For health practitioners, finding a marketing strategy that builds trust and credibility is essential. Though digital marketing is a prevalent marketing medium in today’s world, traditional methods, like direct mail marketing, remain one of the best ways for businesses to build their reputation and presence in the local community.
Health practices, such as chiropractic clinics and physical therapy centers that provide essential services for managing pain and promoting wellness can significantly benefit from a well-designed direct mail campaign. There are a lot of advantages of direct mail marketing that are particularly beneficial for these types of businesses. We’ll go over these benefits in more detail, explaining why direct mail marketing for medical practices is a valuable tool within a comprehensive advertising campaign.
Why Is Direct Mail Relevant For Chiropractors and Outpatient Clinics??
Though direct mail is often seen as a relic of pre-internet days, the marketing medium has remained an essential part of many businesses’ advertising campaigns due to its tangibility and personalized approach. People appreciate holding something in their hands and tend to view this type of advertising as more trustworthy than a digital ad. For brands and businesses that want to stand out from the crowd, direct mail–especially personalized mailers–has a high response rate compared to other forms of marketing.
If you were to compare direct mail to email, direct mail gets seen by 90% of its recipients. Email only has an open rate of about 30%, and that’s depending upon how good your email campaign is. That stat alone suggests that direct mail is worth sending to potential patients.
Why Should You Consider Direct Mail for Your Health Practice?
You should consider direct mail for your healthcare simply based upon the fact that it has a powerful return on investment. A study by the Chiropractic Marketing Solutions found that their clients saw an average return on investment of 417% when using direct mail campaigns. Plus, your direct mail campaign will reach a lot more people than digital marketing potentially can. According to Google’s Keyword Planner, the CPC for “chiropractor” is $5.67. With direct mail marketing, depending upon the number of households that you target, you could pay as little as $.29 per piece of mail that you send with Every Door Direct Mail.
The Tangible Connection
Studies have time and again shown the benefits of tangible advertisements that go out through direct mail. People appreciate mailers for the way they engage their senses and are more likely to remember this advertisement compared to digital ones. If you’re looking for a way to make your brand memorable to your audience, a direct mail campaign is one of the best marketing options. For a chiropractor or healthcare provider, the trust built by tangible mail is important. Over three fourths of consumers trust direct mail in the United States to make a purchase of goods and services.
Personalization
Personalization is another big factor in determining response rate. Direct mail allows for easy personalized messaging. Chiropractors and health professionals can tailor their messages to address specific concerns and needs of potential patients, making them feel valued and understood. You can use the data from your own records to target existing patients. Or, you can target by age group as well. For example, if you own a chiropractor clinic, you may target an older age bracket with services designed to aid common senior health problems. By personalizing your direct mail campaign, you’re more likely to see positive results.
Direct mail lets you personalize your value proposition based upon your targeting. If you are targeting homeowners, renters, or income, you can make decisions about how much you give patients off for your value proposition. Additionally, with Every Day Direct Mail, you can decide on how to geographically target people. If you are in a major city, you can do a “drive time” targeting campaign to reach people coming into work from the suburbs or you can target a physical radius if your clinic is in an area with a smaller population.
More Reach Than Digital Ads
With Every Door Direct Mail, you have the ability to reach more customers than digital ads, especially search ads. For the search term, “chiropractor near me,” there are approximately 18,000 monthly searches nationally. That search term has a cost of about $4 whenever someone clicks on your ads. With Every Door Direct Mail, your message can be sent to thousands of people who live within a certain geographic area at only a fraction of the cost.
Trust and Credibility
Traditional methods like direct mail are often associated with credibility and trustworthiness. People tend to perceive physical mail as more reliable than online advertisements, which can lead to better reception of the message. For health practices, trust and credibility is a huge concern. When people pick out new health practices, they often go with the place seen as more reliable and trustworthy. For a service as important as healthcare, advertisements that speak to the practice’s credibility are crucial to attracting new patients.
