May 21, 2019 by bettyhayden

Dental Office Open House Tips and Ideas

Hello Friends,

One of the most asked questions that I receive is ideas for hosting a dental open house event. So if you have an open house planned for your dental office or are considering hosting an open house event, here are some ideas to help make your open house a huge success!

Consider adding a theme to your event.

Event Theme Ideas:

Luau
Winter Wonderland
Back-to-School
Hearts – We “Heart” our Community or We “Heart” our Patients
Decades (ex: 50’s)
Spring – Flowers (Thank you for helping our office grow)
Celebration of Health
Fall
Women’s Night Out
Office Anniversary Celebration
Spa/Pampering
Shopping (w/local vendors)
Carnival
Cocktail Party (Wine & Appetizers)
Superhero

Target Audience:

Determine in advance who is your target audience.

Professionals/Specialists
Community (Local Businesses/Non-Patients)
Current Patients

Cross Marketing Opportunity:

Team up with local businesses!

Hair Salons, Specialty offices, Restaurants, Etc.
Display a thank you board/sign listing the local businesses involved in the open house.
Have an area that they can display their business information
Have them donate a prize to be raffled off or used in a drawing.
Ask them to advertise your event at their place of business.

Word of caution, make sure that if you choose to team up with any other local businesses that it doesn’t distract the guests away from your office.

Advertising your Event:

Invitations
Local Newspaper (Invite them to the event!)
TV News (Invite them to the event!)
Radio (Invite them to the event!)
Social Media Sites (set up a Facebook Event)
Website
Current Patients (Ask them to bring a friend for a prize!)
Newsletter
Email
Online Local News Sites
Local Chambers
Local Businesses (Library, City Hall, Day Cares, Salons, Restaurants, Schools, EVERYWHERE)
Employees (Make sure the entire team is on board w/the event and talking about it)
Flyers
Banner on building

Call To Action/Community Support:

Collect Donations for…

Winter Gear (Coats, Gloves, Scarves & Hats, Blankets)
Books
Canned Foods
School Supplies
Aluminum Can Tabs (Ronald McDonald House)

or offer:

Complimentary Oral Cancer Screenings
Smile Makeover Contest

Give-Aways:

Welcome letter/flyer (Include in it: Info about the office, services offered, a special call to action offer & a thank you for coming in)

Items imprinted with your office information, such as:

Toothbrush Bags
Lip Balm (www.lipbalmexpress.com)
Tote Bags
Pens
Coffee Mugs
Water Bottles
Flower Seed Packets
Magnets
Keyrings
Xylitol Products
Umbrellas

My favorite company to use for imprinted giveaway items is: Bizarre Marketing – www.promostuff4u.com

Activities:

Face Painting
Photo Booth with photo props
Balloon Twisting
Bounce House
Craft Table
Games
DJ/Karaoke/Live Music
Dental Health Presentations

Drawing/Raffle for Prizes:

Having a drawing(s) allows you to collect the names and contact information of the guests. Be sure to collect Name, Address, Email & Phone #.

Prize Ideas:

Electric Toothbrush
Teeth Whitening
$/% Off of a Dental Service
Gift Cards
Television/Tablet
Bicycle
Waterpark, Sporting Event, Concert, or Theatre Tickets/Passes
Gift Baskets

Team up with local businesses for contributions/donations of Prizes. Be sure to remind them that their name will be included in your advertising for the open house.

Offer an incentive (such as; gift card) to the first so many people who RSVP to your event.

Office Appearance:

The office must be clean and clutter free!! (Inside & Out!)
Restrooms – make sure they are checked during the open house for cleanliness and that they are well stocked)
Decorate the Office
Music Playing (recorded or live)
Have stations/displays set up throughout the office to encourage a tour of the entire office.
Monitors set up in reception room and treatment suites playing videos of services offered. Before and After Photo Slideshow.
Display “About Our Office & Services” Brochures

Team Members:

Well dressed and groomed
Name Tags
Friendly & Outgoing
Specific assignments (designated greeter, tour guide, speaker for dental presentations, etc.)

Food/Drink Ideas:

Bottled water with an office label
Punch/lemonade/Tea/Coffee/Wine/Beer
BBQ Foods
Appetizers
Wine/Cheese
Desserts
Ice Cream Truck (great for outdoor events)

You may be able to get a local business to donate cookies, cake pops, cupcakes, sandwich trays, fruit and vegetable platters, etc.

