Will you send an e-newsletter to your patients in 2011? We’ve seen quite a few of our client dentists use the new MDPM newsletter service in the last quarter of 2010, with great results. Compared to a paper newsletter, an e-newsletter has different benefits and appeals, in most cases, to a different audience. Some people read snail mail and newspapers, while others read emails and Google news.
The purpose of a dental e-newsletter is multifaceted: keep your name in front of patients; advertise news and specials; create a forward-able email for patients to pass on; maintain an accurate email address database; and, if you choose to send e-newsletters instead of paper newsletters, you’ll also eliminate the cost of postage, paper, and printing.
So what goes into an e-newsletter? When we compose an electronic newsletter for a dentist, we look at many factors:
- What information will capture readers’ attention and make them want to forward the newsletter to a friend or share it on Facebook? (We include one-click sharing buttons and can track the number of times the newsletter is shared.)
- What’s happened in the practice since the last newsletter?
- What links should be included to stimulate traffic to the practice website? (We can track link click-throughs.)
- Is the doctor running any specials, incentives, or hosting events that need publicity?
- Does the practice have new employees, or have patients had babies, gotten married, or graduated?
- Do we want to include a survey, and, if so, what about? (We capture all survey results.)
- What response statistics are ideal? (We initially look at the industry standard to gauge effectiveness.)
Modern Dental Practice Marketing offers complete email list management, your logo and links to your website, 100% custom copywriting, color images, distribution, and results reports for only $299 per issue. In conjunction with a paper dental newsletter, we recommend publishing an e-newsletter quarterly, between traditional mailings. If you prefer to go paperless, a quarterly e-newsletter is ideal and can be supplemented with monthly e-mail blasts. Our Have a Blast program includes two custom email blasts per month for $99. Email blasts can include a popular post from your blog, a special offer or event announcement, or information about procedures and oral health. Constant, but not overwhelming, contact with your patients creates a higher potential for what has been deemed “word of mouse” advertising — it’s like word of mouth, but recommendations are shared by email or social networking.
We would be happy to discuss your 2011 dental marketing goals and answer all of your questions about Internet marketing, websites, blogs, e-newsletters, and social networking. Call Jill at 972-781-8861 or email us for a personal consultation at your convenience. Happy New Year!
