August 14, 2019 by bettyhayden

Dental Office Tips and Ideas for September 2019

Hello Friends,

What does the month of September typically look like in your office? Do you struggle to fill the schedule? Or do you find that it is a productive month for you? Whether or not September (aka Sucktember) is a historically slow month for your office – we’re going to make it a Supertember! Who wouldn’t love that?!

The ideas that I am sharing with you for September will help you attract more new patients, build relationships within the community, as well as exceed your current patients’ expectations. As always, my goal is to also help you all stress-less and have more fun at work! Even if you can’t fill the schedule despite your best efforts – we can still make it a productive & happy month.

Leadership Tips:

“One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.” Arnold H. Glasow

Clarity – Do you have a clear vision and fully know your “why” behind that vision? If you want your team to focus on change and take ownership of their responsibilities, they need to know what’s in it for them. To be engaged they need to know the “why.

Communication – Your body language and tone of voice send cues to your team as to whether you really care or not. Are you approachable?

Courage – Your team must believe that you understand them and want to help them succeed as they take ownership of their responsibilities instead of micro-managing them which moves them to believe that you think your way is the only way and that you don’t trust them.

Care – Put your team first…always. Treat your team like they make a difference and they will.

Practice Management Tips –

Office Yearly Goals – September will close out your third quarter for the year – will you surpass the third-quarter numbers from 2018? Where are you at with your Production, Collection, and New Patient Goals for 2019? What needs to change in order to successfully reach your goals? Discuss this as a team.

Unscheduled Treatment Plans & Hygiene Continuing Care –

Insurance Renewal Letters – Send out your “Use it or Lose it reminder texts, emails, and letters. Pick up the phone and call your patients that have treatment planned, maximum remaining that renews in January but hasn’t scheduled appointments to start/complete treatment.

September is National Courtesy Month – Take this opportunity to remind your patients that: “As a courtesy to our patients we remind you of your dental reservation 2 days prior. We kindly request that you try to keep your dental appointments as scheduled. If you do require a scheduling change, please notify us with at least a 48 hours notice of your appointment date. Thank you!”

Take control of the schedule. Here are some helpful tips and ideas: How to Reduce Same-Day Cancellations

Marketing Tips and Ideas – (Exceed Expectations for your current patients and the potential new patients that you engage with in your community.):

I will give you two theme ideas:

Theme #1: Fall into a Beautiful & Healthy Smile

Focus: Preventive & Cosmetic Services (ie: add “would you like to whiten your teeth at your dental hygiene visit?)

Giving-Away – Drawing for a Fall Themed Gift Basket / Patients can enter the drawing by leaving a review on Google and/or Facebook, referring their friends & family, and for coming in for their appts in September.

Theme #2: Patient Appreciation

September is National Honey Month: Give away little jars of honey with a label or tag that says, “Thank you for Bee-ing our Patient!” or “Our Patients are Sweet as Honey!”

Patient & Community Education Idea:

September is World Alzheimer’s Month – Share educational posts to your social media platforms and website about the connection between dental health and Alzheimer’s disease.

Learn more here: https://www.perio.org/consumer/alzheimers-and-periodontal-disease

Also, use this as an opportunity to educate your patients and the community about the importance of dental health care for Alzheimer’s patients in helping to keep them comfortable and healthy.

Social Media Content Post Ideas to Improve Engagement with your Current Patients, Potential Patients, and the Community.

National Cheese Month

Grandparents Day: 9^th

Banana Day: 14^th

National Clean-Up Day: 21^st / Schedule your all-important professional dental cleaning, examination, and oral cancer screening.

First Day of Fall: 23^rd

World Heart Day: 29^th

National Chewing Gum Day: 30^th

I recommend that you choose at least pick one marketing item and one practice management item to implement – work together to make it happen and you will see greater results, more quickly! 🙂

If you enjoy the complimentary ideas that I share each month, I would love and truly appreciate for you to please leave a review for me on Google and/or Facebook – here are the links: GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK

Have you signed up to receive my complimentary dental marketing and practice management ideas that are sent right to your email inbox each month? If not, take a second and sign up. Or send me your email address and I will send you an invite to follow. This way, you won’t miss a single idea!

