The Ultimate Guide to Building an Effective Dentists Email List

July 04, 2023, APAC Leads

As a dentist, one of the biggest challenges you face is attracting a steady stream of patients to keep your practice profitable. While some clients prioritize their dental health and visit regularly, others only seek dental care when something goes wrong, leaving long gaps between appointments. This is why it's crucial for you to implement effective marketing strategies to keep patients engaged and encourage them to invest in their dental health. One such strategy that has proven to be highly effective is email marketing.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore why email marketing is essential for dentists, the various types of emails you should include in your email marketing strategy, and the crucial steps to get started. By following these steps, you can build a strong and engaged dentists email list that will help you grow your practice and maintain a loyal patient base.

Why Email Marketing is Crucial for Dentists

Before diving into the specifics of email marketing for dentists, it's important to understand why this strategy is so effective for small businesses like dental practices. Here are a few key reasons:

1. Cost-Effectiveness

Email marketing provides an exceptional return on investment. According to data, email marketing generates an average ROI of $40 for every $1 spent, surpassing other marketing channels. Additionally, creating and sending emails costs very little, making it an affordable option even for practices with small marketing budgets.

2. Building Patient Loyalty

Your email list is a valuable tool for attracting new patients and keeping existing ones engaged. By using email marketing, you can keep your subscribers updated on new services, offer targeted promotions to patients who haven't visited in a while, and provide valuable information to help them maintain their dental health. Each loyal patient contributes significantly to your practice's bottom line, with an average lifetime value of $12,000-15,000 per patient.

3. Enhancing Credibility

Sending follow-up emails after appointments gives your patients an opportunity to provide feedback. Acting on this feedback demonstrates that you value their business and are committed to providing excellent service. Additionally, you can request client testimonials to showcase on your website or Google Reviews, which helps build credibility and attract new patients. With 87% of consumers reading online reviews before choosing a local business, positive feedback is essential for standing out from the competition.

Now that we understand the importance of email marketing for dentists, let's explore the five types of emails that should be part of your email marketing strategy.

5 Types of Marketing Emails for Dentists

To create an effective email marketing strategy, it's important to include a variety of email types to engage your audience and provide value. Here are the five types of emails that every dentist should consider:

1. The Welcome Email

The welcome email is one of the most critical emails you'll send to your subscribers. It sets the tone for your relationship with them and provides an opportunity to introduce your brand. Studies show that subscribers are four times more likely to open welcome emails compared to other types of emails, making it an ideal opportunity to prompt action. You can use this email to encourage subscribers to create an account, download educational materials, or book an appointment. Including a promotional offer in your welcome email can boost revenue by 30% per email compared to those without an offer.
Here's an example of a welcome email from Everyday Health, a health and wellness website. They use the welcome email to share health-related articles, reassuring subscribers that they'll receive helpful content on health topics.

2. The New Product or Service Email

Use this email to introduce new products or services within your practice. For example, if you're offering an innovative teeth whitening method, create an email explaining the new service, its benefits, and who it's best suited for. You can also include limited-time promotions, such as a discount for the first 100 patients or a complimentary at-home maintenance product. Time-limited offers create a sense of urgency and act as a purchase trigger for potential patients.

Here's an example of a new product launch email template from Flodesk, a leading email marketing platform. This design can generate excitement and anticipation among subscribers.

3. The Educational and How-To Emails

Educational and how-to emails serve two purposes: building credibility and providing value. By providing informative content, you position yourself as an expert in dental care and establish trust with your subscribers. These emails can include how-to guides, tips for maintaining dental health, or answers to common dental questions. By offering valuable information, you become a trusted resource for your subscribers.
Here's an example from a dental practice sharing a free guide with their top 5 secrets to a brighter smile without any chemicals or gadgets. This type of content demonstrates expertise and helps subscribers solve common problems.

