Harnessing Psychological Principles for Effective Ground Marketing

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Ever wonder why some patient interactions just click while others fall flat?

In episode two of the Ground Marketing Series, we explore the powerful intersection of human behavior and effective marketing strategies. By tapping into the science of trust and first impressions, you'll learn how to craft genuine connections that resonate. We delve into fundamental principles such as the Trust Formula, where credibility, reliability, intimacy, and minimized self-interest work in harmony to build a strong foundation. Discover why mastering the art of first impressions through nonverbal cues like eye contact and open body language is your key to rapid trust-building.

Harness the Reciprocity Principle by understanding the power of giving first to foster a sense of gratitude and trust among potential patients. We'll guide you through using the familiarity effect, social proof, and loss aversion to create compelling marketing strategies that emphasize connection and urgency. Transform your storytelling approach by weaving emotionally resonant narratives that leave lasting impacts. Additionally, learn how small commitments can pave the way for deeper patient engagement, setting the stage for success in practice growth.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Techniques to establish trust with potential patients quickly.
• The importance of nonverbal communication in making a positive first impression.
• Tactics for leveraging reciprocity and social proof effectively.
• How familiarity and repeated brand exposure foster trustworthiness.
• How to evoke urgency through loss aversion in marketing strategies.
• Storytelling methods that create emotional connections with patients.
• The role of small commitments in building long-term patient relationships.

Tune in now to boost your ground marketing techniques with proven psychological insights!

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Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:

Website: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment/

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Other Mentions and Links:

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People:

Joshua Scott

Dr. Christopher Phelps

Robert Zajonc

P.T. Barnum

Daniel Kahneman

Amos Tversky

Robert Cialdini (Cialdini’s Six Principles of Persuasion)

Seth Godin "Facts tell, stories sell"

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Books:

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

The Trusted Advisor

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Marketing Tools/Services:

Google Ads

Studio 8E8

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For more helpful tips, strategies, ideas, and marketing advice, join my weekly newsletter here.

The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041

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Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)

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Michael: The psychology behind ground marketing. So I hope you enjoyed the overview of ground marketing. Now, this is the psychology behind ground marketing, understanding human behavior and building trust. This is essential to know how to ground market effectively.

Now, ground marketing is more than just physically reaching out to potential patients. It's about forming genuine connections that lead to long term trust. Now to master ground marketing, you have to understand the psychological principles that govern human behavior, influence decision making and establish credibility.

Now here's some unique and profound and researched back insights into how psychology applies to ground marketing, ensuring a strong and lasting impact. First thing is the trust formula. Now this is the psychological blueprint trust. Equals credibility, plus reliability, plus intimacy and self interest.

Okay. That's by Charles H. Green in the Trusted Advisor. Now, the key to effective ground marketing is to maximize credibility, reliability, and intimacy while minimizing perceived self interest. The moment people feel like they're being sold to, they instinctively raise barriers. However, when approached with genuine care, expertise and value, they become open to engagement. Number one, credibility, right? Can they believe what you say? Do you have expertise, professionalism and brand presentation that all matters? Credibility, reliability. Can they count on you to follow through?

So showing up consistently fosters subconscious trust. This is why we say, Hey, be consistent with your ground marketing. It proves reliability and three intimacy. Do they feel safe sharing their problems with you? So that means you've got to have empathy and active listening. That's crucial. And then for self interest, if your motives seem profit driven, if you look way too ambitious, people withdraw instead.

Frame your marketing as helping rather than selling. So that's number one, the first principle, the trust formula.

Two is the science of first impressions. Now, this is amazing. Seven seconds to win or lose trust. That's all you have. Neuroscience suggests that people form impressions within seven seconds of meeting someone. These impressions are 70 to 80 percent emotional. And it's based on nonverbal cues, such as body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions.

So keep these things in mind right now. One, eye contact and open body language. Studies show direct contact without staring, don't make it weird, this increases perceived trustworthiness. Open palms signal honesty. kind of like a hug, right? Or you're going in for a handshake. Two is mirroring. Subtly mirroring someone's gestures and speech patterns build subconscious rapport.

So if they're like, yeah, you know, I'm not feeling so Mirror that, Oh, you're not feeling so well. Yeah, kind of a thing. Okay. And then three is dopamine and the power of smiling. As you know, people can tell when you're smiling over the phone, right? A genuine smile releases dopamine, increasing positive emotional associations.

So how can you apply this? Well, When engaging with potential patients at local events or businesses, right? Your physical presence is just as important as your words. Approach with open energy, a welcoming tone and attentive listening to establish an instant psychological connection. So do those three things, okay?

That is the science of first impressions. Number three, this is something we talked about in the first episode. The reciprocity principle. Why giving first works. Christopher Phelps is huge on this. I know that This is a book influence written by Robert Childenny and it's the psychology of persuasion.

