Every smart (and busy) marketer can recognize a great idea—and isn’t afraid to borrow it. It’s like taking a shortcut toward more leads and revenue.
At my company, PostcardMania, we catalog and share campaigns that have proven to be successful. This helps business owners with limited budgets shorten their path to expansion by curtailing the trials and tribulations phase. The best part is that we don’t require you to do business with PostcardMania to steal, copy, and borrow these winning strategies, because we want to help business owners. Thus, this article!
So, are you ready to shorten your path to marketing success? Here are three campaigns from my company’s success vaults that will put you on the fast track to more patients.
Campaign 1: $10,000 in immediate revenue
• Mailing list: Every door direct mail (EDDM)
• Mailing schedule: Approximately 15,000 postcards mailed once
• Result: 20 new patients with a value of $500 each per year for an immediate $10,000. Better yet, the average patient will hopefully stay with the practice for 10 years for a projected revenue bump of $100,000.
If someone offered to double your money right away and then increase your money 10 times in a year, you’d take that bet, right? This dental practice sure did. What I like best about this campaign is the many five-star reviews on the back of the card. These immediately add a lot of credibility, and they definitely draw my eye right to those stars.
I also like that this design doesn’t waste valuable advertising real estate showcasing the practice’s services or equipment. Most people have an understanding of dental care and what a dentist does. These guys cut right to the chase and immediately start building trust and credibility.
Campaign 2: $45,000 in projected production
• Mailing list: The closest 2,000 residences
• Mailing schedule: 2,000 postcards mailed monthly for six months
• Result: 15 new patients thus far and $45,000 in projected production
This campaign does a lot right (bright and eye-catching design, a unique offer), but what I like best is that they mailed to the same people repeatedly.
If you only have the budget to print and mail 12,000 pieces, I would much rather you mail to 2,000 people six times, 3,000 people four times, or 4,000 people three times rather than mail only once or twice to your target market. Of course, this varies depending on your location. Practices in small towns can get away with less repetition, but for practices in suburbs or cities, repetition is their best friend.
Campaign 3: 50 new patients
• Mailing list: Households on specific mail carrier routes with incomes of $30k–$100k
• Mailing schedule: 5,000 pieces mailed three times
• Result: 50 new patients and 15 former patients reactivated
You might have noticed two things about this card immediately: (1) there is only one offer, and (2) that offer is for a free exam and x-ray. I know some dentists who would run for the hills if someone suggested they offer a free dental exam. I’ve talked before about the rise of consumerism in dentistry, and I still believe that adding value or discounting services is a deal maker for consumers today. Therefore, it’s good practice for dentists who want to attract new patients.
For doubters though, looking more closely at the numbers might help. At the close of 2018, I surveyed over 5,000 dentists, and just shy of 94% of them said that they retained a new patient for more than one year:
• 43% retain a new patient for six to 10 years
• 15% retain a new patient for 11 to 20 years
• 2% retain a new patient for 20-plus years
This means that 60% of dentists retain a new patient for six-plus years. So, if you’re like most dentists, you’re going to earn back any initial lost revenue over the course of that patient’s relationship with your practice. If that offer nets you 50 new patients to create lifelong relationships, I think that’s an offer well made.
JOY GENDUSA is the founder and CEO of PostcardMania. Using just postcards, a phone, and a computer, Joy built PostcardMania from a one-person start-up into an industry leader. PostcardMania serves 82,401 clients, including 5,750 dentists. Need help promoting your practice? Call one of PostcardMania’s dental marketing consultants at (844) 269-1836 or email Joy at [email protected].
