Your Health Newsletter

Many practices have found letterbox drops of Your Health to be a simple and cost-effective promotional strategy. Letterbox drops are ethical and are approved in all states and territories by AHPRA, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority.

Letterbox drops are an inexpensive way to distribute printed materials. The average cost of 4.5 cents for each item delivered compares very favourably with postage. We can print and fold your order and deliver it directly to the distributor ready for delivery.

Many leaflet delivery companies are available to provide this service, and are listed under "advertising distributors" in the Yellow Pages.

Is it allowed?

Advertising rules have relaxed considerably over the last few years. Advertising is freely permitted but must not breach the specific restrictions listed in the Act. The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 states that ‘a person must not advertise a regulated health service in a way that:

is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to be misleading or deceptive; or
offers a gift, discount, or other inducement to attract a person to use the service or the business, unless the advertisement also sets out the terms and conditions of the offer; or
uses testimonials or purported testimonials about the service or business; or
creates an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment; or
directly or indirectly encourages the indiscriminate or unnecessary use of regulated health services.’

To download a copy of Guidelines for advertising of health services, click here.

Select your target area

Most practices distribute to homes and businesses immediately surrounding the practice. However, you may wish to target a particular area based on your special medical interests and the type of patient you would like to attract. For example, a new housing estate may deliver a high proportion of children and may be of more value if you have an interest in paediatrics or young families.

Careful timing of your letterbox drop can make a difference. Try to do your distributions at quiet times of the year, to generate business when it is most needed. On the other hand, a distribution in winter may place an additional strain on already overworked staff.

What does it cost?

Letterbox delivery of Your Health is a very cost-effective promotional strategy, compared with other advertising strategies, such as Yellow Pages or local newspaper advertising. Costs are as shown in the following table:

Number of copies	Printing (includes GST)	Folding (includes GST)	TOTAL
4,000	$1,155	$44	$1,199
5,000	$1,325	$55	$1,380
6,000	$1,480	$66	$1,546
7,000	$1,630	$77	$1,707
8,000	$1,775	$88	$1,863
9,000	$1,925	$99	$2,024
10,000	$2,075	$110	$2,185
Prices for larger orders available on request. All prices include GST and are tax-deductible.

Will it work in your practice?

All your marketing strategies should be evaluated, and leaflet distribution is no exception. Ask all new patients why they came to your practice to gauge the response to the promotion. Remember that the effect of a promotional activity is often delayed, sometimes for months, even for years.

To be most effective, all advertising strategies need to be repeated. Multiple exposures have considerably more impact than a single distribution. People often respond only when a product has become familiar from repeated exposure.

If you decide to try a letterbox drop for your practice, refer to the steps listed in the following checklist.

CHECKLIST

Select the target area
Choose a number of copies
Pick a suitable time of the year
Contact advertising distributor
Order extra newsletters
Distribute newsletters
Monitor the response

Can we help?

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like more information, such as:

A copy of the article, "Letterbox drop. Could it work for you?", Medical Observer Business, August-September 1998.
Prices for larger order sizes.

Letterbox Drops