Why Dental Labs Get Better Results When Email and Postcard Marketing Work Together

At DentalLabSupport, we’re big believers in structured follow-up. That’s the entire reason LabCell CRM exists. And while many dental labs lean heavily on email marketing, relying on email alone misses a major opportunity.

Email and direct mail aren’t competitors. For dental labs, they’re strongest when they’re strategically integrated.

The dental labs seeing consistent growth aren’t choosing between email or postcards—they’re using both channels together to stay visible, reinforce their message, and close more dentist relationships.

Unfortunately, most dental lab marketing still treats these channels in isolation. One campaign runs via email, another via postcards, and no one checks whether the messaging aligns—or worse, whether the dentist is getting the same pitch multiple times with no clear progression.

LabCell CRM was built to fix this exact problem.

Email vs. Postcard Marketing for Dental Labs: You Need Both

Email is fast, inexpensive, and easy to send at scale. It’s also easy for dentists to ignore.

Between patient alerts, insurance notifications, supplier emails, CE promotions, and internal office messages, most dentists wake up to dozens—sometimes hundreds—of unread emails.

Postcards are different.

They’re physical. They get touched. They get glanced at. They sit on desks, counters, and breakroom tables where multiple team members see them. You can delete an email in one click. You can’t throw away a postcard without at least registering who it’s from.

For dental labs, this difference matters.

• Email is ideal for reminders, follow-ups, turnaround updates, promotions, and next steps.

• Postcards are ideal for introductions, re-engagement, brand reinforcement, and credibility building.

  
  

When combined intentionally, dental labs get the urgency of email plus the staying power of direct mail.

How Dental Labs Should Integrate Email and Postcard Campaigns

1. Lead With Postcards for Brand Introduction

Cold email alone feels like spam to most dental offices. A postcard first changes that dynamic.

When a dental lab sends a professionally designed postcard introducing the lab, highlighting a key service (fast turnaround, local pickup, digital workflows, implants, etc.), it creates brand recognition before the first email ever arrives.

So when that follow-up email does show up, it feels familiar—not random.

This is a core strategy inside LabCell CRM:Postcard first. Email second. Conversation third.

2. Use Timing for Reinforcement—Not Repetition

One of the biggest mistakes dental labs make is sending the same message via email and postcard at the same time.

That doesn’t reinforce the message—it dilutes it.

A smarter approach:

• Use postcards for the big idea

• Use email for the details

Example:

• Postcard: “Local Dental Lab | 2–3 Day Crown Turnaround | Free First Case”

• Follow-up emails:

  • Case submission steps

  • Digital scan compatibility

  • Pickup & delivery details

  • Real turnaround timelines

Each channel has a job. LabCell CRM lets you assign those roles intentionally.

3. Match the Message to the Channel

For dental labs, urgency belongs in email.

Flash promotions, limited-time offers, reminders, or follow-ups after a phone call all perform best through email.

Postcards work better for:

• New lab introductions

• New services or technology launches

• Reactivating dormant dentists

• Geographic campaigns (local labs, pickup routes, new locations)

A postcard saying “Submit a case today” is rarely effective. A postcard saying “We’re a local lab serving your area—here’s why dentists switch to us” followed by email follow-up does work.

4. Let Format Dictate Depth

Postcards are designed for clarity, not complexity.

One message. One offer. One call to action.

Email does the heavy lifting:

• Links to landing pages

• FAQs

• Case examples

• Workflow explanations

• Pricing or promos

Dental labs that respect this difference avoid overwhelming dentists while still giving interested offices everything they need to move forward.

Measuring Results with LabCell CRM

Guesswork is expensive. LabCell CRM tracks email engagement and postcard delivery as part of one system, not separate tools.

Dental labs can:

• Compare response rates for email-only vs. postcard + email

• Test postcard-first vs. email-first sequences

• Identify which services perform better in each channel

• See which dentists are engaging across multiple touchpoints

This data answers the most important question:Is the combination actually working better than email alone?

Giving Dentists Control Over Communication Channels

Not every dental office prefers physical mail. Not every office reads marketing emails.

LabCell CRM allows dental labs to respect communication preferences while still maintaining consistent follow-up.

Dentists who opt into both channels are signaling higher interest. Dentists who prefer email only help labs avoid wasted postage.

Respecting preferences doesn’t reduce reach—it improves results.

Automating Email and Postcard Marketing for Dental Labs

Manual coordination doesn’t scale.

LabCell CRM automates multi-channel workflows so dental labs don’t have to juggle spreadsheets, calendars, or exports.

Examples:

• New lead enters CRM → welcome email + postcard

• Dentist hasn’t submitted a case in 90 days → postcard reactivation + email follow-up

• Cold call completed → postcard sent automatically → email sequence begins

• Event or meeting → thank-you email + mailed reminder

Everything is triggered, timed, and tracked inside one system—built specifically for dental labs, not generic marketing teams.

When Dental Labs Don’t Need Both Channels

Not every message requires postcards.

Transactional updates, case confirmations, or internal communications belong in email only.

But for growth, reactivation, and new dentist acquisition, relying on email alone is one of the biggest reasons labs struggle to convert interest into cases.

Bringing It All Together

The challenge isn’t understanding that email and postcard marketing work better together.

The challenge is:

• Coordinating timing

• Aligning messaging

• Tracking performance

• Automating follow-up without annoying dentists

That’s exactly what DentalLabSupport and LabCell CRM were built to solve.

If your dental lab wants consistent visibility, structured follow-up, and a system that turns marketing into measurable growth, integrated email and postcard marketing isn’t optional—it’s essential.