How to use local media to your advantage

When it comes to marketing your chiropractic practice, many options exist.

You can set up an informative and easy-to-use website, print and disperse eye-catching pamphlets, offer discounted rates for new clients or referrals, and more in an effort to get more patients to walk in through the door. Another option is to utilize local media.

Depending on your geographical location and resources, local media may involve television, radio, and Internet sources, as well as area print newspapers. Essentially, it is any source that the people use in your area use to get their news-related information on a daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly basis.

By utilizing these types of resources, it not only gets you in front of your target market, but it also helps establish you as an expert in your field. Additionally, it gives you a higher level of credibility because the information you provide is coming from a source that the viewers or readers already trust.

Which local media sources to consider

According to a study conducted by Pew Research Center, different types of communities get their news in different ways. Knowing this in advance helps you to pick the mediums that offer the best possible response for you.

If your chiropractic practice is in an urban area, for instance, you might get a better response if you reach out to local media platforms that uses social media or, at a minimum, have an online presence. This study found that people in these areas tend to get their news from “a range of digital activities.” On the other hand if your practice is located in a small town, television media is probably a better route to take according to the research results.

To find out what specifically what types of local media your target client utilizes, you can also ask your patients directly. This can be done via an email survey or as part of regular conversation when they’re in your office. If a large number of patients mention that they use one specific source, this is a good place to start.

How to reach out in a way that increases your response

Reaching out to the local media sources that are the most promising requires contacting them in a way that increases the likelihood that they’re respond with a positive response. Weinrich Communications, a social marketing consulting firm, states that this involves gaining their attention in a way that is appealing enough that they can’t say no.

This generally involves creating any type of story that involves “conflict, human interest, novelty, or superlatives (biggest, best, etc.).” One way to do this is to take a local or national happening or event and lend your expertise on the topic in a new or unusual way.

For instance, if a major new study is released that talks about how back pain is more prevalent in sitting-based jobs, you could offer to provide tips as to how to avoid this type of pain if you work in an office position. To make it a human interest piece, you could even suggest a one-on-one interview with one of your patients (obtaining his or her preapproval) who have struggled with this type of problem in this type of situation.

Weinrich goes on to say that another factor to consider when developing your story idea is that source’s audience demographics. Knowing this type of information is critical to tailoring your message or information in a way that makes it more appealing to their specific readers or viewers, increasing the odds that they’ll agree to do the piece.

Some local media sources list this type of information right on their website. However, if they don’t, you can always contact them directly and ask about their general readership. Some of the information you’ll want to know includes:

• The age, gender, and educational level of their average reader or viewer
• The types of issues important to their target demographic
• Any types of stories that tend to get a more positive result

How to reach out to local media

Once you have your story idea and the angle you want to use, the next step is to contact the source and deliver the pitch. The best way to do this, according to the International Journalists’ Network, includes sharing exactly how you plan to share your story or information, providing details about how you intend to deliver it as well as how much lead time you need to pull it all together.

Also, if you’ve worked on similar pieces or projects in the past, be sure to include that type of information so the source can see samples of your work. If they’re impressed and like what they see, they’ll be more willing to work with you.