Archive for the ‘Email Mktg.’ Category
E-Mail Marketing: Your Practice’s Golden Opportunity!
March 4th, 2007 at 7:35 pm by Livvie
The electronic (e) age is here and along with it comes the most cost effective marketing tool to communicate with your patients and clients…e-mail and e-mail marketing!
Keeping your name in front of your patients and clients on a regular basis strengthens your existing relationships and establishes credibility and trust –two of the main ingredients needed to attract and retain quality patients and clients.
Choose an autoresponder program like Aweber (what I use) , iContact, Constant Contact , or mailchimp.com . These programs are double opt in, meaning they must confirm they subscribed to the email/newsletter before they can start receiving it. If you are using Demand Force in your practice, they have a newsletter section you can use. Once set up, all these programs are very simple to use.
Use e-mail marketing to announce office events, important dental health information and tips, special offers, awards, welcome letters, and even appointment confirmations.
Build and strengthen patient relationships. Include your patients in your “dental family” by announcing team members marriages, births, graduations, office trips, and participation with school or charitable events.
Gathering patient e-mail address can be done by adding an e-mail address field on your New Patient information form and your online patient forms.
For patients of record ask for e-mail addresses as you update/confirm their current information or simply create a form for patients to write their e-mail addresses.
Make sure you include a “check here to receive more information” box for permission to send e-mails. NOTE: ALWAYS provide an unsubscribe link in your e-mails allowing subscibers the option to “UnSubscribe”.
The length and tone of your e-mail messages is entirely your choice. It can be a few lines of text or a detailed newsletter or both.
Your newsletter may be semi-monthly, monthly, or even quarterly. Again it’s your choice. If you choose once a month, then send once a month….every month. Later you may try sending twice a month .
Choosing the 2nd Tuesday of the month is a good example. Then every 2nd Tuesday of the month….send your information. The main thing to remember is once you have made your choice… be consistent!
Remember to always include your web site link and e-mail address in your information along with a notice to feel free to forward the information to a friend.
Your content can be written in-house by you or a team member (if time permits), or by outsourcing.
Whoever you choose to write the content needs to understand the purpose and audience of your newsletter. They are representing you and your practice.
Another great e-mail marketing tool is your e-mail signature (sig). It’s your virtual online business card. You are (or should be) sending out responses to e-mails every day, don’t just type your name and send your e-mail.
Advertise your practice and web site every time an e-mail is sent from your office. Your e-mail signature should include your name, office title, practice name, telephone number, e-mail address and most importantly, your web site address.
Remember: Keeping your name in front of your patients is paramount in establishing credibility and trust. With e-mail marketing…It’s your practice’s golden opportunity
Posted in 
Look Out! Is Your Business on Auto-Pilot?
July 30th, 2006 at 5:20 pm by Livvie
First there was the fax-on-demand…information received instantly by using a fax machine. Then the Internet evolved into the use of e-mail, producing email-on-demand with the use of autoresponders.
An autoresponder is just what the name implies. It is an auto response that is programmed to automatically deliver a specific message upon receiving the request.
Autoresponders allow your business to be operational around the clock 24 hours a day – 7days a week – 365 days a year. A good example is the Customer Service link provided on so many web sites.
Once you have sent your question or comment to the Customer Service link, you receive an auto-reply message acknowledging receipt of your message.
Autoresponder messages can by used in a variety of ways delivering your strategic information instantly to your targeted viewer /audience. Newsletters, sales information, free reports, even ecourses, articles and tutorials are just a few of the ways autoresponders can be used effectively.
Follow up is critical to keeping your name, service or product in front of your prospects and clients. Autoresponders allow you to deliver your follow up messages automatically, specifically, and most importantly…timely, to your target audience!
