Learning from Medical Direct Marketing

Direct Marketers have been struggling to understand how to best reach people. With all the craze of the digital age, direct mail has been left to the waster side.  After chatting with Paul Richard from MedicalDirect,  we started to talk about the incredible results he was having with direct mail?  Yes, that is correct, Direct Mail was way outperforming his Fax and Email efforts.  Even with the increased cost of DM, email and fax marketing just don't measure up.  Now I am not suggesting this will work for all programs and target audiences, but its definitely something to think about. Here is a summary of the thoughts he shared about this recent trial.

Have you compared response to email, fax and mail?  Our client did.

            He tested all three using similar copy in a single campaign to target physicians.  Here’s how they responded.  

                        Email:                   9 of 3,000 responded (0.003%)

                        Fax:                    42 of 5,000 responded (0.008%)

                        Mail:                506 of 4,600 responded (11.0%)

            Why did so many respond to mail?  Three reasons.

1. Physicians still trust information delivered in a stamped envelope more than they trust information delivered digitally or by fax.

2. The kind of mail tested was more potent than everyday advertising mail.  A personal letter invited physicians to respond to a series of informative questions on the relevance of the product to their practice.  By walking the physician through the product story, this mail effectively duplicated personal detailing.

3. This mail gave physicians who don’t see reps a way to learn about the product.

If you reach these not called on physicians the way they prefer, you will gain sales and market share you would otherwise forgo.  We explore this further, enclosed.*

DoctorsDialog is a unique method of personalization and generating a quality relationship with doctors.  We can all learn from their methods to ensure we cut through the noise and provide impactful programs.