Here at Mosaic, we’re big fans of marketing and you rarely, if ever, hear us tell a doctor he or she is doing too much marketing. We do however want our clients to be sure the marketing they’re doing is really successful in the long term. There are many, many marketing ideas out there these days vying for your attention, and they’re not all right for your practice.
A good case in point is the large envelopes that come stuffed with coupons from everyone from the muffler repair shop to the new ethnic restaurant. We’ve had clients tell us that “a friend’s office” used them and received an amazing number of new patient calls. We’re very sure that’s true…but are those patients being tracked in reports? We ask this because in most cases, six months after an office has the phenomenal response from that coupon mailer, their unscheduled recalls jump off the charts. The coupon brought in exactly what it asked for….coupon shoppers…….folks who have a high enough dental IQ to know they need regular cleanings, but who have no intention of being loyal to one office….they just go to who has the best coupon in 6 months. Understand, we have no issue with folks who use coupons to get good deals….we frequently use them ourselves. However, when it comes to dental care, the patients who are swayed by coupons also generally can’t or won’t schedule needed work….all they want is the coupon special.
We’ve also seen a lot of this mentality regarding the popular on line coupon sites. We had one practice that was literally so busy with new patients from the coupon, they talked a neighboring office into taking the overflow. They also had one of the worst production and collections quarters in the practice history. They were so excited about how many new patients they saw….until we looked at the numbers. We suggest being very wary of wasting marketing dollars on these one shot wonders…offering discounts will still get them in the door, but remember if the product is one that you and your staff members would toss or delete as junk, it’s very unlikely it will get you the great patients you want in your practice. Think carefully and take your time when someone tries to sell you on these coupons….there are almost always better uses for your marketing dollars that will really grow the practice, not just keep you hoping for a month or two.