Day of the Event:

Smiling faces
Name tags for your guests
Give tours (Depending on the size of the event you could set up tours as a scavenger hunt)
Be ready to schedule dental appointments
Greet everyone
Take lots of pictures
Record a video of the event. Consider doing a Facebook live during the event.

After the Event:

Send Thank you’s to all of your guests and any businesses that participated in the event.
Send a follow-up article & pictures to the local paper.
Call prize winners to come into the office and collect their gift – be sure to take their picture(s).
Post pictures of the event on social media sites.

Remember, Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance!

To-do lists are your friend! Include a timeline & who is responsible for what & when.

Your goal should be to make your guests feel welcome, special, and appreciated. No one wants to show up to an event where they are not welcomed or confident they’re even in the right place.

Make it a Fabulous Open House Event my friends!

If you enjoy the complimentary ideas that I share each month, I would love and truly appreciate for you to please leave me a review/recommendation on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK

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 each month? If not, please start following us today. If you prefer, send me your email address (to bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com) and I will send you an invitation to follow my blog.

Yours for Greater Success!

~Betty

P.S. We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest stop by and say hello.

June 12, 2018 by bettyhayden

Dental Ideas for National Ice Cream Month

Hello Friends,

“Eating Ice Cream Shouldn’t Hurt.” This is your slogan for the month of July. (For more tips and ideas for the month of July, see July Dental Marketing and Practice Management Tips and Ideas )

Why? July is National Ice Cream Month and Close to 50% of American’s suffers from or experiences tooth sensitivity from time to time. It’s safe to say that many of your patients may be suffering from tooth sensitivity or they know someone who does.

Your product/service feature for July is Desensitizing Agents to treat tooth sensitivity.

A marketing plan that requires little time, minimal to no extra cost and will boost production and exceed your patients (and potential patients) expectations!

This is what you do:

Offer free ice cream cones to your patients. How will offering free ice cream cones not incur any extra cost to you? Contact a local Ice Cream Shop for some cross-marketing. Ask if they would be willing to donate 4 or more FREE Ice Cream Cone Gift Certificates that you will use during the month of July for a weekly drawing that your patients will enter to win. What a fantastic way to exceed your patients’ expectations with no extra cost to you.

Promotion Ideas

Now you may not have many of your patients speaking up to say they’re suffering from tooth sensitivity when they eat cold treats or drink cold beverages.

Simple fix; team members wear buttons that say: Eating Ice Cream Shouldn’t Hurt

Your patients are sure to ask questions about the buttons. What an easy way to open up a discussion about tooth sensitivity.

Email & Social Media Platforms – Promote this service & educate your patients and potential patients via email and your office social media platforms with sharable content.

There you have it, a simple and delicious summer dental marketing idea.

If you would like to purchase further ideas on how to implement the Ice Cream/Tooth Sensitivity campaign such as how to handle patients that are concerned about insurance coverage and fees for desensitizing agents and ways to advertise this campaign or perhaps would prefer a different marketing campaign for the month, please contact me today atbhaydenconsulting@gmail.com.

If you enjoy the complimentary ideas that I share each month, I would love and truly appreciate for you to please leave a review on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK

Are you receiving my free dental marketing and practice management ideas every month to your email? If not, PLEASE take a second and 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 share my blog with your dental friends. ~ Thank you!

Yours for Greater Success!

~Betty

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

March 26, 2018 by bettyhayden

Dental Tips and Ideas for April

Hello Friends,

Your first quarter is coming to an end and that means it’s time to make plans to have an awesome second quarter.

Here are some practice management and marketing ideas to help you grow your dental practice, exceed your current and potential patient’s expectations, and to have more fun as a team!

Dental Marketing and Practice Management Tips and Ideas for April…

~ Dental Marketing Ideas for April ~

April is National Garden Month – So let’s think and talk about the month of April and how we can use gardening & spring flowers to market your practice and exceed your patient’s expectations.

Here are some ideas for you:

Theme: Spring Flowers

Focus: Implants and/or Oral Cancer Screenings (See: April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month Tips and Ideas)

Fun Give Away: Flower Seed Packets w/a label and business card attached.

Flower seed packets can be purchased at most Dollar Stores for around .20 a packet. Great deal!

The labels you attach to the flower seed packets can say:

“Your referrals help grow our practice, Thank you!“

“Our Office Blooms Because of you!“

“Please enjoy these flowers growing as much as we enjoy your referrals growing our practice.”

Your patients will love these little flower seed packets give-aways! Often times they ask if they can take one for a friend/family member. Of course, they can! This is why you want to make certain the office name & info is on the packet.

