IntroductionWhether you’re the owner of a high-profile dental practice or managing small specialty practice, everyone experiences a slow season. The holiday season in particular marks an increasingly slow period for health industry professions; while your patients are out shopping for seasonal gifts or traveling to visit family, their pocketbooks typically turn away from many health-related expenses.

So the question remains, how do you increase revenue during the holiday season?

1Many practice owners think having a website is enough to make them thrive, which isn’t always

true. Your website should be the cornerstone of your web presence, but during a slower holiday

season, a website alone may not provide you the exposure you need to keep your appointment

books full.

Time and time again marketing professionals stress the importance of managing your social

networks – so here it is one more time. Social media is critical; each platform gives your practice

added exposure, and managing the social profiles is an inexpensive and easy way to spread

news about your practice. To benefit from your social media accounts, provide regular posts

and updates about your practice. Patients want to know what’s going on with your practice, and

when you post valuable information, they become more likely to share this information with their

individual networks.

Your Website is the Foundation

If you are especially slow during the holiday season, use any extra time to stockpile social media

posts. You don’t have to come up with clever updates on-the-spot. Creating a supply of social

media posts will help you maintain a steady posting schedule during a busy season by simply

copying, pasting, and publishing a stockpiled post onto your social media profiles.

Blogs are also a proven source of beneficial web traffic. A blog allows you to write regular

articles or shorter blurbs about events your practice sponsors, or new cutting-edge technology

your practice acquires. By providing an inside look, current and prospective patients gain further

insight about your education, experience, and specialties. Again, blog posts can be written ahead

of time and saved to be posted at a later time.

The digital revolution has allowed information to travel at an alarming rate; cash in on the

opportunity. During a slow season, the most cost-effective and broad-reaching method of

advertising is online, and nothing speaks to an empty pocketbook quite like a “good deal.”

While many other practices are cutting back on marketing initiatives during the holiday season,

you can take advantage of this opportunity to win over new patients by offering more competitive

pricing. Creating a Facebook-Only or Twitter-Only special will reach current and prospective

patients, capturing their attention and enticing them to employ your services.

2 Online-only Specials

Consider running specials on services that patients and prospects need compared to elective

services. During the holiday season, patients are more frugal, but extending a discount on a

necessary service, such as an exam and cleaning, will make patients more inclined to schedule an

appointment.

If you haven’t refreshed the design or content on your website in a while, a slower season

is the perfect time to revamp. Since Google announced their “freshness” update, we know that

periodically updating your site can have a positive impact on search engine optimization (SEO)

efforts. Amplifying your SEO endeavors will help you stand out on search engine results, making

you the go-to practice for an online prospect.

3 Hit the Refresh Key

You can increase patient loyalty and gain new patient interest any time of the year by “curing”

your patients. For example, Halloween may cause children to garner new cavities. If your services

can cure a problem caused during your slow season, let your market know.

For Example:

You could create social media posts that say: “Did you over-indulge on holiday sweets?

Prevent new cavities from forming with a post-holiday check-up! Contact us to schedule your

appointment today.”

4 Create the Cure

When marketing your practice, don’t forget to reach out to your current patients. Many

professionals unintentionally drop marketing efforts to prospects as soon as they become patients.

Remember that marketing to current patients has increased earning potential – especially during a

slow season.

If you want to get the attention of current patients, direct mail is one of your best bets. You may be

thinking “no one looks at junk mail”, and you’d be completely wrong.

• Studies indicate that 89% of people with families open all the mail they receive.

• 76% of people make a purchase based on the mail they see.

• These numbers increase when the mail is directly addressed to the recipient.

5 Reach Out to Exisiting Customers

To use these statistics to your advantage, capitalize on direct mail by targeting your current

patients and mailing them coupons or promotional information that will be valid during your slow

season.

Also, not everyone is living in a technical world; some people aren’t plugged in to Twitter and don’t

want to search the Internet to find your practice. Completely ignoring these consumer preferences

allows your competitors to capitalize on your missed opportunity. To cater to this audience,

consider sending informational mailers marketing your practice.

As means of communication improve and increase, some people become less inclined to

actually communicate. Text-messaging and emailing have become the “way of the world”, and if

you don’t adapt to it, you may be faced with frustrated patients.

In fact, studies show 80% of practitioner office patients prefer a means of alternate

communication, such as email or text-messaging. Electronic appointment requests and email

communications allow your patients to receive alerts and reminders on-the-go and enable them

to respond on their time, not yours. It’s an added convenience that many practices are not taking

advantage of. During a slow season, little details, such as these, could win over new patients. Also,

electronic communication reduces the amount of phone-tag your receptionists have to play with

patients, freeing them up to focus on other details.

6 Speak Their Language

Working the standard 8 to 5 used to be par for the course, but as schedules change, the

economy shifts, and holiday seasons slow business traffic, you have to adapt to your market’s

demand. If you find patients increasingly scheduling early morning appointments, shift your

schedule to accommodate these early risers. Similarly, if you’re losing patients because they

work the same hours you do, any practice staying open later to gratify them is likely stealing your

business.

Compete by shifting to later open and close times. Putting your patients’ needs first will satisfy

your existing patients, making them less likely to leave, and will allow you to accommodate new

patients who may prefer your schedule over their previous provider’s.

7 Accommodate Your Patrons

Whether shopping on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or the day after Christmas, holiday shoppers

are savvy consumers and are always looking to score a great deal. If you notice slowing during

this season, make the most of the careful consumer:

• Create a holiday promotion, such as “12 Days of Discounted Services”, and market them

in mailers and/or online. Create holiday-themed promotions to show future and current

patients you’re offering great deals.

• Offer a seasonal referral program that extends a free service, such as teeth whitening for

a dentist, to any existing patient who refers a new patient to the practice. Not only will this

referral program generate new business, but it will benefit your practice by increasing your

number of patients and improving current patient appreciation. Because each profession

has different rules about referral programs and “referral gifts”, be sure to abide by state

regulations.

8 Create a Holiday Promotion

In addition to referring their friends and family, happy patients are also more inclined to give you

happy feedback. This creates the perfect opportunity to ask patients to post details about their

positive experiences online, so future prospects can see how pleased others are with your services.

9 Ask for Testimonials