I strongly recommend in Never Market Again to send cards to patients.

I’ve looked at many different ways to send cards, and here are the options:

• On ebay and elsewhere, you can buy printable cards that you run though your inkjet. Problem is, you’ll need to do two at a time, and the inks tend to get clogged. A cheap source of cards for this can be found here
• Another way is to buy cards in bulk. I haven’t yet found a cheap source of cards that fit a Oriental Medicine theme.
• The last option is called “Send Out Cards.” I tried it out myself, and it’s VERY nice, especially once you’ve learned how to use it. They have hundreds of cards, and it’s pretty easy to use.

Lisa Hanifeti uses it, and had this to say:

I really like SendOutCards! You can select from over 10K templates, personalize the contents with your own “handwriting font” and signature, or upload a photo, and the card gets printed, stuffed in an envelope, stamped, and sent. Better yet, you can send “campaigns” (a followup series spaced days or weeks apart. It’s a lot like email followups, but imagine the impact of getting a real greeting card in the mail.)

I have had patients call me just to thank me for the card! There’s is lots more to it, but from a professional standpoint it fits in very well with your recommendation to send patients Birthday cards or follow up notices. I send “Welcome to my Practice” cards which thanks patients for choosing my services, and I have cards sent to those I have not seen in months. I send “Thank you for your Referral” to patients and colleagues. It is a very effective marketing tool because it can be (1) automated, (2) it takes very little time to implement, (3) it can be personalized (with uploading photos or using your own handwriting font), and (4) it can earn extra income.

What I liked best was this story from Lisa:

I mostly use greeting cards, costing me a total of $1.03 per card. This is definitely cheaper than a Hallmark greeting card. But even better is the convenience aspect. I just had a patient tell me about losing her pet to illness. While she rested with her acupuncture needles, I was able to go to my computer and select, write, and send a “Sorry for you Loss” card and personalize it with my own message. I am sure she will appreciate receiving it and it makes me feel good to acknowledge her grieving process.

To see an overview of Send Out Cards, you’ll need a password to see the video. The password is the last name of the developer of the “Balance” method of point selection. If you don’t know the name, you can contact me.

If you’d like to try it, sign up here. This is only available for people located in the USA.

If you’re interested in trying the system, I’ve made arrangements to set you up to send 20 cards for just $30. Postage is included! That’s just $1.50 a card - much less than hallmark, and you don’t even have to make a trip to the mailbox!