Maximize the Return on Your Direct Mail Investment
One of the simplest and most cost-effective ways of reaping a harvest of new patients is through a direct mail campaign. Most dentists know this instinctively.
Unfortunately, however, they're often unclear on how direct mail works, or what the appropriate level of expectation ought to be.
For instance, a 2,500-piece Direct Mail campaign that cost, say, $2,500 and only yielded seven new patients can't be considered a failure—especially if three of the seven prove to be $2,500 per year revenue producers apiece. If the seven combined yield $7,500 a year, that's return on investment (ROI) of three times the original $2,500! That's something to keep in mind after you've sent out numerous mailings and gotten only a handful of responses each mailing!
Another thing which is usually left out of the direct mail equation is the other family members who become patients. When tracking ROI from referral sources most often the second family member to become a patient after a direct mail response is not attributed to the direct mail effort—but to personal referral. So if you get Mrs. Jones and then Mr. Jones and the kids become patients, that really escalates your ROI.
You can supplement the bang you get for your direct mail buck with the judicious use of newspaper advertising or even radio advertising. There's just something about having heard of your practice that adds extra value and prestige to what a potential patient then receives in the mail. But every practice, in every community, is unique. Each practice, based on location and patient population needs to follow its own individual path to success.
Once you've determined to make that investment for success in yourself, the next consideration is: when and where to make it in order to maximize ROI. That is dental marketing strategy—and it's a good idea to consider enlisting the expertise of a dental marketing consultant. Just the way you would want to get advice from a skilled financial planner before pouring a lot of money haphazardly into the market. Especially for dentists who have never actively marketed their practice before, a little advice and direction upfront is worth its weight in gold once the investment cash starts flowing out.
Hycomb's direct mail solutions are individually tailored to each dental practice, its location, and its specific needs. Give us a toll-free call to discuss planning your own individualized strategy: (800) 523-6961.
