Dental Direct Mail Marketing at Patient News: Hear from our President, Karen Galley

Dental Direct Marketing: Key element to increase ROI & lead to success. Patient News Publishing assist dentists retain patients, increase dental referrals and reactivate dental patients.

How can increase your patient satisfaction with dental marketing

With Patient News you can increase your Reactivations, Referrals & Recalls and reduce cancellations and attrition

Great Tips for Dental Marketing Through Direct Mail

Dental Practice Marketing is no easy task, and if your firm wishes to stand out amongst the competition, you must follow the proper procedures. If you are unsure of where to start, check out some of the following tips on the best practices of a direct mailing campaign.

Effective targeting - Before you begin any dental direct marketing campaigns, start by analyzing the consumers who live around your practice and identify those most likely to purchase your service. It's likely you're not competing for every patient type, so this will help you hone your marketing message and save dollars.

Immaculate grammar and style - Regardless of what subject matter you are discussing, your articles should be error-free in terms of grammar and style. You want your messages to support your expertise and instill confidence in readers.

Avoid unclear branding - You need to write a clear tie-in to your products and services, and most of the time this can be accomplished by including a brand logo within written content. Communicating your key attributes, with a focus on patient benefit will help ease fears and attract callers.

Lack of Insurance Service - Your prospects number one concern is payment. Include information about how you go the extra mile to assist with insurance and payment plans. Once this is established, ensure that your piece instills value in your service.

 Original Source- http://www.patientnews.com/content/great-tips-dental-marketing-through-direct-mail

Improve Your Direct Mail Campaign

Consumers are seeking a deeper relationship in a world where there is so much choice. And talk about choice. For example, we have a client in Illinois who has been mailing with Patient News since 2001. Luckily, early on in our relationship they decided to dominate the area by mailing wide and frequently. Now there are more than 100 dental practices within ten miles of their location leaving a market opportunity of 700 families per dentist. Yikes! Yet they’ve secured 10x this number. This client has not missed a single issue of their neighborhood newsletter in more than 12 years … would your practice pass this test?

By continuing to build and deepen the bond between their consumers and their brand through their professional and informative newsletter mailings, they will continue to win. The educational content in the newsletter is helping their consumers; it offers something meaningful which has made their brand more meaningful than their competitors. When you have a positive meaningful impact while doing your work, you will have a strong long-term ROI.

Consumers receive thousands of marketing messages per day, so it’s no wonder they’re getting selective about who they choose to engage with. And if you consider that 95% of purchase decisions are made in the subconscious^*, then you’ll understand why we carefully consider human behavior when creating your direct mail campaigns. According to Harhut, there are several key steps to must-read mailings … here are a few to consider relative to your dental marketing campaign:

1.       People respect authority – a more professional presentation works, highlighting tenure and expertise

2.       People respect authority figures – include information about the doctor, their bio and lifestyle, and the practice competitive advantages

3.       Humans are naturally curious – they spend time with their mail; newsletters have 85% readership

4.       People look at who and where mail is from – use of color increases recall, recognition, and response

5.       People are inclined to touch – your newsletter and postcards are tangible and the quality will reflect your practice

6.       Eyes gravitate to certain words – free, new – people are irrationally drawn to free things – even when not normally interested

7.       No can really mean “tell me more” – continue to reinforce your message and grow your practice

8.       People are most interested in themselves – tell prospects how you will help them; provide solutions to their problems

9.       People make decisions for emotional and rational reasons – people are more motivated to avoid pain than find pleasure

10.   People feel obligated – free offers or  surprise gifts encourage people to buy from you to reciprocate

11.   We do what people like us – and people we like – do – use your testimonials, as many as you can get your hands on, which will provide people with the security that they’re making the right decision.

Original Source- http://www.patientnews.com/blog/key-tips-improve-your-direct-mail-campaign

 

Creative ways of attracting new patients to your dental practice

How to get new dental patients?

