The Two Goals You Should Aim For in Email Marketing
When sitting down to write your latest email campaign, are you starting with the end goal in mind? Email marketing can be a useful tool to help bring your patients back and expand your practice, if you target your whole email campaign to that goal.
There are two goals you should focus on when creating each email blast:
1. Get repeat business from existing patients
2. Gain more leads
Target Existing Patients
Existing patients are a perfect place to start with email marketing. You have their contact information and their hard-won business. Your repeat patients are a more cost effective acquisition than first time patients and are 6-12 times cheaper to market to. So take advantage of the loyalty and attention you already have and provide them with more products and services they can’t miss out on.
Repeat patients are also more lucrative: according to global management consulting firm Bain and Company, repeat customers spend an average of 67% more than first time customers.
How to Get Patients to Come Back
- Personalized Recommendations – You know what patients will be interested in based on their first procedure and other patient’s procedure history. You can target your patients by their interest and email educational information and new or promoted procedures. Educating your patient base using email marketing is the perfect channel because 53% of people read emails from companies to learn about new products (see the chart below). To begin, you could market to patients who are interested in facial procedures by sending them a virtual brochure on new treatments, the benefits of your latest skin product line, or why you love your newest laser. Include a call-to-action asking your readers to call for a consultation or to visit your site to learn more.
- Promotions – Thanks to the online phenomenon of Groupon and Living Social, 70% of people reading emails are looking for promotions or discounts. People are now starting to associate email newsletters with exclusive deals. Chances are your practice offers promotions, so be sure to capitalize on your existing fanbase by using every outlet to let them know of specials. Email subject lines are the perfect place to tease a promotion and those emails will have a higher open rate.
Expand Your Following and Gain Leads
Use email marketing to attract new patients to your practice. By using your existing patient base paired with specific call-to-actions you can grow your email list – and potential leads.
How to Reach New Leads
- Referrals – Ask your readers to forward your email to friends, and offer a discount or prize to the referrer. People are busy and need to be incentivized to forward your email. Always reward your practice champions! Having loyal patients who will bring you new business are worth their weight in movie tickets, or spa discounts. Make the call-to-action the entire focus of the email. If you don’t ask directly, it won’t happen. Provide buttons, simple directions, and anything that makes your call-to-action easy to accomplish.
For more help crafting targeted email blasts to reach your practice goals, contact us.