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest

Please follow and like us:

January 28, 2019 by bettyhayden

Dental Practice Tips and Ideas for Childrens Dental Health Month

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

Don’t miss out on any of the ideas that I share each month! Are you receiving my complimentary Practice Management and Marketing Ideas in your inbox each month? If not, please start following us today. If you prefer, send me your email address and I will send you an invitation to follow my blog.

Feel free to tell your dental friends all about us so they can start benefiting from these complimentary dental ideas too. If you liked these ideas, I would love and truly appreciate you to please leave a review/recommendation for me on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK.

Yours for Greater Success,
~Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on Facebook, T witter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest

Please follow and like us:

November 27, 2018 by bettyhayden

Marketing Tips and Ideas for Pediatric Dental Offices

Hello Friends,

Are you looking to improve and grow your pediatric dental office? The other day I shared some pediatric office dental practice management tips and ideas to implement once the patients are in the practice, today, I’m sharing some marketing tips and ideas to attract new patients to your office.

Here you go, Dental Marketing Ideas for the Pediatric Office…

Open House Kids Day (In Office) –

Choose a theme: Carnival, BBQ, Luau, Movie/TV/Book Characters, Decades, Sports, etc.
Activities: Face Painting, Balloon Twisting, Hula Hoop Contest, Karaoke, Crafts, Carnival-like games, Photobooth/props, Bounce house, etc. (Depending on if the event is inside or outside the office)
Prize: Have a drawing to win a gift basket, gift card, bicycle, or team up with a local business for a donated prize.
Food: Hot dogs, Chips, Ice Cream/Popsicles, Water, Popcorn, etc.
Advertise: Promote via social media sites, local newspapers, in-office fliers, on continuing care postcards, and emails/texts to your current patients.
Option: Book appointments in hygiene only, this way, you’ll have production for the day and the doctor(s) will be free to visit with guests and still do the exams.
Memories: Take lots of pictures during the event to share on your social media sites, newsletters and media press release.

Host Patient Appreciation Events (Outside of office)

Skating Rink, Indoor Bounce/Trampoline, Movie Theater, Public Pool, Bowling, Local Park, etc. Invite your patients to bring a friend. Be sure to have imprinted give-aways and information about your office at these events. Encourage all attendees to visit and like your social media pages.

Fun Dress Up/Theme Days –

What: Decorate the office, team dresses up, small prize giveaways and snacks.

Theme Ideas: Luau, Superhero, Disney, Western, Carnival, Sports teams, Pajama Day, Silly hats/hair/socks, Etc.(visit party & dollar stores or orientaltrading.com for a ton of theme ideas)

Children’s Dental Health Month –

In-Office –

Charity – Host a Give Kids A Smile Event (See Children’s Dental Health Month and GKAS Day Ideas )

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, Library, Mom groups, etc.

Participate in local Family Health & Wellness Fairs –

See Health and Wellness Fairs for some great ideas.

Community Involvement – Visit local farmers market, art/street fairs, Races/Run/Walk for-a-cause, Fundraisers, Parades, Etc. Be active in your community. Have imprinted freebies ready to pass out at these events.

Visit Local Businesses –

Where: Pediatricians, Dental Offices, Children’s stores, Dance studios, Salons, Etc.
What: Introductions, Referral pads/business cards, Small Gifts (Imprinted toothbrushes, flosscards, lip balm, etc.) Food (Bagels, Donuts, Fruit, Pies, etc), Contest/Drawing for Prizes, Lunch-n- Learn, etc. TIP: When visiting general dentist and pediatrician offices, always treat their reception team wonderfully… if your goal is to meet the doctors and get patient referrals, you want/need the front office team (gatekeepers) to like you. 😉
SEE Dental Marketing Ideas for your Local Library
Consider sending a food/drink/ice cream truck to local offices/businesses.

Back-To-School/School Break Visits –

Set aside some back-to-school and/or breaks from school special days in the office. Special pricing or promotions on Sealants, Ortho, Fluoride, Mouthguards, etc. Consider doing a drawing for a Backpack filled with school supplies. Contest: nominate your favorite teacher (use social media sites to promote), prize ideas for winning teacher: Breakfast/Lunch at the school, free teeth whitening, or team up with local businesses for prize donations.

