While it may feel premature to consider year-end matters, right now is actually an optimal moment for dental practices to start outlining their holiday and year-end strategies. This proactive approach mitigates stress and ensures everything is noticed. Here are three key areas to focus on as the year winds down:
Fourth Quarter Promotions
Are you considering a special promotion for the upcoming holiday season? Whether it’s a discount or not, it’s vital to flesh out the specifics now. For instance, you might consider a teeth-whitening campaign for a distinct holiday present. If your dental practice is keen on organizing a holiday food or toy collection, begin your research on potential charities and the required operational aspects. You might host a “Win A Turkey” or a “Win a Thanksgiving Meal” on social media. Some practices even host holiday-themed events throughout the months for their dental team, such as a cookie exchange or Friendsgiving before Thanksgiving. Initiating these plans early ensures effective execution and provides ample time for your team to prepare.
Encouraging Use of Year-end Benefits
It is beneficial to initiate a campaign that guides patients on maximizing their expiring end-of-year benefits. Crafting an impactful message over multiple marketing platforms necessitates early preparation. Every campaign phase should be meticulously timed and executed to achieve optimal results. These campaigns can include social media, texting, and an email campaign. Also, depending on the age of your patients, a letter could be used.
Gearing Up for 2024’s Marketing
Effective marketing strategies take time; early planning is essential. As we have said, patients LOVE to see what is happening in your office. Identify one person on your team to handle social media. Plan out your calendar for each quarter of the whole year. Plan some time into your 2024 Kickoff Meeting to take pictures and dress up for upcoming holidays or events. Then, you can utilize those photos to make posts, and moving forward, you can also spend a little time at huddles or your monthly team meetings taking a few pictures of each other. Plan out “national” days related to dental, dental assistant week, and doctor day. And, of course, significant holidays and appreciation posts when gifts are received from specialty offices.
The year’s end is approaching faster than it may appear. To optimize your marketing endeavors, act now. Whether it’s festive promotions, leveraging end-of-year benefits, or laying the groundwork for 2024’s marketing, the time to engage with your marketing agency is now.
April Brogan
Director of New Business & Practice Relationships
