When it comes to getting your practice seen, attending local events can be a great way for dentists to increase their visibility. Whether you are a new practice looking to attract new patients or a well-established one looking to keep your existing patients engaged, being present at events in your community is one of the most effective ways to reach out to potential patients.
At local events, dentists have the opportunity to showcase their services, meet new people, and network with others in the area. Additionally, local events offer a prime opportunity to increase your practice’s online presence through social media and online platforms. To make the most of the opportunity, it is important to develop a strategy for increasing your visibility and a comprehensive plan to follow through with your objectives.
Becoming a Local Sponsor
One great way for dentists to increase visibility at local events is to become a sponsor. Event sponsors are often given recognition on the event’s website, advertising materials, and other promotional items, which can help to increase your practice’s visibility and attract new patients. Being a sponsor at local events can also help to strengthen your practice’s relationship with the community at large and make you a more active and visible part of your community.
Participating in Events
Even if you are not able to sponsor the event, attending as a participant can be a solid way to increase your practice’s visibility. For example, you might have a booth at a local health fair, where you can distribute informational brochures about your practice and network with other health care professionals in your community. Other opportunities might include donating your services or items for raffle prizes, as well as participating in educational forums or speaking engagements related to oral hygiene and dental health.
When participating in local events as part of your practice’s marketing strategy, it is important to remember to be professional at all times. Being a good representative of your practice is crucial to making the most of these opportunities and encouraging people to become new patients.
Utilizing Online Platforms
Once you have attended an event and collected business cards from new contacts, it is important to follow up on those leads in order to solidify your practice’s visibility. An easy way to do this is to connect on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Connecting with potential new patients through social media is a great way to introduce them to your practice and keep them engaged.
Additionally, posting to online photo sharing sites such as Flickr or Instagram can help to increase your practice’s visibility and draw attention to your participation in local events. By posting photos from the event and tagging other attendees, your practice can become part of the local conversation and attract new patients.
Getting the Most Out of Local Events
When attending local events, it is important to make the most of the opportunity. To do so, it can be helpful to create an event-specific marketing plan, which outlines your goals and objectives for the event and the strategies that you will use to meet those objectives. In the plan, be sure to include a timeline, a list of necessary personnel and materials, and a plan for tracking results.
In addition to the marketing plan, it can be helpful to do a post-event evaluation to understand what worked and what did not. Evaluating the event in this manner can help your practice to better understand the benefits of attending local events and how to improve for the next time.
Conclusion
Attending local events can be an effective way for dentists to increase their practice’s visibility and attract new patients. Becoming a sponsor or participating in the event as a participant are both great ways to make the most out of the opportunity. Once you have attended an event, connecting with participants online can help to further increase your practice’s visibility. By creating a comprehensive strategy and evaluating the results, dentists can make the most out of local events and reach new patients in their community.