One of the most tried and true methods of dental practice marketing for acquiring new patients is by issuing dental postcards to all the houses and apartments within a small community. Dental postcards - featuring bright graphics, pertinent information about the practice and relevant new findings in the oral healthcare industry - are a proven method of bolstering new patient acquisition. Dental postcards can alert potential new patients to your practice if they have not heard of it previously, and can impress them with your proactive personalization efforts. However, sometimes it can be beneficial for a dental practice to consider thinking outside the box beyond traditional direct mail to try and acquire new patients. Here are some creative ideas for reaching out to potential new customers to supplement your direct marketing campaigns.

Dental Office Marketing Ideas

Referral bonus system
One way to attract patients while simultaneously motivating staff is to offer a broad referral bonus program. The motivation there for patients is simple - if that person recommends your practice to a friend who ends up visiting, reward that original referrer with a bonus such as a discount or a dental product. This has the twin benefits of engaging with both patients and endearing both of them to your practice. Additionally, it can be easily done, with simple referral forms attached to dental postcards. Meanwhile, sharing in the system with your employees will give them added incentive for improving the practice - not just through referrals but in all facets of your operations.

Get out in the community
Many dental practices are ultimately community businesses, largely serving the neighborhoods within close proximity. Because of this, it is essential that your dental practice has a positive community image. One way of doing this is to get your practice’s name out and participate in community events, such as volunteer activities or neighborhood celebrations, according to the Houston Chronicle. You may even decide to sponsor a local little league team. This can serve as a brilliant opportunity for networking with actual potential new patients while establishing your practice as a firm fixture in the community.

Fun events
Host fun, themed events at your office to let the community know that you’re not only all business, but can provide an enjoyable experience as well. These can range from a information seminar with free snacks and beverages to an elaborate photo shoot for patients with cosmetic treatments. A patient who has a good time with your practice is sure to pass on those good tidings to his or her peers.
For additional information on Dental Office Marketing Ideas From Patient News call 888.377.2404

Original Source- www.Patientnews.com

Can Your Dental Marketing Plan Be More Successful?

Always! Here are five ways you can improve your marketing results!

Frequency. Patients need to hear from you outside your practice more than for an appointment reminder. A direct non-administrative message sent 4-12 times per year will keep your name and service in focus. Most successful dentists send a combination of quarterly mailed patient newsletters and monthly email campaigns. And a monthly direct mail schedule will skyrocket acquisition results (with the right targeting, offer, and content). 

2.       Quality. Is the quality of your marketing and advertising actually costing you patients? Take a critical look at all of your mailers, email newsletters, brochures, social media content, websites, internal handouts, call handling… If the message isn’t consistent, if there isn’t a perceived value in everything that represents your practice, your brand and reputation for excellence in dentistry may be being negatively (albeit subtly) impacted.

3.       Targeting. Analyze your market and your patient base to find more of your ideal patients. Upsell/Cross-sell/Reactivate. Are you confident that 100% of your patients are aware of all of the services you offer? Have you created compelling offers that resonate with your market and make it easy for patients to respond?  

4.       Push. The idea that patients will find your practice on their own is what SEO companies sell on. When patients have a need (or pain) they may look for someone like you. That’s a type of “pull”marketing … where you’re waiting for someone to knock on the door – not at all targeted and very passive. On the other hand, when you “push” your brand and services in front of people you want to attract, you create demand. You take control. You trigger interest, you initiate a relationship, and you draw those ideal new patients to your practice on your timeline.

5.       Media Mix. An effective marketing plan employs a variety of tactics including direct mail, Internet, email, and more. The most reliable and dependable medium is mail. It can be highly targeted, it will reach 100% of your audience with a very high readership rate, and it’s trackable. Internet and PR activities are very important too. On the less targeted (and more expensive) side you have newspaper, magazines, radio, & TV.

Ideally we all need a combination of internal and external marketing programs that employ a combination of push and pull marketing tactics. When setting our marketing budgets, we should allocate our biggest percentage on methods proven to work, and then if desired, test a smaller component on less-reliable tactics. Always budget for the right amount of frequency and make sure that the quality of every campaign reflects the quality of your practice.

