We all get too many emails. If you buy anything online these days, you are then set up for a daily email from said enterprise until the end of time…maybe longer. It seems dumb, obnoxious, overkill at its finest.
Ah, but there’s method to this email madness, and it works.
Still, if you’re a dentist email marketing can’t be right for your practice, can it? Come on, who really wants to get an email from the dentist? It’s nothing personal.
That thinking would be bad thinking, however. Kind of like your patients chewing ice or using their teeth to open a beer bottle. Let’s get into why you need email marketing.
Everyone does the email thing
For many people email was really their first tool of the digital world. Long before iPhones and apps, long before Facebook and Snapchat, long before Internet trolls and AI there was email. Because of its longevity — it’s actually been around for 50 years — it is a part of our daily lives.
Check out a few email statistics:
- 92% of online adults use email. 61% use it every day.
- 57% of email users spend 10-60 minutes browsing marketing emails during the week.
- 90% of email gets delivered directly into the intended recipient’s inbox. Compare that to a Facebook post, where only 2% of your Facebook fans see your posts in their News Feed.
- Open rate is highest when companies send two emails per month.
- Email marketing has a ROI of 3800%. That speaks not only to its low cost, but also its crazy effectiveness.
- 72% of people prefer to receive promotional content through email, compared to 17% who prefer social media.
- 81% of online shoppers who receive emails based on previous shopping habits were at least somewhat likely to make a purchase as a result of a targeted email.
Still think email is a waste of time?
A little different
Yes, email marketing from a dental practice needs to be a little different than say a purveyor reselling lost golf balls. If you buy “found” golf balls from a site such as LostGolfBalls.com (real site), you will give them your email. From that day forward you will receive an email from said company pretty much every day. Now, no golfer could need THAT many golf balls. So, why the emails every day?
As the writer of this blog, I can only speak from experience. I have a +1 handicap, so I don’t lose 10 golf balls per round. When I make an order from LostGolfBalls, GolfBallNut, or CaliforniaGolfBalls — all resellers of found golf balls (an idea I should have thought of) — I order enough to merit free shipping and I use the allotment for months. Meanwhile I delete the daily emails immediately every morning when first opening my email.
Ah, but the day I’m getting low or the day I’m thinking about buying balls for Christmas for my golf-playing sons, what do I do? I open the emails, hunt around for the best deals, and BUY.
For a dental practice, you’re not selling a new dental implant a day. Your business is about long-term, generational relationships. When a patient sees an email from you, he or she will open it. You’re not a spammer. This is your chance to use the email to further build your relationship.
A well-written, somewhat creative email message or an engaging e-newsletter (only sent maybe every other month) reinforces with your patients that you’re an expert and it builds their trust in your practice. Just the fact that you’re sending them an email tells the patient you’re thinking long-term, rather than simply wanting them to “buy” something.
Think about it. You could use an email to talk about the ADA recently giving Oral-B Electric Toothbrushes their seal of approval. Or you could talk about your new in-office whitening program, Zoom!, that you just added. Or you could send a message with foods that are good for the teeth. Of course, a reminder of an upcoming appointment is a staple (in addition to a text message, if possible). If you haven’t seen a patient in a couple years, a couple of non-life threatening statistics about the need for regular dental care could get the person to make an appointment finally.
Email Is Cost Effective and Easy to Create
Remember that statistic earlier, the 3800% ROI? That’s not using play money. Email is very cost effective. You’re not trying to find needles in a haystack with radio ads or newspaper, along with their cost per thousand ratings. Most email marketing services charge a low monthly fee, such as $9.99, for 500 contacts and some automation features for another $5/month. And you know the message is getting directly to your target.
Creating the emails is easy. Most services offer templates that are easily filled with content. All you do is write your message and you can automate when it will go out, or you can send it right at that time. Services always provide tracking to show your open rates, unsubscription requests, and the like. You simply provide your email list and the emails will go to each inbox. They can be personalized to the recipient.
Email is as trusty as dental sealants
OK, now you know email is something you should be using as a marketing tool for your dental practice. It’s cost effective; messages are easy to create; your recipients open them; and they build trust in your practice and your expertise. What’s not to love?
The pros at MyAdvice can help you get your email marketing ready to hit the Send button. We’re versed in all aspects of digital marketing for dental practices, and that most certainly includes email. We’ll show you the ins and outs, or we can manage the entire process for you.
Let’s talk. Call us at (435) 575-7470 or fill out the adjacent contact form.
