10 Statistics For Direct Mail & Dental Offices

Direct mail has a 90% open rate, 70% of consumers say direct mail is more personal than online interactions, and over 50% of consumers want direct mail.

Thriving dental offices recognize the important role direct mail plays in their success, but we also come across our fair share of skeptics. Direct mail drives more activity to all marketing channels and increases purchasing rates.
Direct mail statistics:

1. Direct mail is far more persuasive than digital media, with motivation response 1.75x higher from newsletters

Dental office marketing needs to be persuasive. More than ever. Traditionally 50% of consumers had some level of fear and avoidance of dentistry, and the pandemic hasn’t helped. Direct mail taps into deep neurological paths that trigger action.

2. Direct mail is more easily understood than digital channels

Digital messages require more brain power than direct mail, meaning the message gets across faster with mail, and since almost 90% of key purchase decisions are made in the home, there is no better method for a dentist to communicate.

3. Direct mail has an open rate that’s 4.5x that of email

Emailing and texting messages to patients might seem less costly but consider the “cost.” Direct mail reaches 100% of homes, has a 90% open rate, is seen by multiple people in a household, and has a shelf life of at least 3 weeks (the longest of any medium). Conversely the average dental office has 65% of patient email addresses, with a 15-20% open rate, by a single viewer, only 10% of patients are reached with any important marketing messages.

4. Gen X & Millennials, like Boomers, prefer direct mail

Consumers of all ages feel positive about direct mail. In fact, Gen Z are highest to report feeling overwhelmed by the number of digital ads they see, followed by Millennials and Gen X. Direct mail drives action:

5. Direct mail is more action-oriented because physicality stimulates underlying mental processes that guide behavior

Senses reign supreme. Research has proven that direct mail is more effective at driving behavior than digital media, and 30–49-year-olds exhibit the highest response to direct mail and lowest response to digital media.

6. Recall is 70% higher from direct mail versus digital ads

Because physical mail is more memorable (requiring 20% less cognitive power to process), it stimulates much greater brand recall. With competitors clamoring for attention, offering a memorable, educational, relevant mailed resource helps dental offices be more recognized and remembered.

7. Direct mail drives brand education

Brand experience happens “in the mind.” Direct mail is the most trusted ad channel before purchasing, but not all direct mail is the same. When using a larger newsletter format, perceived as magazine style, the consumer brain assigns more credibility and importance to the content. Consistent presentation of brand increases revenue by 23%, on average.

8. 72% of consumers feel positive about marketing mail

That said, they engage with 3 out of 10 pieces of mail they receive by visiting a website, inquiring, or making a purchase. This is significantly better than the clicks ratio on PPC ads or email, and also demonstrates the importance of “right person, right message, right time” and the use of quality information, effective targeting, and consistency.

9. Consumers are fatigued by pandemic-driven digital marketing

75% of consumers are overwhelmed by the number of digital ads they see each day, and almost half are frustrated with the interference of their online experience. 57% of people say that receiving mail makes them feel more valued and 79% say that reading mail is more convenient that going online.

10. Direct mail is the only way to reach 100% of your target audience

There isn’t a single dental office that has 100% email or mobile records, so this is a very important statistic to consider. And, according to Small Business Trends, direct mail marketing earns an average of $2095 per person. Over 90% read direct mail, and 71% share it.

Direct mail drives action for dental offices. It’s an important touchpoint on the patient journey that attracts new patients and retains existing patients. Patient NEWS’ clients are achieving record production using data-driven, precisely targeted neighborhood newsletters and personalized patient newsletters – their year-to-date production is well over 30% higher than 2020, and outpacing 2019 by 11%. So, it’s not just direct mail, it’s also the science behind it.

Call (888) 377-2404 and find out how you can benefit from direct mail for your dental practice. We’re ROYALTY when it comes to direct mail for dentists. If you want only the best for your practice and your patients, call today!

It’s all summed up in this recent client review…

“Here at Dr. Marea White’s office, we have had nothing but positive experiences with everyone at Patient NEWS. Our monthly newsletters are our #1 advertising tool. Month after month we get more new patients from the newsletter than anything else we use. I always get an immediate response when I reach out to [Patient NEWS]. I would highly recommend that you check them out!” – Susan Cooper, Office Manager

Joanne Bishop