| As the Texas gulf coast prepares for the effects | | | | ensure that all the information available to you has |
| of the first hurricane this season, news programs | | | | been found, downloaded, read and compared, this |
| focus on where it will hit land and when. Residents | | | | enables you to make choices that fit your |
| of Texas coastal towns scurry to buy food and | | | | chiropractic marketing needs. |
| supplies. Even though the Texas coast won't be | | | | Eliminate-Make a list of what you are hoping to |
| taking a direct hit from the storm, there is still the | | | | accomplish with your marketing. For most |
| outer storms that will affect the gulf coast areas. | | | | chiropractors it would be bringing in new patients. |
| Business owners board up their properties hoping | | | | Ask yourself; "Who are you marketing to?" "What |
| for minimal damage but preparing for the worst. | | | | is your goal?" Compare your list with the results |
| At some point a person has done all that can be | | | | from your research and eliminate those findings |
| done and then it's time to take shelter and ride | | | | that do not fit your chiropractic marketing criteria. |
| out the storm. | | | | Position-Find a place to implement your plan, a |
| Watching all of this activity and preparation makes | | | | main venue is ideal; this might be securing space in |
| me wonder if when facing the challenge of | | | | the newspaper to run chiropractic advertising or |
| marketing, do chiropractors subscribe to that | | | | creating an online presence in the form of a |
| theory to "prepare for the worst and hope for | | | | website or blog. |
| the best"? If they do, then maybe that is the | | | | Account-Create a system for keeping account of |
| reason so many chiropractors face financial | | | | your marketing dollars to measure your return on |
| disaster. | | | | your investment. This becomes a very useful tool |
| To me that quote sounds totally contradictory. To | | | | when you look back to see which type of |
| prepare takes action, "to hope"...well it sounds nice | | | | marketing work best for the money spent. |
| but don't you think it sounds like a passive position | | | | Create a spreadsheet for each type of marketing |
| to be in? And it makes the first part of the | | | | you try; newspaper ads, post card mailings, |
| sentence; "preparing for the worst", sort of like | | | | workshops, patient appreciation and so on. |
| not really putting everything you can into your | | | | Repeat-Do it over and over again until you have it |
| preparation. | | | | down to a science. Focus more on the marketing |
| If you were on a plane, would you rather have | | | | that brought in the positive results and do it again. |
| the pilot prepare for flight and hope you get there | | | | Don't take a break, get comfortable or skip a |
| or prepare for flight and expect to get there? | | | | month. |
| The latter sounds more confident don't you think? | | | | Evaluate-Look at your stats and compare, then |
| And that's the whole point behind preparing for | | | | focus on the areas that brought in the results you |
| anything in life, the confidence in knowing you | | | | wanted and work to improve those areas. If this |
| have done the best with the information and | | | | means ramping a bit here and lessening in another |
| materials given to you, and expecting that to get | | | | area then go with that direction. Remove those |
| you through any season, even the stormy ones. | | | | things that don't bring in results, sit them on the |
| How this relates to chiropractic marketing is | | | | back burner for now. You can always go back a |
| simple and can be accomplished if you use a map, | | | | revisit at a later date. Spending time trying to fix |
| in this case an acrostic map using the action to | | | | or improve is not always profitable for a business |
| "prepare". | | | | especially in chiropractic marketing. |
| Plan- Begin with a plan and a goal. Everything | | | | Now you are "prepared for the worst and |
| should begin with a plan. Not everything does, but | | | | expecting the best". Every chiropractor will face |
| most will agree that when you have a plan, things | | | | the proverbial storms that all business owners |
| seem to flow so much better and with a plan you | | | | face. Hopefully those storms won't be of the |
| usually will set a goal, thus giving your plan some | | | | hurricane level, but at least if they are, you have |
| motivation. Think of it as greasing the wheel...it | | | | prepared the best chiropractic marketing plan to |
| moves better. | | | | get you through those rough times. |
| Research-As with any plan research is essential to | | | | |