Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Due to its reliable results and consistently strong return on investment, postcard marketing has long been a staple in the dental industry. But the art and science of an effective direct mail postcard design is not something dentists or dental marketing managers have time to master. Luckily, there are those of us who eat, sleep, and drink postcard marketing, and we can point the way for you.
Once you’ve mastered the three most important aspects of direct mail marketing for dentists, it’s time to move on to something everyone loves — the design!
In this article I will give you the ten elements I have found over my 15 years of working with dentists to be critical to successful postcard marketing. When I am discussing the postcard design essentials, I am assuming two things:
- You already know that postcard marketing gets great results for dental practices. If you haven’t experienced this yet, try postcard marketing using the elements below and you’ll know what I mean.
- You already understand the basics of postcard marketing. We won’t be going into the fundamental, logistical side of direct mail. I’ll keep my focus to the design and copywriting of your postcards themselves.
Let’s get it started...
1 – Crystal Clear, Engaging Headline
A confusing headline will torpedo your results. It is almost impossible to recover from a bad headline, because most people use the headline as a litmus test for whether or not they should read the rest of the card.
The job of the headline is to convince the reader that the information on the card is valuable enough to read. That’s it. Don’t try to be clever or funny or artsy. State clearly what benefit you are offering the reader. If you can do that while being funny or clever, fine. But never sacrifice clarity for cleverness because you have 2 seconds (if you’re lucky) to sell the importance of your card with your headline.
Bad Headline: “Never Miss Work – Or the TODAY Show”
This is trying to be too clever when expressing the benefit of flexible appointment times. It doesn’t immediately communicate anything of value.
Good Headline: “Excellent Dental Care – On Your Time”
This headline clearly communicates a benefit to the reader: Flexible appointment times. It doesn’t beat around the bush. If the reader has ever experienced frustration at having to make appointments at inconvenient times, they will be very interested in reading on. Additionally, if they are looking for a dentist, this benefit will appeal to them as well.
2 – A Reinforcing Graphic
The images on your postcard should serve to reinforce the message communicated in your headline. They are not just there to look pretty or grab attention.
Let’s continue with the example of the good headline from above…
To back up the message of flexible appointment times, maybe the card shows a picture of the dental office in all four quadrants of the card with the sun at a different position in each of them. This would drive home the idea that the office is open at all different times of the day.
3 – Eye-Catching Colors
The colors you choose help you catch prospects’ attention. That doesn’t mean you need to be using florescent colors though. Bright colors are a great way to grab your prospects attention, but muted colors can do the trick, too. You just don’t want the colors to be boring.
4 – Intriguing Subheadings
If you master the first three elements, your reader is going to turn your postcard over to continue reading. In order to keep their interest, you need an intriguing transitional subheading to build their interest and compel them to read the back of the card. The same headline writing rules apply to subheadings.
5 – Benefits
There are two ways to communicate about your business. You can list features, or you can highlight benefits. Features are boring; benefits sell.
A feature is something your company has or does that makes you a quality business in your industry. However, prospects want to know how they are benefitting from spending their money on something you offer, so it’s important to explain what they are getting out of it and why it’s valuable.
Benefit: “The Bright White Smile You’ve Been Wanting”
The prospect immediately understands what they stand to gain from this transaction.
Feature: “New WhiteMax 2000 Tooth Whitening System”
The prospect is left to wonder what is new about this system, why it is better than the old method, how it works, etc.
6 – An Enticing Offer
The first 5 reasons lead prospects to see your company as the best option in your industry. The 6th element, The Offer, leads them to actually pick up the phone and call you to make an appointment. Consumers are motivated by perceived value more than anything else. Here are the top successful offers my dental clients have used:
- FREE Whitening for new Patients
- Complimentary Exam
- $25 Children’s Cleaning & Exam
- $250 off Laser Whitening
- FREE Consultation & X-Rays
- FREE Children’s Cleaning + Check-up
- $59 Exam, Full Set of X-Rays and Cleaning
- FREE Sonicare Electric Toothbrush with New Patient Exam, Cleaning + X-Rays.
- $150 off Any Restorative Procedure (fillings, crowns, root canals, etc.)
7 – The Call to Action
Since people are busy, you really do need to spell everything out for them. Every postcard needs a clear call to action. It can be as simple as “Call Now to Schedule Your Appointment!” or “Visit Our Website to Schedule an Appointment!” The call to action should be whatever the next action you need them to take is. Usually, this will be to call and make an appointment, or call for more information.
8 – Your Logo
It’s nearly impossible to build your business brand without a logo. In terms of marketing, your logo is the face of your practice. It’s what patients and prospects will come to recognize and trust. If you want your practice to be recognizable in your community, be sure to feature your logo prominently (but not too prominently) on your postcards.
9 – Contact Information
You should give prospects a couple different ways to contact you, so you have the best chance at lead generation. Give them your phone number, email address, website URL, mailing address, social media URLs, etc. I know it seems like common sense, but you would be shocked how many businesses send out postcards without contact information.
10 – Your Return Address
You should include the return address of your practice. This builds your credibility with prospects by making it clear that you have a bricks and mortar location. This is usually a given for dentists, but it can’t hurt to drive the point home.
Include these 10 elements in your postcard design, and you will be well on your way to a successful marketing campaign, more leads and patients, and more revenue for your practice. If you’re a visual learner, you can check these successful dental marketing campaigns that have nailed these 10 elements on their way to success!