In this digital age, you may think that the best way to attract more patients, especially for cosmetic services, is online. Well, think again! According to the Direct Marketing Association, direct mail for dentists still garners higher response rates than online marketing methods (4.4 percent compared to less than 1 percent). The United States Postal Service reports that about 50 percent of American households say that they will read postcards, and 80 percent of people still check their mail every day. Compared to other kinds of direct mail, postcard campaigns can produce a response rate of about 20 percent, proving to be more effective than letter-sized envelopes and catalogs. So how can you take advantage of this marketing strategy to benefit your practice? In this post, you’ll learn four ways that you can use post cards to successfully bring in patients for cosmetic services.
Target Specific Patients
Sending out postcards to thousands of households doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re flying blind and hoping for the best. You can strategically plan the locations or demographics that you would like to specifically target with your marketing, making each postcard more likely to reach the kind of patient you’re wanting to attract.
Be Consistent
Unfortunately, you can’t send out a massive number of postcards one time and expect to get appointments set for significantly more patients. After all, maybe some recipients were in a rush and tossed out your postcard before taking a close look at it. Maybe some simply forgot about your practice after the first time they saw your postcard. By consistently sending postcards to your targeted households, you can help patients remember your practice. In fact, it often takes three or more months of sending out thousands of postcards each time to see the kind of substantial returns you’re looking for.
Pair with Smart Online Marketing
Although direct mail marketing is still an effective tool to use, you can’t afford not to have an online presence as well. If you can have your practice show up in Google and Facebook ads in addition to the postcards in the mailbox, you increase the likelihood of those patients scheduling a consultation for cosmetic services.
Show Multiple Special Offers
Want to know how to make your practice’s postcard even more appealing for cosmetic services? Consider offering multiple special deals for new patients or on specific procedures. You don’t have to discount the rate by a lot—just enough to pique interest. When presented with a valuable offer, your postcard recipients can feel the fear of missing out and are more likely to contact your practice as a result.
If you’re wanting to bring in more patients for cosmetic services, you can use postcards to directly contact your desired audience. The strategies listed here can help you use your marketing budget wisely and see healthy response rates. The good news is that you don’t have to navigate the world of direct mail marketing alone. Find a company that can help you reach your goals and access your ideal patient. You’ll be glad you did!
About Strategic Marketing Solutions
Strategic Marketing Solutions offers full-service direct mail marketing to small businesses, including dental practices. We use hard data sets (calculated to the decimal point) to show our clients the value we add to their practices. We use precise methods in targeting postcard recipients so that you get the right kind of patient through the door. For a free chat with a marketing consultant, click here or call (541) 772-0212.