And he mentions people feel obligated to give back when they receive something of value. So one of the strongest psychological drivers in ground marketing is reciprocity, the social norm that compels people to return a favor. So in marketing, this means. Providing upfront value without expectation, which naturally triggers a desire to reciprocate.

Three things on how you can do this. Number one, tangible reciprocity. So like you're giving free samples, exclusive discounts, or helpful resources, right? That's one. Two, social reciprocity. Offering a warm introduction, referring someone to another trusted business or providing helpful advice that builds goodwill and three emotional reciprocity, expressing genuine appreciation and making the interaction about them rather than you fosters deep engagement.

So you can apply this like this instead of immediately trying to pitch a service, offer a small unexpected gift or insight. Maybe a dentist at a farmer's market might give away customized smile friendly snack packs while offering oral health tips tailored to the audience, right? Hey, have some snack packs on us for free as you tour the farmer's market.

You're doing this principle when you apply that. And so much more, right? So that's the reciprocity principle. Now, number four. the familiarity effect, how repeated exposure builds comfort. This is huge. Okay. There's something called the mere exposure effect. Now, the more someone is exposed to a brand, the more they subconsciously trust it, this psychological principle was first identified by psychologist Robert And he suggests that familiarity breeds likeability and credibility. Now there's three things to this. Number one, repetition, which equals trust, right? People need multiple positive encounters before making a decision. His community presence, repeated appearances at local events, schools, and businesses reinforce familiarity and three consistency in messaging using the same colors, slogans, and branding strengthens brand recall.

So that's huge, by the way, don't continue to change a ton of numbers based on I'm using this number to see the ROI. Now we're using this number for mailers and ads to see the ROI. Now we're using this number to see the ROI for Google ads. It's too many numbers. There's no consistency in that, be consistent.

Now, when it comes to ground marketing, successful ground marketers maintain a visible, non intrusive presence within their target community, instead of a one time event. Aim for monthly engagements at key locations, ensuring Potential patients feel comfortable seeing and recognizing the brand.

this is huge. So if you feel you went to an event and that event was great, fantastic. And you go another time and it was great, fantastic. Continue to show up at this event. So I'm going to give you an example. Let's just say you do an event at a daycare and every month they allow you to go in there and set up a booth and it goes good.

Continue to show up to that one. Instead of trying to do a ton of other events. One time only you could do one here and there, but make sure you build a foundation in specific locations, especially if that's where your target demographic is. So that's four. That is the familiarity Five is the social proof. People follow what others endorse. P. T. Barnum says nothing draws a crowd like a crowd. Now humans are wired to follow the lead of others. A concept known as social proof.

When people see others endorsing a business, they feel safer engaging with it. Three things you need to do with this. Number one, strategic testimonials. Instead of generic reviews, you story driven testimonials featuring real customer experiences. This is why video testimonials are huge. Video testimonials gone are the days where you write down the testimonial and then put the patient's name and no pictures there or anything.

It's just. A word and a random person's name, that's gone. That's dead. Don't do that no more ever again. If that's on your website, take that out I guess the second best thing you can do is picture testimonials, right? Like actually having the patient's face and then the wording, but video testimony, okay. So strategic testimonials, that's number one. Two is live demonstrations, publicly showcasing a positive customer experience creates a ripple effect. So continue to do that. And three is influencer and community partnerships. And we're going to talk about this later on.

In a couple episodes, but influencer and community partnerships aligning with local influencers, well known figures, or community leaders enhances credibility. And you can apply this like this. You can encourage happy patients to leave video testimonials at community events. Alternatively, showcase real time transformations right before and after smile previews in public settings to drive curiosity.

So show the before and afters, real life testimonials, show the video testimonials, but at the same time, if you're at a huge event you know, some of your patients are going to be there, take advantage of that they're on a dopamine effect right there. Endorphins are running.

They're excited to see you. Hey, can you do a video testimonial for us right now? So that is social proof. Number six. Loss aversions. Why people fear missing out.

Now, Daniel and Amos, Daniel Kahaneman and Amos Berski, they mentioned people are twice as motivated to avoid losses than to gain equivalent. The principle of loss aversion suggests that people hate missing out more than they love gaining something new. This is why time sensitive offers, exclusivity, and scarcity based promotions work so well in ground marketing.

Give me an example. It's a limited time offers, The first 10 signups get free teeth whitening. Watch when you do that, how quickly people will run and sign up. And it's up to you at that point to say, you know what? I'm going to extend it 10 more just for right now, just because of you, I'm going to give you one more free one, right?

One more free one. And you can continue to add that and say that to every single person. Everybody can get it. A hundred people can get it right. But you can say, I'm going to give one more free one just for you. They're going to feel extra special. The person signing up. And trust me, they're going to feel extra obligated to show up to that appointment to limited time offers.

