Following up Direct Mail Part 1.

When you send direct mail, you need to measure your results. In order to measure your results, each advertisement needs to have:

  • A unique design.
  • A unique URL with analytics installed.
  • A unique phone number with call tracking.
  • A unique coupon code if you are offering a discount.

Undoubtedly, the list you purchases is used by other businesses—some of which may be dentists. Selecting a stock design does not separate your ad from the noise and your campaign looks just as much (if not more) like junk-mail than your competitors’. You can affordably employee freelance graphic designers to create your custom ad by visiting 99designs.com.

A direct mail advertisement should send a prospect to a website designed specifically for the campaign—website designers call this type of page a “landing page”.

A landing page, also known as a “lead capture page”, is a single web page designed to convert its visitors into sales leads.

In comparison to the rest of your website, landing pages have a unique one-page design featuring a specific call to action[1]. Landing pages can be designed as a reference (informational) or to accept payments (transactional). Since dentistry is a service (not a product), the best landing pages for a dentist will be informational with a call to action aimed at collecting the visitor’s email address and physical address in exchange for more information about your dental practice. You can use MailChimp to collect visitor information on your website.

To collect a stranger’s contact information, your call-to-action must offer something of value in return. For example, you may be able to collect a visitor’s name, email, and mailing address in exchange for a promise to mail him or her a packet  loaded with information about why your dental office is best suited to meet your patients’ needs.

Of course your landing page and main website should have Google Analytics installed. Google Analytics is a free service that will tell you how many visitors the landing page received in a given time period and (if set up correctly) how many of these visitors took the requested action. 

google-analytics

Additionally, using a service similar to Call Rail, the number of potential clients who either call your office directly from the mail campaign or visit your landing page and then place a phone call can be measured (these calls can also be recorded and reviewed for quality control).

[1] A call to action is a banner, button, text, or graphic created in a way that prompts a visitor to click on it and perform a task.