According to the Gallup-Palmer College surveys conducted over the past several years, just over half of U.S. adults have ever been to a chiropractor.1 However, what is likely also true, but not addressed in the surveys – or within our profession – is that most, if not all, U.S. adults have seen or been in the proximity of a doctor of chiropractic. The vast majority didn't recognize them as DCs, but they were there, just the same.
An Overlooked Opportunity
We all know our profession has an extremely limited marketing budget. The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, in partnership with the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, will finally air a 30-second chiropractic television commercial multiple times during a major event – the 2020 Summer Olympics. The entire campaign hopes to reach 30 million U.S. households. This will be another first for chiropractic, but it will not have the same impact as an ongoing media campaign spending millions of dollars each month, year after year.
However, what we do have is more than 60,000 practicing doctors and tens of millions of patients. Why aren't we using this to our advantage?
The Power of Face-to-Face
Our own TV commercial is an exciting milestone, but it can't beat the effectiveness of one-on-one conversations when it comes to educating people. Every time you meet someone, you have the opportunity to tell them more than your profession: "I'm a doctor of chiropractic." You also have the chance to educate them about the value of chiropractic: "Most people think chiropractic is a form of natural pain relief. Let me tell you what is really is."
Likewise, your patients (assuming they understand what chiropractic is) can also have many conversations that educate their friends and change their opinions. Your job is to ensure your patients are empowered to comfortably have those conversations.
Everyone has their opinion of chiropractic, even those who have never received the benefits of chiropractic care. They are our target audience.
Don't Ignore Educational Resources
Sharing information about chiropractic's role in maintaining health is a matter of timing and opportunity. The message needs to be as consistent as possible so when people need care, they pick chiropractic over the louder, less effective, competing alternatives. This means educating your patients using multiple media that will equip them to share chiropractic facts with their friends at the time they recognize their need.
At the very least, you should be sending your patients a monthly email that includes information about chiropractic and wellness. They can easily forward these emails to friends as applicable. You can do this for as little as $13 per month. (If you're not already familiar, visit www.toyourhealth.com/go for one option.)
You should also ensure that each patient is constantly reminded of the importance of regular chiropractic for the entire family. This will remind them to refer and provide them with information that they will use in their conversations with others. You can do with HD video (see GoChiroTV.com) or with handouts.
Educated patients are referring patients. The more we talk about the power of chiropractic, the more the public will see chiropractic as a first choice, rather than a last resort.
National advertising is definitely important and we need all we can get. But face-to-face encounters provide information specific to the needs of the individual and are more impactful.
Reference
- Gallup-Palmer College of Chiropractic survey findings (2015-2018) can be accessed at https://www.palmer.edu/gallup-report/.
Read more findings on my blog: http://blog.toyourhealth.com/ wrblog. You can also visit me on Facebook and Twitter (donpetersenjr, @donaldpetersen).
Click here for more information about Donald M. Petersen Jr., BS, HCD(hc), FICC(h), Publisher.