One of the best ways to keep customers coming back is by engaging them in a friendly and informative way. Email marketing and newsletters are a great way to accomplish this because they keep your practice fresh in the minds of your customers. However, there’s a fine balance between informing them and pushing them away. Learning that balance, along with these other strategies will help you employ a way to inform your customers, educate them and give them incentives to participate, which will grow your practice.
Learn the Balance
When designing an email marketing or newsletter campaign, it’s imperative that you place yourself in your customer’s shoes. By doing so, it can help you capture what they really want.
- For example, a monthly newsletter that is personal in tone is a great way to capture someone’s attention. It works well because it shows you are taking the time to tell your customers you value their business and want them to know of any new developments within your practice.
- Meanwhile, by employing an email marketing campaign with the same tone and frequency, you are showing respect to your customers by not bombarding them with email messages every day of the week. At the same time, you keep them informed of any specials your clinic currently runs.
- Remember that timing is everything when it comes to newsletter and email marketing campaigns. If you plan to run a special for the whole month of January, then it is best to inform your customers by mid to late December at the latest. This gives them time to schedule services. Meanwhile, if you wait until the beginning of January to send the message, some may not receive it until the middle or end of the month. In their eyes, this makes the newsletter or email useless.
The Art of Crafting Your Message
Instead of focusing on the don’ts when it comes to message preparation, we’ll focus on what you should include. This will capture your customer’s interest, educate them on new developments and encourage them to visit you.
- First, you can start by thanking them personally for being a loyal customer. It’s a great idea if you can include how long they have been going to your practice, as this personal touch will be greatly appreciated by your customers. By starting with a personal greeting, you will more likely retain their attention.
- Next, you should educate them on new developments within the clinic. While you can include information such as your practice receiving new dental machines, also add some personal touches such as the clinic’s anniversary since opening, new staff announcements or a personal message from the practice’s owner. The goal here is to continue to convey a personal tone.
- Furthermore, you should encourage customer engagement. If you have any discounts or current incentives, be sure to include them here, so customers can visit. Also, you can encourage them to participate in creative ways. An excellent way to do this is to run monthly contests where they can win prizes for guessing clinic specific things such as how many toothbrushes the practice has.
- Lastly, close the email marketing message or newsletter by thanking them for being a valuable part of your practice. This is a great way to end the letter in an appreciative tone your customers will enjoy.
A Bit More On Contests
I know, the idea of a monthly contest isn’t new – but that’s the point. It’s a concept that has stood the test of time because it works. Announce last month’s winners as a fun way to showcase your clients. Or post your contest on your Facebook page and use the newsletter to link to the promotion – effectively driving more interactions across your social media.
By learning the balance and art of crafting a message, you’ll communicate, educate and engage your customers to action. This will result in an increase in business as your dental practice’s brand continues to reach more eyes.
