underlying problem is often the faulty view many Chiropractors hold of Twitter and other sites. These sites are NOT a method to generate new patients rapidly. Nor are they a venue to employ relentless “in your face” marketing or chiropractic ambulance chasing. We should all focus on the real value social media sites provide.
Social media sites are a fantastic way to provide chiropractic information and build relationships. They offer a great opportunity to provide information about your practice and are an invaluable tool to drive potential patients to your practice website, blog, or other area to learn more about you and your practice.
Marketing your practice via Twitter and other sites can, and does, work. It is also one of the most cost-effective ways to promote your chiropractic practice. The problem is it takes time and most practices throw in the towel before the true benefits can be seen.
Give Twitter and social media marketing the time they require. Don’t expect instant results. Focus on communicating the chiropractic message, providing information about your practice and your profession, and building relationships. With time, the new patients and other benefits will come.
You didn’t become a Doctor of Chiropractic overnight. You didn’t learn to perform a side posture adjustment perfectly the first time. You didn’t learn all of the Diversified or Gonstead setups overnight. These things took time, practice, and dedication. Chiropractic marketing is no different. Success requires an investment of our time and energy and we often choose to ignore this, or even foolishly look for ways to avoid it.
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