Integrated marketing is growing more important by the day. Promotional campaigns that engage with readers across multiple channels increase response rates and deliver higher returns on investment (ROI). However, when marketers begin developing their next outreach program, they sometimes neglect to consider how direct mail is still grabbing the attention of people all across the world.

Today's average consumer is overwhelmed by the amount of promotional pieces sent to him or her every day. Consumers receive emails, web advertisements, mobile ads, texts, TV and radio advertisements through their daily routines. According to The Ballantine Corporation, new studies suggest that people have moved past their apathy to direct mail and have begun to respond frequently to print media again. In addition, a study conducted by Mail Print found that 85 percent of consumers sort through and read selected pieces of mail every day. The report also revealed that 75 percent of consumers indicate that they have examined their mail more closely in recent months.

Marketers are being smart with how they send direct mail to prospects and customers. The content created by today's professional is educational and persuasive, and market research has helped business owners identify key target audiences and track progress throughout the lifespan of a promotional campaign. In the dental industry, dentistry marketing has become a streamlined and organized practice - one that helps retain patients-of-record and attract new patients.

Direct dental marketing enjoys 100 percent reach. In fact, when a dentist sends patient newsletters to their patients of record, approximately 85 percent of respondents say they enjoy receiving and reading the content.

A study of neuromarketing found that people respond well to patient newsletters on a micro level as well. The study showed that direct mail generates a deeper emotional response, the brain views print media as more real and pays more attention to the content as a result and that people are more introspective with direct mail.

Dentists who want to retain the patients they have worked so hard to acquire should make sure that their dental marketing campaigns communicate the value of their services over time by providing the types of content that will generate interest in recall and elective services and demonstrate to patients that they value their business. To get through to patients-of-record, direct mail is often the most efficient channel, and patient newsletters are proven to significantly strengthen patient relationships resulting in a long-term return on investment.