Chiropractic and New Media Use

Recall Chiropractic’s Centennial Celebration in 1995 and the media blitz that the profession was able to deliver. Over $200,000 was spent on one commercial blackout during the nightly news on the three major networks (at that time!), effectively ensuring that no matter where you turned your dial, you saw the same message. Times were simpler then weren’t they? At least as far as advertising went. You had a few choices, you could advertise on TV, radio or printed word.

Contrast that with the options we have today. YouTube, facebook, Twitter, and blogs have all but replaced the old, worn-out way of doing things. In this fast-paced world we live in, we only have a moment to capture the attention of the next customer. It’s been said that if you can’t capture someone’s attention within three seconds, then forget about it. It’s a Blink (re: Malcolm Gladwell) society that we have become and as Chiropractors it is a good idea to use the latest technology to serve your businesses needs.

The profession may never have the financial wherewithal to run a massive campaign, so it makes sense that we use the technology that we have right now. The best thing about almost all of these is that they are free! Well maybe not completely free…you do have to purchase a video camera, and some editing software (I’m assuming you have a computer if you’re reading this!). But after that, the media mentioned above is free, you just have to be familiar with how to use it.

Marketing expert Seth Godin mentions this in his blog and makes some great suggestions on how to use these tools effectively. Below are his suggestions on how to get it done with results:

1. Assume that the viewer has the attention span of an espresso-crazed fruitfly. That means slapstick, quick cuts and velocity.

2. Find a word or phrase that you can own in Google, that fits in an email, and that comes up in discussion at the cafeteria table or in the playground.

Castrol gets both rules right in this inane commercial.

3. Length doesn't matter. 10 seconds is fine and so is five minutes. Media is free, remember?

4. Challenge the status quo, be provocative, touch a social nerve or create some other sort of interesting conversation. In other words, a commercial worth watching.

Dove does both in this now-famous commercial.

What does this mean to Chiropractors? It means more opportunities to tap into a marketplace that needs to hear our message. We do have the greatest story in the world and if we begin using technology to spread our message, we can make a difference! The more people hear the truth about health and Chiropractic, the more people will flood into our practices. Doing something this simple can spread the word about Chiropractic and save lives. You owe it to humanity to do something!!