Dentaltown February 2024 - 10

HOWARD SPEAKS
DR. HOWARD
FARRAN, DDS, MBA
Founder and CEO
And unless a post goes viral, most businesses
aren't paying attention to how they're tagged or
Staying On
Track in 2024
W
hen revenue is down, many businesses
look at advertising and marketing as
an unnecessary expense and drop it.
Th at's the kiss of death! When your
revenue is down, you need to increase your
eff orts. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but
that's a fact.
After the stock market crash in March 2000,
Michael Dell knew he was losing a lot of his existing
business, so he hit the airwaves with the slogan:
Dude, you're getting a Dell. Dell doubled down
on advertising, and company revenues skyrocketed
during a down period in the U.S. economy.
Track the results online-and in person
You also need to be able to determine the best
return on investment for your advertising dollar.
Tracking is everything, because it shows what
was eff ective and what you should do more of.
One of my friends started a blog and newsletter
that reports on restaurant and culinary news
in the Phoenix metro area-openings and closings,
upcoming culinary events such as beerfests
and limited-time promotions, and other industry
news. I once asked him the best way that I as a
subscriber could show support for his business.
Which would be better-liking and commenting
on the social posts, or clicking links in the articles
themselves to give him outgoing traffi c? His
answer: Neither.
" Honestly, the best thing you can do is tell the
place directly that you heard about it because
of me, " he said. False web traffi c is rampant
because of all the bots, he explained, so clicks
don't provide an accurate view of a link's effi cacy.
written about. (Sure, it's nice that someone clicked
" Like " on one of your practice's Facebook posts,
but that didn't bring them into your offi ce.) But if
someone takes the time to tell a business what
exactly drove them to come in or call to fi nd out
more information, that is gold-star knowledge!
... And now for a look behind the scenes
Dentaltown magazine includes a reader service
card in every issue, a small but mighty tool for
keeping track of what resonates with you. While
it might have slipped under your radar a few
times, this card is a direct line to our advertisers,
who want to know if their ad in our magazine
inspired you to take action or consider buying
their product. Take a moment to complete the
postage-paid card and send it back to us. It's not
just a card-it's one of the simplest and most
eff ective ways a print magazine like Dentaltown
can prove an ad's eff ectiveness.
And when you contact a company or purchase
a product after seeing an ad in Dentaltown magazine
let your sales rep know about it! Sharing
this information with them ensures that our
advertisers get even more valuable feedback, and
it helps strengthen the connection between our
community and the dental industry.
By sharing your insights, you become an essential
part of the Dentaltown community, helping
us evolve and deliver content that resonates with
you. Th ank you for being a key player in making
Dentaltown the best it can be! DT
Help Dentaltown by fi lling out your card
You'll find this month's postage-paid reader service
card wedged between pages 36 and 37. Please
take the time to circle the numbers of any ads that
grabbed your attention-the " Free Facts " numbers
are below each ad in small type-and drop it in the
mailbox. And be sure to check " Yes " to renew your
free subscription to Dentaltown for another year!
FEBRUARY 2024 | 10 | DENTALTOWN.COM
http://www.DENTALTOWN.COM
Dentaltown February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown February 2024
