Turn Yellow Into Gold

Design an attention-grabbing Yellow Pages® ad to attract new patients and get the most out of your advertising budget

Many chiropractors have recently been reducing the size of their Yellow Pages® advertisements. At the same time, a small number of successful DCs are using the Yellow Pages as a tool for acquiring new patients.

Based on a study performed by D. Fromholzer and K. Goering, “Yellow Pages Top Headings 1998 Report,” the responses of 106 Yellow Pages advertisements under the category of chiropractic were tracked. The average cost of each ad was $1,116. Advertisers received an average of 35 calls per month, which resulted in 28 new patients for each practice. The average fee collected from the first visit was $111. This resulted in approximately $3 profit for every $1 invested. It is hard to ignore a 350% return on investment for your advertising dollar. To achieve superior results, an effective Yellow Pages advertisement must be created.

The headline and body copy are the two most important elements. The main reason why so many Yellow Pages ads do not do well is because the ads start with the name of the practice, rather than using an attention-getting, benefit-driven headline.

A Head Start
The vast majority who use the Yellow Pages to select a chiropractor have not yet decided whom they want to use. Potential patients want relief from their pain now and are looking for help. They are not reading ads out of idle curiosity. And because most people skim through the ads and stop at headlines, your headline must grab their attention, or they will move on to the next ad.

If all you do is lead with a good headline, you will improve your response many times over.

Most DCs fill their ad space with their names or the name of their clinic-in bold type. But patients who are looking in the Yellow Pages do not know you or your practice, so a strong emphasis on something that means nothing to them is ineffective and a waste of your money.

Those DCs that do use headlines say the same things, such as “Gentle Healing,” “We Treat Accident Injuries,” or “Effective Care for all Ages.” These are generic headlines. They do not elicit an emotional response. Your headline must state a clear reason why potential patients should call you.

The purpose for spending money on an ad in the Yellow Pages is to get the patient to read your ad and call your number. An effective headline attracts attention, communicates a strong benefit, and answers the question, what’s in it for me? Identify all the benefits from the patient’s point of view.

The true test of a winning headline is that it will meet the following criteria: 1) force the reader to read the first sentence of your ad, and 2) be able to stand alone. Would your headline work in a classified ad that reads, “Call Now For Further Information” after it?

Examples of attention-grabbing headlines are:

• End Chronic Pain
• Get Relief from Back Pain Now
• There Is No Need to Live with Pain Another Day
• “I Finally Have Relief from 8 Years of Back & Neck Pain After just 8 Visits—Dr. Smith Can Help You Too.” —Jane Doe (Patient)
• 3,518 of our Patients are Living Pain-Free Lives—You Can Too
• Immediate Relief From Chronic Pain

Body Language
The body copy is the second most important part of your ad. Once your headline has grabbed the readers’s attention, you must persuade them as to why you are the best choice for relieving their pain. Use bullet points to break up body copy. Be as specific as possible and speak in layman’s terms.

Make your Yellow Pages ad more effective by (Figure 1):

Offering specific benefits. When stating your benefits, be as specific as possible. “Gentle care” or “back and neck relief” are vague—every DC claims these benefits. What are the specific ailments you enjoy treating most? Do you treat seniors with arthritis? Chronic pain patients? If you have a specialty in nutrition or sports, be sure to state it. Most patients assume DCs treat back and neck injuries only. Point out some of the other conditions you treat.

Make an offer. Hardly any chiropractic Yellow Pages ads include offers or incentives to use their services immediately. Take a good look at your patient population. What do they have in common? Make an offer to a specific group who are most like your most desirable patients. By being specific in your offer, you will attract the types of patients you want to treat. Your offer could include free special reports on health-related topics, free informative recorded messages on pain management specific to your target patient population, or a free consultation for specific conditions.

Use testimonials. This is one of the most effective, yet hardly ever utilized, advertising strategies. What satisfied patients say about your practice is more important than what you say about it. Using a short one- or two-sentence testimonial can be the most persuasive part of your ad.

Include a headshot. Place your headshot in the upper-right corner of your ad. A warm, inviting photo will help readers bond with you. For DCs, a headshot is the best graphic you can use.

Site map. It is also important to clearly indicate the ease and convenience of your location. This can be done with a scaled-down site map—-a simple, easy-to-read line drawing will do.

Use your website. Embrace technology and add your website in the ad. Very few Yellow Pages ads include web addresses. Nor do they give a compelling reason to go there. The website address is usually an afterthought and is placed at the bottom of the ad, where no one notices it. Potential patients who are doing their research before they choose a chiropractor are looking for information. Your website can provide them the additional information they need to make an informed choice.

Call to action. Make sure you tell the client what you want them to do next. Tell them to “Call Now,” or “Call Today and Make an Appointment.” We have found that just adding a simple call to action has increased response by as much as 20% for some chiropractors.

A well-crafted Yellow Pages ad can generate enough new patients to allow you to spend less time on marketing your practice and more time treating patients. Isn’t that why you became a chiropractor in the first place? CP

Ed Forteau and Steve Von Loren are the authors of The Chiropractors Guide to More Powerful Advertising. To receive a complementary copy, contact them via email: winwinpro@earthlink.net. They can also be reached at 989-831-5910, or Win/Win Professional Marketing and Sales Association, 251 Woodlawn Dr, Stanton, MI 48888.