Second is scarcity effect. We only have 20 appointments slots available this month. Scarcity, right? FOMO, fear of missing out, creating a social momentum, right? Join 200 plus families in our smile club. Things like this encourages action. So create something, the social momentum. And you can apply like this, use subtle urgency when speaking to potential patients.

For example, instead of saying we're offering a free consultation, say we have a few free consultations left this month. Would you like to claim one? And you can even get specific, we have three, we have two consultations left this month for free. What's your name and number? So I can put you down, right?

Because it's gonna run out. And then watch them put their name and number down. So that is the loss aversion. This you can call it FOMO almost, right? Why people fear missing out. Seven, the power of storytelling. Emotion beats logic. Now you hear Joshua Scott from Studio 88 talk about this quite a bit, So facts tell stories sell. That's by Seth Godin. People don't remember statistics. They remember stories. Ground marketing thrives on relatable, emotionally compelling narratives that make impact. Give you an example before and after patient stories. Share real experiences where treatment changed someone's confidence or life.

We know it changes smiles, but how did it change their confidence? How did it change their life? Share that personal journeys. Why did you start your practice? Authenticity breeds connection. Always, if you are a startup, if you haven't opened up yet and you're listening to this right now, please share that in your social media, share that story, share your personal journey.

Why did you start your practice? Ask yourself that push record and just riff. Just talk why you started your practice. This is the beginning of your journey. You're going to see a lot of connections happen this way in a lot of new patients. And then three is emotional hooks, right? Use sensory language and patient driven success stories to make your message resonate.

I'll give you an example of how you can do this. Instead of simply listing services, tell a short, powerful story at community events. For example, Last year, a mother came to us worried about her son's self confidence due to his teeth. He was being bullied. After Invisalign, he now smiles in every school picture.

Look at the before school pictures. Look at the after school pictures. After Invisalign. Look at his confidence. Look how his life is changing. This kid will remember this forever. He will remember what you did forever. You changed his life. That's why we love what we do. And kind of continue with that point on right stories like these create an emotional anchor, making your brand more memorable.

So that's the power of storytelling. Eight is the commitment principle. Now these are all principles when I'm mentioning involved in ground marketing, okay, the commitment principle, small yeses. Lead to big yeses. This is so huge. Robert Chiodeni says people who commit to small actions are more likely to commit to larger ones later.

By getting people to say yes to a minor request, they become psychologically inclined to say yes to a bigger one.

And I'll give you three examples of this, right? Micro commitments, a small step like signing up for a free newsletter makes them more likely to book an appointment. So have that two surveys and engagements. Asking simple questions like, Hey, do you floss daily increases their investment in the conversation.

And it doesn't have to be about teeth either. It can be simple questions, open ended questions, right? That you're asking to the patient and then you want them to open up a little bit more, getting them to say yes in those situations or prime them to say yes in bigger situations, especially in real life when you're talking to them.

So I like that a lot. And then three is loyalty and follow ups, rewarding small commitments, Give them a welcome kit. Thank you for coming in. Here's your welcome kit, right? Kind of A thing. It builds long term loyalty. And you can apply this like this. Instead of immediately asking people to schedule an appointment, start with low stakes commitments sometimes.

Would you like a free smile assessment to see how your teeth could look? Once they engage, they're more likely to take the next step. So that's it. Those are the eight principles involved. In, ground marketing. Now the final thought, trust takes time, but it pays off, right? The psychology behind ground marketing revolves around trust, familiarity, and reciprocity.

Now, when you apply these principles strategically, you create a system where people feel comfortable, engaged, and naturally drawn to your brand. The psychology behind ground marketing when it comes to all of this is that you really want to make lasting connections that convert into loyal patients.

Every decision, a potential patient makes is influenced by subconscious biases, emotions, and behavioral triggers. Always remember that. I hope this is helpful, now I want to dive into some examples right now on how you can utilize some of these principles from the get go. Right? So number one was the trust formula, right? And we discussed what it meant, Credibility, reliability, personal connection. And then you want to have Less of a perceived self interest, So if you're marketing at a local school event, you know, you're wearing a branded polo display, a well designed clutter free banner, and you simple expert backed messaging, So you can say stuff like, Hey, did you know, 42 percent of kids have cavities by age 11. Let's help your child avoid that, right?

If you're doing a specific presentation and parents are there. You want to frame yourself as an expert without feeling like a sales pitch and something like that will help you, but you want to say it in an emotional way, right? From the other things that we, learned from. So that would be more of the credibility.

You're establishing yourself credible when it comes to the trust formula. Remember it's credibility, reliability, personal connection. So credibility, that's a good way. Reliability is, Hey, if you partner with a local pediatrician, don't just drop off business cards. Like I've told you, right?

