Traditional Media Is Dead!

Do you blog?  Tweet?  Youtube?  Facebook?  In addition to your website?

Traditional media is all but dead.  People are actually starting to disconnect their cable TV subscriptions!  Newspapers are going out of business... even the big ones.  Magazine sales are down.  And, have you noticed that the even the stories on the evening news of the major networks are already "old news?"  I watch the news on TV and say, "I already knew that."  How?  The web!

The internet is immediate!  We get our news seconds from when it occurs.  We get the latest information about anything at any moment we choose.  Why wait?  I've been spoiled by the immediacy of the internet and have grown impatient.  So, has everyone else.

Does this mean we shouldn't use traditional media at all anymore?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But, I believe it's all the more important to measure your marketing results carefully.  Don't throw good money after bad on traditional media for the sake of... dare I say it?  Tradition!

I believe the writing is on the wall about the impending demise of traditional media.  What's interesting is that the purveyors of traditional marketing media have not adjusted the costs or seemingly made any effort to save their livelihoods.  They're going down with the ship.

A website is the centerpiece of your online marketing.  But, social media cannot / should not be ignored.  Consumers want the latest news about YOU.  A blog or social media page is a great way to stay in touch and on their minds.  Today's consumers want to be able to reach out and touch you.  They also like authenticity.

Authenticity.  I think this is a KEY concept.  Most dentists simply don't want to be bothered with making the effort to blog, tweet, or Youtube.  And, there are plenty of companies that will do it for you for a fee.  I think that's a mistake.  I think to be AUTHENTIC, you have to create your own online social content.  If it's canned, it won't resonate with your visitors, friends, or fans.

As you may already know, I feel the same about the content of your dental practice website.  I understand most dentists won't want to create their own website.  But, I DO believe they should write the majority of the CONTENT, if not all of it.  Authenticity.  Credibility.  Congruence.  Your online presence needs to ring true.  It needs to be congruent with your "real life" presence when patients come through the door and meet you and your team.  I don't believe that can be achieved by entirely delegating your online presence to someone else.

"So get out there and rock,
And roll the bones.
Get Busy!" - Rush