How to Add Strategic Humor in Advertising
When humor and healthcare intersect, marketing gets tricky. As dental advertising experts, Now Media Group appreciates this balance beam well. While amusing marketing attracts attention, dentistry often deals with patient discomfort. Jokes can appear insensitive when used inappropriately. However, humor, executed strategically, humanizes brands when balanced with care and can create a sense of ease among potential patients.
By leveraging insight from over 12 years of elevating medical practices, Now Media Group incorporates humor artfully. We focus first on empathy, then laughter. If you seek a dental advertising partner to help your practice walk this delicate tightrope with expertise, call (858) 333-8950 for a free strategy session. With polished humor bringing the heart behind your mission to light, patients will grin with ease.
Using Humor and Wit Carefully in Dental Advertising
Humor can be an incredibly effective tool in advertising. A witty tagline or amusing commercial can quickly capture attention and stick in customers’ minds. However, when it comes to medical fields like dentistry, extra care and consideration are needed when using humor. What may seem harmless enough in most marketing can come across as insensitive or dismissive of patients’ concerns. As such, dentists and marketing professionals need to walk a fine line when it comes to incorporating humor into their ads.
Dentistry Frequently Deals with Sensitive Topics
Many dental procedures provoke anxiety and discomfort. Getting a filling drilled, a tooth extracted, or a deep cleaning under the gums is not anyone’s idea of a spa day treatment. Even routine dental checkups and X-rays can make some patients uneasy or anxious. When making light of common dental fears and pain points, even playfully, it can appear uncaring or insensitive. Humor can also seem to trivialize real patient concerns over injections, drilling, and other dental work. That’s why we need to be strategic when using humor throughout dental ads.
Certain Types of Humor Are Too Risky
Because dentistry touches on already sensitive topics, some types of humor should be avoided entirely when marketing dental services. The last thing you want is a crass tagline or inappropriate pun hurting your dental practice’s reputation and ability to attract patients from all backgrounds. This includes:
- Morbid jokes related to gore and procedures can alienate those nervous about visiting the dentist.
- Stereotypical humor or crude jokes are unprofessional and have no place in healthcare advertising.
Subtle, Inclusive Humor Can Still Be Effective
However, this doesn’t mean humor should be avoided altogether. Subtle yet fun wordplay related to dental terminology can put a smile on patients’ faces. A cute image of a toothbrush-toting superhero rushing to the rescue can exaggerate common patient frustrations in a relatable way. And gentle yet witty acknowledgements of the fears people may have over dental treatments can come across as reassuring and humanizing. The key is keeping the humor focused on universal consumer experiences versus insensitive extremes.
How to Get Started
Research the Target Groups Before Using Humor
As with any advertising, understanding your target patient population is key before incorporating humor. Focus groups and patient surveys can provide invaluable feedback. What dental humor lands well and what seems offensive or dismissive can vary greatly based on factors like age, cultural background, and prior dental care experiences. By taking the time to test reactions and understand perspectives, dentists can forge advertising that reassures and connects with patients from all walks of life.
Uplift Patients
In the sensitive space of healthcare and dentistry, humor in advertising should aim to uplift, not undermine. With thoughtful care and consideration of diverse patient experiences, humor and wit can capture attention and connect with customers without detracting from their very real concerns. However, failure to tread carefully can swiftly undermine trust. By focusing humor on universal consumer frustrations and avoiding insensitive extremes, dentists can take advantage of humor’s marketing potential while remaining sensitive to caregivers first and foremost.
Our Best Tips
Highlight Positive Experiences
We recommend sharing patient testimonials (with their permission) with a touch of humor. Use anecdotes that showcase positive experiences in your dental practice, making it clear that a trip to the dentist can be a pleasant and even amusing experience.
Consistency is Key
If you decide to incorporate humor into your dental advertising, make sure it aligns with your overall brand image. Consistency helps build trust, and a cohesive message reinforces your professionalism.
Professionalism First
You’ll want to maintain a balance between humor and professionalism. Your primary goal is to promote your dental services, so don’t let humor overshadow the key messages about the quality of care you provide. Basically, don’t overdue it and dissuade patients.
Why Choose Now Media Group?
When it comes to PPC advertising or management, you want specialists focused solely on driving new patients to your practice. Now Media Group gives dentists a dedicated partner with proven pay-per-click expertise.
Still not sure why Now Media Group is right for you? Here are five reasons we are the go-to digital marketing agency for dentists:
- Customized Campaigns: We’ll tailor every PPC detail specifically to your practice and location rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach. From targeted keywords to compelling ad copy, we optimize for your business goals.
- Focused on Conversions: Driving clicks is easy, but converting those clicks into scheduled appointments requires a meticulous strategy. Our team analyzes key metrics to maximize the ROI of your ad spend.
- Results-Driven Tracking: Nobody wants to pay for services that yield no results. We’ll continuously monitor your active campaigns and make adjustments as needed. We work hard to provide you with real results!
- Scaling for Growth: Whether you’re focused on adding patients in the next few months or want steady growth for years to come, we’ll scale your PPC budget to achieve your expansion goals.
- Dedicated Communication: Have questions or want to discuss new promotions? You’ll get reliable access to your account manager for updates and adjustments, keeping your vision aligned.
Building Dental Trust with Now Media Group
At Now Media Group, we understand that humor and wit can be strategic tools for driving new dental patients. Yet we also recognize that dentistry often touches on uneasy topics surrounding procedures and potential pain points. That’s why our healthcare marketing services focus first on care, empathy, and clarity—before strategically incorporating humor polishing.
If you’re a dentist eager to give your advertising an empathetic yet memorable polish without risking your professional reputation in the community, call Now Media Group at (858) 333-8950 for a free consultation on refreshing the humor and humanity within your practice’s branding.