That is why it is necessary to take people through a strategic path where we generate different points of contact that help us to build trust and help people make the decision to schedule an appointment with us.
Importance of the sales funnel
Trying to sell your service to people who don’t know you yet is similar to asking for marriage on the first date, it’s too rushed.
That’s why a sales funnel that allows you to make yourself known before offering your services is so important.
When you offer valuable information, such as an informative video, a downloadable, or a free lecture, it allows people to get to know you without feeling like you’re selling to them. Additionally, it helps position you as an expert in the industry, generating more trust which makes it easier for people to decide to become your patient.
It is also important to keep in mind that not everyone is at the same stage of the customer journey.
While some people may just be identifying their problem or need, others may have already inquired at other practices and have a higher purchase intent.
It is important to speak to each person with the right message depending on the stage they are in, in order to connect with our message.
It is not very effective to reach out with an offer or a discount on dental implants to a person who has just lost their tooth and is looking for different options to replace it. Just like it doesn’t work very well to show videos of how a dental implant works to a person who is ready to purchase the service and is looking for the practice that gives them the best value for their money.
The parts of the funnel
The reason it is called a “sales funnel” is because its shape is similar to a funnel. The top is wide and is the part where all the people who are likely to become patients enter. The bottom is narrow because not all people make it to this stage, and this is the part where people become patients of your practice.
Top
At the top of the funnel, where it is the widest, are the people who are just identifying their problem and are just learning that your practice exists.
This is the awareness stage, where we want to help people identify the problem and start introducing your services as the best solution.
At the top of the funnel you usually don’t sell, but share valuable information. For example, a downloadable guide to everything you need to consider before replacing a tooth, or a video that talks about the different options that exist for replacing missing teeth and how much each option costs.
One of the content that works best for us at the top of the funnel with our customers is quizzes.
These generate intrigue and help attract people who are having the problem that our service solves. For example, for invisible orthodontics we can say “could you align your teeth without using wires in your mouth? Take this quick quiz and find out! For platelet-rich plasma we could say “do you qualify to get rid of your shoulder or knee pain without surgery? Take this short quiz and find out!”.
The first example helps us attract people who want to straighten their teeth but don’t want to wear wires in their mouth. The second helps us attract people who are suffering from shoulder or knee pain and don’t want to undergo surgery.
Half
In the middle of the funnel are all those people who interacted with the top content. Those who downloaded the free guide, those who watched the informative video or those who completed the quiz.
Whatever valuable content you are using at the top of the funnel, only those who consume that content reach the middle.
At this stage of the funnel we already start introducing your services, talk about pricing, and make an irresistible offer* that gives people a reason to take action and schedule an appointment with your practice. (Note: an offer* is not a discount).
What is an offer?
With the offer it is important to include scarcity and urgency that makes people feel they can’t think about it for too long.
For example, for an offer of a free cleaning with the purchase of a whitening, you can say that you only have 10 spaces and it is only for the next 7 days.
Fund
This is the stage where people have already identified their problem, they already know what the solution to their problem is, and now they are just looking for the best office to schedule their appointment.
It is important to build trust at this stage and show the differentiated value of your practice.
For this stage it works very well to show video testimonials of people talking about the experience they had in your office and how the treatment changed their life.
You can also talk about extended hours, ease of payment, or a difference in the processes you offer that they won’t find anywhere else.
How to speak at each stage
As I mentioned earlier, the sales funnel for a practice is very important to be able to speak with the right message to each person depending on the stage of the customer journey* they are in… but how should you speak to them at each stage?
Top
At the top of the funnel are the people who are just identifying the problem or need. Therefore, you can only talk to these people about the problem.
The content of this stage is usually not to sell, but to inform, so you should generate intrigue only to that type of person we want to attract.
For example,
Know all the options for replacing a tooth and how much each one costs.
Could you say goodbye to your glasses without surgery?
This novel treatment has helped thousands of athletes get back on the field quickly without surgery.
Half
In the middle are the people who already know about your problem and are looking for the solution.
These people also already know you exist because they have interacted with the content at the top of the funnel.
To these people you should offer your services, but selling the problem behind the problem. That is, evoke emotion in people by touching the internal desire they want to satisfy.
For a person who is seeking orthodontic services, it is not as effective to sell them straight teeth. Rather talk to them about improving their self-esteem or smiling with confidence.
Background
When people get to the bottom of the funnel, they are already considered very warm because they are already interacting with your content, they know your practice exists, and they know you offer the solution to the problem they are having.
To these people it is already important to talk about the experience they are going to live in your practice, show the value differentiators that separate you from the competition, and generate scarcity and urgency because your offer is about to end.
Conclusion
The question for practices is not whether to advertise or not, the question is what is the right strategy to implement.
A sales funnel is not a strategy, it is more of a requirement to be successful running social media advertising.
It is very important to understand your ideal customer in order to attract them, and first provide value before trying to sell.
To continue learning how to attract patients to your practice using the power of social media, download the free guide.