Direct mail marketing ideas during COVID

Direct mail marketing ideas abound, and the tactic has come a long way, to the point of free or low-cost software to produce easy, professional mailing pieces

What comes to mind when you think of direct mail marketing? In most cases, you are likely picturing brightly colored, 8-1/2 x 11 paper flyers, with rather simple graphics and low-quality images. These sorts of flyers appear dated by today’s digital standards and are certainly not what you would use today to showcase either your practice or the benefits of chiropractic care with fresh direct mail marketing ideas.

Fortunately, direct mail marketing has come a long way since then. In fact, current software can now produce mailing pieces that look every bit as sophisticated as any digital art produced for your website.

Furthermore, direct mail has been making a recent comeback, particularly when paired with digital marketing. Surprisingly, this resurgence of interest in direct mail marketing seems to have come about as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given all of this, it may be time for you to rethink your opinion and consider some direct mail marketing ideas.

Direct mail marketing stats

Surprisingly, as much as 90% of direct mail marketing pieces get opened, compared to only 20-30% of marketing emails. Furthermore, prospective customers are 15% more likely to respond to an oversized direct mail piece if they have never previously done business with a company.

Part of this current trend is due to people being at home more often during the COVID crisis. They are likely to see the arrival of the mail as the highlight of the day because it breaks up their daily routines of working from home, childcare, or just general household maintenance.

Fortunately, the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now state: “Although the virus can survive for a short period on some surfaces, it is unlikely to be spread from domestic or international mail, products or packaging.” This means that both you and your prospective patients can benefit from direct mail marketing without worrying about possible transmission of the COVID-19 virus.

Direct mail marketing ideas during COVID

There is a balance that you should look to strike when planning out a direct mail marketing campaign. You still want to emphasize chiropractic’s caring, holistic, non-drug approach to treating patients, as opposed to standard health care.

At the same time, however, emphasizing physical closeness or using the hands to perform chiropractic adjustments may give the impression that you – or the field of chiropractic in general – do not take COVID-19 seriously. Of course, this could not be further from the truth. Instead, underline your commitment to helping your patients stay safe during the pandemic.

Emphasize home care services

In addition to in-office care, target your direct mail marketing campaign toward products that prospective patients can purchase via your website to use at home, such as nutritional supplements, stretch bands, or pillows.

Featuring your at-home products among your direct mail marketing ideas has two main advantages:

• First, it may convert prospective patients into actual patients before you reopen your office, particularly if they have a positive experience with your products.
• Second, using direct mail to steer prospective patients toward your website is an excellent example of how to combine your direct mail and digital marketing campaigns to net better results than you would likely have with either alone.

You may get an even better ROI if you include a discount in your direct mail piece to drive prospective patients to your website.

Of course, your direct mail marketing ideas shouldn’t end once the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end. Roll that campaign right into one to welcome new or returning patients back to your office.