Hello, Friends ~
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, what do you have planned to help educate families in your community about the need for better dental health?
Field trips to local schools? School field trips to the office? Participating in the National Give Kids A Smile Day?
Be sure to see Pediatric Dental Marketing Ideas for many ideas on how to Consistently Exceed Parent & Patient Expectations and Consistently Be Great! Visit here: Pediatric Dental Marketing Ideas
If you’re looking for Dental Health Month activities, crafts, printables, etc. please see my Pinterest board: Children’s Dental Health Month Ideas
This article will focus on Give Kids a Smile Day which is held annually on the first Friday in February. However, I will first share a few ideas for Children’s Dental Health not related to Give Kids A Smile Day.
In-Office –
Dental Education Via Social Media – Take advantage of your office social media platforms and website to share a variety of fun and educational posts and videos related to children’s dental health. (ie: good foods bad foods, sealants, proper brushing, ortho, how much sugar is in your drink, how to floss, fluoride, etc.)
Field Trips – Invite local schools and daycares in for a free field trip to the dentist. Serve a Healthy snack such as grapes, apple slices, string cheese, and small bottled water. Present Education stations/demonstrations -visit the ADA website and Pinterest for great ideas for presentations. Toothbrush bags for the students and teachers/parents. Show a short Video while the kids eat their snack.
Outside the office –
What: On-site Short Dental Education Presentations/Demonstrations and Toothbrush gift bags for the kids and teachers/parents.
Where: Schools, Daycares, Libraries, Mom groups, etc.
Give Kids a Smile Day –
Here are some ideas and tips to help you host a successful Give Kids A Smile day in your office.
The ADA website has an excellent Give Kids A Smile Toolbox http://www.ada.org/1584.aspx It’s loaded with information such as Planning, Promotion, Forms, etc.
I wanted to share some additional ideas with you that have really helped to make this day a huge success and gain great patients long after the day is over.
Employee Participation – While you can’t mandate that your team volunteer to work this event, you can invite them to volunteer to work this very special day that will help many underserved children in the community. If you require your team to be there, you must pay them. GKAS day can be a very busy day for the office, I recommend ordering lunch in so team members can relax during their break.
Services/Procedures – Decide which free services you will be offering to the children on this day.
Advertising/Marketing your Event – Here are just a few ways to do this:
- Social Media Pages ~ Make good use of all your social media platforms to share information about GKAS day.
- TV News ~ Fax & Email a press release.
- Fliers ~ Create fliers for in-office use and to give out to those in your community.
Even if your schedule is filling up, continue to advertise! Think of it as spreading seeds all over the community, getting your name in front of many people. You never know when those seeds will grow!!
Key things to remember/do before, during and after the event:
Show lots of Enthusiasm:
Be enthusiastic about this great event and how wonderful your office is!
Printed Materials:
In addition to the event information/details. Be sure to include: Doctors (office) Name, Address, Phone number, email, social media pages, and website.
Telephones:
- Thank them for calling, ask how they heard about the event (TRACK EVERY Callers Referral Source)
- So your schedule is full for that day, what do you do when the phone continues to ring with people wanting to schedule an appointment for their child(ren)?
- Take down their name, phone number, chief concern, and let them know you will call if there are any changes in the schedule for that day. (Believe or not people sometimes cancel/no-show on this day!)
- Just because you may not be able to see them on that day, offer them a different day for a complimentary consultation. Give them hope, give them a chance, they’ve probably been turned away from other offices.
Donations:
- See if you can get donations from local businesses for the event.
- Be sure to include any business that contributed to the event in your advertising & thank yous after the event!
Day of Event:
- Every child receives a goodie bag that includes an imprinted toothbrush.
- Take pictures!!! (The ADA website has a release form)
- Enter all charges into the computer and write off as GKAS-Charity (Record total donation dollars – the production)
Sadly, there will be some treatment that you won’t be able to do that day – give them a treatment plan and if they cannot afford treatment in your office you should refer them to a dental school or Medicaid office. Have a list ready for them.
It may be the first visit to the dentist for some kids so they may be scared you really have to work at keeping them comfy & make it fun.
You might be surprised to see how many families end up becoming patients.
After the Event:
- Send a thank you to the children after the event.
- Send a thank you to any business that contributed to the event.
- Submit a press release talking about the success of the event, pictures, and tips for parents to keep their child’s smile healthy.
Make your Give Kids a Smile Day a huge success!
It’s a really fun day – exhausting yes, and maybe a little heartbreaking but it feels good to volunteer your time and donate your services to help so many children in the community.
If you have any questions about hosting your Give Kids A Smile Event or would like help planning/advertising (press release & talking points)/marketing this special day, please contact me at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com
If you’re looking for additional marketing ideas for February not related to Children’s Dental Health month, please visit: Dental Marketing & Practice Management Ideas for February
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Yours for Greater Success,
~Betty
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