Print and direct mailHealthcare marketing strategy2 min read How to launch an integrated healthcare marketing campaign

Next time you have a big marketing campaign to promote, why not leverage the power of multiple marketing channels?

Two is better than one

An integrated strategy that blends your direct-mail and digital communications is an effective approach. It helps maximize the number of healthcare consumers who see your marketing messages.

Let's take a closer look at the two different marketing channels and why this integrated strategy works so well with healthcare consumers.

Direct mail still gets the job done

You might think direct mail, such as postcards and magazines, is unpopular in his digital age. But research shows that direct mail is still an effective marketing tool.

A few reasons for this:

• Direct mail helps you reach more of your audience, including consumers who might not use digital communications as often as print.
• Direct-mail pieces have less competition in your consumers’ mailboxes. People at least scan through their mail before they decide whether to toss it. So you can be assured your messages will be seen by people who could potentially take action.
• People still appreciate receiving printed materials. It feels more personal than easy-to-ignore emails.

Here's what marketing experts say about the effects of direct mail:

• After a data analysis, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) found that the average household response rate to direct mail is 5.1%, compared to email at .6%.
• Overall, the DMA found that the median ROI is 29%.
• According to the U.S. Postal Service, 60% of catalog recipients go to the website of the brand that mailed it to them.

Tying in digital strategies completes the loop

Sending your recipients a postcard or mailer that promotes your services is great, but it's even better to give your potential consumers a way to take the next step. That's where your digital strategy comes in.

For example, maybe you want people to sign up for wellness classes, use an appointment scheduling form or donate to your foundation. Consider using a trackable phone number or link to a landing page.

Measure success!

So how well does an integrated marketing strategy work? There are ways to find out.

If your URL is unique to the direct-mail campaign, you can track how many people visited the page and converted. Using a trackable phone number will also help you gauge the effectiveness of your integrated campaign.

Best practices for direct-mail design

Here are a few basic rules for your mailers:

Keep the text short and snappy. Make your message easy to understand. You need to hold the reader's attention, which means less text is best.

Choose images that pop. You want your mailer to stand out. Choose a photo or design your recipients won't gloss over.

Use a clear call to action (CTA). Figure out what next step you want your readers to take when they're done reading your mailer. Make sure the CTA is easy to find and stated clearly on the card. Are you planning to direct them toward an awesome landing page? Follow these tips.

Launch an integrated campaign

Planning your campaign is one thing, but writing the content, creating the landing page and printing the mailers is another. We can help with all of that. Call 888.805.9101 or email to learn more about our print and digital services.