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How Can Automated Direct Mail Campaigns Help Dental Offices Close The Year Strong?

For dental practices, Q4 is packed with pressure to finish the year on the right note. And considering how busy everyone is as the holidays approach, attracting more new patients is no simple task. But with the right resources, you’ll be filling up your appointment calendar before you know it. When it comes to dental marketing resources capable of helping you close your year on the right foot, automated direct mail campaigns are right at the top of the list. A few reasons why, include:

Using Automated Direct Mail to Attract More Patients Reduces Your Acquisition Costs

Bringing down the expenses associated with attracting new patients has the potential to enable you to invest funds in other marketing initiatives, or areas of your practice. You won’t find many solutions that have more of an impact on reducing your patient acquisition costs than direct mail. And the fact that you can easily track the impact of mailing campaigns is just an added bonus. If you’re unclear of the impact direct mail could have on your patient acquisition costs, here’s a formula you’ll want to remember.

Cost of Sales+Cost of Marketing/Number of New Customers. 

While that’s the method for measuring your cost per customer, you can also directly track the impact  of your mailing campaign with a variety of methods like QR codes, unique URLs and tracking phone numbers. And you can begin your first campaign by sending postcards for less than $0.60 per piece. Compared to costlier marketing methods like PPC or social media advertising, that’s a steal! That’s especially true considering that neither option provides the response that mailing campaigns do. 

Automated Direct Mail Enables You to Personalize Your Appointment Reminder Postcards

It’s no secret that during this busy time of year a lot of your patients probably won’t be spending too much time thinking about their next dentist visit. That’s why it’s your responsibility to use every resource at your disposal to remind patients when their appointments are. And one of the most effective methods of doing that is sending personalized, well-designed reminder postcards. And with Direct Mail Manager’s triggered sending capabilities, sending these reminders has never been easier. 

 

There are multiple ways you can go about sending your automated reminder postcards. First is by using Direct Mail Manager’s API to integrate it with your CRM directly. Then, you can trigger the sending of a reminder postcard for a week or so prior to a patient’s appointment. Another method entails using Zapier to create a sequence (or a zap) to automatically send a postcard to patients a week before their appointment date. Either method provides a welcome alternative to manually sending reminder postcards. 

How Can Automated Direct Mail Campaigns Help Dental Offices Close The Year Strong

Automatically Send Postcards to Past Patients Reminding Them to Visit You Before Taking Holiday Photos

Maybe there are members of your community or former patients that you have who simply underestimate the value of the service you provide. In these situations, instilling a case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) could be exactly what it takes to bring them in for an appointment. To instill this in recipients, use your postcards to paint the picture of how embarrassing it would be to dampen the mood of taking a family holiday photo because of a fear of smiling. The only thing patients that book an appointment at your dental practice early enough have to fear is how blindingly white their smiles will be!

 

Don’t stop there. Add a little more sizzle by showcasing before and after pictures of patients that have relied on your services in the past. After all, seeing is believing. So adding pictures of previous patients, along with a positive review or two could be just what you need to begin increasing the amount of patients you attract during the holiday season. 

 

You Can Send Postcards Reminding Recipients to Use Their Medical Benefits Before They Run Out

The holidays aren’t the only thing people are thinking about as the year closes out. They’re also thinking about any unused medical benefits they have that might be expiring as another open enrollment period approaches. Automated direct mail is the best tool in your toolbox for reminding patients not to let their benefits go to waste this year. If you plan on sending postcards to encourage recipients to use their medical benefits while they still can, keep these tips in mind:

  • Create a Sense of Urgency

The clock is ticking when it comes to expiring medical benefits like HSA funds. If your patients don’t use them in time, they’ll go to waste meaning they’ve essentially poured money down the drain. Sending postcards encouraging recipients to check for remaining unused benefits could be instrumental in getting patients to book appointments with you. Doing this also positions your practice as one that can be trusted for keeping the best interest of patients in mind.

  • Provide Information Regarding Financing

You may have patients that are in need of urgent dental care, but they may not have the funds to pay right away. And they may not be able to cover the expenses for the dental care they need through insurance. By sending postcards offering details about the financing options you offer, you could open up a rapport that leads to some of your recipients becoming long time patients.

  • Showcase End of Year Promos

If your dental practice is providing financial assistance in the form of holiday sales or promos, postcards are the perfect way to tell the community about them! A well-designed postcard clearly but strongly informing your audience about your offer can attract more patients into your practice than you might think. And if you need help designing your postcard, Direct Mail Manager has you covered with an online design tool and a full library of free downloadable direct mail templates.

Begin Automating Direct Mail Campaigns For Your Dental Practice Today!

If you’re waiting for the perfect time to begin making automated direct mail campaigns a staple of your marketing strategy, this is it! Kickstarting your campaign now will ensure that your mail will begin reaching mailboxes before the holiday rush. To begin mailing, sign up for a Free or Pro Direct Mail Manager account today!