Hustle and bustle are trademarks of the holiday season. During this special time of year we add extra parties, errands, duties and tasks to our normally busy schedule. But we also open up to wonder, fellowship and… marketing. What?!? It’s really not so hard to believe. Beginning with Black Friday the holidays are a commercial season of buying and giving. Over the years we’ve programmed ourselves to be open to good cheer, holiday greetings and sales pitches. The most successful pitches generally combine the things that make this season so wonderful – family, fellowship, and good cheer. And social media is a great place to experience all three.
Your dental practice should take part in all of the good cheer too. When you do it well your practice will benefit from increased brand recognition, traffic to your website and new client appointments. Here are three ideas to spread good cheer and market your practice during the holidays.
1. Show Your Smiles. We take a lot of photos during the holiday season – with family; of Santa; at parties; while opening presents; etc. Let’s have some fun with what we’re already doing. Take to your Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts with photos of you and your staff sharing holiday cheer. Don’t be afraid to make it fun, include family members and patients around the office. Don ugly holiday sweaters and hats. Then ask your fans and followers to join the festivities. You can even turn it into a contest or drawing for a discounted teeth whitening procedure.
2. Be Social. Social media is supposed to be social. You can’t build a fan page and hope enough people will happen upon your practice to turn you into a viral success. It takes effort. You have to reach out to people, engage with them and be social. The holidays offer great opportunities for this. You can begin by asking questions. Facebook and Twitter engagements go way up when polls are used. Ask where everyone’s favorite Santa is in your area. Ask followers to share their holiday wish lists. What’s the number one toy their children want this Christmas? What are their resolutions for the New Year? Remember, any time you can put a question in the form of a poll and post the results you’ll see greater engagement.
3. Extend the Holidays. The holiday season is more than Thanksgiving and Christmas. There’s Chanukah, New Year’s and Kwanza, as well. Try and include a post that pertains to each of the holidays. Then push the celebration a few days longer. The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on Christmas day and last until the evening of January 5th. This is another opportunity to feature photos on your Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook feeds that highlight the season. You could use the twelve days to highlight a different discount each day. Or, you could throw a Twelfth Day celebration at your practice with games and activities for families. If you want to go one step further, the college football playoff national championship game is January 11. There are plenty of charitable promotions that can be tied to both the holidays and college football.
You have a lot on your plate on a regular basis. With the year-end approaching your patients are going to try and squeeze in a last-minute appointment. So expect more bedlam. Don’t let the thought of new promotions and engagements with your social media fans stress you out. You don’t have to do everything at once, but you also don’t want to miss this opportunity to connect and build relationships. A qualified Internet marketing company can help you develop a plan for success. They’ll even check the strategy twice before you sign off on it. ProSites can give you a personal consultation and help you on your way to social media success this holiday season. Simply call 888-932-3644 today.
