When I first learned of how Dr. Dower’s circular career path mirrored my own, but in reverse, I was compelled to learn more. So, we sat down for tea in his Yonge and Bloor stomping grounds and took a stroll down memory lane.

Dr. Dower started out as a marketer. But, after benefiting from chiropractic care personally, he found his higher calling as a chiropractor. His background in marketing informed his chiropractic clinic, however (I related to this because I started with physiology, went onto the MBA and came back to my grassroots with my business hat, as a consultant to healthcare practices).

As a past marketer, Dr. Dower recognized immediately how good service was translating into a busy practice, in real time. Naturally, he remained curious about transferring other aspects of marketing and decided to explore.

Dr. Dower recalls turning down an idea to place his calling card directly in ladies’ stilettos displayed in local high end retail shops. Yes, he was looking for creativity but it needed to be balanced by practicality.

To engage the high volume of foot traffic in front of his downtown chiropractic clinic, Dr. Dower hired a professional contortionist. It was a spectacle! Though it was only a one time event, there was drama and lots of fun.

Print ads targeting local niche market audiences surprisingly didn’t yield many calls, Dr. Dower recounts. Interestingly, however, the majority of callers did in fact turn into patients (I have to add that this was a nice job converting the callers!).

It’s probably no accident that Dr. Dower played a key role in establishing his current networking group from the ground up. Having an instinct for succinctly presenting his clinic’s point of difference definitely proved to be an asset (I always tell my clients that they will get farther leveraging their talent and interests rather than taking their marketing like medicine!). He maintains that word of mouth referrals, including those from his networking efforts, continue to drive the lion’s share of new and repeat business.

Dr. Dower has noticed that referrals always enjoy a bit of a bounce when patients make a point of mentioning that they are happy and they are encouraged to spread the word. These are clearly referrals with personal stories from people who really believe in his ability to make a difference, as a chiropractor. The loyalty he enjoys has been driven by his strong commitment towards excellent customer service and focus on results, as a former marketer.

The experiment with the web is still in its infancy. Advertising on Facebook was certainly social. People flocked over to publicly like the clinic, but it remains to be seen if they will convert into patients. A search engine optimization strategy may be the next building block. But, this time he decided that he’d like to work with someone that has experience marketing healthcare services.

The two things that have been key to Dr. Dower’s success are delivering great service and encouraging patients to spread the word when they are happy. Whether or not a chiropractor is planning to market his or her practice, he maintains that these two essentials would still be the foundation of any solid practice development strategy.

One Chiropractor’s Experiment with Consumer Marketing is based on an interview between Sandra Bekhor of Bekhor Management and Dr. Brian Dower, a chiropractor practicing in the Yonge and Bloor area of Toronto.