Direct Mail for Dentists | Building a Loyal Client Base

With increased demand for cosmetic dentistry and an aging population in need of more oral care, the US Dental Market is expecting to grow over $30 Billion by 2027. 

In regard to the aging population, vice president of the ADA Health Policy Institute Dr. Marko Vujicic notes some major upheavals in the dental industry within the next three years.

In his interview titled Dental Industry Predictions for 2024, he remarks on the generational shift from Baby Boomers to Millennials as the former starts to retire at a faster rate than ever before.

Dr. Vujicic also notes the complexity of running a dentistry business is likely to change dramatically, with more specialized roles adding to the difficulty of running a practice.

Staffing shortages were also a point of contention for most dentists, as 60 percent of those surveyed considered it as one of their major challenges for 2024, as well as higher overhead costs.

What is the takeaway? With an aging population shifting into retirement, complexities in running a business, and additional expenses, dentistry is becoming a more specialized practice than ever before.

To tackle the complexities in the business framework and maintain a strong client base, dentists need only to turn to direct mail.

From its strong presence in the physical mailbox to its masterful re-targeting advantage, your business can thrive thanks to the power of direct mail marketing. 

1.) Increased Trust in Direct Mail

For some people, a trip to the dentist is a frightening ordeal. According to the Cleveland Clinic, nearly 36% of people in the US have Dentophobia, a fear of dentists.

This fear could manifest in different ways, from the anxieties surrounding routine care, or the peril of a much more invasive surgery, such as a root canal.

Dentistry is far from the outlier in terms of medical phobias, as one in three Americans avoid going to the doctor even when they require medical care.

Despite many people’s apprehension, routine medical and dental checkups are vital to one’s overall health and wellness. But that is not to say an individual’s hesitance is not valid.

On the contrary, if one were to use an empathetic and understanding message to connect to this population, there may be far less reluctance for routine care.

Fortunately, direct mail is an excellent medium to build up trust in the individual. One MarketingSherpa survey notes that 76% of participants trust ads and catalogs that are received through the mail.

Unlike marketing emails and digital ads, there is no risk of malware in opening a physical envelope and reading its contents.

And with more phishing scams on the rise, audiences are learning to avoid most digital advertisements, a phenomenon known as banner blindness.

2.) Impactful On Your Audience

With the power of personalization, direct mail is an excellent marketing medium to leave a strong impression on its audience.

People tend to remember the messages that address them as individuals, as a Canada Post study notes that print mail stimulated a 29% higher brand recall than digital advertising.

An OIG study also noted that physical ads like direct mail help to create a longer-lasting memory in participants, as they could remember the advertisements accurately even a week after the initial viewing.

The perceived higher initial cost of direct mail means many companies are not implementing this medium as often into their marketing portfolio.

This means there is far less competition in the physical mailbox than in the digital landscape.

Instead of fighting for your attention, direct mail creates a much less intrusive and inviting presence within the home, offering its residents ample opportunity to read its message over and over again in their own time. 

3.) Encourage Routine Care

The Baby Boomer generation shifting into retirement does not only affect the dental industry but the client base as well.

The aging population that retires out of the workforce often needs more routine care than the younger generations. 

Diabetes and osteoporosis are common ailments that follow with older populations that frequently require consistent dental care.

In addition, less than 30% of adults between the ages of 45 and 64 have a full set of teeth, and 1 in 4 adults older than 65 have no teeth at all.

Encouraging routine care and check-ups is now more important than ever.

While scheduling regular visits may be a challenge for some, direct mail makes the process much more accessible as both its impact and trustfulness can help encourage frequent appointments.

In addition, the re-marketing potential helps keep dental maintenance at the forefront of the audience’s mind.

If every mailer is passed around the home 1.2 times and read 4.2 times by each recipient, think about how impactful a re-targeting strategy could be on the audiences most in need of routine maintenance. 

Starting a direct mail campaign can be a daunting task.

Between creating a viable strategy to understanding the data and postage costs, the individual can easily become discouraged and overwhelmed.