Here’s how you can use direct mail to
help keep your patients healthy, happy
-- and coming back to you!

Say the words “direct mail” and most people will think of envelopes with sales letters and fancy, colorful brochures inside.  But there are other less-expensive types of direct mail, too, and one of them can work very well for dentists:  Postcard direct mail.

A regularly-scheduled, well-planned series of postcard mailings throughout the year can help keep your patients informed of dental procedures and advances that can benefit their oral health.  And it can also help increase the loyalty your patients feel to you and keep them coming back to your office year after year after year.

To start your own program, consider some of these types of postcard mailings:

1. Announcement of a new treatment.  When you begin practicing a new method for whitening teeth, or any other new procedure, let your patients know about it with a personal postcard. You might be surprised how many of them will call to learn more!

2.  Appointment reminder.  A quick impersonal call from your front desk to remind a patient of an upcoming appointment isn’t very personal.  It’s better to do it with a postcard, signed by you, that includes a brief little handwritten note such as, “I’m looking forward to seeing your smile again!”  Patients really appreciate the personal touch.

4.  An oral-healthy recipe.  No kidding, this is for real.  Sending out a postcard with a low-sugar recipe for better dental health can really strike a positive chord with them.  Especially when it also has a handwritten note from you that says you’ve tried this, it tastes great and you hope they will give a try for their own oral health, too.

5.  A flossing prompter.  Same as with the recipe but with instructions on how important flossing is and how to do it properly. 

6.  A birthday greeting.  When’s the last time you received a birthday greeting from your dentist?  Think of how special your patients would feel to see that you remembered them on their special day – and how deeply that would cement the bond between you.

At first, this type of program might seem like a lot of work.  But it really isn’t!  You can order a large variety of pre-printed postcard formats that you can personalize with your own name, address and message.  And you can supplement your postcard mailings with other personal communications that will increase your dentist-patient relationship even more.  How extensive you want to make your program is entirely up to you.  In today’s world of impersonal medicine, patients too frequently feel like just a number.  A good “thinking-of-you” mailing program can make a big difference in their lives.