Retaining dental patients is one of the biggest challenges many of our clients come to us with. With increased competition, evolving patient demands, and other dental practices advertising online, it’s easier than ever for your dental patients to make the switch.
Considering it costs more to acquire a new patient than keep a current one, how can you hold onto your dental patients long-term? Two words: Email marketing.
Now, we know what you’re thinking “do patients even read emails anymore?” Well, according to OptinMonster, they do, with an overwhelming 99% of respondents saying they check their emails every day!
Still, email marketing might be completely new to you, and you mightn’t understand how to use it effectively. Or, maybe you’ve tried dental email marketing but aren’t sure if it’s working. If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place.
In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits of email marketing for dentists, some examples of dentist emails you can try today, and email marketing best practices you should follow to help increase customer retention.
Let’s get started!
The benefits of email marketing for dentists
According to Emarsys, 80% of small businesses use email marketing to improve customer retention rates. But is email marketing such a popular choice for dental practices?
Take a look at the benefits of email marketing for dentists below.
Meet patient expectations
In this Statistica report, 61% of respondents said they’d actually rather a business reached out to them via email. Modern dental patients are looking for convenience, which you can offer by reminding them of appointments, promoting special offers, etc., via email marketing.
Keep marketing costs down
Did you know that for every dollar you spend on email marketing for your dental practice, you can make $44 in return? According to CampaignMonitor, this is the ROI you can expect from email marketing, making it a great choice for your dental marketing strategy.
Improves patient loyalty
Email marketing can help your dental practice stay top-of-mind with your patient base, keep them engaged, and build a sense of loyalty. By offering your patient base exclusive content, offers, and reminders, you can significantly increase the chances of them returning.
Choosing dental email marketing software
When it comes to actually creating and automating your dental emails, the software you choose really matters. There are so many options out there, all with their own features, price tag, and unique benefits.
Some of the most popular email marketing automation tools include Hubspot, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and Mission Control (our very own automation software for dentists).
But how do you choose the right tool for your practice? Below, you’ll find some key elements you should look for when assessing dental email marketing software.
- Ease of use: How user-friendly is the software? Have a look at some of the demos, book a free trial, or read reviews to find this out.
- Mobile-friendliness: According to EasySendy, almost 1.7 billion users check their emails on mobile. So ensure your email tool optimizes emails for mobile users.
- Automation options: The ability to easily automate your dental email marketing campaigns will help you save time and engage your patients with minimal effort.
- Simple patient imports: Make sure the software you choose for your dental practices makes it easy to important patient contact information/preferences.
Dental email examples for you to try today
Now that you know why email marketing is the perfect way to increase patient retention, what kind of dental emails should you be sending? Here are some effective dental email examples below to get you started.
Patient welcome email
Once your new dental patients book their first appointment, automate an official “welcome to our dental practice” email. In the email, let them know what to expect from their experience with you in person and the emails they’ll receive in the future.
Dental competitions
You need to make signing up to your dental practice’s newsletter worth it! One way to do so is by running competitions exclusively for your email subscribers. The prize can be anything from a free dental check-up to an at-home teeth whitening pen!
Patient loyalty rewards
Offering loyal patients rewards like a discount on their birthday or a free gift after booking 5 appointments can improve patient retention. The best part? You can trigger a reward email when your patients reach a certain milestone using your email automation tool.
Expert dental advice
Another popular dental email example is sending your patients unique, valuable, and genuinely helpful how-to guides, bitesize dental tips, and advice on looking after their teeth at home. You can also link to blogs on your dental practice website in the email.
Appointment reminders
Letting your patients know they have a new dental appointment coming up via email is a fantastic way to reduce missed appointments. You can also use email software to allow patients to book their next appointment via email rather than your website.
Dental discounts
While you might shout about your new “20% off Invisalign for December” deal on your social channels or website, that doesn’t mean all your current patients will see the deal. Emails are a direct line to your patients, making it the perfect place to build awareness for special offers.
Best practices for dental email marketing
Have we got your dental email juices flowing? Great, now for our parting advice. Below you’ll find a list of best email marketing practices for dentists to help you craft retention-boosting campaigns.
Subject lines
- Try to keep the length under 60 characters
- Use 1-3 punctuation marks or emojis
- Use clear yet compelling language
Formatting
- Keep your emails short and sweet
- Make your email stand out with images
- Add an opt-out option in the footer
Buttons
- Use CTA buttons to link back to your website
- Make buttons visible with contrasting colors
- Test different CTA’s, like “Call Us” or “Book Now”
Content
- Personalize content to each patient type
- Include your main offer in the email header
- Focus on quality over quantity
Cadence
- Send emails during the week
- Send emails at 8 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, or 6 pm (OptinMonster studies showed these are the optimal times to send emails.)
- Aim for at least one email a month
Ready to get emailing for better patient retention?
Follow these best practices, get inspired by our email examples for dentists, and start nurturing patient loyalty today! Looking for the best dental email marketing tool to make all that work so much easier?
Introducing Mission Control: your all-in-one sales and marketing tool that takes the pain away from email marketing, social media marketing, appointment booking, and more!
From a single portal, Mission Control lets you manage and automate your entire patient journey from their first contact to their first appointment, so you and your team can get back to making patients smile.
Learn more about Mission Control and book a free demo today!
