Mercy Health Partners – New Movers Welcome Program
June 2, 2010Business Application: Direct Marketing/Lead Generation
Business Objectives
Mercy Health Partners (MHP) is a healthcare system serving southern Ohio and encompassing more than 30 locations across the greater Cincinnati area. MHP was facing a lot of competition from other hospitals and wanted to improve community knowledge of its programs and services.
MHP had been promoting its services through sponsorship of community programs and booths at community events. However these venues did not offer MHP the ability to track results or calculate return-on-investment (ROI). This level of measurability was needed by MHP’s marketing department which was facing budget pressures.
Working with its marketing partners, Sheila Thiery from PrintManagement and Marketing Strategists, it was decided that a direct marketing campaign targeting new residents would enable MHP to build on its initiative to be every residents’ first choice for health care. The goals were to:
• Create awareness of MHP among new residents
• Generate a 5% response rate
• Achieve a 1% conversion rate within six months
Results
With the use of an appealing offer, trackable response mechanisms, and analysis of admissions data, MHP was able to definitively measure results and ROI. After a six-month test the results of this program far exceeded the original objectives.
• Response rate of 6% - 1,269 individuals responded to offer for a free first aid kit
- 67% of responses came via Business Reply Envelope (BRE) [The large percentage of responses via BRE may be the result of recipients’ feeling more comfortable submitting health related information in a sealed envelope as opposed to online.]
- 33% of responses came via Personalized URL (PURL)
• Among responders, 639 admissions were generated resulting in a conversion rate of more than 50%
• The 639 admissions generated $1.5 million in revenue. For every dollar spent on this program, MHP earned $37.50 in revenue. Assuming that MHP’s profit is 10% of sales this means the ROI for the program is 375%
• Other results included:
- 23% of respondents requested that MHP arrange an appointment with a primary care physician or OB/GYN specialist
- 58% of respondents asked to receive MHP’s quarterly email newsletter allowing MHP to further market to them
- 29% of respondents requested email notices about health and wellness events
MHP took the added step of reviewing records to see if anyone who received the new mover mailer was admitted as a patient, regardless of whether or not they responded to the offer. MHP reasoned that even though these people did not actively respond to the offer they still learned about MHP and its services through the direct mail package.

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