Dental Relationship Marketing

Posts Tagged ‘patient newsletters’

The correct answer is both mediums used together is best. Why? You might ask, “With so many marketing companies now offering e-newsletters, isn’t digital the best option?” The answer is no, for several reasons. Digital or e-communication (as much as I love it) cannot yet completely replace all the benefits of hardcopy.

Tangible newsletters allow people to experience news in a much different way than e-communication. Most importantly, hardcopies allow us to get away with longer articles, more photos and richer content than digital formats.

There is just something more sincere and warm about holding a tangible note, card or letter in your hands rather than scanning it on a screen… For similar reasons, highly personalized hardcopy newsletters are still key relationship and trust building tools.

At the end of the day, you want to be sure your patients have seen and absorbed all you have to convey. Ensure your marketing communication is achieving every important objective by including both email and hardcopy news in your 2009 marketing plan.

Need help with dental newsletters for yourself or your practice? Email rita@tangiblemarketing.com or call Rita (303) 807-3827.

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“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas A. Edison

Many dentists today realize the value of “wowing” patients during their standard two office visits per year; however few appreciate the value of connecting with patients throughout the year.

If you look to the specialists of dentistry, the oral surgeons, periodontists and orthodontists, you’d likely see examples of good relationship marketing (staying in touch with general dentists) throughout the year. If not, they’d likely not be able to maintain good communication, strong relationships or most importantly receive referrals from you. If you didn’t hear from the specialist more than twice a year, a general dentist might wonder if they are sending the wrong type of referral, if the specialist has become too busy, or perhaps wonder if they just don’t need – or want- your referrals any more. The same is true with patients of the general dentist…

Yes, staying in touch with patients throughout the year is work- it requires time, effort and investment. However the benefit you receive is increased referrals because patients:

Feel they have a relationship with you.
Sense you care.
Know you still want their business.
Believe you welcome their referrals.

How do you take advantage of referral marketing opportunities?

Are you looking for an effective way to stay in touch with your patients? Want friendly, authentic and proven marketing? Contact rita@tangiblemarketing.com to learn about our patient newsletter programs and keep your patients loyal, motivated for treatment and regularly referring.

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5 Reasons You May Lose Patients and What You Can Do About It

Today, more than ever, it’s important to retain patient loyalty, build strong genuine relationships and ensure patients know that you accept and appreciate referrals. Here are a few reasons why patients leave their dental providers and what you can do about it…

Feel like you don’t care (they don’t hear from you anymore and think you probably don’t want them as a patient – perhaps because they didn’t do that new crown you recommended last visit?)

Don’t get the attention they deserve (a friend keeps saying how great her dentist is… and your patient isn’t aware that you offer what her friend’s dentist does)

Think you are fee-motivated (they feel like your practice keeps “pushing expensive” implant treatment. Meanwhile they aren’t aware of the risks without this treatment.)

Keep getting solicited by other dentists (they keep getting postcards from other dentists in the area and begin to think it’s time to switch. Besides, they’re not sure you’d care if they left your practice.)

Never hear from you (They aren’t sure they’re getting the service they deserve… the only time they see you is when they remember to call for an appointment).

Today’s marketplace is crowded and challenging (not to mention our current economic situation), so patients require more attention than ever in order to remain loyal, accept higher quality/fee treatments and continue to refer.

Patient newsletter marketing, when done right, succeeds at:

Building authentic and loyal relationships.

Keeping patients informed with friendly, unique-to-your-practice messages.

Reminding patients about recall, treatment/relaxation options, payment/credit arrangements or end-of-year insurance expirations.

Motivating referrals – patients need to know that you, first and foremost, want their referrals, that you appreciate them and perhaps what they might expect in return.

Want to learn more? Contact rita@tangiblemarketing.com

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Patient newsletter marketing, when done right, can be extremely effective in building relationships, trust, loyalty and increasing case acceptance. However many dental newsletter services are provided by huge corporate publishing companies who can efficiently pump out volumes of paper product, yet many times lack the personal hands-on dental experience needed to successfully market dentists today. Here are five patient newsletter mistakes to avoid:

1. No personalization- if you want a newsletter to get tossed on a regular basis, don’t personalize it at all. When patients scan to see if there is anything that looks familiar to them like a logo -or more importantly a photo- and see nothing they can connect with, they lose interest and you lose their precious attention.
2. Too much content- patients are super busy these days… while they do still like to hear from you, make it brief! This means a limit of two pages maximum- filled with wholesome unique-to-your-practice material. Four pages or more is not only too much content, but a waste of trees.
3. Boring cookie-cutter articles- it’s very important to take personalization to the next level here. Don’t include articles about children’s dentistry if your practice caters to adults or seniors. Likewise, don’t promote extreme-makeover dentistry if your client base is conservative and you cater to people who just want the basics. This is where the big guys (impersonal corporate publishers) miss the mark many times… by not allowing you to control each and every article’s content.
4. Too much sales-y talk – be very careful here. Present what you want to promote in a friendly informative manner. Yes it is ok to say “Call us…” However over-do-it and you’ll cross that precarious point of looking too, we’ll you know… sales-y.
5. Black & White- today’s “standard of care” for print is full color on high quality paper. This is especially critical for “technologically advanced or high-end” practices. Cheap paper with black and white print will stand out in the mail these days, but not in a good way.

Interested in learning about dental patient newsletter marketing -done right- for your practice? Email rita@tangiblemarketing.com

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