4. Reminder Emails

Although you may not initially view reminder emails as marketing opportunities, they play a crucial role in reducing no-shows and maximizing your revenue. Appointment reminders help encourage client accountability and ensure that patients don't miss out on scheduled appointments. You can also use reminder emails as an opportunity to upsell additional services. For example, if a patient has a check-up scheduled, you can encourage them to schedule a scale and polish as well. Additionally, reminder emails can prompt patients to book their next check-up, ensuring a consistent stream of income for your practice.

5. Targeted Promotional Emails

Targeted promotional emails are a powerful tool for re-engaging inactive patients, rewarding loyal patients, and matching competitor promotions. These emails can target specific segments of your email list with one-off discounts on dental checkups or holiday offers such as Black Friday or New Year discounts. Targeted emails that include discounts or promotions are particularly effective in increasing engagement and influencing purchasing behavior. In fact, studies show that 68% of millennials say promotional emails influence their purchasing decisions.

By including these five types of emails in your email marketing strategy, you can effectively engage your audience, build patient loyalty, and drive revenue for your dental practice.

Now that we've covered the types of emails to include in your strategy, let's dive into the steps to get started with email marketing for dentists.

5 Major Steps to Starting Email Marketing Campaigns for Dentists

To launch successful email marketing campaigns for your dental practice, follow these five major steps:

Step 1: Choose an Email Marketing Platform

The first step is to select a reliable email marketing platform that suits your needs. Look for a platform that offers essential features like design options, mobile-friendly templates, automation capabilities, and easy data import. One such platform is Flodesk, a rapidly growing email marketing platform that provides all of these features and more.

Step 2: Create a Valuable Freebie and Signup Form

To entice people to join your email list, offer a valuable freebie in exchange for their email address. Consider creating a guide on maintaining dental health, the most common dental mistakes, or an exclusive discount. The freebie should address a common problem that your patients face and provide a solution. Once you have your freebie, create a signup form to collect email addresses. Flodesk offers template galleries to help you design an attractive and effective form quickly.

Step 3: Promote Your Forms and Collect Emails

Promote your signup forms through various channels to collect email addresses and build your email list. Incorporate the forms into your website, both as a contact form and as a popup or inline form. Utilize offline options as well, such as including a signup option on new patient paperwork or offering a goody bag with dental essentials in exchange for an email sign-up at events. Leverage social media by sharing educational content and including a link to your signup form in your bio or posts. Paid ads can also be effective in driving traffic to your forms.

Step 4: Start Sending Emails with Clear Goals

Once you have built your email list, it's time to start sending emails. Begin with a welcome email, as 74% of subscribers expect to receive one immediately after signing up. This email should be the first step in an automated series of emails that new subscribers receive. Clearly define the goals for each email you send, whether it's providing valuable content, promoting a new service, or reminding patients of upcoming appointments. Use email automation tools like Flodesk's workflows to streamline your email scheduling and personalization.

Step 5: Monitor Email Marketing Metrics

Regularly monitor the performance of your email marketing campaigns to understand their effectiveness. Key metrics to track include click-through rates, unsubscribe rates, and conversion rates. Click-through rates indicate how many subscribers are engaging with the content in your emails, while unsubscribe rates help you evaluate the success of your email content and frequency. Conversion rates measure the percentage of subscribers who take action based on your email offers. Use these metrics to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve your email marketing strategy.

By following these five steps, you can establish and maintain a successful email marketing campaign for your dental practice, allowing you to attract new patients, engage existing ones, and grow your practice.

In conclusion, email marketing is a powerful tool for dentists to attract and retain patients, build credibility, and drive revenue. By incorporating the five types of emails mentioned in this guide and following the steps outlined for starting email marketing campaigns, you can effectively grow your dental practice and maintain a loyal patient base.

Remember to choose a reliable email marketing platform like Flodesk, create valuable content, promote your signup forms, and closely monitor your email marketing metrics. With a well-executed email marketing strategy, you can strengthen your relationship with patients, establish yourself as an expert, and ultimately achieve long-term success for your dental practice.
 

Comments