What is Marketing All about Anyway?

What is marketing and why is it so important to dental practices? I mean I have my little ad in the Yellow Pages. I tell everybody they should send their friends and family to me. I have a very cool business card. I have a 1/4 page ad in my local charity's big event brochure. And so on... Is this what marketing means to you?

In its simplicity, marketing is everything you do to get your practice known to potential patients. Think about it. It includes, public relations, the pricing of your services, the first impression a new patient has when walking in your door, advertising, selling yourself, our team and your services. In other words it's everything in total to bring new patients to your practice.

S.H. Simmons, author and humorist, relates this anecdote. "If a young man tells his date she's intelligent, looks lovely, and is a great conversationalist, he's saying the right things to the right person and that's marketing. If the young man tells his date how handsome, smart and successful he is -- that's advertising. If someone else tell the young woman how handsome, smart and successful her date is -- that's public relations." That's a great analogy.

Promoting yourself is advertising. Having others promote you is public relations. And marketing is having the right people to reach with a message that brings them in the door. Pretty simple -- right?

Actually, everything from the first paragraph is, in essence, marketing if it reaches potential new patients successfully. If that is working for you, then that's great. If it isn't, something has to added or changed. That makes sense, doesn't it? If your marketing strategy is not earning you the profit you desire or achieving your dreams and goals, then are you spending your money well enough to attract those potential people? Please realize that if you need assistance with your management systems, that's a whole other discussion.

Some may say the only way to market is through advertising, and some may say it's all about public relations. Also, some will say it's a combination of both, and some may say just concentrate on internal systems and forget all the above. Does anybody really know best? After over 35 years in practice, I found out one thing -- you can certainly spend a lot of money trying all kinds of things.

However, in a continuation of this blog's theme, I am going to give you my 35+ year perception of spending your money wisely and give you insight on achieving your dreams. My passion has never changed. I will always strive to make a positive difference for others. And who better to do this with than my peers.

Henry Ford said, "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." Blogger.com allow all 3 to happen. How cool is that?