Instead. Set a recurring schedule. Dr. Smith, would it help if I came in once a month to answer parents questions about kids dental health? Now, this makes you reliable and on top of mind for referrals. More times out of not, they will say, Yeah, you know, we can create something for the community or we can do that.

We can partner up. Reliability. You're building something together. You're seeming reliable. And third is personal connection, right? Now, personal connection, an example of application for this is if a parent at a community event expresses concern about their child's teeth, don't just push a service.

Instead, relate personally. Say something like, I totally understand. I have young kids too. I always remind them that brushing is like feeding their teeth good food. Now, this builds emotional trust rather than feeling transactional. You're giving them something they can use when they get home too.

And then finally, self interest, An example of this is, instead of saying, we're offering a special on teeth whitening, would you like to book? Say, a lot of people are surprised how much whiter their teeth can get with just one session. I mean, Look at the before and after pictures. Do you want to see a quick before and after preview?

For you, we can make that happen, right? This picks curiosity and engagement leading to an easier yes. So these are things you can utilize, especially with the trust formula. Now, when it comes to number two, first impressions are everything. Remember the seven second rule, an example on how you can apply.

This is at a local health fair. Don't sit behind a booth looking at your phone. Never ever do that. I can't tell you. And we're going to discuss this in further on how to perform for optimal results at a booth in a later episode. But this is my biggest annoyance when you see someone doing this.

Stand up, make eye contact and offer a warm greeting, approach people with a natural question even, You can approach them with, Hey, how's it going? That's a question. But approach people. Have you ever seen what your smile could look like with Invisalign? Let me show you a quick digital preview, right?

And then you show them. This makes interactions engaging and welcoming rather than, just pushy. First impressions are everything. Stand up, make eye contact and offer a warm greeting. No. You have to turn it on for those hours. Okay. And like I said, we'll discuss that in a later episode.

Reciprocity. Number three, give first and they'll want to give back, right? An example of this is at a local gym, instead of saying, Hey, here's my business card, call us if you need a dentist, say, Hey, would your members find it helpful if we provided free sports mouth cards for youth athletes? For the young ones, If this is one of those type of gyms where they have a sports team and things like that, this works fantastic. They now feel obligated to reciprocate by recommending your practice when you do this. And it happens. Be as involved as you can be. Push the limits when it comes to this. Don't just sponsor something.

Don't just make free mouth guards. The name of the game is never convenience in these things, right? Have them go to your practice, have them come to your operatory, get fitted. You know what I mean? Have their families come in because you want their families to become your patients too. There's so much involved in this.

And like I say, this is going to be in a later episode as well on how to do this effectively, especially with, want to sponsor like teams and things like that. So number four is the power of, Familiarity. So the more they see you, the more they trust you. An example on how to do this is if you want to create an ongoing partnership, you can say, Hey, we'll be at a local coffee shop every Saturday, offering free coffee for new patients.

When you do the coffee shop strategy, which is found in the ground marketing course, you're able to set up at the coffee shop as much as you want. And when you do that, you're able to bring people there as much as you want to, and the coffee shop loves it. And by showing up repeatedly, potential patients become more comfortable with your brand.

Now, that's just one thing. Imagine showing up consistently at a gym, consistently at a school, at a senior home, at an apartment, where you feel, hey, I'm going to get a lot of new patients. I saw great results the first event, I'm going to continue to go. Be consistent. You want to be familiar with them. Five was social proof, right?

People follow the crowd. Instead of saying, hey, we offer family dentistry services. Say, did you know over a hundred families in this area trust us for their dental care? And this can be written in your marketing material because it leverages social proof and it makes people more likely to consider your practice.

Six with scarcity and urgency, people hate missing out. So instead of saying at a school event, we're offering free dental checkups. You can say, Hey, we're only offering 10 free checkup slots for families at this event. I can save you one right now. What's your name and number that creates urgency and drives immediate action.

So you can continue to do these things, When it comes to how to apply it, we're going to make specific episodes just for these events, just for these locations, just for these businesses. if you ever wondered. And wanted to know how to get into a school ground market and get the children, the teachers, the staff to come in.

We're going to do an episode on that, on gyms, on farmer's markets, on partnerships, on a lot of things, This is it. revealing it all here but if you want to know now and you want the strategies written down and you want the actual real life examples, you want to see me actually call some of these businesses, you want the Excel sheets, you want it all.

There's a ground marketing course, and in that ground marketing course, you're, it's like one on one with me, right? And I continue to add to that course as well. And I'm going to put a link to that in the show notes below. Or you can just Google the ground marketing course and see what everybody else is saying about it.

Now it's helped their practice as well. hope you enjoy this episode. Feel free to check out the ground marketing course. If you do, I'm excited to see you in there. And the next episode, we're going to be discussing setting up for success, ground marketing foundations, and we'll dive deeper into that.

Thank you so much for tuning in and I'll talk to you in the next episode.