Well, Labor Day has come and gone and next week fall will officially be here. What do you have in mind for the fall season? We recommend our clients have a few promotional ideas to debut in the fall. What fun fall promotional ideas can you implement?
Category: Promotions
Dental Swag Bags: That Extra-Special Something
Goody bags, gift with purchase, swag bags–simple gestures that have a major impact on patient satisfaction and loyalty. It’s not always expected, but it always delights. You don’t have to spend a ton to put together a decent bag; a thoughtfully curated selection of small items will do nicely. Your patient won’t hold it against you if you don’t offer giveaways, but a half-baked effort sends the wrong message entirely.
Who Is the Recipient?
The patient, obviously, but let’s get specific. Do you market your dental practice to one or two key demographics–age group, income bracket, lifestyle–or do you serve a diverse clientele? For example, some of our dentists work exclusively with geriatric patients; others cater to the rich and famous. Are they willing to pay a bit more for high-end oral care products, or are they cost-conscious? As for mature patients, you might consider including items (or coupons for those items) that accommodate limited dexterity. Printed materials are excellent for older patients, whereas other age groups are increasingly less likely to use printed coupons, preferring instead to use offer codes and exclusive digital deals.
What Services Do You Offer?
If you have a specialty or signatures service, you can use it as a starting point. For example, if you want to market cosmetic dentistry at your practice, you might include products and offers related to health, beauty, and body care. If you primarily provide dentures, opt for samples of cleansing solution, adhesive, and denture-safe oral hygiene products. A children’s dentist could include treats both for parents and children–a puzzle, game, or toothbrush accompanied by a special money-saving offer for Mom and Dad.
We’re also getting more requests for e-books these days. When you consider how many people read using their smart phone or tablet, you can see why. Include a QR code or link to allow your patient to easily access your content.
Not Just for Office Visits
Giveaways are an effective tool for strengthening relationships with your existing patients, and they’re ideal for creating awareness among prospective patients. We’ve seen this tactic used successfully in a variety of settings, including:
- Bridal expos
- Fashion shows
- Modeling and entertainment conventions
- New student orientations on college campuses
- School-sponsored events, PTA meetings, and fundraisers
- Sporting events and marathons bonus points for sponsoring a youth sports team)
- Community wide health events and screening
We’re always here to help you with the design and printing of your dental marketing collateral. Each item, whether it’s a brochure, appointment reminder card, or letterhead, is created by our talented writers and designers–with your vision, of course.
For more information about our dental marketing services, or to request a consultation, call or text us at 972-781-8861. Located in Southlake, TX, we serve dental practices and small businesses across the country. For the latest dental marketing insights, follow us on Facebook.
The Dentist’s Weekend Warrior Marketing Tip
Here is a marketing idea you can implement by 10:00 Monday morning. It is virtually free, and would only take about an hour of your time to set up.
The only catch is you have to act NOW!
As every new school year begins, local communities hold school supply drives. A great way to get exposure for your practice, while serving your community, is to take part in the collection of these supplies.
Here are the 5 simple steps:
1) Call your local family services office or other charity and ask if they are doing a school supply drive. Let them know you want to collect items for them at your office. Regardless of how many collection spots they have or how close the first day of school is, they will gladly accept your help. Ask them to email blast their donors that you are a designated collection spot.
2) Make a flyer to hang up in your office and email it to your patients. The local organization may already have a template.
3) Email your database of patients, post on FB, Twitter and on your Blog. Be sure to encourage others to pass the word along to their friends. If you are in a multi-tenant building, hang your flyers in the hallways and restrooms if possible.
4) Get a cardboard box to collect the donations. You can have your kids or your staff decorate it for you. Somewhere near the box, have some of your business cards/marketing material available so donors are encouraged to learn more about your practice.
5) At the end of the drive, deliver the supplies. Make it a fun outing for your office, and take a camera along. When the drive is over, send out a big THANK YOU to everyone via email, FB, Twitter and your Blog. You can also include a photo of yourself and your staff delivering the supplies.
