The key differentiator for all podiatry practices, for all professional practices, for all business, and for all institutions is information.
Information that answers their questions and their worries.
Remember, no one is interested in hearing about you and your qualifications; they only want to know "can you fix me?" If I choose you, will you be the best choice I could have made and will my problem go away?
You differentiate your practice from all other choices by offering an overwhelming amount of education and information to your market. This information can take many forms: books (or booklets) you have to answer their questions; articles you have posted on your website; articles others have posted on their websites that point back to you; blog posts, Facebook posts; Tweets on Twitter; Pinterest pictures, videos, testimonials, newsletters sent to them (electronically and paper), letters, postcards, and much more. In other words, you use the full range of options now available to professionals both online and offline.
All of this content is written from the patient's point of view. It uses their words, not yours; it speaks to what they are concerned about, not what interests you or your colleagues. It offers an overwhelming amount of "proof" that you are the expert in their market; that you are the best possible choice and you "will fix them" without you ever directly asserting it. You do this in a slight edge way -a little every day, over time, adds up to a lot and it adds up to big results.
You say you want a revolution
In the last 10 years there has been an explosion of options for podiatrists to market (differentiate) their practices. In the past, newspapers, Val-Pak, and the Yellow Pages had a stranglehold on professionals.
No Longer.
All three are dinosaurs and extinct (yes all three). The Internet has changed everything and that is not going to change in our lifetimes. What you should do to maximize this ability to differentiate is changing weekly thanks to Google, but for many years to come, the Internet is going to be the key tool to enable us to tell our story better than everyone else in our market. Remember, our story is simple: "You might be suffering from Ugly toenails (as an example), there are answers, these people had this problem and now they don't, we can help you too."
Watch for next week’s final blog of the “Slight Edge Plan” series: Bringing Enjoyment Back to Your Profession.
