Will a Yellow Page Ad Get New Patients for Your Chiropractic Practice

The “go-to” form of advertising for chiropractors is the yellow pages. However, if you think he is simply going to call the biggest ad on the page… think again.

To help illustrate this point, I ask clients to think about how THEY use the yellow pages to find a roofer. Unless you’ve recently been hammered by a natural disaster, you probably haven’t thought about hiring a roofer lately. (Trust me, your best potential patient isn’t thinking about needing your services until they start to hurt!)

So think about WHEN you’ll pick up the Yellow Pages to find a roofer. Chances are your roof is already leaking or is missing. As you scan the Yellow Pages, try to pay attention to the listings that are drawing your eye. Chances are, your thought processes are moving in this direction:

“Hmm… Ralph’s Roofing… big ad… oh, there’s his picture… he looks like a good guy. Let’s see what else is here. HEY! Ron’s Roofing… the listing is definitely smaller but I remember when my Aunt Harriet replaced her roof… she used Ron’s Roofing and he did a GREAT job for her!”

In essence… size doesn’t determine the success of a yellow pages ad. The success of your yellow pages ad is based on how FAMILIAR you are to your potential patients.

There’s an element of “Hey, I’ve HEARD of this place! They must be good.” Whether it’s Aunt Harriet… or the nice man on the radio…. familiarity breeds business!!!

Now, if you’re in a market where every chiropractor spends ALL his/her advertising dollars in the yellow pages… then you have a GREAT opportunity to find new patients by putting your message in front of your best potential customers.

Yellow Page ads are an essential part of your marketing mix. However, they should not make up the foundation of your advertising.  Reduce your ad and direct prospective patients to your chiropractic website.