Snail Mail mailings...how often? Effective? Worth it?

[Pati]

I am working for the past two years for a chiropractor who has not done much to market massage! Recently, I went through his appointment books since 1997 and developed a list of all the people that have received massage since then. He has a mailing list of about 1000 clients for the chiropractic practice and 390 for the massage practice. Of those 390 clients who have had massages at the office, about 53 have had more than 10 massages. The Dr. is willing to do some mailings so this is what I was planning monthly mailings but now I wonder if that is overkill? A monthly mailing would end up costing about $3000!! I could do 6 mailings for $1,500. What is reasonable? When do the returns start to diminish?

Yearly
--2 Flyer mailings to the 1000 people on the chiropractic mailing list. Cost $530 each mailing. $1060 total
--4 Newsletter mailings to the 400 people on the massage mailing list. Cost $284 each mailing. $1,136 total
--6 postcard reminders to the 400 people on the massage mailing list. Cost $140 each mailing. $840 total.

 

[i. jones]

It doesn't make much sense to target people who haven't been in for years. If it were my money, I'd focus on the clients who have been in sometime in the last 24 months, but no farther back. There will be a bigger pool of potential clients among them anyways, since it wasn't so long ago they may be more easily reminded of the massage.

Actually your best target audience for marketing massage is the current chiropractic client list. They are familiar with the office, may have met you already, and see a reason for that type of treatment. You'll work a lot harder to try and get a client back than to "upsell" a current one, or get them to refer to you.

 

[Begum]

So...you would mail to everyone who has been in the office in the last two years? Sigh....that means yet another book combing and listing! You wouldn't believe how long it takes to work through each book making a list! I think I have at least 3 hours per year and then many many hours putting the lists together!

 

[Carolyn]

It's too bad the DC doesn't have his appts in a database. that would make your search much easier and so much less time consuming. I do agree w/ Breathe, upselling the current patient list would be much more efective than trying to convince former massage patients to return.

What effect would it have to leave flyers in the DC's office itself advertising your services? Or a simple sign on the reception desk suggesting that they book a massage to aid with their next adjustment/treatment from the DC?

Good luck!

 

[noiniusiapire]

Supposedly it costs less to sell more to currant clients than to develope new clients. So depending on hte numbers, I'd use the last year of current chiro clients and massage clients. If there aren't that many, you could use 2 years, but I agree that going further back is a really long shot. If possible, I'd do a monthly mailing, and commit to it for a year. Postcards are great, but a letter is also great if you have time to hand address them. I know, makes my hand cramp thinking about it.

You will need a compelling offer, like free half hour. People like free.

Do let us know how it works.

 

[I FANCY YOU :)]

I agree that going back more than 2 years is a long shot. Compiling a list for only 2 years might seem like a daunting task, but it will save you a lot of time and $$ doing wasteful mailings to people who are not likely to come in anyway. Your time and money at that point will be better spent on the current chiro clients.

Even though it took you about 3 hours per year to compile the current list, it shouldn't take as long to just go through the books for the last 2 years and make a start next to each name that has been into the office in the last 2 years.

A computer program for this chiro would make life easier in a LOT of different ways!

 

[Rachie]

So...you would mail to everyone who has been in the office in the last two years? Sigh....that means yet another book combing and listing! You wouldn't believe how long it takes to work through each book making a list! I think I have at least 3 hours per year and then many many hours putting the lists together!

Yeah, but just think: if only 3 clients come back in and sign up for an hour each, you've just made up the time you spent. And if you get more than 3 clients back, well, you're ahead of the game. Lots of time as an MT is spent "off the clock" so to speak, doing administrative/accounting/business/marketing chores, mailings, phone calls, newsletters, keeping track of birthdays, client records, etc, that we don't get immediately paid for. But, the more time you put into your practice, the more you'll get back out. You just have to invest the time and accept it as part of the game.

Cheers,
~Jyoti

 

[murry43]

I am doing one mass mailing of a flyer for Orthopedic Massage right now just to let everyone know I am there. In Napa, there are a lot of Massage TECHNICIANS (200 hour course) and they tend to be even flakier than Massage Therapists and come and go, never to be heard of again. Most of the massage done at this office has been done by Massage TECHS. I think there are only 11 Nationally Certified MTs from Napa, all the way up the valley to Calistoga and perhaps that many that could be Nationally Certified...out of 419 "MTs" total!

I have been working on a brochure for the waiting room where we also have patients from three other chiros who don't offer massage. The MT that was there before me, put out a generic brochure she got from Massage Warehouse which didn't do much. I have a sign on the counter as well which reminds people that we are there. Planning to put up a massage drawing jar as well.

My marketing is done in spurts because I have four daughters I need to juggle as well!

Thanks!
-Karen

 

[Tofu]

Jeez, I hope you don't drop them!