The answer to these questions
could be either 'yes' or 'no'. If by direct mail marketing you mean sending
an introduction letter about your dental practice to randomly selected
people in your community, the answer is definitely 'no'.
On the other hand, if you
are talking about an efficiently designed, well-planned, and targeted
campaign with clearly set goals, then the answer is 'yes'.
Direct mail marketing can
become very costly. For example, targeting only 1,000 people in your
community for a one-time mailing could cost you more than $1,500, after
calculating the cost of the design and in-house staff work. Mistakes that
are often made in this effort have discouraged a number of us from
continuing this kind of campaign, therefore causing the money spent to be
even a bigger waste.
Like any other marketing program, there are a few key components in
determining whether a direct mail marketing program is successful or not.
Below are some of these important factors:
Who is the target:
The worst thing you can do is to market to everybody with the same mailing.
Try to look at the big picture; not only do people come from diverse age
groups and financial situations, but everyone's dental needs are unique.
Attempting to cover such a broad cross-section of the community with a
single marketing method is not saving money, it is WASTING it.
You may not have a sizeable budget for the campaign, and you might think
that individually targeting groups is too risky. The fact is this: not
targeting specific groups increases the risk of failure.
Since the next step of your
task is selecting different mailing pieces, you have to know who are you
sending these to.
New homeowners are always a
desired objective, but even among them you may want to focus on an even
smaller group, which consists of your ideal patients. First decide what is
it you intend to market to them. Is it cosmetic dentistry or dental
implants? Is it orthodontics or
pediatric dentistry? The
last thing you want to do is send a piece of mail that covers everything
from braces to dentures. Then, select your targeted group and
continue on to the next step.
How to select a design or theme:
This process is actually very easy- just look in the weekly Val Pack
or other clipper magazines you receive at your own home, find a few dental
office ads... then make sure you DON'T do anything like them! The
cookie cutter ads that these magazines' so-called designers offer you is the
same concept they use to promote the plumber down the street. Just remove
the dental pictures and terminology, and you see a big pluming ad! Even the
font of the '24-hour service' is sometimes the same!
Again, what you want to do is to focus on
the big picture. Do not attempt to be everything to everyone. One image with
a single message can do much more than an intricate list of dental
procedures. People don't buy procedures- they buy the feeling they get as a result of having the procedures. Your message should communicate that
feeling.
Instead of putting Dental Veneers, Dental Laminates or Teeth Whitening in
large font on your mailing piece, place a picture of a person that
illustrates the results of these procedures.
How
long should the campaign continue?
If you are thinking of sending one set of mailers and waiting to 'see what
happens,' take my advice- don't waste your money. Researches have shown that
people do not make decisions on new products and/or services until they have
encountered the ads multiple times. Do not make the mistake of
dramatically changing your mailers in reaction to not getting the desired
response quickly either.
Although it is important
to remain open to changes, it is also crucial to spend a majority of the
time planning right from the beginning, and to stick to the plan once it is
in place. Do not design anything involving less than three to twelve
mailings in a short period of time. Ideally, you want your targets to
receive one mailing every three to four weeks. They should be similar in
appearance, and should generally convey the same theme.
Is direct mailing alone enough?
Even if your direct mailing piece is well-designed and encourages
people to give you a chance, a number of potential clients may still want
more information. This information should be available to them. The first
place people tend to look these days is the internet. Even though your
website may not bring many patients to you directly, people will expect to
find you on the internet by using various search tools. A marketing campaign
may cost thousands of dollars in a year. Having a significant internet
presence may cost just a little more, but you can not afford the risk of
initiating your mail marketing without it.
Should I do this in-house?
With advances in printing technology, it
usually costs less to outsource
this task. Remember, there are many tasks involved in creating a successful
direct mailing system, such as design, printing, writing the ads/letters,
stuffing the envelopes, not to mention staff labor costs. Put your energy
into tracking the results and fine-tuning the marketing operation. More
importantly, prepare your staff so they do not miss or loose a single lead
that results from this costly effort.
Offer them something that is hard to say no to:
If you have decided to put $1000 into your marketing program each month, do
not be afraid to offer something real to the people who may respond to it.
Writing effective
mailers:
One of the most essential goals of the first line is to convince the
reader to continue to the second line. The second line should compel the
reader to continue on to the third line, and so on. While keeping this
important rule in mind, you also want to communicate your message in a
unique and efficient way. Do not hesitate to be creative.
And
last but not least, make sure your mailer has a time component, requiring
the reader to take action. Limited-time offers are a perfect example of
this.
