Dianon Systems, a diagnostics services lab, is conducting its first direct mail campaign to OBGYN doctors through mid-February.
The mailing comes at a time when there are a lot of acquisitions and mergers in the diagnostics services industry, said Darryl Ohrt, the founder of Visual Intelligence Agency, Danbury, CT, the graphics design company that designed the mail piece, and is designed to assure doctors of Dianon's stability.
“With all of the activity going on among these companies, a doctor could wake up tomorrow and the people and procedures he has become used to working with for so many years could be completely different,” Ohrt said. “Dianon has not changed and we have designed the piece to be used as a soft sell. We just wanted people to know that Dianon is still here and its operations have not changed and they can be counted on.”
Still, the piece does not specifically mention the upheaval in the industry.
“We didn't find it necessary to make any mention of the changes,” he said. “These people know what is going on in their industry. And we just wanted to remind them that Dianon was here to serve them.”
Dianon is targeting nearly 200 prospects with the three-piece mailing. All of the targets are OBGYN doctors who run their own private practices or are working for larger healthcare providers and facilities. The list was compiled inhouse by Dianon, Stratford, CT, and is being sent to what it feels are its best target markets throughout the country.
The first mailing of the campaign went out Jan 8. The second will go out next week and the third will drop in mid-February. The decision was made to use the same piece in all three mailings, something Ohrt does not believe will anger or annoy any of the recipients.
“Three times is not an amount that will make someone feel inundated,” Ohrt said. “A lot of times the first mailing doesn't even make it to the intended person's desk. With three mailings this gives it a better chance of making it into that person's hands. It also reduces development costs by using the same piece.”
Recipients who respond after the first mailing will not receive any more pieces after that.
The total cost of the campaign is slightly less than $4,000.
To help pull off the soft-sell feel of the piece, Dianon and Visual Intelligence Agency used colors such as purple and pink along with images of flowers throughout the three-page, fold-out self-mailer.
“While we wanted it to be soft and colorful, we had to make sure that it stood out,” Ohrt said. “The colors and images were also chosen due to the fact that these organizations and doctors work with women.”
The piece opens up to display two short letters from doctors at Dianon. They both briefly outline the benefits and features that come in working with Dianon and what they can expect from their OB and GYN services.
It is the time Dianon has used a business reply card in a mailing. The BRC asks recipients to either request more information on Dianon or have an account executive contact them. They can also call a toll-free number for more information.
