Here are a few ideas for promoting your chiropractic services during the end of the year.  There are many more, of course, but these can get you and your team thinking of what you might like to do over the next several months. (For a PDF version of this article.  REVISED AND UPDATED- 9/2014)

Schedule the special promotions first – the big events. Get these on a large Marketing Calendar and plan them out. Promote them before the event.  Ideally, you should promote the event four weeks before it occurs, but people often forget and make spur of the moment decisions. Therefore, promoting even a week before the event has worked.

You can find customizable posters and detailed information on how to do many of these projects on your chiropractic Marketing Manager System Toolkit and on your PM&A Member’s site. Depending on the level of your program, we can also put together simple posters to help promote your particular project.

Then, look at the more basic marketing procedures, those that are recurring. These should be on a list which you review every few months.

You can also sprinkle in some minor but fun promotions, such as having a Crazee Dayz.

General Marketing

•  Recurring Procedures. The most important marketing procedures are your usual, recurring procedures that you do on a daily and weekly basis. Many of these are already embedded in your routine procedures.  These should be on a list that your review every three months.
• Calendar. Make sure you have a large calendar to post all of your scheduled upcoming promotions.
• Assignment. Assign a staff member to be in charge of each promotion. Each team member has a marketing responsibility.
• Communication. In the end, marketing is all about communication. Therefore, promote your events with your newsletters (electronic and hard copy), fliers, Facebook, Internet updates, bulletin boards, web site and most of all,  through friendly one on one personal communication in the office.
• Motivation.  All procedures work to some degree, depending on how well they are organized and on the intention behind them. If you and your team are not motivated to make these procedures work, they won’t.  Keep your purpose strong and your energy high.

Crazee Dayz
Select a day and make it special for your patients. Only one day a week is necessary otherwise it’s not special.  It can be once per month or every week. Serve extra treats.  You can have the staff dress out of uniform coordinated to the day.  These can add some extra fun to the office and help with retention and long term referrals.

• Muffin Mondays – Serve up a selection of health bran, banana, blueberry, etc muffins
  Two for Tuesday – Bring a friend for a complimentary spinal exam and offer the patient a free adjustment.  “Two Fer Tuesday.”
  Whacky Wednesdays – gag gifts for patients,  “adjust-a-mints”, etc. (http://www.bannermints.com/)
  Thirsty Thursdays  — Organic apple juice served in plastic wine glasses with a sliced green apple on the rim. NA margaritas.
  Fruity Fridays  – Bowl of local fruit.

• A banner in your office for patients to bring in family members for a free “Check-up.”
• Reactivation Month – send postcards to all inactive patients who have not been in for at least one year or more for free spinal checkup.

Chiropractic Opportunity Week  (“The doctor is having a COW.”) (patient referrals and advertising new patients)

• Free consultation, exam, and x-ray if needed.

 Hair Dresser/Beauty Salons/Spas (new patients and business referrals)

• Offer a workshop on “How to Stay Fit While You Clip.”
• Free massages (and screenings) for customers
• Set up a customer appreciation program with the business owner and provide the massage and or food and screenings

 Local Health Fairs (new patients and business referrals)

• Contact all the locations you have held events in the past year and schedule events for the New Year.
• Contact local businesses for health fairs in the New Year and get them scheduled
• 

 Kids and Halloween Party (patient retention and referrals)

With Casper as inspiration, a kid’s Halloween party with a friendly ghost theme has the right mix of tricks and treats. Invite the young ghouls to come dressed up, but you can also have them make ghastly masks as part of the fun. Other ideas include spooky decorations, scary snacks and a friendly ghost hunt.   Free spinal and scoliosis checks for all guests.

 

Thanksgiving Turkey Drawing Poster(patient referrals)

• Refer a friend and enter the drawing for a free turkey
• Special for Organic Turkeys – announce in your newsletter
• Make arrangements now with your local supplier

Donation Drives (patient referrals, advertising new patients)

Holiday time always brings an increased demand for helping those less fortunate.  Within your office set up a collection area for any of the following programs and promote it in your newsletter.

• Coats for Kids
• Food for Families
• Toys for Tots
• Blood Drive

$25 in exchange for first day services.

• Also, you can support drives at local church or gyms. E.G. “Free first day services for every donation a member of YMCA makes to the homeless fund.”

Deer Widows Week (patient referrals)

During hunting season or first week of December  offer  complimentary massage for  your patients who refer in a new patient.

 Girl’s Night Out  (screenings)

Christmas shopping/gift exchange

Enlist the help of massage therapist, local spas and direct marketing consultants, Tupperware distributors, etc. Everyone has to bring at least 3 guests. Buy presents from each other rather than at the mall.  In November or first week of December.

Or

  Movie & Margarita (bring a guest for a movie screening and a spinal screening)

Sample movies: The Love Letter, Steel Magnolias, Little Women. Fried Green Tomatoes When Harry Met Sally, anything with Brad Pitt.

 

Holiday Coupons – Gifts Certificates(patient referrals)

• Good for Massage, consultation, exam, x-ray
• Denominations: Free, $25, $25 or food donation to charity.

Poinsettia Give Away (patient retention)

Give away free poinsettias, one per family.  Include in the cards a gift certificate for family members or friends.  (see Member’s site for gift card)

 Saturday with Santa(patient referrals)

• Set up Santa in your reception room corner
• Treats for the kids
• Pictures with Santa
• Free spinal check with Doc

Appreciation to External Referral Sources.  

Deliver a fruit basket or other present personally during December with a card of thanks and mention how you are looking forward to another year working together.  This would go to any location where you had an external community services type of event, such as a screening or workshop.  Include: “Looking forward to working with you next year.”