Dental Marketing - Tyson Steele Associates - Advanced Dental Marketing Concepts

Why the ADA's Vaunted Dental Marketing Company Failed

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Written By: Tyson Steele

On July 10, 2009, the American Dental Association announced that it was shutting down the association’s for-profit joint venture with marketing firm ADAidm after it “experienced significant production and operational difficulties.”

Many former ADAidm clients have described the firm’s poor service, inability to meet timelines, and a complete lack of results from their ADAidm marketing campaigns. As we’ve talked with many of these dentists from around the country, two common questions are on most of their minds:

1. Why did ADAidm fail?

2. Why did most ADAidm campaigns generate few (or even zero) new patients?

As with most “why” questions, the truth is a bit difficult to pin down. However, I’d like to offer a couple observations here, because it may help you to make a more educated decision regarding your future marketing advisors and partners.

FALLACY ONE: ADA Endorsement Guarantees Quality

Many of the dentists who feel they were burned by ADAidm said that they thought the ADA’s endorsement (or ownership) meant that the marketing firm’s quality was guaranteed. Of course, I’m sure you can see the fallacy of this idea when you take a different perspective—that of a patient. Imagine a patient looking for a dentist. The patient sees that her prospective new dentist is a member of the ADA and, naturally, assumes that ADA membership means the dentist must be a good clinician.

But, think about that for a moment. Don’t you personally know of ADA member dentists who are not exactly the greatest clinicians you’ve ever seen? In fact, are there not some ADA member dentists who basically . . . well, let’s just say . . . remind you a bit of a caveman with a drill?

So if ADA membership is no guarantee of quality clinical dentistry, why would we ever assume that ADA endorsement is a guarantee of quality marketing strategies for your practice?

FALLACY TWO:  BIG Marketing Firms Are Better

Some dentists tell me that they were “wowed” by the sheer size of ADAidm. They figured that although the firm only had an eighteen month track record, their inexperience was offset by the firm’s sheer size.

But again, I think we can see the fallacy in that assumption by looking at this from a patient’s perspective. Imagine a patient choosing a dentist. The patient can visit the new Mega Clinic Dental Center where the staff is constantly changing and the patient is likely to be advised and treated by a different new, inexperienced dentist every time. Or the patient can visit Dr. Boutique’s small practice, where she will be advised and treated personally by Dr. Boutique, who has fifteen years of experience treating patients in the community.

In clinical dentistry, bigger clinics are not always better. The same can be said for marketing firms, whether print, internet, or consulting based.

FALLACY THREE:  The Marketing Campaigns Looked Great So They Should Have Worked

Many dentists tell us that they thought their ADAidm direct mail postcard or website looked great. However, their campaign failed to get results, and they became so disappointed by the lack of results that they now wonder if “direct marketing” even works at all.

However, if we look more closely at this, the problem with “results” probably has to do with two key things:

• ADAidm staff inexperience

• The DENTIST’S personality and desires

Please know that I’m not blaming the dentists for the poor results. It’s just important that you consider the fact that most dentists have a pretty strong personality. Dentists have likes and dislikes and very specific tastes. Most dentists already think they know what they want in a marketing campaign for their practice. Most dentists are also used to “being in charge” and leading their staff. And they call the shots when it comes to clinical decisions for patients.

In fact, most dentists have invested many years running a practice, managing staff, and practicing clinical dentistry. However, they’ve invested only a handful of hours studying marketing and consumer persuasion. Think of it this way: THOUSANDS of hours studying clinical dentistry versus A FEW HOURS studying marketing.

The problem here comes when a dentist works with an inexperienced marketing advisor, like many of the young staff who worked at ADAidm. In a case like that, the dentist’s strong personality can inadvertently lead to a situation where the marketing advisor focuses more on getting the dentist what he or she “wants” than what he or she “needs” to get results.

Ultimately, this leads to the creation of marketing materials that the dentist is “proud of”—but that fail to deliver results.

FALLACY FOUR:  I Only Need a Postcard, Mailer, Website, Logo, Etc.

Many dentists liked the “catalog” approach of ADAidm, which allowed dentists to basically choose which marketing tactics they wanted. Dentists could simply choose a website or logo or postcard campaign, and the marketing firm was happy to oblige.

But again, we can see the error in this by thinking about clinical dentistry. Imagine a new patient coming into your office and wanting a gold crown on number 7. Would you simply sell that crown without doing a comprehensive exam and taking some films? Would you simply sell that crown even if the patient needs periodontal treatment? Would you simply sell that crown without addressing the patient’s occlusion issues? Would you simply sell that crown without addressing the patient’s extreme lack of personal hygiene?

I guess what I’m asking is: are you in dentistry to just sell the one thing that the patient thinks they want? Or are you in dentistry to move people toward optimal dental health?

Well, some people will disagree with me, but I personally feel the “catalog” approach to marketing is all about selling one thing and making some quick money at the dentist’s expense. In contrast, a good marketing firm will perform a “comprehensive evaluation” and offer an effective “treatment plan” to move your practice to health.

FALLACY FIVE:  Exclusivity Doesn’t Matter

Our final fallacy is one that few ADAidm dentists ever considered until it became an issue after starting their marketing campaign.

You see, almost all advertising agencies and marketing firms provide their clients with exclusive representation in their industry. In other words, a national marketing agency will not take Nike AND Adidas, because it would be considered unfair and unethical to market two competing companies. It’s a conflict of interest.

Likewise, most reputable dental marketing firms offer their clients an exclusive territory by taking only one dentist or specialist per area. This protects the dentist’s investment in marketing and ensures that the dentist can maintain a competitive advantage over other dentists in the area.

In contrast, other firms, like the former ADAidm, take on every dentist who is willing to hire them. (Obviously, the nature of ADA membership meant that the ADA couldn’t reasonably give some dentists marketing help while preventing others from having the same access.) Ultimately, this lack of exclusivity meant that some of their clients eventually found that the dentist next door was using a similar marketing campaign from the SAME MARKETING COMPANY!

This, of course, dilutes the pool of prospective patients and reduces the dentist’s return on investment. Essentially, it limits the results of any marketing campaign by dividing the potential market base and making both local dentists look undifferentiated.

Making Good Future Decisions

I hope that exposition of some of these five fallacies is helpful to you. Ideally, this knowledge will help you make better future decisions regarding your marketing advisors and partners.

Good quality dental marketing does work. In fact, effective marketing can be the best investment you’ll ever make in your practice. So, if you’re one of the unfortunate hundreds of dentists who were burned by ADAidm, please don’t let that sour you on all marketing.

Prospective patients need to hear about good dentists who can treat them comprehensively and lead them to a lifetime of excellent dental health. A quality marketing firm, a genuine partner, can help you bring those patients into your practice, helping you provide them with a lifetime of healthy smiles.