Email marketing for a harmonization clinic and LGPD

Email is one of the oldest channels in digital marketing and is still useful for an orofacial harmonization (HOF) clinic: it reaches people who already have a bond with you, gives room to explain without the rush of social media and does not depend on an algorithm. It is also one of the most sensitive channels from the point of view of LGPD (Brazil's data protection law), because it deals directly with the personal data of patients and prospects.

This guide shows how to use email ethically and within the law: on what basis, who to send to, what to write, how often, how to handle unsubscribing and how to measure without exposing anyone. It does not replace a legal opinion. For the full set of marketing precautions, see LGPD in clinic marketing.

What legal basis supports sending?

LGPD requires every data processing activity to have a legal basis. For marketing email, the two most discussed options are:

In healthcare, the safe approach is usually to work with clear consent for marketing, separate from consent for treatment. Someone who accepted the treatment terms did not automatically agree to receive promotions. Ask your privacy officer to validate the path. See also LGPD consent for patient photos and data protection officer at the clinic.

How to build the list without buying or scraping contacts?

A good list comes from relationships:

1. Website form with an email field and a consent box ticked by the person. See landing page for the HOF clinic.
2. Sign-up at the front desk, with clear text about how the email will be used.
3. Useful material in exchange for the contact, such as a guide of questions to ask before any procedure, without promising results.
4. Periodic refresh: ask for confirmation of interest from time to time.

Avoid: buying lists, importing contacts from social networks, copying emails from websites and adding people who did not ask. Besides the legal risk, deliverability drops and the clinic's domain can be flagged as spam.

What must the collection notice say?

Use a short sentence, at the point of collection, that states:

• Who will use the email (the clinic's name);
• For what (informational content, reminders, clinic news);
• How often, in general terms;
• How to opt out (a link in every message);
• Where to read more (privacy policy).

What content fits in the emails?

The golden rule: inform and welcome, without promising and without pushing.

Do not include: patient before and after photos, prices with urgency, comparisons with other professionals, promises of results, identifiable testimonials. See what you can advertise (CFO and CONAR) and advertising in HOF: how to read the rules.

How to write a good email?

A few simple rules raise the quality:

1. Clear, honest subject line, no all caps, no promises and no tricks.
2. One idea per message. An email that is too long is not read.
3. First-person plural text or in the clinic's name, a colleague's tone, no exclamation marks.
4. A single invitation at the end (read a piece of content, book an assessment, reply to an email).
5. Full identification: the clinic's name, technical lead and contact, according to the council's rules.
6. A version that reads well on a phone, with few images and no heavy attachments.
7. A visible unsubscribe link, not hidden in tiny type.

What is the ideal cadence?

For an HOF clinic, less is more. A suggested starting point:

See the content calendar in monthly editorial calendar for HOF and the logic of return visits in patient recall in HOF.

How to handle unsubscribing and look after the list?

• An unsubscribe link in every email, one click, without requiring login or a reason.
• Immediate effect or the shortest possible delay. Record the date of the request.
• Suppression list: anyone who left is never added again, not even through a future import.
• Periodic cleanup: remove emails that have not opened in a long time, after a re-engagement attempt.
• Security: the email tool must store data with protection and role-based access. See data security at the HOF clinic.

Which metrics to track?

Without comparing yourself to market numbers, track your own indicators:

• Delivery rate (how many emails arrived).
• Opens and clicks, with caveats: some tools inflate opens.
• Unsubscribes and spam complaints, which are important signals.
• Replies and bookings generated.
• Patients who mention the email when booking. See patient source.

Well-done email is a long-term conversation: few messages, useful ones, from a clinic that respects the choice of the people receiving them. That respect, besides being a legal requirement, is the best argument for trust the clinic can have.