Think Direct Marketing Is Old Fashioned? Think Again!

June 8, 2021by Lisa Philp
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Doesn’t it bug you that consumers PERCEIVE that all dentists offer the same thing? It’s totally just a perception, we all know it, and it’s one of the most bothersome things dentists and dental teams deal with. Dentists want patients to understand that they are different, and that’s why you’re always trying to figure out the best ways to differentiate.

Honestly, it’s kind of the same thing for direct mail. Some people PERCEIVE that direct mail is old-fashioned when it’s truly the furthest thing from that. In fact, direct mail is so current that it is the cornerstone of marketing plans for most successful organizations and dental offices. And it’s attracting a ton of high-value new patients who contribute, on average, around $1800/year for our direct mail clients.

Direct mail is the most effective way for a local business, like a dental office, to increase awareness and new patients. There is NO OTHER WAY to reach 100% of a target audience for a local business. It is the only way to reach 100% of your active and inactive patients. It is the only way to get into every household that you want to know your office, to trust your services, and to choose to schedule with your practice. Here’s why it’s working so well:

-Consumers are AT HOME. They are spending more time WITH THEIR MAIL than they ever have in the last 10 years, and 95% have a positive response to receiving mail.
-It’s more impactful and more memorable than digital marketing – and when it’s larger in size, twice as impactful. This allows dentists to share the information they want their audience to know.
-Record economic growth is happening so people are open and ready to make buying decisions for things they need and want. Direct mail educates and motivates consumers to prioritize oral health.
-Record home sales have people on the move. Patients are moving, new patients are coming in. They’re looking for new providers and good options for their families.

Patient News clients are achieving production levels that are 30% higher than reported industry averages. The numbers don’t lie. Not only is direct mail not passé, it’s en vogue. It’s lit!

As a dental marketing agency, we are trusted advisors for many dentists, office managers, consultants, marketing and operational managers… What we sometimes see is that dentists can be impatient and quick to try different marketing options and want to focus on the latest and greatest digital or tech thing … over the years we’ve talked to many dentists who fail to see the opportunities related to how they implement marketing and effectively utilize a full marketing mix.

Direct mail accounts for the largest local ad spend and that’s because it’s working. Consumers are responding and feel it’s more personal than digital media. It works. On average, just one new dental patient will contribute $1800 to annual revenue. It’s worth working to attract more of those high-value patients.

If you added just one more new patient per day that you’re open, at industry average, you would add over $400k to your topline. Maybe more if your new-patient value is higher – $1800 is our industry average. For example, one of our favorite clients, Dr. Hazel Glasper, boasts a new-patient average over $8,000 per year (her model is high-value versus high-volume, and she loves her newsletters for educating patients and attracting the quality patient she desires).

So, for certain you will boost practice recovery and production and profits and practice valuation – with direct mail. It is PROVEN to be the best way to get more new patients. Take a moment to slow down and consider the facts regarding direct mail marketing for your dental practice. It works for successful practices. It’s driving HUGE returns for many offices right now. Ask yourself if you’re where you want to be, production-wise, right now in 2021. Do you have room to add a few more new patients each week? Many dentists do. We have more past clients coming back to direct mail now than we’ve had in years. Direct mail is driving patient activity and production growth. If we’ve worked with you in the past, we would totally love to welcome you back.

Local businesses that know their target markets are including print advertising as part of their overall marketing strategy. A recent poll revealed an ongoing problem with digital and online promotions failing to capture people’s attention, with print ads garnering increased consumer attention. And, according to inkit, open rates for direct mail can be as high as 90%.

Why choose Patient NEWS for your dental direct mail campaign?

  1. Leaders in print. Best format. Best content. Best implementation. Best service. Why go anywhere else?!
  2. Exclusively dental. 28 years. Just writing marketing campaigns for dental offices. Nothing else. We are dental. We know the industry and how to help you better communicate your value proposition to your audience.
  3. Large format. The 11×17” newsletter format clearly shares your value proposition, making your practice stand out in mailboxes – never to be lumped in with pizza postcards!
  4. We only use FSC-approved bright white 100lb stock, so you look progressive to your audience.
  5. All inclusive. From content to deployment to tracking and account management. We are awesome!
  6. Food & Wine magazine experiencing growth across its brand in print. You’ll have a new recipe in every newsletter edition and value-added oral health information to boost response.
  7. Every campaign is fully researched, analyzed, and put through a series of neuromarketing tests. Hundreds of dental offices are growing and gaining momentum using our proven formula.
  8. Precision-targeted reach. You should never use radius mailings (like you get with EDDM) – now that’s old-fashioned! We use advanced analytics to develop the right target for your direct mail campaigns.
  9. Client results are 30% higher than industry average. Client revenue is 15% higher than 2019 (and way higher than 2020), and that’s 30% higher than the average office as reported by the ADA!

This might make you uncomfortable but let me ask. In the past did you do “one (or 3) and done”? Did you use the wrong format or frequency? Did you follow recommendations of the dental marketing experts? Did you target the right households? Did you track results? Did you answer your calls? At the time, did your team know how to convert calls to appointments?
10.We like to provide a ton of resources to boost the impact your direct mail campaigns can have on overall practice production and profits by supporting every aspect you need for success with proven techniques, systems, and processes.

“This marketing has done what I needed. I am a woman who knows what I want. Quality patients, revenue generation, and relevant information about practice metrics. Patient NEWS delivered all three.” – Dr. Hazel Glasper

Your dental office has an incredible opportunity, right now, to gain more market share, add to your active patient roster, and increase production … and ultimately grow future practice valuation.

Forward-thinking dentists and group organizations know that direct mail works better than most might assume. The perception that direct mail is old-fashioned is not only baseless, but uninformed. COVID-19 pushed people to digital media more than ever, which made our brains gloss over what we’re seeing. This has put direct mail in the position it is in right now, which is exceptional, to make your practice standout in area homes.

Direct mail spending is on the rise. That means that more and more dental offices will be implementing direct mail campaigns and gaining market share. You do have an amazing opportunity right now to be first, to be ahead, and to hurdle the competition.

Direct mail is tangible, tactile, it triggers a surge of neurological reactions that subconsciously influence emotions which directly influence our buying decisions. The team at Patient NEWS has spent the last 28 years investing in providing the industry-leading direct mail solution for dentists. There is nothing else like what we can provide.

At the same time, consumers want content that connects through storytelling, provides useful information and creates entertaining experiences. Because our dental direct mail neighborhood newsletters include both text and imagery, the brain easily identifies and relates to the content, which adds to the positivity of the emotional response. Your neighborhood newsletter campaign from Patient NEWS will make your practice stand out and grow.

Schedule a FREE CONSULTATION with Practice ZEBRA

Lisa Philp