Revenue Growth Technique No 6: How To Setup A Weekly Email Newsletter To Get Dental Patients To Schedule More Treatments

One of my favorite things on my "To Do" list is what you're reading right now:  Writing my weekly newsletter! It's not just something I'm skilled at (I studied to be a journalist in college and throughout the years learned a lot about marketing & copywriting) but it ALSO results in more brand awareness, educates clients, provides (some) entertainment and most of all helps increase and…SALES. With my first company LIFT Enrichment (which for those who don't know, helps teach after-school & summer cooking classes to low-income students in California, has hit $10 million in revenue and has a team of 280 employees), I wrote many newsletters on a variety of topics. Subjects included information about the latest after-school grants, how we hire our Chef Teachers and fun, offbeat articles, like my travels to India, Dubai and Nepal.  Now with Clinic Assist, (which helps dental clinics in Dubai grow their revenue), I've written nearly 50 posts and it provides an active database of information for dental clinic owners with tons of practical tips on how to grow their practice. But how can weekly newsletters help your clinic and your customers?

• They keep you in the mind of your patients.  The more aware patients are about your service, the more likely they are to schedule their treatments.  I like to tell clinics in Dubai:  "Dubai is a competitive place to be a dentist because there are so many clinics, but who follows up the MOST, gets the business."   A weekly email is a great way to follow-up, without being pushy.

• They educate patients about the world of dentistry.  People are interested in what's going on around them, so you can share news articles, new hires for your team, new services that are offered and even useful tips like "7 ways to keep your teeth extra white."
• They help sell your services!  You can include offers like a discount on veneers or a free whitening if a referral happens.  My main goal is always to provide VALUE in the form of education or entertainment… with a bit of selling as well.  

So now that you're ready to get started, here is an easy way to get going.

Step 1:  Use An Email Campaign Service

There are many softwares, but I just use Mailchimp because it's easy.  My team and I can easily add email addresses that we get from cold-approaching clinics in Dubai. It's also easy to set up a "campaign" (aka an email template) and send it out.  Then you can "duplicate" it each week. You can also schedule email campaigns in advance.  My current goal (because I need to be more consistent!) is to schedule the next 3-4 weeks of weekly emails.

Step 2:  Collect Emails From Your Patients

You can probably download a list from your dental software as an excel document with all of the emails of your patients. Then, just copy and paste them into your email campaign software.  You can "segment" them, but I don't bother. When you get NEW prospects…from your marketing efforts, add them to your email list When you get NEW patients, also add them. When people fill out the form on your website, add them to your list. Even when your receptionists gets an inquiry on the phone, ask for the email. The BIGGER your email list is, the more money you are going to earn.

Step 3:  Create Content That's Interesting To Your Patients

When you write your emails, be sure to keep them lively and exciting.  Do things like:

• Include a picture with each post.  This pic should be a real one (no stock images!) of you, your team, your family, etc.
• Have one email be something about the practice that is NEW.  This could be an introduction to a new staff member, or a new service offer, or new location.
• Have another email be something written from the owner.  You know how when you open a magazine and it says "From the Editor" and it has a few paragraphs about the issue…you want something like this but from the owner.  Once a month, report on what happened the previous month, share some successes or new testimonials and explain what's going to happen in the month ahead.
• Have another email be something "fun" and personal.  This is where you can share things like if one of your staff had a new baby, or your family went on a beautiful vacation.  Include a picture!  This connects the patient to your practice…and remember that dentistry is a business that is built on personal connection!
• Have another email that sells a unique service or offer.  This email (which is 1 out of every 4, roughly) is one with good sales copy, imagery and explains a new discount, referral campaign or exciting opportunity if the patient (or prospect) takes a step forward.

You can play around with this, and delegate most of this to a marketing coordinator.  

Step 4:  Have a "Call To Action" In Each Email

Even though one out of every four emails is an actual "sales" email, you can still have a gentle call to action for your patients in each email. You'll see, as an example, how every newsletter has a link to book a consultation directly with me.  We call this the "Clinic Assist Growth Session" Your call to action could be something like A link to WhatsApp to reply with something like "Offer" or "Whitening" to get 20% a whitening A form using Google Form that if completed helps you generate new referrals from your patients and rewards them as well. A link to your Google Review that encourages patients to share a recent review in exchange for a discount or service. Just be simple, clear and you'll be surprised how many patients actually complete this Call To Action.  

Step 5:  Be Consistent!

You have to do this REGULARLY.  You can't do it monthly or every 2-3 weeks.  It needs to be a part of your weekly marketing efforts because it will have an ROI. You can keep it regular by assigning this task to a key administrative staff or office manager.  They can reach out to the owner to complete the monthly "From The Owner" article or use a professional copy writer or marketer to create content.  Just make sure someone is in charge of this task. Also track your open rates!  It'll tell you which emails and subject lines get more opens.

Step 6:  Repurpose Your Emails On Other Platforms

I take each newsletter and use it for

• My mailchimp email
• A new blog post on my website
• Clinic Assist Instagram
• Clinic Assist Linkedin
• Clinic Assist Facebook
• I also link the article to my Personal Instagram
• Personal Facebook
• And Personal Linkedin!

You can also include it on your twitter and other platforms. It's a great way to get the most value out of each post. If you need help with creating good content for your clinic let me know! And if you'd like to schedule a "Clinic Assist Growth Session" where I will show you exactly how my clients can generate AED 120,000 in revenue by creating a follow up system for their unscheduled treatment (with GUARANTEED results) Send me a WA or email eric@clinicassit.ae