For awesome ideas for flower seed packaging/presentation visit my Pinterest board HERE

National Pet Month – People love to talk and brag about their pets. Use this week to ask your friends/patients on your social media sites to post pictures of their pets. Post pictures of your team members pets.

Turn it into a contest: the pet with the most likes wins a special treat.

Give-away: 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!

~ Social Media Post Ideas to Improve Engagement ~

Vitamin C Day: 4^th

No Housework Day: 7^th

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day: 12

National Garlic Day: 19^th

Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day: 26^th

Sense of Smell Day: 28^th

Now on to the Practice Management ideas for April:

Hygiene Continuing Care/ Recare Opportunity:

Cleaning For A Reason Week: 18-24 – Send out email & text reminders to your patients that are due/past-due for their hygiene visit. Time for their Spring Cleaning! The “reason”? For their health’s sake – or, consider donating a portion of the production to a local charity.

Community Involvement Opportunity:

Community Spirit Days (1-30) – What a great opportunity for your office to get involved in the community. Check your city’s event calendar for events and activities.

Are there any charity/sporting/community events that you and your team can participate in or sponsor?

Be sure to share a variety of local community events on your social media sites. This will encourage your patients to look to your office page to learn what’s going on in the community.

National Dental Hygienist Week (Canada): 11-17

Administrative Professionals Week: 22- 28

See Employee Appreciation Ideas Here: Employee Appreciation Gift Ideas Pinterest Board

Just for Fun!

National Humor Month / Laugh at Work Week: 1-7 – Find ways to laugh each day at work all week long.

National Fun at Work Day: 5^th – Have a silly theme for this day. (For example, Crazy hair, silly socks, decades day, etc.)

So there you have it, some fun & educational ways to help your patients and potential patients smile and exceed their expectations during the month of April. Not to mention, have more fun at work!

If you are interested in having me help your office create a custom marketing campaign that includes ideas for special offers, office fun, patient give-aways/drawings, community involvement, cross-marketing with local businesses and hygiene continuing care/incomplete treatment scripting, please contact me today at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

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

March 6, 2018 by bettyhayden

Oral Cancer Awareness Tips and Ideas for your Dental Practice

Hello Friends,

Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week is the 8th – 15th of April – An excellent opportunity for you to raise oral cancer awareness and the need for early detection in order to save lives.

According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, approximately 49,750 people in the U.S. will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer this year. 132 new people in the US EVERY Day will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer, and that one person EVERY HOUR OF THE DAY, 24/7/365 will die from it.

While smoking and tobacco use are still major risk factors, the fastest growing segment of oral cancer patients is young, healthy, nonsmoking individuals due to the connection to the HPV virus. See more: http://oralcancerfoundation.org/events/oral-head-neck-cancer-awareness-month/

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Consider offering complimentary oral cancer screenings during the month of April or on a designated day…

Your offer is this:

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month

our office is pleased to offer

FREE Oral Cancer Screenings

a National Effort to END ORAL CANCER!

How can you promote your offer?

Send a Press Release to local newspapers & TV stations.
Create a one-page flyer for your patients to share with their friends, family members, co-workers, and neighbors.
Talk about it on all of your office Social Media sites!
Create a Facebook Complimentary Oral Cancer Screening Event.

More Oral Cancer Awareness ideas for the month:

Hygiene Continuing Care Opportunity: Encourage your inactive patients to come in for their important free oral cancer screening.
Partner with a local business to do free oral cancer screenings at their location.
Open House/Oral Cancer Screening Event at your office. (See Tips and Ideas for Dental Office Open House Event )
Donate a portion of service/product sales (ie: teeth whitening, fluoride, Invisalign) to Oral Cancer Research.
Host or Participate in Oral Cancer Research 5k Walk/Run.
Give away Free T-shirts or Bracelets to every patient that makes a donation toward Oral Cancer Research or Just Because 🙂
Create a video to share on your social media platforms demonstrating how oral cancer screenings are quick & painless.
Bring in your local dermatologist for a lunch n learn to demonstrate oral, head & neck cancer screenings.
Have a gift card or gift basket raffle that your patients can enter to win during the month of April.

If you’re looking for additional marketing ideas not related to oral cancer awareness for April, please visit here: Dental Marketing Ideas for April

Contact Betty at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com for help creating your marketing plans for 2018 or to schedule your complimentary 30-minute telephone coaching session with me.

Feel free to tell your dental friends all about us so they can start benefiting from these dental ideas too. If you liked these ideas, please let me know by hitting the “like” button. Thank you!!!

Yours for Greater Success,
~Betty

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