There are certain words that carry negative meaning in the minds of many. I wrote about words to avoid in dentistry in my previous blog post, Dental Curse Words.
I’ve noticed that almost unanimously when recommending “Email Marketing” to my clients, they often get the concerned look on their face. It’s the kind of look that I can hear over the phone. They instantly think “SPAM”… which of course it is not. Somewhere along the line, email marketing has made a bad name for itself.
Email marketing is still very powerful. It’s often not recommended by marketing companies. Perhaps it’s because I always hear “We’ll try it on our own.” Of course, it almost never gets done and when it is done, it’s not done well. Let’s face it, you’re team excels in dentistry, but may not be highly trained in written communication.
So what’s the solution? Well, it’s time to start prioritizing your communication with your existing patients. It’s important to stay top of mind to generate referrals. Existing patients lead to new business. Patient referrals should ALWAYS be your top referral source, no matter the size of your marketing budget. As you get more new patients, those patients should be referring friends and family. If this isn’t the case, it’s time to implement a referral program.
Dental email newsletters can accomplish the following:
- Generate more patient referrals (through forwarding of the email)
- Generate more positive reviews online
- Improve patient education
- Promote advanced dental services
- Improve recall
- Improve case acceptance
Avoid getting marked as SPAM by:
- Sending monthly instead of weekly messages
- Sending to active patients only
- Writing interesting, relatable topics
- Planning out new content
- Including topical, relevant information that can protect or inform a patient
- Don’t be “overselling” but instead represent yourself as an advocate for your patients’ interests
- Keeping an updated patient email list
Email marketing is the bridge between your existing patients and your new patients. It’s the ideal, most affordable marketing strategy that is most ignored. It’s the secret to improving your bottom line. It’s the glue that holds your internal marketing strategies, your internet marketing campaign, your online reputation and your social media presence together.
It’s time that I stop using the words “Email Marketing Campaign” since these words do not do justice and have been ruined by spammers. Call it email marketing or call it POWERFUL PATIENT COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN. I don’t care what we call it, but it’s time to stop ignoring this platform. It’s time to start utilizing one of the most affordable and effective marketing strategies.
Please contact me if you are not already utilizing email marketing to its fullest. We can create a complete marketing plan to achieve your goals. Call me directly at (847) 629-4646.
Grace Rizza
Owner of Identity Dental Marketing
