In the arena of modern marketing, direct mail marketing isn’t as exciting as some of the alternatives that are out there, but that has less to do with effectiveness, and more to do with their reliability. Direct mail marketing, such as through cards and newsletters, has already been shown to provide a substantial ROI when handled properly. Newer forms of marketing, like search engine optimization, video marketing, social media marketing, and more, all take advantage of emerging technologies. There’s a lot to talk about in those fields, but it shouldn’t take away from discussion on direct mail opportunities.

The Basics:

• Direct mail marketing is easy to track for a ROI. By working with a marketing company, you’ll get some very solid numbers and projections on your ROI, and you can actually track those details. Some dentists have seen ROIs of as much as 400% on their direct mail marketing, so keep in mind that there’s a great deal of potential.
• Details matter in direct marketing. In this case, those details are those that are going on the postcard themselves. They need to have information about your practice, a call to action, your contact information, and more. The card should have everything that a reader will want to know from an initial glance, and the call to contact your office when they have further questions.
  

The Mailing List:

• Accuracy is important. To get the best ROI on your direct mail campaign, you need a targeted mailing list. That means people who are in your area, and people who are most likely to need or want your services. If you are a family dentist, then you should be looking for sales leads for families. If you provide services for cosmetic dentistry, that will change your demographics, but there will also be some overlap involved. Pay attention to the groups that are receiving the card.
• Retention also matters. You may already have a list of patients, and may even send them “reminder” cards of when they should come in for a check up. You may want to include them in your mailing campaign, just as a way to further enhance your retention rates, but they may also not be your primary target audience if your goal is to boost the number of new patients to come through your door. Look for a good balance between the two, and be sure to track the results accordingly to further sharpen your accuracy.
  

Not every marketing firm is the same, so be sure to look through some of the best companies to work with, especially online. Compare price quotes on direct mail campaigns, and you should find yourself both on budget and on the right track.