SEE Dental Ideas for Local Schools

Book Drive –

Collect new or gently used books to donate to your local library or schools. Promote via social media sites, local newspapers, in-office fliers, on continuing care postcards and to your current patients.

Incentive: Gift Basket (put together a fun themed gift basket). Every person that donates books can enter a drawing to win a gift basket. You do not need to be a patient of record to donate books.
Once you have collected all the books:
Take pictures of the books
Put together toothbrush gift bags w/office information and special offer to deliver to the employees of the library and or school.
Deliver books and gift bags to the library and or schools.

Host a Candy Buy Back –

For tips and ideas on successfully hosting a candy buy back see: Dental Marketing Ideas for October

Sponsor local sports teams – Offer free or a reduced rate for mouthguards for local sports teams.

Reminder, keep track of your events, the businesses you visit, any donation requests, etc. Put specific referral source codes into your software system, this way, when you ask “How did you hear about us?” you have the correct referral code to enter in and you’ll be able to acknowledge that source with a thank you as well as know what marketing is working to bring in new patients.

Did you enjoy these tips and ideas? I would love and truly appreciate for you to please leave a review/recommendation for me on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK.

Are you receiving my complimentary Dental Practice Management and Marketing Ideas in your email inbox each month? If not, please follow today or send me (bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com) your email address and I will send you an invitation to follow. This way, you won’t miss a single idea. Feel free to tell your dental friends all about this website so they can start benefiting from these dental ideas too.

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest

Please follow and like us:

January 5, 2018 by bettyhayden

Dental Marketing and Practice Management Tips and Ideas for February

Hello Friends,

Hope you all are having a wonderful start to 2018! With the goal of helping you have an amazing first quarter, I’m sharing some Marketing and Practice Management tips & ideas that you can use during the month of February.

February is American Heart Month so Our focus this month is Heart Health.

(Note: If you’re looking for ideas to promote February’s Children’s Dental Health Month and Give Kids A Smile Day please look to this post: Children’s Dental Health Month & GKAS Day)

Heart Health Talking Points:

Dental Health And Heart Disease Are Related -Dental health and heart disease are intricately linked and the cost for avoiding advanced periodontal disease or even something as mild as gingivitis may very well prove to be the cause of serious medical problems in the future.

Be good to your heart beginning with good oral health.

Special Days:

Women’s Heart Week: 1-7 – Focus this week on Women’s Heart Health. Have a special gift for your female patients. Hand out heart-healthy tips for your patients to share w/their friends and family.

Tip: If you’re not currently taking your patients’ blood pressure at their appointments… make it a goal to start during the month of February.

Many people see their dentist more regularly than a physician and could get an early warning about high blood pressure when getting their teeth cleaned or having other dental treatment done.

Have fun with this heart theme!

If you would like me to create a Heart Health marketing campaign for your office, please contact me today at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

Here are 3 More Ways To Help Your Team and Patients Smile in February!

Pet Dental Health Month – Share pet dental health tips on your social media sites, ask people to share pictures of their pets on social media, hand out dog treats packaged with your office information. Even if a patient doesn’t have a dog surely they know someone who does…great way to get your office name out there!

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: 25-3/3 – Educational Opportunity – share on your blog and on your social media pages the impact eating disorders have on your oral health.

International Boost Self-Esteem Month –

For your team: Negative people are the greatest destroyers of self-confidence and self-esteem. Avoid office negativity, it’s toxic and will infect your team – Rather, focus on and share positive experiences. See: How to Have a Happier Team

For your patients: A beautiful & healthy smile can boost one’s self-esteem and confidence.

Social Media Post Ideas to Improve Engagement:

Bubble Gum Day: 2^nd

Super Bowl: 4^th

Toothache Day: 9^th

National Drink Wine Day: 18^th

The Great American Spit Out: 22^nd / Through With The Chew: 18-24^th

National Tooth Fairy Day: 28^th

I would love to hear about your month and what your office chose to do to help make it special for your patients and the team.

Don’t miss out on any of the ideas that I share each month! Are you receiving my complimentary Practice Management and Marketing Ideas in your email inbox each month? If not, please start following us today. If you prefer, send me your email address at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com and I will send you an invitation to follow my blog.

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest

Please follow and like us:

Enjoy this blog? Follow me for more ideas.