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What's up! Kyle here.
A few months ago we started running ads for a practice in Rochester, NY. They came to us with the usual request: We want more new patients.
Their previous agency had been running the standard stuff. "$99 New Patient Special!" "Now Accepting New Patients!" "Family Dentistry For All Ages!" The ads were fine. The results were fine. Fine doesn't fill a schedule.
We scrapped everything and tried something different.
Instead of leading with services, we led with the one thing their ideal patient was actually feeling but nobody was talking about: The fear of being judged.
Below is roughly what the ad said.
"It's been a while since you've seen a dentist. Maybe a couple years. Maybe longer. And every year that passes makes it harder to pick up the phone. Not because of pain or money. Because somewhere in the back of your mind you're thinking 'They're going to judge me for waiting this long.' We hear this every single week. And we want you to know that no one here is going to make you feel bad for waiting. We're just glad you're ready. That's all that matters."
We ran it on Google, mixed across several titles, descriptions and on-page landings. We also tested on Meta targeting adults 25-65 within 15 miles of the practice. Simple creative, nothing flashy. The copy did all the work.
89 new patients in 45 days. The majority of them told the front desk some version of the same thing: "I saw your ad and it felt like you were talking directly to me."
Quick Side Note: We are running an offer for Search-To-Seat right now that’s pretty crazy. You get a one-month free trial. No strings attached. We’ll onboard you, install everything and get you rolling in full. After a month, you get to decide if you stay on with us or pass. Email me to see if your practice is a fit.
The practice was able to open up additional hygiene availability to handle the volume.
Here's why I'm telling you this.
Look at your ads right now. I'd bet most of it talks about what your practice offers. Cleanings, whitening, implants, sedation, the usual. And if your schedule is full and things are rolling, that’s just fine!
But if you are looking to pump a lot more patients, start putting yourself in their shoes. Your patient is thinking about things like: Will they judge me? Can I trust these people? Is it going to hurt? How bad is it going to be? Will I feel awkward?
When you speak to those questions instead of listing services, something shifts. You stop competing on price and features and start competing on empathy. And empathy wins every time because most of your competitors aren't even trying. Humans are emotional beings, even when the analytical brain tries to take over.
Here's your homework this week. Audit every patient-facing piece of ad copy that you have. Count how many times you talk about what you offer versus how many times you talk about what your patient is actually feeling.
If the ratio is off, you know exactly what to fix. It’s time to test some other campaigns.
Talk next week.
— Kyle / Founder, Search-To-Seat™
PS: I dive a little deeper on these topics in the podcast, which you can download here.
