You just bought a new LL Bean backpack online for your kids to bring on their first day of school. You get the backpacks and everyone is happy, especially LL Bean. Not only are they happy they made a sale, but they now have a direct line to you to market their wares. You probably never noticed that when you give a website your email address you start getting ads or a newsletter from those companies. You may unsubscribe at that point, or you may give it a quick look and perhaps purchase from them again. Lets use this idea in your dental practice. In today's increasingly difficult economy, you need to work harder to make the same amount of money. You'll find you have to increase the value of what you offer to your patients because they are thinking longer about how they spend their money. AT the bottom of everything, people spend money on what they value. They may value the new leather coat more than the veneer case you just proposed. So let's create more value with a newsletter. My newsletter (which you can subscribe to here) is a way of providing an additional value for my services. I hope to educate my clients and help make them more profitable using what they learned in my newsletter. I also use it to help create conversations about subjects I mention or even topics that I don't mention. It doesn't just give me something to talk about though. Ideally, my topics, research and experiences create value for my services and help to establish me as a thought leader; someone whose opinions hold credence and validity. Now, why would you do the same? A monthly newsletter not only gets your name in front of your patients more often, but it also educates them on topics that are important to them. Many people don't understand the importance of oral health and the link to overall health. Your newsletter may generate conversations with your patients about their oral health. This can help create trust between the patient and your office. In your patients eyes, you have now just become a thought leader on all things dental! Second, it now offers your patient a very simple vehicle to refer your office to a friend. With a simple click of the forward button they can share your caring and thoughtful newsletter with everyone they know. Unlike the sign in your waiting room thats asks for their kind referrals every six months, you can now ask them for their referrals every time they get your newsletter. Referrals ares still the best source for good patients. Finally, it continues the conversation out of the operatory. You can educate them on new procedures and new technologies that your office offers to enhance their experience. You can link videos from Caesy right into the newsletter to show them why an implant is a better treatment than an extraction. When they can learn in the comfort of the home, they can come to a educated decision at their own pace, rather in the 2 minutes you took to draw a picture on a paper towel. (yes, I've seen you do it!) So, consider the advantages of a newsletter, and decide if you can't afford 60 minutes a month. Using a website like Mailchimp, the process is easy, and free. All you need to start is a database of email addresses and your patient's permission, If this doesn't convince you, read the 7 reasons why newsletter marketing still works here Please let me know if you need any help. |