Tuesday, June 9, 2009 - Next Meeting: 6/9/09 8:30pm ET / 7:30pm CT / 5:30pm PT / 4:30pm Alaska

CLICK HERE for a chart to look up your NEW LOCAL DIAL IN NUMBER to be on tonight's call

Doctor, advertising is just the first step in any marketing system to acquire patients.  Once a person responds to your advertisement and makes an appointment, a certain percentage actually show up.

Of those that show up, a certain percentage become patients as in schedule another appointment.  Of those that schedule the next appointment, a certain percentage of those (and on it goes, you get the picture).

My point is it's a process.  There are certain points in the process that can always be tested and improved, if you apply a marketing approach to it.

Advertisements Are Mini Processes

The advertisements that you create, write or buy are ALSO a Process.  Several things have to happen IN SEQUENCE for them to work.

Within the ad itself, for it to be effective, you can test and improve steps in the Sequence to make it BETTER or in other words, make people respond to it.

Here is the structure of an effective Direct Response ad.

1) Headline  2) Sub headline  3) Body Copy  4) Offer

Here is the HIDDEN PROCESS that corresponds with each section, within the structure of the ad:

1) GRAB Attention of the person  2) CONNECT with their Active Mind  3) TEACH them how or why to solve their pain or fix their problem or reach their goal  4) Take ACTION

Headlines Are The ADS For The Ad

Headlines are used to stop you from whatever it is you're doing (flipping thru a magazine, reading the newspaper, looking at a web site, passively listening to the radio or flipping thru channels on the TV).

This is why newspapers and magazines use them at the beginning of articles.  To make you stop and read them.

Next time you're at the grocery at checkout, look at the headlines on the different magazine COVERS.  Which ones GRAB YOUR ATTENTION and which ones don't?

If you're overweight or fitness minded, headlines like LOSE 10 POUNDS IN 10 DAYS might grab your attention and cause you to PAUSE or STOP whatever you're doing and read further.

How To Write A Good Attention Grabbing Headline

The best headlines are the ones that speak directly to the person who is reading it.  They tap into that silent INNER CONVERSATION people always have going in their minds.

For example.  I have a addiction.  I love donuts.   I mean I LOVE THEM!  Within a 5 mile radius of my house I can tell you the location of EVERY donut shop, what varieties they bake, their hours, etc.

When I put on a few pounds eating them, I'll stop for a while, drop the weight and start back up.  But I have cravings all the while I'm on my Donut Diet.

The mental conversation going on in my mind constantly, especially in the grocery is, "I'd love to have that apple fritter and the white cream-filled donut but I gotta' lose 5 lbs before I do."

So if a magazine was on the newsstand at checkout that had the headline on it, "How To Keep Eating Donuts AND Lose That 5 Pounds!",  I'd stop dead in my tracks, pick up the magazine and read the Sub-Headline and probably the article.  Might just BUY the magazine too!

What Inner Conversations Are Going On In

 Your Potential New Patient's Mind?

Depending upon what type of patient you're looking to attract, you should write your ad headlines to TAP INTO the INNER CONVERSATIONS they may be having with themselves.

Take a person.  A baby boomer.  With dentures.  What are the problems they might be having with their dentures?  They don't fit right.  Can't chew really hard foods?  Have to order food based on it's softness instead of it's taste?

What might a denture wearer be thinking to themselves about these problems?  "I'm tired of messing with these dentures!"  "I hate not being able to chew & eat my favorite hard or dense foods!"

After you come with these Inner Conversation statements, rewrite them in the form of a question or a statement that could be used as a headline for an ad that they might want to read.

Hate Not Being Able To Chew Your Favorite Foods Because Of Your Old Dentures?

Tired Of Bad Fitting Dentures That You

Have To Clean Every Day?

Then with one of these headlines in place at the top of your ad, you'd write a Sub-Headline that starts to answer the question or continues the statement you made that gives the person a reason to LEARN more (take the next step in your Process) about how to solve their problem or fix their pain or reach their goal.

Note that for these headlines, I was thinking of a potential IMPLANT PATIENT as the person or case type I was trying to attract.  Or if you make dentures yourself this could be used as a headline about your BETTER DENTURES ad that.

You can do this with EVERY type of patient you want to attract.  Just go through the process, put yourselves in their shoes (or their mouth?) and imagine what they might be thinking to themselves.

Let's Build A Couple Ad HEADLINES For You Tonight!

On tonight's call we'll go through this process and BUILD SOME HEADLINES for you.  I'll need you to PARTICIPATE (talk on the phone).  So I encourage you to CALL IN TONIGHT (don't listen via the Web Simulcast if possible.

To HELP we have NEW LOCAL NUMBERS to choose from at: http://nconnects.com/Local/

Find the best number for where you live.  Not all but most should have a local number they can use. Or the old number still works.  In fact ANY number on that list will get you on the call.  Just use the same ACCESS CODE:  789982#  and you're IN.

Would You Take A Quick Survey BEFORE Tonight's Call?

I have a quick 4 question survey about what Advertising you want to learn more about.

Click here on this link and if you would answer the questions.  IT ONLY TAKES 90 SECONDs and NO LOGIN is required.

Also here is the link Headline & Advertising PDF from last week that we'll continue on tonight.  Print it out for tonight's call.

Thanks in advance.  Your comments on the survey will help on tonight's call! 

PS.  We're BUILDING A STRONGER VAULT FOR YOU - click here to get to it.