The holiday season is here, market your practice accordingly

You probably already know how important it is to continuously market your practice, but marketing can seem tough around the holidays.

You’re busy, people don’t seem to be paying attention, and you need a few smart strategies you can start now. In this article, we’ll talk about some ideas you can put to work this week that can help you keep your practice marketing on target.

To accomplish your marketing goals, you will need to create a plan and find some basic strategies that you can put to work right away to help with your marketing. Whatever you decide to do, it’s best to choose what you can consistently do. Consistency and commitment is key.

Ready to commit to holiday marketing? Keep reading for ideas on how to get started.

Have a holiday marketing plan

What do you want to accomplish during the holiday season? Do you need more patients, increased revenue, or do you want to sell more product in your office? Are you looking for more referrals? Whatever it is, jot it down. This is the start of your marketing plan, if you don’t already have one.

From there, you need to determine how you’ll plan to market your practice. Consider what you’re willing to spend on holiday marketing and how much time you’re able to devote to this. These are the resources you have to work with.

Now, you have a basic budget and you have a better idea of when you’ll be able to focus on your marketing.

Find consistent and effective marketing ideas

Depending on your budget and resources, start looking for creative and effective marketing ideas. The best marketing is consistent, realistic, and effective. It’s something you can commit to doing enough of to see effective results.

Being inconsistent or investing too little is unlikely to be effective. For instance, sending 10 cards to a mailing list is probably not going to get you much traction. 100 is probably better.

Here are a few suggestions to think about:

Seasonal Fairs and Tradeshows: Some local business fairs permit healthcare professionals and are great places to set up a booth and chat with people in the community who are looking for a chiropractor. Make a festive-looking presence and bring information about your practice.
Holiday Cards: Christmas cards with a fun and festive group photo of the whole team are a great thing to send out in early December to your patients, people on your mailing list, or even to households in your local community. Design a simple card and include a blurb about your practice.
Sponsoring Holiday Events: If local events and shows are looking for community sponsorships, these could be great opportunities to get your name out there.
Give a Health Talk: Right when everyone’s being unhealthy for the holidays is the perfect time to hold a community health class about how to be healthier. This is something you could host at your clinic, a local library, or at a school. You could offer to speak to a corporate group on their lunch hour, instead, and talk about healthy habits during the holidays. Bring business cards and information to hand out if anyone asks.
Referral Contests: Ask for referrals from your patients and offer to enter everyone in a drawing with each referral getting another entry. For a prize, choose something festive or offer a popular electronic gift.
Online Marketing: Social media marketing, content marketing, and search engine advertising are other possibilities. Create custom content for the holiday season or use Online advertising to promote a seasonal event at your practice.

Crush your marketing goals

If you’re ready to see results from your marketing, it’s essential to keep at it and use high-volume marketing effort to your advantage. Pick two or three items from the list above and begin applying them. Record your results. Whenever necessary, make adjustments and changes to your marketing plans and goals.

Better yet, combine two of these approaches and devote some time to marketing every week. For instance, create a referral contest and promote it on social media. Or become a sponsor of a local holiday craft fair and use the opportunity to promote an upcoming health-related fair you decide to host at your office.

Sources
Beck, M. “Your chiropractic marketing plan for the holidays.” DC Practice Tools. http://dcpracticetools.com/your-chiropractic-marketing-plan-for-the-holidays/. Accessed: November 2018.
Necela, T. “12 ideas to heat up your chiropractic business during the winter months.” The Strategic Chiropractor. https://www.strategicdc.com/12-ideas-to-heat-up-your-chiropractic-business-during-the-cold-winter-months/. Accessed: November 2018.