• Dental Marketing ,
• 19 Nov

Most dental practitioners are neglecting the benefits of email marketing for dentists.

Like most marketing campaigns, if done correctly, dental email marketing can bring an enormous amount of leads to your dental practice. It is an efficient method that can be done at a fairly low cost.

If we were to compare email marketing to something, it is perhaps closest to phone calls.

While email marketing for dentists doesn’t provide the same benefits as phone calls, it is much easier, takes less time, and you can reach out to more people.

Here are 12 of the best tips that will help you with dental email marketing.

1. Start by getting the right email software

As already mentioned, email marketing for dentists is one of the best marketing methods for any practice in terms of return on investment (ROI). According to some studies, it can bring up to 4,300% return (you read it right!) This makes it better than almost any other approach.

However, we advise that you get some tools that will make the journey easier. MailChimp is a popular software among marketers. You also have other products, such as Grammarly and Boomerang. Although sending emails may seem straightforward, there are lots of tools that can help you measure conversion and other stats.

Of course, it is always better to hire a reputable dental marketing company such as Dentie Leads if you want to make sure everything goes well.

2. Connect it to other channels

Adding a link or two can pose a problem when sending emails. Some programs will see this as spam, especially if this is your first email to a person.

However, it is also very important to send these links as this is how you create a contact with a person. You cannot send potential patients a dental offer if they’re unable to visit your site.

Furthermore, adding links to your website and social profile make it more relevant and trustworthy. In the end, you wouldn’t trust a person or a company if you cannot check them out.

Lastly, these links are very important as they allow you to track successfulness of the campaign. They can show you the click-through rate telling you whether or not you’re doing a good job.

3. Try getting consent

Generally speaking, you don’t need consent to send an email to an unknown person. However, given the current state of the internet, many people are concerned about their safety. This is why you need to be very careful when starting dental email campaigns.

Try getting consent whenever you can. This is especially true when sending offers to your long-lasting patients. The last thing you want to do is irritate them. In some cases, sending unsolicited emails without getting the address from the said person can get you in legal trouble.

4. Use monthly newsletters

Many stomatologists believe that the main focus of email marketing for dentists is getting new patients. While this is definitely true, emails are also a great way of remaining in contact with your existing patients. We all know how important it is to retain clients if you’re a dental office.

Unfortunately, most of them are either expensive or time-consuming. With email marketing, you can stay in touch with your loyal customers. Furthermore, by sending monthly newsletters, you can provide them with some monthly discounts and other freebies.

5. Improve your market position

When we say “market position,” people usually think of the number of patients you have or the profits you’re making. However, it can also indicate how people perceive you.

Reputation management has become an integral part of dental marketing. This makes sense, given that the industry is focused on providing a quality service. Reputation becomes even more important when you factor dental anxiety.

So, if you occasionally share blog posts via email or other achievements with your clients, they will start recognizing you as a local expert.

6. Great way to get recommendations

Dental practices have always been dependent on word-of-mouth marketing. Given that this is an intimate medical procedure, you would like to be in good hands. Recommendations are an excellent way to grow without having to pay for anything.

In most cases, all you need to do is ask for referrals, and satisfied customers will be happy to oblige. You can also ask for recommendations via emails. Word of caution: make sure to ask the long-term patients as you cannot be certain whether new patients will be willing to help out.

7. Increase conversion among irregular patients

If you have regular patients who don’t like going to the dentist, you can try to sway them with emails. In the end, we all need regular checkups and cleaning.

Make a list of all those who rarely visit you but are regarded as regular clients. Then, start reminding them from time to time to come and visit you. In fact, you can sweeten the deal by providing special, limited-time offers. If that doesn’t persuade them, we don’t know what will!

8. Pay attention to the time

Sending the message at the right time increases the odds of it being read. First of all, it is much better to send them during weekends when people are ready to do some checkups and other choirs.

Sending an email on Mondays is usually counterproductive as most people want to focus on their workweek. You should also send it in the evening as most patients will delete unwanted emails if they see them during work hours.

So, like any other product or service, you have to catch a person at the right time. You will also have to check a patient’s history. If he or she recently underwent a procedure, there is no reason to offer them something similar. Or, if they are unable to do a treatment, don’t bother them!

9. Create proper emails

There are lots of things that can make or break a dental email marketing campaign. Most dentists make a mistake by being too strange with their message.

You have to remember that emails are used to make things more personal and warm, and not impersonal and cold. That being said, you have to talk with a person like a real being; as if he or she is right in front of you:

• Use a catchy title and reference your dental clinic as soon as possible. It is important for a person to know who’s sending the email. This is especially true if this is your regular patient who knows you by heart
• Always use a person’s first name! Not only will this catch their attention, but it is also a sign of respect. Emails that include the personal name or some of the personal information are much more likely to be read and responded to
• Ask questions that need replies. This is the best way to get an answer and continue communication. If a person responds after the first email, it increases the odds to close him or her
• Put yourself in patients’ shoes. What do they need? What is the most likely thing they will respond to? Give them a reason to care instead of simply trying to sell a product
• Shorter emails convert better. This is especially true when we’re talking about unsolicited emails. Keep in mind that your main task is to prolong communication. Don’t try to close a person on the first try
• Words such as “free, save, subscribe, or sale” are registered as spam. Avoid using them. If you do use them, your email will almost certainly end up in spam folder never to be read
• Be aware of dental anxiety! Most people procrastinate when going to doctors and dentists, so it is something you need to consider when creating emails. You need to take things slow and to be very considerate
• Make sure that patients know what is required of them. Even though you shouldn’t be too pushy, they need to understand this is a pitch. At the same time, don’t use too much technical lingo as it will fly over their heads. Keep it simple but enticing
• Call-to-action is one of the best marketing tools that work for any industry, including dental. Make sure to add one as they increase conversion significantly. If you wish to increase the pressure, you can add limited offers

10. Rely on images

We don’t have to tell you that images are converting really nice. You can use them for your emails as well. Still, you will have to be very careful as to how you’re using them. Some of them can hit the target while others will be tacky.

It can be hard finding the appropriate image for dental practices, which is why it’s much better if you hire a dental marketing agency.

11. Use a proper email address

A lot can be said just by looking at an email address. It is very important to use a clean address. Ideally, you should use your email that is attached to the dental company. This way, a person reading it will think that it came directly from you. It is a small thing that can go a long way in swaying a potential lead.

12. You can change everything

The best thing about email campaigns is that you can change everything as you go. If you already invested some funds in tools, you will have reliable data to go from. You can (and should) use this data to modify the campaigns accordingly. Worst case scenario, it allows you to completely stop a campaign if it’s not providing satisfactory results. Perform a periodic analysis that will help you establish how things are going.

In summary

Email marketing for dentists is so simple yet; it needs time to master.

Like everything else, it is something better left to experts. And this is where we come into play!

Dentie Leads is a dental marketing company that has represented numerous dental practices in the United States. As such, we completely understand your needs and, more importantly, how to meet them.

We have perfected dental email marketing in particular, so we are certain that we will get you the result that you need.

Don’t wait for too long; make a move that will take your dental company to the next level!