Drills & Skills: Can a dentist inspire photography marketing?
Image by: @thehumbleco
I received an email from my dental clinic the other day, reminding me for a cleaning. I'm sure there are dozens of reminders going daily; how many do you think will book from that email?
I started to think more about dental marketing. I mean, if an industry should have a hard time marketing, it might be dentistry. No one really likes going to the dentist and many have negative associations all the way to downright horror and fear. We don't usually experience this as photography is a feel good service!
When you believe that photography is a saturated market and you don’t know how to reach your ideal photography client, maybe it’s time to look outside the industry for some inspiration. When we don’t know exactly what to do to market a photography business, we look at other photographers and do what they do. Seeing how many new or struggling photographers post daily on social media channels looking for help, it seems that looking at colleagues may not be the best practice - because they are likely winging it too. Looking outside your industry not only broadens your perspective but you can hit on something that photographers aren’t doing that could be beneficial to business. And then you have an ace in the hole - a strategy that no one else in your area has, and that helps you to stand out in the saturated photography market.
Ways that my dentist markets and how it can translate to photography marketing
Email and text marketing
This is probably the most common marketing strategy once a patient has gone to the practice once. Dentistry is heavily reliant on repeat business and it’s natural to return to a chosen dentistry practice on an ongoing basis. This is more consistent than photography where clients could be interested in the styles or services of different photographers. There isn’t a compelling reason to go to a different dentist each time you need a cleaning or a cavity filled, unless they’ve done something negative to lose your business.
If a dentist has converted a prospect into a client, they are no longer competing primarily against other dental practices for that existing clientele. The biggest competition becomes the clients themselves, because people are complacent and forgetful. The dentist must work against the inconvenience (which leads to procrastination) and even the cost of the next booking, and this is why they employ the concept of reminding as a solid marketing strategy.
It’s helpful to have specific strategies that are targeted towards the place in the journey that your clients are in. Strategies to convert a cold prospect into a warm lead, a warm lead into a paying client and a repeat client are all a little different. In places like our website, it is critical to develop a brand voice, show authority or demonstrate how your experience differs and exceeds experiences with other photographers. You are aligning values with this aspect of your marketing, to invite new people to purchase from you. At other times, like with the dentist trying to stimulate repeat appointments, the goal is just to get back in front of eyes to get bookings. You aren’t cold-converting, you are serving an already warm client. They really just need a reminder that they should book, and a call to take action so that they follow through.
This can actually be a bit of a relief. If you believe that all marketing efforts need to be time and labour intensive around a lot of brand-building and content, you can be assured it’s not the case. Some marketing strategies can be simple, to the point, and automated to be sent on a regular basis.
2. A voice in the community
When people come to a local FB group for advice — kid gets a tooth knocked out in baseball practice, or has a fall on the playground — my dentist is either tagged (a result of success in this strategy!) or chimes in on his own accord to provide some assurance, advice and referrals to emergency dentistry. By being a specialist and authoritative voice in the community, he builds trust and reputation as an accessible professional. This reinforces loyalty of his existing clientele who feels good that they go to someone who is giving of his time and knowledge to comment in groups, and also creates a strong call for new clients.
Many photographers join groups only to post ads or offers, and don’t contribute much in between. This is opportunity left on the table, with the approach that you’re a hammer and everyone is a nail. You are selling and you want them to buy. But social media is just that, social. It’s also a great equalizer, where before there was a wall between consumer and service provider. Want to talk to a dentist? Book an appointment. But the dentist is also a human, and he interacts as a human (with specialized knowledge) in his community social media channels. Because selling is rarely instant and more of a long and trust-building game, use social platforms to be an accessible human who happens to know a lot about photography. Support your village and your village will support you!
3. A niche
Little to no-cost ways to elevate your photography business and appeal to a more affluent client. Break free of the saturated market and enter the ShineSparkL market.
Dentistry isn't just a general practice anymore of filling cavities and other such things (similar to photography!) My dentist’s angle is beautiful smiles, and he specializes in Invisalign and "smile design" which is a way to model results digitally to show clients final results. He has developed a section on his website dedicated to this area, and his mission statement says he is a primary provider of this service to complement traditional dentistry.
People want to look good, or they don't feel good about their teeth/ smile and this is the pain point he works with and addresses.
4. Luxury touches
The clinic is a high end design and he markets himself as a designer dentist. But the design hits some other elements that cleverly address other dental industry pain points.
The fish tank.
A significant problem for dentists is anxiety over treatment. He has a large fish tank in the waiting area, built into the wall. Some might think this extravagant (those aren't his ideal by the way), and while it matches the luxury aesthetic, it’s also strategic. The colourful fish are calming and distracting to anxious or frightened children (and even adults) while they wait. A TV running cartoons would not have the same effect and would not align with his brand.
The location.
Not long ago, the clinic was moved to modern, beautiful offices on a second floor with big windows, showcasing skies when lying down in a chair. This can make for a pleasant (and also calming) effect for patients.
The show-stopping wall panel.
In his main office (where he also does consults and some treatments he does himself), he had a piece of granite imported from Italy for the feature wall behind his desk, and mounted his name as a signature onto it. While some may cite ego (again, not his ideal, and actually he is really approachable and friendly) what this does is convey a high level of confidence. As someone responsible for some potentially painful and intensive treatments to fix dental woes, it’s a reassurance that he is extremely confident in his ability and in his results. His confidence instills confidence. Can you imagine someone with a drill in hand who doesn’t seem confident? Yikes! His design choices all work to establish him as the top of his field. Even if you did think there is a little ego mixed in there, isn’t that better than someone who lacks confidence?
Some may say these details are extravagant and wasteful and greedy. But here at ShineSparkL, we let go of these negative concepts and build confidence and sparkle in all that we do. I now see that serving my clients in elegant and top notch ways is a sign of respect towards them and a sign of respect of my own capability to provide them with exceptional service and exceptional photographs that they will cherish. Let’s not shrink or play small because some carry beliefs that we are all crooks trying to make a buck at another’s expense, because not everyone shares that point of view. I certainly don’t and you don’t have to either! In what ways do you convey confidence, style, charisma and capability in your brand? The effect of your confidence can be profound. If you struggle with this, think of the dentist with drill in hand, fearful and doubtful. You have a camera in your hand as the tool. Use it with confidence and not fear, to inspire a clientele that will return to you again and again (because after they’ve booked you once, you send them reminders, and we’re back to point #1!)
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