Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue, Here Are February Marketing Tips for You!

There’s More to February than Candy Hearts & Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Meet February. February is a short, sweet little month that’s sometimes overshadowed by the red and pink decorations of a holiday known in some parts of the world as “Valentine’s Day.” Look past the flowers, heart balloons, and cards, though, and you’ll find that February actually has other things going for it. From a marketing standpoint, it has as much potential for direct mail marketing success as January, with the added bonus of bringing us 28 days closer to summer. So, pause that Meg Ryan movie, put down the box of chocolates, and let our marketing love open the door to your heart.

Referrals Help Spread the Love Year-Round

Referrals spread smiles to current patients’ family and friends, which means happy patients old and new, thereby spreading the love for your dental practice, which means practice growth. For years before there was a niche for dentistry in the advertising industry (before dental advertising was even legal), dentists felt the power of word-of-mouth – for better and for worse – and they recognized the difference patient referrals can make in dental practices of all kinds. What makes a referral even better than a shoe-in new patient is the likelihood that the patient will be both the kind of patient you want, because one of your current patients referred them, and also long-standing, because referrals are less likely to be “shoppers.”

When patients don’t need to be wooed to refer family and friends, dentists and front desk staff can become accustomed to their patients doing the referral legwork. Then, if a slowdown in word-of-mouth business occurs, it can be challenging to find a natural, comfortable, and low pressure way to start asking for referrals. If you’re looking for something to cure your office’s referral blues, and if your state’s dental board rules allow it, consider trying a referral gift program. Referral gift ideas include free movie tickets, gift cards to local restaurants, and gas cards. If you want to go more dental with your gifts, consider free take home whitening kits, free electric toothbrushes, or a discount on dental care. Something as simple as a perforated business card/referral card can alleviate any awkwardness and make asking for referrals an easy art. (They’re neat, too, check them out here.)

Also, don’t forget the specialists who sent referral love your way throughout the year. Make sure that what goes around comes around and send some love of your own. A gift basket, a special delivery of almost any type of goodies (like a cookie bouquet or bagels), or just a thoughtful note saying “Thanks for the business!” will show your gratitude. And hopefully the love will keep coming your way in 2009!

February 2nd Was Groundhog Day... Again

Phil: What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?
Ralph: That about sums it up for me.
-- Groundhog Day

It has been 2009 for a month or so now, so it might be a good idea to take a clue from good ol’ Punxsutawney and poke your head out of your practice to test the weather. Clear skies and a full schedule? Looks like you’re in for a timely Spring. On the other hand, if you’re feeling like Phil in Groundhog Day, resist the urge to dive back into the winter blahs. Instead, take this as a chance to reevaluate your marketing methods and other key areas of your practice. No one wants to spend eternity like Phil, doing the same thing over and over again with little to no change. When you market smart the first time, you’ll be much less likely to have a marketing rut in your forecast. No matter what, though, marketing requires flexibility. If something has been tested for long enough to show that it’s not quite the right formula for your particular office and area, the next step is to reevaluate and tweak.

When evaluating, ask yourself, Am I catering to the target market that is realistically mine? For example, is there a high demand for insurance acceptance in your area but your office is strictly fee-for-service? If so, your marketing probably won’t work as well as you’d like (if at all). Especially for older offices, think, Is my office up-to-date enough for the expectations of consumers? Many times an unsuccessful direct mail campaign is a manifestation of some other facet of your practice that should be improved upon if at all possible.

Work out your practice processes to maximize efficiency. Dentistry is getting more and more competitive as time goes on, and factors that were minor in the past have become major points of competition. Do not expect your marketing to work wonders if you’re not paying close enough attention to the other kinks in your office systems. If you don’t have the time or energy to address what can feel like complex, overwhelming issues, don’t hesitate to call in the experts. Practice consultants and front desk staff coaches can be like love potion #9 for a rocky relationship with inefficient practice processes.

Track your new patient flow. How are your new patients hearing about you? Are they mostly referrals, or are they receiving your direct mailer and then calling you? Did they find you from a Google search, or did they get a toothache and look you up in the Yellow Pages? When you know what’s working, what has encouraging potential, and what’s flopping, you’ll be better able to streamline your marketing activities to save yourself money and time.

February Facts to Be Fond Of

February 2nd’s groundhog mascot, Phil, has a full name. Are you ready for it?—”Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinaire,” as proclaimed by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club in 1887, the same year they declared Punxsutawney to be the weather capital of the world.
On February 3, 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified, granting African Americans the right to vote. February is officially Black History Month, but you might be surprised to know that it’s only been widely recognized since the early 20th century. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life & History, launched Black History Month in 1926, and in the course of remembering what was close to becoming a forgotten history, Woodson made some history of his own.
February 11, 1990 marks the release of anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela from prison in South Africa. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his leadership role in the country’s peace negotiations and, in 1994, Mandela was elected President of South Africa in the country’s first all-race election.
George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia on February 22, 1732. Did you know? Though he oversaw much of the planning and construction of the White House, George Washington never lived in it. John Adams and his wife, Abigail, became the first residents in 1800.

And Back by Popular Demand, It’s Valentine's Day!

An estimated 192 million Valentine’s cards are sent each year. Though it’s less than Christmas’s 1.9 billion cards, it’s still a hefty amount of love sent via snail mail.
8 million Americans admit to sending themselves Valentine’s gifts... And that’s just those willing to admit it!
As of 2002, there were 904 dating service establishments (including internet matchmakers) worldwide. We wouldn’t be surprised if that number has doubled in the past six years.

If your online profile isn’t making your knees weak, maybe a visit to some of these lovely sounding locales will make you swoon:

Love County, OK
Lovelady, TX
Loveland, CO
Loving, NM
Romeo, CO
Roseville, CA
Valentine, NE

Love on the Big Screen

Romantic comedies... We can’t live with them, we can’t live without them. Whether they’re dreadful or delightful, these warm and fuzzy flicks aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Below are some romantic comedies that stole audience's hearts and raked in the dough. (Believe it or not, there’s not a bumbling Hugh Grant in sight.)

1) My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002): Lifetime Gross = $241,438,208 (Fun Fact: Though it tops the list with its lifetime gross, it never reached #1 in the box office ratings.)
2) What Women Want (2000) = $182,811,707
3) Hitch (2005) = $179,495,555
4) Pretty Woman (1990) = $178,406,268
5) There’s Something About Mary (1998) = $176,484,651
6) Sex and the City (2008) = $152,647,258
7) Runaway Bride (1999) = $152,257,509
8) Knocked Up (2007) = $148,768,917
9) As Good as It Gets (1997) = $148,478,011
10) Bringing Down the House (2003) = $132,716,677

The highest grossing romantic drama? Yeah, it’s still 1997’s Titanic. The box office behemoth boasts a lifetime gross of over $600 million! We’re flying, Jack!!