Time to Get Cozy With a Warm Mug of Marketing Tips

Come this time each year, many dental practices around the country experience a noticeable slowdown—in new patient numbers, recall visits, and case acceptance. Trust us when we tell you that if you’re feeling some slowdown anxiety, you’re not alone. And this year, cooling schedules aren’t just the natural result of an annual low point in dental marketing and consumer spending on dental care, but we’ve got some chilling economic conditions to deal with, as well. We hope this month’s tips will warm you up at least a little bit and help you weather the storm.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...”

Charles Dickens’ opening line of A Tale of Two Cities could be considered a very apt description of nowadays, too. The holiday season is a wonderful time of the year, with the kids jingle belling and everyone telling you “Be of good cheer”... Wait a second, that’s a song. Anyway, the holidays can indeed be the best of times, with family and friends gathering, all kinds of giving and sharing going on, and the general feeling in the air being warm, loving, and festive. At the same time, we are facing the most uncertain economy we’ve seen in decades. Here at Practice Cafe, we strive to maintain optimism and focus on solution-finding, rather than dwell on what can feel like “the worst of times,” but sometimes it helps to just acknowledge the fact that many people, families, and businesses are struggling and no one is really immune. We’re all in this together, and we want you to know that we do our best to be as understanding, sensitive, and accommodating as we can for our clients. We also appreciate how good you are to us.

Speaking of Optimism

Before empty time slots in your schedule have you feeling like a scrooge or finding charcoal in your socks, remember that come January, a new calendar isn’t the only thing people will be more willing to buy. Just as the holidays are always a critical season for some businesses (been to a mall between Thanksgiving and Christmas?), they’re not as profitable for many other businesses, dentistry being one of them (and marketing design, too, if you want to know the truth). This holiday season, people are budget crunching even more than normal and buying mostly gifts and less for themselves, including that teeth straightening procedure or restorative treatment they’ve been wanting. Consider this the cat track to get to the slope. It can be slower going, kind of scary at some points, and require more caution, but when you make it to the slope, you get to cruise down with greater ease.

When the holiday spending has passed and New Year’s resolutions return health, appearance, and overall well-being to the top of your patients’ priority lists, things should pick back up. In the meantime, curl up by the fire, enjoy a little eggnog, and unwrap these shiny ideas for riding that cat track:

First, we encourage you to be flexible in how you fill your schedule. Ever heard, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth”? Well, some good news is that even when people don’t have much disposable income, they still have teeth and sometimes emergencies with those teeth. We know that some dentists don’t like emergency appointments, but if it’s like pulling teeth to fill your schedule (excuse the pun), consider accepting more emergencies than perhaps you otherwise would have. Of course we’re not suggesting that you take on cases that you won’t get paid for, but rather that you be willing to compromise to get new patients. Offering more convenient hours the weeks leading up to holiday break and/or more flexible financing options are two more ways you could accommodate your patients, old and new.
Second, consider a holiday special. Although your new patient flow might have decreased, that doesn’t mean that current patients can’t be swayed by an attractive offer. 'Tis the season for giving, so think about offering your patients an additional incentive to use their insurance benefits before the end of the year. A gift towards bread-and-butter dentistry, like a filling, or something cosmetic, yet simple, like a take home whitening kit after a recall visit, can be just what the dentist ordered for an increase in appointments. The same goes for referral gifts. And while a "gift" may seem counterproductive to an economic slowdown, sometimes even the smallest gesture of generosity can get people through your door. Now more than ever, you must do what you can to shine brighter than your competition.
Third, brrr!—Plan ahead to beat the chill. As much as December marks a low point in dental marketing, January has proven year after year to be one of the best months for dental direct mail. To ensure that you're ready to mail at the drop of Santa’s hat, plan well. It’s best to have your mailer design, editing, and printing completed before the end of the year. Ready or not, here comes 2009!
Fourth, remember that the small stuff matters. When it comes to the small stuff that makes a difference to your patients, there's no such thing as wasted effort. Even a special that doesn't bring in the numbers you had on your Christmas wish list is worth the time and energy you put into it, as is an inexpensive holiday card mailing or greeting card for the New Year. These are not only thoughtful, but they also keep you focused on and in touch with your patient base. These efforts, in conjunction with a purposeful end-of-year internal marketing push, can keep your practice from freezing over during the chilly month of December. Instituting emails and text messages to your patients through a service such as Smile Reminder™ can be another small investment that can eventually yield returns to rejoice over.
Fifth, we wish you a merry Christmas, a joyful Hanukkah, a Kwanzaa of unity, a warm winter solstice, cheerful Yule tides, a happy New Year, and any other way you celebrate the holidays! From our Practice Cafe family to yours!

O’Come All Ye December Facts

You've Got Some Big Boots (And a Big Red Suit) to Fill

The beard, the laugh, the twinkle in the eye... Santa Claus has become a holiday icon, but the silver screen has taught us that even Santas come in all shapes and sizes. Don't believe us? Here are just a few of the actors who have immortalized Saint Nick in the holiday movie hall of fame:

Edmund Gwenn made people believe in Santa Claus as Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). He even won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his turn as a Macy's marketing sensation who just may be the real thing. Richard Attenborough continued to make believers out of us in the 1994 version of Miracle on 34th Street.
Each year, a new generation gathers around the television to enjoy those classic stop-motion holiday specials, including Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (1970), The Year Without A Santa Claus (1974), and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979). In all three cartoons, Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney lends his voice to the role of Santa Claus.
After Santa Claus accidentally falls off his rooftop, regular guy Scott Calvin (played by Tim Allen) must step up and take the fat man's place at the North Pole. No, really—it's The Santa Clause (1994), and it's all in the fine print.
Though he might be difficult to spot behind Will Ferrell's 6'3" elf, Buddy, Edward Asner plays Santa Claus in Elf (2003).
As Father Christmas, James Cosmo gives the Pevensie children some important gifts in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (2005).
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) is another one of our favorite holiday flicks!

Dear Santa...

According to the US Census Bureau, the U.S. Postal Service expects to deliver 20 BILLION pieces of mail between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Combine that with all the letters heading up to the North Pole, and you can see why we wouldn't want your dental mailer getting lost in the shuffle.

Abominable Snowman... Or Woman?

In 1999, the city of Bethel, Maine took the art of snowman building to the next level when it became the home of the world's tallest snowman, Angus, King of the Mountain. Angus rose to a whopping 113 feet, seven inches, and weighed in at 8 million lbs. In March of this year, the Bethel community beat their own record with 122' 1" Olympia Snow Woman, whose 16 ski eyelashes, 30-foot spruce tree arms, and hefty 13 million lbs. might be too much for any snowman to handle.

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree

In 2006, U.S. Christmas tree farmers made an average gross earning of $512 million. Top selling state? North Carolina, with Oregon as a close second. Oh, Christmas tree, how lucrative are your branches.

Feeling Festive?

Take a road trip to some of these U.S. locales that are feelin' the holiday spirit all year long:

North Pole, Alaska
Snowflake, Arizona
Christmas, Florida
Dasher, Georgia
Santa Claus, Indiana
Noel, Missouri
Rudolph, Wisconsin

And for the New Year, head to Champaign, Illinois. Whoever said geography isn't fun obviously wasn't in the right city.

Stay warm, and come back soon! We'll be ringing in the New Year with black-eyed peas, the Rose Bowl, and marketing resolutions you'll actually WANT to keep.