How A Simple Formula Can Turn Even The Worst Letter Writer Into An Expert
Many physical therapy and chiropractic practice managers come to us in a fit of frustration looking for an explanation as to why their physician letters don’t produce results. That’s why today we want to show you the four crummiest letters we’ve ever seen along with a simple formula you can use to fix them. If that sounds worthwhile, grab a red Sharpie, and get ready to become a master copywriter. We think you’ll find it’s worth the effort – powerful strategic campaigns directed to physicians can be one of the most efficient and productive ways to influence referral patterns.
But before you roll up your sleeves and start redlining, let’s get on the same page with respect to what physicians will most likely read, what they will most certainly toss, and review a proven formula for results. Then we can apply the Results Formula (introduced below), and use our Power Level Writing Filter to quantify how crummy the “crummiest” letters actually are.
What Gets Tossed: Letters that appear to have no clinical relevance, bury key ideas in the text, or come across as a self-serving sales pitch.
What They Will Read: Problem solving information (about their problem, not yours) that is easy to scan, clinically relevant, and holds the promise of something helpful to them, not simply another plea for referrals.
Physicians are no different than any other business person. They are constantly scanning their environment for solutions to everyday problems. Their problems create opportunities for you to be heard if you have something important to say. If your email, letter, or other communication does not immediately seem to help solve one of their problems, then it gets tossed. On the other hand, if it’s instantly evident that it might, it gets read. It’s that simple.
Don’t worry about the length of the letter, worry about the formatting, flow, and the total Power Level of your message following the results formula you will learn below. A COMMON MISCONCEPTION is that anything more than a few paragraphs or a single page will not get read. But think of it this way, when you receive valuable information about a solution option to a problem you’ve been experiencing, do you really judge it by its length? Have you ever received that kind of “I’ve been looking for this” information and said to yourself, “Boy, that’s really timely and helpful stuff, but it’s more than a page, so I’ll just toss it away and wait for another letter that keeps it to one page.” Of course not. That would make no sense. But the point is more that if good ideas and concepts don’t easily shine through without making the reader labor, then the letter will get tossed without being treated seriously. Consultants that recommend the “keep it short or it won’t get read” philosophy are correct in one sense: When your information is not that compelling or valuable, the reader will only invest a moment in reading before giving up. This common “keep it short” principle should be restated as follows: Your reader will give you an instant to start building a compelling problem solving case, so make sure you use that moment well.
Finally! A Way To Know If Your Physician Letters Will Get Results Before You Even Put Them In The Mail
The Results Formula –
3 Elements For Your Letters and Other Strategic Communications:
Element 1: Interrupt & Engage. Use powerful headlines and sub headlines to expose the problem and give the promise of more educational problem solving information to come. The most effective headlines tap into the emotion of curiosity and self interest, that’s why focusing on problems in your headline or subject line is so compelling. Everyone is interested in solving their problems, and they are curious about any solution. Good headlines suck the reader in. If you have read to this point, chances are our “Crummiest Physician Letter” headline poked your brain on a practical, problem-solving level. You then scanned for additional clarifying information, and quickly found it with simple formatting techniques like bold text, underlines, and indents. Spend as much time or more on creating your feature headline as you do writing the letter.
Element 2: Educate By Case Building. Body copy, text, and other “showables” build a logical case that helps the reader draw a conclusion about your solution option. Your reader is judging you like a jury judges an attorney’s case. Does your letter demonstrate special expertise? How does your information compare to that provided by other “similar” solution providers? Your reader can only compare based on what you teach them in your communication. Building a strong case using charts, graphs, tables, and other compelling information positions you as the expert. Use headings and formatting that helps the reader get the logical flow by simply scanning.
Element 3: Offer and Call To Action. In addition to your invitation for qualified referrals, give your readers other ways to take next steps in learning more about your particular problem-solving process. Most executive letters end by simply saying, “Give us a call with any questions.” This kind of offer is self evident, and lacks the power to spur immediate action. Your offer should include more resources for learning about what you do and how you do it. Your offers need to build confidence in your expertise. Your offer should be formatted and set off from the body copy so it will be scanned even if the body copy is not read. The exception to this would be a “concealed offer” designed to appeal only to the most highly qualified, eager readers.
Red Sharpie Time: See How We Apply The Results Formula To 2 Of The Crummiest Letters We’ve Ever Seen, And Then Try It Yourself On 2 More.
