Seasonal Marketing Ideas for Dental Practices

Each portion of the year brings its own joys, its own holidays, and its own overall vibe. Savvy marketing professionals in all industries tap into the spirit of season with engaging marketing ideas, seasonal content, and targeted audience engagement tailored to the relevant time of the year. Dentists and dental practices provide a personal service, so seasonal and holiday marketing–often based on emotional appeals–are especially fitting for a dental marketing strategy or dental marketing plan. There are a variety of approaches that a given practice might adopt depending on its patient base and scope of services, but here are some examples of seasonal marketing ideas for dental practices that should work well in most cases.

• School’s out–and it’s time for a checkup and cleaning! Summer vacation comes but once a year, and while most school-age kids are focused on the freedom that summer brings their parents may be open to a reminder that it’s time for a check-up and cleaning. For practices focused on pediatric dentistry, this is obvious. However family practices and general dentistry practices shouldn’t neglect this opportunity to get the entire family into the proverbial chair.

• Declare your independence from cavities with a Fourth of July marketing push at your dental practice! Given that Independence Day celebrations tend to involve junk food, a reminder that it’s time for a cleaning might go over well with patients of all ages. A series of emails or social media posts reminding them to brush and floss while celebrating are a great entry point to an invitation to make an appointment.

• Back to school specials are a marketing staple for businesses of all types, but for dental practices they can be especially compelling. Parents–busy trying to prepare their kids for school–may benefit from a reminder that it’s time for a checkup before class starts. Older folks may want to take advantage of the time before the school year starts to jump in the chair and address their oral health before the fall and winter holidays arrive. Speaking of which . . .

• This is Halloween–and time for some dental care! Halloween is spooky, Halloween is festive, Halloween is full of sugary treats for children and alcoholic beverages for adults. Neither of these is good for our teeth, so a spine-tingling series of reminders and some appropriate seasonal decor might tempt ghouls and ghosts of all ages to knock on your office door for a quick look at their dental health. Autumn is a great time of the year to get a dental exam, x-rays, and a cleaning before the winter holiday season arrives.

• Happy Holidays! Now let’s talk about your insurance benefits. Every dentist knows that late-year rush that comes around the Christmas season. With the end of the year approaching, many patients are in a rush to use their full insurance benefits before the counter resets on the first day of January. By doing some pre-holiday marketing, you can maximize traffic into your office, make the most out of the time you have with your patients, and help them utilize the full extent of their insurance coverage. It’s also a great time of the year to do some community marketing via a canned food drive, volunteering events, or other charitable activities.

There are many more possibilities, but there are a few important take-homes for this blog. Dental marketing can be seasonal, adapting to the spirit of a given time of the year and taking advantage of the holidays that occur both nationally and locally. It’s a potent mode of outreach to both potential and established patients. Secondly, and we cannot stress this enough: seasonal marketing is fun! You get a chance to decorate the office, dress up a bit, and create some themed seasonal content for social media. You and your staff can celebrate along with your patients as you promote good oral health, help people address their dentistry goals, and create a memorable atmosphere that will keep them coming back year after year.