Monday Dental Practice Optimization

Trivia Question❓

What role does marketing play in the success of a dental practice owned by a dentist?

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter

Designing Your Direct Mail Piece
The next step in the process of implementing a successful direct mail strategy is to select your mailer design and content. This is perhaps the most important step, as what you send will, more than anything else, determine the quality and quantity of response to your mailer.

Search for individuals and households who, based on experience, are most likely to respond to the invitation being sent.  Polling your current patients is a great way to learn what led to their decision to join your practice.  Use these insights to inform your design and copywriting decisions.

Importance of custom direct mailer design
Use a professional designer who is experienced with color and graphic selection, as well as someone (rarely the designer) who is expert at copy writing. 

Elements of your successful dental direct mailer include: headline, offer, graphic e.g. of happy individuals who match your target demographic, a simple map of your location, website, quick response (Q.R.) code, and easy to see contact information.  The U.S. Postal Service has specific guidelines concerning acceptable design, so be sure you are working with someone who is thoroughly familiar with these guidelines, or you risk having your mailers rejected and never delivered!

Tips for creating an eye-catching mail piece
Designing a mailer that gets noticed and results in a response depends upon a number of factors including: choice and use of color, images and photographs; degree of personalization; mailer type (envelope, post card, brochure, tear-off, magnet); offer(s); and of course, cost.  In our experience, an oversized (6 inch x 11 inch) self-mailer has resulted in the highest response rate.

Direct mail program structure and implementation

Now that you have a clear picture of your Objectives and Budget, have chosen, based upon the results of your benefit/cost analysis, to proceed with the program, and created your winning design, it’s time to structure your mailing campaign.  This entails deciding how frequently to mail and at what time interval.  As noted above, search for individuals and households which, based on experience, are most likely to respond to the invitation being sent.  A good practice is to ensure the same person/household receives a mailer at least once a quarter i.e. 4 times per year.  Again, that’s because a key success factor in direct mail (or any) marketing, is repeat exposure.  As noted, the same person typically needs to receive several messages before being ready to respond.  The other reality is that people within the same group will be along different stages of their learning and motivation curve. Some folks may just be ‘kicking the tires’ while others are ready to ‘pull the trigger.’

Effective and Ongoing Program Tracking and Evaluation
The final step to achieving a successful and repeatable direct mail campaign is effective and ongoing program tracking and evaluation. Use a telephone tracking number to monitor both quantity and quality of calls generated by your mailing program. Doing so gives you all the information you will need to make informed decisions.

AIM’s Dental Marketing Dashboard (DMD) provides the means to ‘close the feedback loop,’ that is, to attribute response to a given tactic or tactics. This means you know what tactic is working, and how well, which means no more flying blind when it comes to your dental marketing program.

Remember, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Be sure that every link in your direct mail service chain is solid! 

*https://www.vericast.com/insights/blog/omnichannel-tactics-to-reach-all-of-your-audience/?

**Generation Alpha is the name given to the generation of people who are or will be born between 2010 and 2024. Generation Alpha is the first generation to be born entirely in the 21st century. It comprises the largest cohort in human history, which will total over 2 billion people. 

Daniel A. 'Danny' Bobrow (BOB roe) is President of AIM Dental Marketing which, since 1989, has served clients
throughout North America, making it the oldest full service dental marketing firm in existence.

He is also the Founding Executive Committee Chair and Treasurer of The American Academy for Oral Systemic
Health (AAOSH).

Danny is the executive director of Climb For A Cause™, and The SmileTree™ the former organizing and promoting
participation in outdoor events, the latter allowing practices to ‘adopt’ one or more dental education and treatment projects overseas.

He is host of the acclaimed web based educational Series PracticePerfection.™ and the LinkedIn oral systemic
health group (Keyword: AAOSH).

Mr. Bobrow lectures nationwide, and has been published in: DPR World (as The Marketing Insider), New Dentist,
Dental Angle, CDS Review, Dental Compare (Compare Networks), Dental Practice Management, My Dental
Channel, Strategies For Success, Modern Hygienist, New Docs, Office Magic, Pink Tooth, Solutions Quarterly,
Dentistry Today, AGD Impact, DentalEDU.tv, and as the What's Working in Dental Marketing Today columnist for
Dental Economics.

He is one of 12 Charter Members of the Speaking Consulting Network (SCN).

In 2020, Daniel received the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) Award from Toastmasters International. Fewer than
1% of Toastmasters Members received this prestigious Award.

Daniel is also a Certified Dental Practice Consultant, and chaired the Website Committee of The Academy of Dental
Management Consultants

In 2010 he was inducted into the American Academy of Dental Practice Administrators (AADPA) for whom he has
delivered numerous presentations and, in 2011 the American Academy of Private Physicians and Academy of
General Dentistry where to date he has delivered presentations on telephone skills mastery.

He is a certified personal trainer, health coach, outdoor emergency care technician, Alpine Patroller r in the National
Ski Patrol, patrols for the National Mountain Bike Association, and is a certified Level I Instructor with the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA).

Mr. Bobrow holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from The University of Illinois, and Masters of Business Administration Degrees (MBAs) in finance and marketing from The University of Chicago and The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, respectively. He also holds various Certifications ranging from Insurance and Real Estate to Wilderness First Aid.

He is author of The State of The Art In Dentistry Marketing and contributing author to Powerful Practice Vol. II. He
is also the creator, in collaboration with Dr. Bill Blatchford, of The Art of First Impressions (TAFI)©.

Mr. Bobrow has a passion for rock and ice climbing, alpine and nordic skiing, mountaineering, and adventure racing. His mountaineering and racing exploits have been chronicled by Windy City Sports (now Competitor), Private Clubs, Red Book, Vertical Jones, Daily Herald, The Chicago Tribune, and other publications.

By soliciting pledges and corporate sponsorship, he has used many of these climbs as vehicles to raise both awareness and funds for a number of philanthropic organizations.

Mr. Bobrow is also a Certified mediator and arbitrator, and has worked pro bono for several agencies including; the Better Business Bureau, Youth Justice Institute, Center For Conflict Resolution, Illinois Department of Human Rights, the Circuit Court System of the City of Chicago, Center For Conflict Resolution, and Loyola University School of Law. He is a certified Professional Selling Skills II sales trainer and coach, and has passed the real estate
professional's licensing exam.. He is also Member of the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business (Booth School) CEO Roundtable.

Danny resides with his wife Virginia near Chicago. 

💡 Answer to Trivia Question:

Marketing is crucial for attracting new patients, retaining existing ones, building brand awareness, and staying competitive in the market.