"What the heck does that mean", I thought to myself. "What are they selling?" Luckily, I was able to catch a glimpse of the company name also on the side of truck... "Tod's Air Conditioning"



As the truck pulled out in front of me, I sat there for a few minutes thinking, "Hmmmm, maybe Trane is the type of air conditioner they install. Maybe it's the certification company behind their staff. Maybe it's the tools or machine they use to fix people's air conditioner. Or, maybe it's the name of their parent company or something." It wasn't until many hours later that I found out what they meant by "Trane", when... like the computer nerd I am... I went online and Google'd it.

Fact of the matter is, how many people who see that truck, do you think actually take the time to find out what their tagline means by going online and doing some research? What do you think... uhhh.... maybe... NONE! (With the exception of the token person like me who has an insane passion for marketing.)

So, what's that mean exactly to the company with the tagline? Well,that unless someone's an air conditioning insider, they're not going to have a clue what that tagline is supposed to mean to them, so the company's hard-earned advertising dollars are completely wasted.

It's a mistake soooo many companies and professionals make in their marketing, chiropractors included. They make the mistake of trying to be cute in their chiropractic marketing instead of trying to be compelling.

Rule #1 with your chiropractic marketing: It's better to be compelling and benefit-driven than it is just to be cute simply for cuteness sake. Personally, I think this idea of crafting a memorable tagline has it's roots in the brand advertising approach of many of the Fortune 500 companies.

Therapists see the way lots of big companies have these neat little cutesy taglines, and they follow in their footsteps with the creation of a similar-style tagline for their practice.

Unfortunately, what most chiropractors don't understand is that those big Fortune 500 companies have a different aim and objective with their advertising than that of the typical chiropractor.

While the average chiropractor wants a response from their chiropractic marketing (i.e. new patients), the big companies are using these taglines in their advertising, NOT because they want response, but because they're after brand recognition.

Funny thing is, most of the time, marketing research shows that even though we remember lots of taglines, we don't always remember the company who it belongs to. Not only that, but, in many marketing studies, results show that even on the occasion that we do remember the company the tagline belongs to, we don't necessairly purchase any of their products or services, and certainly not MORE products or services because of

the tagline.

So, when using a cute, memorable tagline, companies may get some additional "recognition", but they don't necessarily generate additional customers or sales. Meanwhile, that's the entire point of your chiropractic marketing: to get new patients. Period.

Everything you include in your chiropractic marketing, should increase the response you're aiming for (i.e. generate you more leads, more new chiropractic patients, more referrals, etc.). So, how do you do that with your tagline, if you're using one?

Well, for one, don't try to come up with a tagline that people will remember. Instead, come up with a tagline for your practice that conveys a big promise and desired benefit to your target market. In other words, if you're going to use a tagline, use a tagline that states the big unique benefit prospective patients are going to get with you that they won't from any other chiropractor.

Give prospective patients a powerful reason, in your tagline, to choose your chiropractic practice for their care. Be crystal clear in what patients get with you that they don't elsewhere.

When in doubt, say it like it is. Again, it's always better to be clear and concise, than it is to try and be cute, and lose the clarity of your chiropractic marketing message. Always remember, your goal when using a tagline is to make chiropractic WITH YOU more enticing, more interesting, more beneficial, and

more unique.

Returning, quickly, to our earlier example, here are three ways the air conditioning company could have improved significantly on their "Nothing Stops A Trane" tagline:

"The Only Air Conditioning Unit You Never Have To Worry About" "An Air Conditioning Unit Designed To Continually Give You Cool Air While Conserving Your Home's Energy!"

"The Only Air Conditioning Unit From One Of Fortune Magazines List Of Most Admired Companies" Now, think about how you can improve on your chiropractic practice's tagline.