Dowden provides tools to help you demonstrate the return on your direct marketing investment. Online trending and usage reports and analysis allow you to monitor visitors, activity, registrations and Web-based marketing results.

Dowden clients realize powerful results when implementing e-strategies and online tools to drive traffic to their Web site and eventually consumers to their facilities. WebTrends Traffic Reporting tracks traffic and visitor origins and can be a valuable tool in determining the effectiveness of the site. Consider these examples of how Dowden’s online expertise demonstrates effectiveness and return on investment:

• A comprehensive Web strategy and new site launch for a large metropolitan New York hospital resulted in a 37.56% increase in the average visit duration.
• A Web site redesign of a multi-facility healthcare portal for a Midwestern health system produced a 48.16% increase in page views.
• A Web site redesign for a New England medical center saw a 13.41% increase in site visits.

Our SmartTrack readership studies consistently show that direct mail custom publications are a highly effective tool for informing readers and motivating them to have contact with the sponsoring hospital, according to Dowden studies of readership trends conducted for clients across the country during a three-year period. Comparing your results with normative data from other clients helps show the impact and value of your direct mail publication strategies:

• 84% of readers felt the publication informed them about services offered by the hospital. Studies show that custom publications are doing a better job of informing readers: 92% of readers felt informed in 2007, up from 74% in 2006.
• 69% of readers rated the information a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale, where 5 = “very useful.”
• 57% of readers would be more likely to contact the institution or a doctor for services in the future as a result of reading the publication.
• 22% of readers contacted the institution or a doctor for services or information as a result of receiving the publication.
• 4 out of 5 readers did or will take action as a result of reading the newsletter. Actions include contacting a doctor featured in the publication, contacting the hospital for more information or an appointment, attending a program or class, and starting or continuing a healthy diet or exercise plan.