Haliburton, Ontario (Marketwire) August 10, 2010 – A diverse marketing mix that includes and addresses communication preferences of readers is essential to any marketing or advertising campaign, and print marketing and direct mail still remain an integral part of that mix, says Patient News, a leading dental marketing company.

“Statistics show that most marketers have found that online channels demonstrate greater value when distributed in conjunction with direct mail applications, reinforcing the value of print in the marketing mix,” said Karen Galley, President of Patient News.

Baby Boomers, who have an annual spending power of $2.1 trillion and account for upwards of 60% of all healthcare spending, actively shop through the mail and keep mail pieces for future reference. According to a research study by JWT BOOM and ThirdAge Inc., 90% of Baby Boomer women surveyed have seen a print ad and later visited the online site. As women make more than 85% of all healthcare buying decisions, this adds up to significant business that can be attributed to print marketing such as newsletters, direct mail or custom postcards.

In addition, the coveted 18-49 consumer group welcomes, reads and responds to printed materials. Close to 90% of this group sort through mail immediately, nearly 80% read direct mail advertising, and about 70% use coupons received in the mail. According to a recent Ad-ology Research study, TV, newspaper, direct mail, and Internet are the top four media from which consumers saw/heard an ad within the last 30 days.

“Print is an amazing online traffic generator, and it delivers consistent response rates,” said Galley. “People are more willing to try new brands than ever before, and those over 50 years old, the primary target for most of our dentists, are more likely than any other group to read and respond to direct mail pieces.”

One additional reason why direct mail continues to be a go-to strategy for marketers is that improvements in database technology and analytics have allowed direct mail and other offline media to deliver consistent response rates. Patient News utilizes variable data or “personalized one-to-one marketing” such as the recipient’s name printed throughout newsletters and postcards to increase response. Patient News clients report

escalated response with variable data, generating anywhere from 20-200 new patients per month as a result.

For additional information on dental newsletters, variable data services, dental postcards, printed or e-dental advertising from Patient News call 800.667.0268 or visit www.PatientNews.com.

About Patient News:

Patient News is North America’s most comprehensive and innovative provider of direct mail, newsletters, postcards, email newsletters, and referral cards. Founded in 1992, the company produces award-winning healthcare and dental marketing products in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Contact:

Joanne Bishop
Vice-President, Patient News
800-667-0268