COLUMN THE BIG IDEA Different approach I Time to shift from pain-based to wellness-based marketing BY ED LUBBERDINK am tired of hearing speakers at seminars stand up and say, “there has never been a better time to be in chiro-practic,” when the truth is, “there has never been a more challenging time to be in chiropractic.” Those speakers have often themselves exited from the day-to-day prac-tice to now just be promoting their programs. The truth, in my opinion, is that the ‘80s were most likely the best time to be in this profession. The truth is that this profession is still as wonderful as it has always been and the changes you make in a person’s life are fantastic. Our provincial and Canadian associations have done a lot of marketing on the value of chiropractic from the perspective of pain over the years, and yet our utilization rates have stayed the same or declined. One may argue that we have saturated the marketplace with chiropractors, and that may be true if we continue to promote chiropractic merely as “pain-based.” Most members of the public already know that chiroprac-tic can help with lower back pain, headaches and neck pain. They also know that they can see their medical doctor at no out-of-pocket cost about these conditions, get prescription meds that are paid for by extended health insurance or the government, if over 65 years of age. If people choose a non-drug approach instead, then they have a choice of chiropractic for sure, but we also share that playing field with physiotherapists (which most MDs still defer to), massage therapists and acupuncturists. The point is that the patient has many choices for “pain-based” care. Shifting strategy What if we switched gears and do what the dental profession did years ago? When the drill, fill and extract model of den-tistry was producing a declining utilization rate, the dental profession created a market for wellness-based dentistry. The dental associations no longer promoted pain-based dentistry because everyone knew that dentists could help with tooth pain. Instead, they promoted wellness-based dentistry; the importance of maintaining teeth became the focus. Regular cleanings, checkups and implants now were on the forefront of marketing to the public. Pro-active dentistry was introduced, so now everyone with teeth was expected to see the dentist, and not just those DR. ED LUBBERDINK, DC, has been a chiropractor in the same location for 35 years. His middle daughter has just started her internship at CMCC. He has three chiropractic associates, four massage therapists and a naturopath on his team. Lubberdink has attended over 100 post-graduate seminars to stay current and inspired. Lubberdink’s clinic focus is certainly on wellness. 18 Canadian Chiropractor December 2016 Consider a marketing strategy that positions chiropractors as spinal health and wellness specialists. with pain. The chiropractic profession needs to model this marketing style. I would think the majority of chiropractors would agree that everyone with a spine should be under regular “wellness” care with a chiropractor. In fact, while bad teeth can be re-placed with implants, we do not have that technology yet for vertebrae replacement. Have ads that say, “You don’t need to have pain to keep your spine healthy,” or pictographs that show two images: one with a senior walking with a walker, while the other same aged senior on the golf course and the caption reads, “taking care of your spine is important, get checked by a chiropractor today.” Consider these two images: One of a middle-aged person bending over in pain with three or four opened prescription bottles, versus one out walking with the kids, with the caption, www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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