List, Offer, Creative. The three biggies in direct mail are list, offer, and creative... in that order. The list refers to the mailing list of people you are to whom you are mailing, the offer refers to what you are giving away, and the creative refers to the media and artwork you use to create your message. The general rule of thumb for direct mail is that the effectiveness of the piece has to do 50 percent with list, 35 percent with offer, and 15 percent with creative

The list. Imagine you own a snow blower company and you sell your product around the world. You wouldn't want to send a mailer to Los Angeles right? Sounds simple but many people send out their direct mail to people who simply have no use for their product.

So, buy a great list and make sure to add your own patients to it if appropriate. They can spread the word for you. To buy a targeted list, click here and we will assist you in your purchase.

No Offer = No Response. Without an offer your marketing piece is doomed before it even reaches the potential patient. You must offer the potential patient a bite-sized piece of your services in order to get them to commit for more. Unfortunately this philosophy has caused the free consult offer to become nearly useless. So use another offer, or use on of the ones we provide. But whatever you do, make sure it is beneficial to the patient. Offering a token service which no one cares about, will not get the response you want. Offer something of value, remember your ultimate goal is to turn them into lasting patients, not to provide one service and never see them again.

Multiple mailings.  Many people believe that if you mail it, they will come, but that simply isn't the case. It's ridiculous to believe any one shot mailing is going to uncover everyone interested in your practice.

You've probably experienced this is in your own life, you pick up the mail, look at the mailers and maybe put one aside to look at later. Then the kids come home, you get dinner started and life takes over. Then a day or two later you throw away the junk mail away.

To overcome this, you've got to plan for multiple contacts. This way you can take advantage of the changing lifestyles and needs of your potential patient.

Here's an example: Let's say you're a general dentist and you sent me an offer for deeply discounted teeth whitening. Well, you probably wouldn't have much luck because I just spent my life savings on a wedding dress. But what if when your second (or third or fourth) offer came, my wedding is now pending and I want to look my best. Now, all of a sudden, I'm a very eager customer.

That's why using multiple mailings often leads to double-digit returns.

Great creative, great response? A great creative piece can make you look really good and can boost your image in the eyes of those who read the piece. Here are some key ingredients: the better looking the piece the better response you'll get if you have a great offer and list; the more you tell, the more you sell; and a direct mail letter really does work as well as or better than a brochure; postcards are very effective and inexpensive. However, we have seen some absolutely awesome direct mail pieces absolutely flop. It really has a lot to do with the list and offer. So buy a great targeted list, offer potential patients a really good deal, and make sure you do it more than once.

Not a panacea, but a great tool. The biggest mistake people make when using direct marketing is to believe that it is a panacea. In reality, direct mail has an average return rate of 1-3 percent. So for every 100 pieces you mail you can expect 1-3 calls. So if you mail 5000 pieces you can expect 50-150 calls. That's where staff training and conversion techniques come to play. Need help on staff training? Give us a call and we’ll be happy to help. 800-810-0553.