Email marketing is a sometimes overused and often abused digital marketing tool that nevertheless still has a role, in combination with Paid Search (PPC) and traditional advertising. If you own a dental practice, be strategic with your marketing budget and efforts; if used the right way, email marketing can help you lure and keep patients for your growing practice.
As a digital marketing agency in Houston, we work with a variety of clients who use email marketing to fulfill a number of objectives. Rarely, if ever, do we suggest a company purchase a blind list and “blast” a cold email to them. This is a good way to get blacklisted by email marketing service providers like Constant Contact and Mail Chimp, and it can be a huge waste of money.
According to Statista, despite the widespread adoption of other communication channels, email is still used by 3.9 billion people in the world, and that number is expected to grow to 4.3 billion by 2023. 293.6 billion emails are sent and received every day, and that figure is expected to touch 347.3 billion by 2022.
Of course, while these statistics show that email is still a commonly used communications medium between people who know each other, they don’t prove email marketing works. But the bottom line is that patients are still using email, and marketing via this medium still works if it’s done right.
For any business—especially small businesses or startups—heavy investment in marketing that doesn’t have an ROI simply isn’t sustainable. Most marketing takes commitment so that you can launch, measure, adjust, and relaunch to find the messaging that converts.
Email marketing is a widely popular marketing tool because the return on investment it offers can be great. According to a recent study for each dollar you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42. But, again, you have to do it right.
We think email marketing sucks in patient acquisition. That’s the truth. But once you have the patient in the chair, you have the opportunity to upsell to more profitable cosmetic procedures. Email marketing is a great way to communicate your dental expertise and provide information that helps patients take better care of their teeth between visits. And if you combine that information with limited-time discount offers or announce a new service or procedure, email marketing is a great tool.
As compared with other popular marketing distribution channels, email is used by 87% of marketers to get the word out, behind only social media (91%) and company blogs (89%).
Think of it this way: Use your organic search strategy and paid search to lure new patients, but use email to deepen the relationship you have with existing patients.
If your email marketing campaign isn’t yielding promising results, chances are you’re doing it wrong. Personalized and interactive emails are much better at getting your patients’ attention and engagement.
The average email open rate is 21%, but a welcome email for new patients has an open rate of 82%. Moreover, personalized emails generate a 50% higher email open rate. Furthermore, interactive emails with videos can increase the click rate by as much as 300%.
Email marketing is a viable tool, especially for dental practices, as they have recurring patients and numerous opportunities to help those patients with cosmetic dental procedures. Moreover, email marketing offers several benefits that set it apart from other marketing tools. Using email marketing correctly can do wonders for your business.
If you’re looking for an expert digital marketing agency in Houston, OAK Interactive provides you with the digital marketing services you need to grow. Call us to talk about email marketing and see how it can work better for you. Contact us to learn more.
