The Marketing Mentor

Now that January is just about gone, what did you do during the month to attract new patients into your practice?  What did you do to retain the patients that you already have and are you continually educating your patients and the people in your community?  It is an easy task to express gratitude each and every day for the referrals that you receive.  All gestures of appreciation are constant reminders that you not only appreciate referrals, but also encourage them.  Remember to always reward the behavior that you want from your patients.  They will appreciate it and continue to refer!

Keep in mind that you want to have a well-balanced marketing plan.  This means maintaining internal and external marketing events all year long.  Planning events quarterly makes it easier than planning the entire year all at once.  Keeping track of your events allows you to make distinctions about what worked and what may not have worked so that the following year will be even easier to plan.

February is…

International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month

American Heart Month

Give Kids a Smile Day-Feb. 1

Ground Hog Day-Feb.2

National Wear Red Day-Feb. 3

Hershey’s Chocolate founded Day-Feb. 9

Get a Different Name Day-Feb. 13

Valentine’s Day & National Donor Day-Feb. 14

National Gumdrop Day-Feb. 15

National PTA Founder’s Day & Random Acts of Kindness Day-Feb. 17

Love Your Pet Day-Feb. Feb. 21

Be Humble Day & World Thinking Day-Feb. 22

Quiet Day-Feb. 25

Suggestions for marketing in February…

In honor of Love Your Pet Day, ask patients to bring in their favorite picture of their pet and display them and give a doggie prize for the best picture.  Plan a pet day outside in a park or in the parking lot of your office!  Ask patients and friends to bring their pets and just make it a fun time.  This could get some press coverage if press releases are sent out, making your practice the most unique practice in town!

Combine Hershey’s Chocolate Founded Day with Valentine’s Day and give out Hershey Kisses to all patients or fill a jar of Hershey Kisses and ask patients to guess the number of chocolates in the jar during the week of Valentine’s Day. Give the jar filled with candy to the person that guessed the correct number or the closest number.

Prenatal Infection Prevention Month is in February.  A project sure to get more children and moms as new patients is to contact every moms club in your community, offer to do a workshop for moms on Raising Healthy Children.  Discuss ear infections, bedwetting, antibiotic use and abuse, healthy nervous system (chiropractic!) and building stronger immune systems.  This is a great presentation to do for teachers and PTAs as well.  Another related project is to contact pediatricians, midwives and obstetricians to expand your referral network of healthcare professionals in your community.

So, what action steps are you taking in this New Year to attract new patients into your practice?  Try some of these suggestions!  These are proven strategies that if done on a consistent basis will raise the energy level of your practice.  Who wouldn’t want to do that??????????