Trending Topic For Dentists
The efficacy of the patient newsletter
When it comes to marketing for dentists, a foundational piece that has fallen by the wayside is the “patient newsletter.” When I say newsletter, you might immediately think email newsletter, but what I’m referring to is a printed, mailed patient newsletter. This format, one that reaches 100% of homes, will:
- Reduce attrition
- Increase revenue
- Increase patient lifetime value
- Increase elective services
- Increase word-of-mouth referrals
- Increase positive patient reviews
- Improve patient retention
- Improve patient satisfaction
- Increase practice security & competitiveness
- Increase practice valuation.
It makes so much sense for every dental office to invest in a quarterly print newsletter as the foundational piece of their marketing mix. This commitment to patient education and satisfaction reaps rewards; it improves the patient experience and builds relationships – and can generate a 10:1 ROI or more!
A mailed patient newsletter is the only kind of newsletter that will reach 100% of your patients, and mail is preferred by patients of all ages. And the holiday season approaches!
We have some fantastic content prepared to make creating your year-end or new-years edition super easy and fast. If you’ve let your patient newsletter go by the wayside, call us today (888) 377-2404 to get your program up and running! If you’re struggling to come up with content, we’ve got you covered!
We have hundreds of dental offices that mail a quarterly newsletter to patients, but for many more dental offices, it’s been all about dental website design, social media marketing for dentists, search engine optimization for dentists … with the perception that these avenues are less expensive or more important.
100% yes – a great online presence is an essential component of the marketing mix for every business that wants to grow, BUT as a dental marketing company that does it all, I can tell you that dental offices that take the time and make the minor investment to send out a quarterly patient newsletter are reaping the results of better patient retention, generating more referrals, and getting more treatment accepted.
While patients are at home, busy with their lives, they’re not looking you up online wondering about what new or different dental treatments they need – or want. They’re busy. Again, your printed newsletter reaches 100% of patient households and ROI is very strong. 4.5X that of email.
What’s the ROI for the average dental office?
Average patient value: $1060
Average number of active patients: 2100
Average number of patients with no appointment: 1200
Average number of patients not seen in 9 months: 525
Average new patient value: $1800
The average practice has 1250 households to mail to. Based on this, recouping just 2 lapsing patients and/or generating 1 new patient referral would basically pay for each mailing – in full! So, if you have 25% of your active base over 9 months, or 525 patients without an appointment, how many would respond to prompting from a newsletter mailing? 2? What if your number was 10, 20, or 50? How can any dental office go wrong?!
What better time than the holiday season to circle back to what really matters to your patients? Human connection. Feeling appreciated. Helpful information. And that is proven to make very good business sense for every dental office.
Call (888) 377-2404 today to order your customized holiday edition!
Think about it. Would you prefer a generic holiday card with scribbled signatures from your healthcare provider versus a 4-page newsletter full of great, personalized content? Which format would leave you feeling valued, feeling appreciated, and feeling like you have a connection with your practitioner?
A patient newsletter is very effective at keeping your practice top-of-mind in a very positive way.
Not only is it like your personal house call, keeping your name visible in patient homes every quarter, a patient newsletter strengthens bonds and builds loyalty. With the right mix of content (we include a recipe as well as oral and overall health information in each edition, alongside your personal content), your newsletter reminds patients that you’re the expert in your field who they can rely on and trust, all while educating and engaging them.
Yes, email as well
Our monthly email newsletters boast an open rate that is double or triple that of industry averages – but email is typically a work channel, hits one recipient, possibly the guarantor versus household decision-maker, while mail is received and welcomed in the home. We recommend combining our monthly email service with a quarterly print email campaign for best results and reach.
Personalization
As the leaders in direct mail marketing for dentists, we have a huge library of dental articles to suit your practice. In addition, our team of editors and writers will craft any topic just for you – your team, new staff members, patient profiles, new services or technology, content that reassures of the safety at your practice – free with your newsletter order. And you can always send in your own articles or messages to be added to the content you choose to use from us. Your Account Manager will make it really easy for you, and you’ll have the exact content you want. And we have a full library of articles and images (including for those for special products and technologies) or you can send in your own team photo or before-&-after pictures to be featured.
Envelopes increase opens
We take care of it all – design, printing, and mailing. Plus, we insert your beautiful newsletter into bright white #10 envelopes, proven to increase open rates and readership. These feature a stamp and your logo in full color. The use of envelope also allows you to include a care-to-share type referral card or other additional insert at no extra postage fee.
Tangible beats online fatigue
Patients of all ages want to receive mail from their preferred providers. It’s less intrusive than the ad that interrupts our online experiences. We prefer direct mail because we can read it when we want, we feel positive about it, and it drives action.
Physicality stimulates mental processes
A printed newsletter is more effective at driving behavior than digital media because of the emotional response it triggers deep within the human brain. Studies have proven that we are more likely to retain information when consumed in print format over digital.
At the end of the day, what dental offices need from their patients right now is trust. Print is considered the most trustworthy media, so doesn’t it make sense, with great ROI, great engagement, great recall, and great overall results on every aspect of practice life, to build in a patient newsletter campaign to continue to build trust with patients outside of your office?
If you used our patient newsletters in the past, pick up the phone, we’d love to hear from you! If you’ve never tried our patient newsletter service, check it out, we’d love to hear from you too!
Patient NEWS launched with patient newsletters for dentists (thank you Dr. Paul Piccininni for being #1 in 1993) and, as we end 2021 and move into 2022, patient newsletters remain a proven and highly effective tool – which should be considered foundational marketing for every dental office. Build relationships – get results.
Schedule your patient newsletter mailing today!