Microsoft employee and productivity expert Scott Hanselman recently offered some bold perspective that can improve the results you get from your dental patients.
He highlighted the value of using email to connect with, and even market to your dental list. In essence, you need to connect more than you promote.
Consider the value you provide throughout your email. How to do that is as much “art” as it is strategy. Understanding that will help you help those who receive your dental email on a routine basis. Here are three things you should keep in mind when marketing your email.
1. Stop overwhelming your audience
An inbox full of unread emails is annoying. When your email is among them, it puts you in a position of weakness.
Imagine you have something of value to share. But the email doesn’t get opened (or worse, it’s deleted) because the subject line sounds like yet another “save X% off your next…” promotion.
Adding to the “overwhelm” already felt by those on your email list will nearly guarantee a missed connection. Sometimes less is more; a patient is more likely to open your email if they aren’t getting one from you every day – and if you actually have something valuable to say.
Using email to connect with your dental patients is about “giving” rather than “getting.” Your ROI (Return on Investment) increases when you invest in creating valuable, informative, and useful content.
2. Be intentional
Marketing intentions are easy to recognize. On some occasions it’s best to lay it all out in a no-holds-barred kind of way. After all, being “sneaky” can backfire real quick.
Your wording relies on your relationship with your list. Guard that relationship by evaluating your intention with each email you craft and send.
- Write conversationally
- Create a compelling narrative instead of business-as-usual email content
- Avoid over promoting
2. Connect emotionally, not economically
One of the fundamental rules of selling is, “People buy things for emotional, not rational, reasons.” This validates the core value of engaging before selling.
Engagement in email marketing is connecting at the attention level first. Once you have your list’s attention, write to them with a huge amount of respect.
Respect their time. Respect their intelligence. Respect their buying motives.
- Get attention in the subject line and lead of your email (the first paragraph/two sentences)
- Lead with a “story” or a recognizable, relatable trend
- Connect the “story” to a problem in the two to three paragraphs that follow
- Provide a solution to the problem with a specific service/procedure/product in the close of your email
- Compel them to take action with a clear call to action (click here, call us, etc.)
You have a limited amount of time and your list has a limited amount of attention. Maximize both when using email marketing to connect with your dental patients.