Be sure to share any success stories with us at info@moderndentalmarketing.com. We would love to share your results with our readers. Pictures are welcome as well!
5 Excellent Dental Office Promotions for Dallas – Fort Worth Dentists… and a Bonus Marketing Tip for Cosmetic Dentists
Want to grow your dental practice?
Online advertising—a dental website, blog, listings, optimization, and all that stuff—is essential in any modern marketing plan. You must remember, though, the Web is world-wide (thus the www). Let’s take a step back for a minute and thing about who your patients are. They’re the folks who live in your neighborhood, go to the schools in your town, and shop at the same grocery stores you do. Not all of them are plugged into the Internet 24/7. There is life outside of the computer for some.
At Modern Dental Practice Marketing, we plan, promote, and manage events for dentists. Getting people to have fun in (or very near) your office is a great way to show the community that you care. If you have great events, even once or twice a year (if not quarterly), your name will be the buzz of the town! Here are 5 ideas for fun dental practice events that will grow your patient base:
- Easter Bunny Photos – Offer free photos of the kiddos with a tooth-brush toting bunny who, of course, has sparkling choppers. Pass out brushing charts and set the kids up on a cavity-free program while they’re there.
- Arbor Day Festival – Any number of cool presentations about gardening, composting, rainwater storage, etc., and a potting bench for the kiddos to plant seeds. If your office is “green,” let everyone know!
- Costume Contest – Everyone loves a costume contest! Host a parade around a community park, and give the winner a big treat.
- Halloween Candy Buyback – See www.halloweencandybuyback.com for details.
- Christmas Wrapping – Provide custom gift wrapping for a set time and for a set number of gifts (ex. 4). Make sure the tag says “Wrapped with care by Dr. You” and that the folks you’re wrapping for have snacks, drinks, and fun Christmas stuff to do while they wait.
BONUS: Want more cosmetic cases? Realtors are very image-conscious people, and they network like crazy. Plan a realtor appreciation happy hour at your practice after hours. Invite about 25 local realtors, and offer a deep discount on take-home whitening kits. At the event, well stocked with bubbly and hors d’oeuvres, announce an awesome referral program, and provide attendees with welcome packages for their clients.
The goal is new patients for you. Let MDPM make it happen. Call us today at 972-781-8861, or email moderndentalmarketing@gmail.com.
Hey, Dentist… Which is More Important: Web or Community Marketing?
Why do you have to choose? Truth is, both types of marketing could really boost your patient base—and retention—in the Dallas – Fort Worth area. And never forget, the whole point is to leave an impression! Tried and true, good ol’ boy advertising does not appeal to the younger generation…the technical gurus who invest money in their health and appearance.
So let’s look at the balancing act between Internet and community marketing for dentists:
Internet Marketing for Dentists
- Web marketing should start with a website that ranks well on Google for the keywords your potential patients most often use.
- Beyond that, social networking, like Facebook and Twitter can be beneficial. However, you and your team have to use these resources correctly. Just posting random thoughts on a Facebook Fan Page and Tweeting about an article you read won’t effectively promote your dental practice. At MDPM, we offer one-on-one coaching for you and your team, so you can learn how to fit social networking into your schedule and get the most pop for your posts. There’s a simple formula that’s easy to manage, and you’ll find it highly effective.
- You’ll also need a blog that feeds onto your Facebook page. The blog should be updated with keyword-rich, relevant posts at least once a week. The MDPM dental copywriters can make posts on your behalf, or I can teach you and your team how to write solid blog posts that appeal to dental patients and search engine spiders.
That’s a synopsis of web marketing for dentists. But when you consider that the Internet is international and your practice is local, you can see that community promotions are a necessary component to an effective dental practice marketing strategy—particularly in North Texas towns, like Keller, Colleyville, Southlake, Grapevine, Murphy, and Frisco. We’re in Texas, and what rules Friday nights? Football. That’s right. Read More