Creating a successful marketing strategy requires a customized approach, especially in the healthcare industry. To make sure you are connecting with your current patients and attracting new ones to your practice, it helps to conduct regular "check-ups" on your healthcare direct mail marketing strategy and campaigns.
Direct mail for healthcare is a powerful tool for reaching potential patients. It offers a tangible and personalized approach that allows healthcare organizations to engage with patients, increase brand awareness, and drive patient acquisition and retention. Healthcare direct mail appeals to consumers more than digital marketing strategies because it is less intrusive, more concrete, and highly trusted.
With direct mail, healthcare organizations can create highly personalized messages to target consumers based on their specific needs. Physical mail campaigns are one of the most effective options for marketing your healthcare business. As our State of Direct Mail Consumer Insights Report notes, 62% of consumers say direct mail has inspired them to take action. 44% report that direct mail is their preferred channel of communication for brands they don’t know.
Whether you are a small organization wanting to bolster your presence in the community, or an established healthcare network seeking to reach more patients, direct mail is a valuable way to connect with prospects, leads, and existing patients. Direct mail campaigns for healthcare can have significant benefits for your organization, but it’s important to give your strategy a “check-up” every so often to ensure that you are running successful campaigns. The following tips and direct mail best practices can help boost your marketing efforts so your healthcare business can grow and thrive.
Now that we know direct mail is better at driving new and returning customers through your clinic doors, let’s look at some best practices to follow when launching an effective healthcare direct mail marketing strategy.
There are several different secure mail healthcare formats that you can use for your direct mail campaigns. Make a point to revisit your direct mail strategy regularly to make sure that each campaign uses the format that best suits your requirements and messaging. Healthcare mailers don’t need to be stuffy and boring. You can mail embossed envelopes or add compelling text or graphics on the outer envelope to encourage people to open a letter.
Other cost-effective direct mail formats include postcards and flyers. Postcards come in many different sizes and designs. They are a great way to relay a clear and concise message. Make sure to use relevant imagery and keep text to a minimum so it doesn’t overwhelm the recipient. Flyers, newsletters, and other self-mailers offer a low-cost format that grabs a reader’s attention immediately. Use them to display a key message that jumps out from the page.
Depending on the level of detail and amount of information you need to convey, brochures and catalogs can be valuable options as well.
Healthcare organizations have to ensure compliance with privacy and security regulations, like HIPAA, when sending out direct mail for healthcare. Make sure you are using secure systems and processes to manage data so your patients can rest assured that their personal information is safe and secure. Don’t forget to ensure that third-party vendors involved are also compliant.
Be sure to maximize the effectiveness of your direct mail campaigns by using mailers to market additional services. Use direct mail to offer Unique Selling Propositions, such as letting patients know about services they might be interested in that are covered by their insurance. Other ideas include calendar events, like annual enrollment periods, time to spend end-of-year FSA funds, getting a new prescription for glasses or contacts, or purchasing home medical equipment.
It’s easy to forget about doctor’s appointments, especially when they are made far in advance. Upcoming appointments and appointment follow-ups are excellent opportunities to reach patients with direct mail. You want to remind them of their appointments and also offer them a chance to reschedule in case something comes up.
Many organizations send email reminders, which is not a bad idea. But even if you send email reminders, only do so in conjunction with direct mail. Your patients are much more likely to open direct mail, after all. You can send direct mail to encourage patients to schedule future appointments for preventive care, such as annual mammograms, colonoscopies, blood pressure screenings, and more.
CRMs, or Customer Relationship Management Systems, allow you to store customer contact info, identify sales opportunities, record customer issues, manage marketing campaigns, and more, all in one platform. With a good CRM, you can create intelligent direct mail-to-market services for customer acquisition and brand awareness. For instance, you can set up automated direct mail campaigns based on a CRM system that triggers when a patient:
The direct mail campaign can include CTAs for customers to download an app, set up an account on your portal, offer feedback about their visit, etc.
Following these tips and best practices for healthcare direct mail will help you make the most of your upcoming marketing campaigns. If you need help with creating a direct mail campaign that drives better patient and provider outcomes, Lob offers direct mail for healthcare services for clients needing compliant, patient-centric outreach. We can help you with everything from customer acquisition to customer retention and customer reactivation. If you’re looking for assistance with your next campaign, contact us for more information.