Every dentist has existing patients that are primed for upsell or cross sell. They have ideal prospects and inactive patients that are ready to take advantage of their dental services. However, without the right marketing plan and approach, this revenue can be delayed or permanently lost. Folks either don’t do anything (because they don’t know about the services they should desire) or they may call a competitor because of an advertising piece or because they found another site when they surfed online. A more comprehensive marketing approach will help you capture revenue now and continue to increase it over time.

Every practice has a huge opportunity to upsell existing patients. Every practice has a tremendous opportunity to better engage patients and attract ideal new ones. Talk to your Account Manager about how we can help streamline your marketing image and improve your marketing strategy so you can become more successful and more profitable.

For additional information on Dental Marketing from Patient News call 888.377.2404 or visit www.Patientnews.com.

Source- http://www.patientnews.com

Does The Way You Advertise Impact the Type of Patients You Get?

Yes, it absolutely does. If a mailer does not reflect the quality of services, it may not attract the quality of patient you desire. On the other hand, if ad content is perceived as “expensive” it can limit callers. Let’s look at four aspects:

1.       There’s a more affluent community 10 miles away. That’s the risk-reward game. If you only need one case to pay for your campaign, then it may be worth the gamble. Calculate the cost of acquiring that new patient, and if it will be more than covered by the value of one patient’s full potential, it may be worth the test. I say TEST as you’ll want to allocate only a portion of your budget to test out the theory. More affluent folks are more likely to have an established relationship with a practitioner, and unless you’re someone like Bill Dorfman, patients may not travel a distance, especially if they have to drive by 4 other dental practices to get to yours.  Convenience to home is a major factor in choosing a dental practice.

2.       You don’t want to highlight insurance. OMG. It’s the first thing patients consider. When you immediately alleviate the price question, people move onto the value you’re providing. Add value in every communication through educational information, and you’ll definitely set yourself apart from the competition. DO help patients with their insurance – remember when a patient asks “do you take my insurance,” they aren’t looking for a yes or no answer. Even if your practice never accepts assignments, a simple no answer without explanation will lose patients unnecessarily. Try “I’ll be happy to call your insurance company to determine your plan benefits. Then I’ll give you a call and let you know how you can use your insurance in our office.” Always explain whatever you do in a positive way in terms of benefit to the patient.

3.       Know your competition. Are you familiar with their value proposition, the offers they currently have in market, and is your team trained, scripted, and prepared to overcome any objections these competitors may force your team to face? Ask everyone on your team who lives in your practice area to collect everything they receive and bring it into the practice – create a bin for these pieces – and review at a monthly staff huddle. Share this knowledge with your marketing partners. Know the services and price points of your competitor so you can focus your marketing messages on your differentiating attributes.

4.       Benefits, benefits, benefits. Don’t just list services. DO think about WHY the service will help the patient. You have a Cerec machine, it was a big investment, and you’re excited, but what is Cerec to the average reader? Think convenience, speed, anxiety reduction, reliability. Product and technology is super important but not the specs. Always talk patient benefit. Make sure your team is armed with the proper training and scripts to answer questions about WHY these service enhancements are good for the patient. Everyone on your team should be able to convey your key attributes, reinforce your expertise, and talk up the benefits of booking at your practice.

And finally, what advertising allows you to only target these people? Direct mail.


Direct mail is the most reliable and proven advertising method, but how you do it matters. Targeting, proximity, content strategy, tracking, and training are all critical. How do your current patients differ from others in your market area? What are their lifestyles? If you haven’t received a detailed market area analysis report from your Account Manager, call today and request this report which is tremendously valuable when creating a plan to attract more new patients. We’re offering this report to our clients as a complimentary service to assist in targeting and attracting more deal patients. 


For more information on how to better target and convey your key competitive advantages to patients and prospective patients, please contact us at 1.888.377.2404.  

Original Source-  http://www.patientnews.com/blog/does-way-you-advertise-impact-type-patients-you-get