Dentists, have you heard of “Sucktember”? It’s real and if you don’t plan ahead it can really set your practice back!
Although August is normally a great month for dental offices, September is just the opposite. For most offices it’s the WORST month of the year for new patients and production.
What can you do to avoid the slowdown? Plan ahead with your marketing and avoid the slump with a targeted direct mail campaign.
Direct mail has evolved! Now you can target your marketing to specific homes that are most likely to become your patients instead of the old blanket mailing approach. Unlike digital marketing and SEO it doesn’t take months to start working. It’s like a light switch, the day your mailers hits homes you start to get calls!
PROBLEM: September is the lowest month for production and new patient averages for dentists.
SOLUTION: Implement a direct mail campaign with MVP Mailhouse to keep the phone ringing with new patients.
Pro Tips for August/September
- Back-to-School Specials. Schedule mailings at least 2 weeks before schools start or one to two weeks after.
- Contact sports like football, basketball, and lacrosse start up again and mouth pieces are needed. (Have offer on Card)
- Schedules become more solid again (not as much vacationing)
- Flexible Spending plans are running out of time to get used.
Avoid hitting homes the week of Labor Day.
Now is the perfect time to start planning your direct mail marketing campaign to avoid “Sucktember” and start to finish the second half of 2022 strong with more new patients!
Design Ideas:
The design of your card will be the first thing that determines if it gets read or tossed. Here are a few design ideas to help you get started.
Idea #1: Back to School Design
Back-to-School specials work really well! Schedule mailings at least 2 weeks before schools start or one to two weeks after. Doing this ensures that you’ll be top of mind when parents are looking to schedule appointments for their kids.
Idea #2: Contact Sports Design
Now is the time when contact sports like football, basketball, and lacrosse start up again and mouth pieces are needed. It’s a great opportunity to offer something related to this on your direct mail piece. For example, a free consultation.
Idea #3: Free Invisilign or Braces Consultations Design
Summer months are the top months for kids braces but when parents missed the boat on getting kids in or are looking for themselves, these appointments fall in September. A card design focusing on this service would be timely and relevant.
Next Level Direct Mail Marketing with MVP Mailhouse
We take the guesswork out of direct mail marketing with our cutting-edge technology. We can target the specific homes that are most likely to become your patients with our cutting-edge marketing platform
Get ahead of slower months by mailing August and September. Ramp up your marketing efforts now and avoid the lull in production!
MVP Mailhouse can help you design and implement a direct mail campaign that gets results. To learn more about how we can help you grow your practice, contact us today.
Better Targeting with MapIQ
With our MapIQ targeting software, we can help you identify your hottest neighborhoods of existing patients and then target their neighbors with mailings.
MapIQ targets specific neighborhoods instead of broad zip codes around your practice to make sure your marketing dollars have the highest return.
Check out this video on Better Targeting with MapIQ
Better Designs with DesignLab
We help you carefully plan your design using insights from MVP’s Design Lab.
We’ve tracked results from thousands of designs and offers so we know what offers and messaging work to attract the right type of new patient. We do all the work! Our team of marketers and designers helps you carefully plan your custom design by leveraging your office’s strengths with proven concepts. Each data-driven design is peer-reviewed and proofread (twice) for easy approval and flawless, full-service execution.
Better Tracking with CallPro
Our data shows that an average new patient spends well over $1,000 within 12 months. The average office only closes about 45% of its inbound leads compared to over 80% for top offices.
MVP’s Call Pro system monitors and scores your phone calls so your staff gets instant alerts about missed opportunities. We even use Call Pro to help your staff improve how they handle calls and set more appointments.