Social media, email and follow-up strategies starting customer funnels are included in the best online marketing for small business
WHAT IF WE COULD GO BACK IN TIME TO THE ‘50S AND ‘60S when television commercials were just starting to understand their audiences and a new age of marketing was being born? Coke, Nabisco and other giants built their empires with TV commercials.
Today, if the average person tried to get a primetime spot, it would cost them an arm and a leg. We are in that golden era once again — the only difference is that this time it is the internet and social media channels that are now the new TV, and marketing on them is dirt cheap.
Here are some fresh 2019 stats from MerchDope:
- The very first YouTube video was uploaded on April 23, 2005.
- The total number of people who use YouTube — 1.3 billion.
- 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
- Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every day.
- YouTube gets over 30 million visitors per day. ¹
The other advantage to internet advertising is that you can fine-tune your audience and re-target them with different ads. You can’t do that with TV. So, if TV created some big companies, wouldn’t it make sense to learn a little about social media? Think of social media as the TV and YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn as the channels — NBC, CBS, ABC, etc., to hone in on your ideal audience.
For the average small clinic out there trying to get a little exposure, I would recommend a couple of different approaches:
- Identify your target audience
- Type up 10-15 short but very educational emails
- Create a Facebook clinic page
- Create, or have someone create, an ad with a good call to action to your target audience
- Sign up for Aweber, Mailchimp or any other popular email newsletter servers/autoresponders.
You can turn your educational emails into an e-book easily with free online software, or you can create a “call to action ad” that presents an offer if they fill out a form or visit your clinic.
Playing the long game
Keep in mind with marketing on social media that the power is not in getting people to come right in after seeing your ad, like with a newspaper. The power is getting the people to come in 30-90 days from now with retargeting. You see, roughly 5% will come in based off your initial ad. The biggest portion will filter in after you send them the 10-15 emails educating them on why they need to come in. Most marketers aim only for the top 5%, and thus, it is the most expensive audience to market to.
Instead, go for the long game and shoot for the middle of the pyramid where it’s the most cost-effective and has the biggest audience.
Think pre-frame, educate and build trust, in that order:
Pre-frame — When you are setting up your marketing, pre-frame yourself as the “guru” or expert in that area. You can do this with social proof, awards, achievements, etc.
Educate — If you are offering weight loss, you want to send those people who don’t come in instantly some literature (those 10-15 emails) with things that will actually help them. Subjects like top 10 diet hacks, menu items, exercises and other things that will actually help them lose a few pounds.
Build trust — At the same time, your education of patients builds trust. When they lose a few pounds, they know firsthand you can help. If they hit a plateau, who do you think they will call? You have built trust, so they will be coming back to you.
Case study
Here is an example I call “The Tale of Two Marketers”:
Marketer One developed a couple of ads and ran them for a month. They had a great offer and really knew how to help their patients. They simply asked the patients to fill out a lead form and submit it with their information on it. The office would then call and get them scheduled.
However, this client expected all the leads to answer the phone and to come in right away. Staff members called the leads at random; they averaged 2-3 calls and that was it. No one came in, only a few leads answered the phone, and the ones who came in could not afford the high-payment service
Marketer Two ran basically the same ad with the same offer, but in a different city for a month. The same mechanism was in place as Marketer One — leads came in, but they had one highly-trained staff member, working with a script, calling or emailing them back within an hour of submission.
They emailed them a free e-book educating them on their service and how it helps with their condition. They also put them through a funnel with an auto-responder drip campaign of two emails a week for six weeks.
Halfway through, one of the emails said something to the effect of “Hi Mary! I see you have been opening my emails and hopefully you are using the tips and advice. If you have, by now you might be noticing things slowing down a bit. We see that all the time in our patients. Let’s schedule a time for you to come in and I will meet with you personally at no charge to help figure out what’s going on.”
Several took the doctor up on the offer. They scheduled them all in one afternoon for 15- to 20-minute sessions. Over half signed up for a weight loss plan on the spot. The rest went back into the education drip campaign.
Set sights on long term
The moral of the story is the first client was shortsighted and only wanted the top 5% of the pyramid. The second client had a broader vision and opted for the middle of the pyramid where most of the patients are.
So, when I get a phone call or email from a clinic looking for advice or wanting to talk about marketing, I always try to make sure they see the bigger picture and help them understand the right way to set up a long-term marketing program.
BRYAN HAWLEY, DC, had been in health care for more than 20 years before he decided to shift careers and help health and wellness professionals in growing their business. He is proficient in social media marketing, B2B and B2C marketing, and leading a web presence. He can be contacted at drbryanhawley.com.