See the 4 Crummiest Letters Now and How We Rip 2 Of Them Apart With The Results Formula And Score Their Power Level (You Can Rip Apart The Other 2).
Register for a 90 minute Writing Workshop, get expert advice, and see examples of KILLER letters that get results. Register here.
Tips For Getting Started Using The Results Formula On Your Own:
1) Pick an expertise to market where you excel. If you are good at what you do, and there is a market for your solution, running this formula gets outstanding, consistent results.
2) Create 50 headlines and sub-headlines that expose the problem and promise a solution from your reader’s perspective. You will need lots of headlines to form the basis of your strategic campaign.
3) Create several valuable “offers” for more ways to learn about the benefits of what you do without making a referral. Make sure the offers have a memorable marketing “handle.”
4) Gather compelling evidence that can be used to build a case in your body copy.
5) Write the letter making sure to place and format each Element for optimum scanability and readability.
6) Test, Test, Test. Each element of the formula can be tested, but pay particular attention to the headlines and offers. Testing can be done effectively with little or no extra investment.
More “How To” posts on physician letters from our blog library:
3 Simple Steps To Generating Physician Letters That Actually Produce Response
Getting Traction With Key Physician Referral Sources
How To Make Physician Letters Actually Generate PT Referrals
Good Materials That Help Physicians
Is Your Web Strategy Relevant?
For independent practitioners, the debate about the importance of websites and the internet revolves around the following questions: “Why do I need a site? Will people actually choose me because of my website, and if so, how will they find it?” But from a marketing standpoint, where the question is more what kind of content to post on your site rather than whether to have one at all, we still hear many people question the value of a website. Many practitioners say that their businesses are built on word of mouth, and that their clientele do not use the internet to get information about physical therapy services. These practitioners maintain a website out of a reluctant sense of obligation while many other more web-enthusiastic practitioners still ponder the question of website relevance.
This is the most basic and critical factor of website relevance – it is also the most misunderstood. Today, in addition to investigating diagnosis and treatment options, healthcare consumers use the internet to find “phone book” information like how to contact you. People looking for contact information are ready to buy. Since we’re talking about the internet, a search engine driven medium, it is highly likely that a searcher may sift through other web pages while looking for yours. It’s also likely that a competitor’s website with more relevant content will influence buying decisions; your competitor may jump ahead of you in the search engines and push you aside. Make it a practice to check your competitor’s websites regularly. Ask yourself, from your clientele’s perspective, how does your website serve the visitor’s needs better than your competitor’s? Is your site “sticky” enough to keep the visitor from wanting to click away and explore other similar sites?
Relevance Factor 2: The Standard Bearer Effect
Healthcare decisions are usually emotionally intense. Because of this intensity, consumers and physicians are motivated to put effort into making the best decision possible. The problem with making the best decision possible with physical therapy is that people (generally speaking) don’t know why one physical therapist may be different from another, or even what questions to ask when choosing, so they need your help in getting this information – it is part and parcel of your expert knowledge. If the content of your site helps your visitor understand how to compare one provider to another on a qualitative basis*, then, assuming you are good at what you do, you become the Standard Bearer, and prospects choose you first. This is an extremely important strategic opportunity. The internet is the primary battle ground for this type of information. Word of mouth is not an efficient or accurate way to deliver Standard Bearer information. As a business owner, you can think of it this way: The old way of finding a provider by asking a friend or physician who to choose is no longer the end of the search process – it’s just the beginning. Most people will use the internet to learn more about you, and, during the process, learn more about other options they may want to consider. Even elderly patients who don’t use the internet are often assisted by people who do, like family and friends.
Internet content can be deployed anywhere. This may sound “duh” obvious, but most healthcare businesses treat the internet as a back-room transactional tool, not a business-building communication tool. Internet access is on your desk, in your waiting room, and in almost everyone else’s homes. Your website can provide value added services that your competitor’s don’t. When done properly, simple things like patient intake forms, scheduling, and compliance programs can increase patient satisfaction and your bottom line at the same time. For example, most people would rather get the paper work started at their home computer rather than wrestle with a clipboard upon arrival (yes, even computer-phobic Medicare patients can get assistance with this from family and friends).
www.PTreferralMachine.com Articles, December 10, 2008.
www.PTreferralMachine.com Articles, June 16, 2008.
www.PTreferralMachine.com Articles, June 17, 2008.