As you look at your patient numbers, you realize that you need to start a direct mail marketing campaign. Sending out a well-designed postcard can help you get more business. But do you want to attract more new patients or reach out to your existing patients? Did you know that you may not want to treat them the same?
A key part of any successful campaign is knowing your audience, but if you are grouping new and existing patients together, you could misfire for both. Keep reading to learn how you can customize your direct mail campaign to target these two groups and make your direct mail campaign have a higher return on investment.
Why You Need Different Approaches for New and Existing Patients
New and existing patients have different needs. While one group is already familiar with your office and has been there in person, the other isn’t and hasn’t. It doesn’t make sense to treat these audiences the same way when they have had different levels of interaction and experience with your practice. That’s why you should consider taking two approaches to your marketing campaign. Instead of having one mailer for everyone, you could design and create two mailers—one for existing patients and the other for new patients.
New Patient Acquisition Direct Mail
When trying bring in new patients, you have to not only attract their attention but also educate them about your practice. Highlight what makes your dental practice unique from others in the area for the best results in new patient acquisition.
Your direct mailer should let them know whether you accept dental insurance or have a special deal for new patients. You can appeal to those who may be dissatisfied with their current dentist by talking about your sedation options. There are plenty of services and features you can share with this audience! Whatever distinguishes you from your competitors, you can use it to invite new patients to contact you and set an appointment.
Existing Patient Direct Mail
Patients who have visited your practice before, perhaps even for years, have already started to develop a relationship with you and your team. As a result, you can customize your direct mail campaign. In other words, perhaps you can focus more on the specialty treatments or more advanced restorative or cosmetic work.
For example, your direct mailer could suggest something like, “Taking Your Smile to the Next Level.” If your practice has any special offers on certain services, such as a free consultation for dental implants or a discount on teeth whitening, it’s the perfect opportunity to share this information. The main point is to show your existing patients that they could benefit from doing more with you.
Although creating two different mailers does require more time and effort, it can help you more specifically target the right customers you want to bring in. By meeting your audience’s needs with the right strategy, you can see a higher response rate, which means more revenue for your practice!
About Strategic Marketing Solutions
Unlike many other marketing companies, Strategic Marketing Solutions offers full-service direct mail marketing as well as digital marketing, specifically for small businesses. From the designing stage to the customized mailing list, we take you through every step and see real results. If you are interested in learning more about direct mail marketing, you can contact us online or call 541-500-0519.