Trust and credibility online can also be reinforced by your direct mail campaign. Many people choose to go with a healthcare practitioner or chiropractor that has a strong online presence supported by reviews. With a piece of direct mail that is targeted towards bringing potential patients to your website, they will find out more about your practice’s strong reviews and online reputation.
How Can You Craft an Effective Direct Mail Campaign For a Healthcare Practice?
A successful direct mail campaign requires careful planning and execution. If you’re looking to create a marketing campaign that can get you results, you’ll want to pay careful attention to every stage in the process. From strategizing to analyzing, every step is critical if you want to see the best results. You will want to analyze your patient’s demographic information and also try to see what your competitor down the street is doing. One effective type of value proposition for chiropractors is to offer a free consultation with a patient and then offer a gift card for their first service with your clinic.
Strategy: Define Objectives, Identify Target Audiences, and Craft Content
You should begin by identifying clear and specific goals for your direct mail campaign. Are you aiming to increase patient appointments? Or perhaps you want to promote a new service? You may also be looking to educate recipients about the benefits of chiropractic care to drum up business. Whatever your goals may be, defining your objectives will guide the rest of your campaign. For healthcare practices, the most effective direct mail promotions include offering
From there, you can pinpoint your target audience. You need to understand your target audience’s demographics, preferences, and pain points. By knowing this information, you can tailor your messaging to resonate with their needs. For instance, if you are targeting athletes, focus on how chiropractic care can enhance performance and prevent injuries.
Crafting compelling and relevant content that addresses the recipient’s concerns is absolutely essential if you want your recipient to take action. Highlight the unique value you provide and how it can improve their quality of life. Use concise language, clear headings, and engaging visuals to convey your message effectively. You may also want to consider including an enticing offer in your content. For example, you could offer a free consultation if they book using a specific link on the mailer.
Execution: Create Designs, Measure Results, and Optimize Campaign
Before you take your mailers to print, you’ll want to ensure that the design fits your brand. Consistent branding fosters recognition and trust, so you’ll want to use colors, fonts, and images that resonate with your practice’s image and values. Take a look at your website, business cards, and other digital advertisements to ensure that it all looks cohesive. Once you have this step done, you’ll be ready to go to print.
After sending out your mailers, you’ll want to pay close attention to tracking measures. For example, you should include tracking capabilities like dedicated phone numbers, campaign-specific URLs, special QR codes, or some other way to measure the success of your campaign. Analyzing this data will help you understand where you need to improve or what worked well within the campaign. By knowing what’s resonating with your audience, you can prepare for the next direct mail campaign and see even better results.
What Are Some Top Direct Mail Strategies for Health Practices?
There are several strategies you should consider adopting depending on your marketing goals. For instance, if you’re looking to acquire new patients for your practice, you might see results by making an attractive offer. Free consultations or discounts on introductory sessions can be a great way to get the attention of potential new patients.
Another strategy is to offer educational content. This strategy is helpful for your business in a couple of different ways. For starters, it’s a great option for health practices to build their credibility and trustworthiness in the community. It’s also a way for health professionals to dispel any myths or misconceptions about the services they offer. For example, people may have common misconceptions about chiropractic treatment options that you could correct.
Choosing Direct Mail Campaigns for Your Practice
In a world that’s filled with digital advertisements, the effectiveness of traditional marketing methods like direct mail should not be overlooked by chiropractors and other health practices. A well-crafted direct mail campaign can foster personal connections, build trust, and drive practice growth. By understanding your audience, tailoring your messages, and integrating direct mail with digital efforts, you can create impactful campaigns that resonate with recipients and contribute to the success of your practice.
Direct mail marketing for medical practices isn’t outdated. In fact, it’s one of the best marketing strategies available when done correctly. The tactile and personal nature of direct mail offers a unique and valuable way for practitioners to connect with their communities and promote better health and well-being. If you have any questions about getting started on a direct mail campaign for your business, get in touch with our customer support team.
