The Basics of Direct Mail Marketing My Dental Practice

Direct mail marketing for dental practices is simple and for it to be successful will depend on three things:

• The type of dental direct mail piece you mail.
• The content of your message.
• The quality of the mailing list you use.

The simplest and easiest type of dental direct mail piece is a postcard. What size postcard should you use? Your budget of course would dictate to a certain degree how big of a postcard you would use. Your goal is to stand out and get noticed for this purpose a 6 x 9 or a 6 x 11 postcard is a good size, yet is not expensive to produce.

Another type mailer that is very effective is a note card. Today we can print a variety of graphics on the envelope very affordably. A note card allows you to present a personal message. We also utilize a handy insert card, which is inserted into the note card and gives the recipient a special offer and reason to come see you.

It’s All About the Content

The content of your message is an important part of your dental direct mailer. Do not feel like you need to list every possible service you offer in your direct mail piece. Pick one item, (at most two) and promote that. To do otherwise will clutter and confuse your message, resulting in NO RESULTS from your mailer.

The service you promote should be something that is needed, wanted and of value to your target patient. You should make a special offer for this service that is a fantastic deal. Look at it like this, you are fishing and to catch the fish you want to bait your hook with the type of bait your fish like and season the bait with a special offer so that it is irresistible to your target patient.

How Do You Get The Best Dental Direct Mail List?

The mailing list is the 3rd part to your dental marketing triad and it is easily the reason for 70% of your success or failure.

There are many places you can buy a mailing list and not all dental mailing lists are equal. Start by asking the right questions of your vendor you choose for a mailing list.

1. Do they guarantee the deliverability of mailing list they sell? They should guarantee at least 90% deliverability.
   2. How often do they update their mailing lists? They should update their database at least once a month.
   3. How was this list compiled?

Before you start the process of selecting a direct mail list you have to know who you want to reach. You can buy a mailing list targeted to any degree you need. The more defined the better. The basic criteria are age, income and area. For dental marketing purposes we can also get list of people who have dental insurance or are new movers to your area.

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