With the arrival of fall in September, many people get into the swing of celebrating all things autumn. Folks are back in town after vacation, kids have returned to school, and everyone’s ready for the transition from summer to winter. It’s an ideal time to tap into seasonal activities in order to promote your dental practice to consolidate your business and attract new patients.

There are many fun occasions during fall that you can use to highlight your dental office. Thanksgiving and Halloween are the autumn occasions that stand out but there are many smaller fall events you can take advantage of to generate interest in your practice. The run-up to any or all of these occasions lends itself to special offers on Facebook or Instagram, employing wording and imagery that reflects the excitement of the event on your website.

There may also be local fall events that you can get involved in to boost your presence in the community. If your area stages its own fall festivals, consider offering them sponsorship to promote your practice among potential patients. Maybe you could take a booth or tent at one of these events to feature special offers you’re running. These are great opportunities to get backlinks to your website which is a huge benefit to your Dental Website SEO. You should also share these events through your social media channels and on your website.

Take advantage of the season’s opportunities with our top 10 dental marketing ideas for fall 2018.

1. THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving (November 22) can be tough on teeth as families gather around a sumptuous feast of irresistible foods that can affect your oral health as well as your waistline. Run a blog on your dental website and post on social media about how families can minimize the impact of Thanksgiving on their teeth by brushing and flossing throughout the day and avoiding overindulgence on sugary treats.

Thanksgiving also presents the opportunity to express gratitude to other dentists who refer patients to you. Send them a personalized email and maybe a gift basket.

2. HALLOWEEN

You can use Halloween (October 31) as a fun way to connect with your local community and encourage healthy habits. Try a Halloween candy buyback promotion to help protect kids’ teeth while supporting U.S. troops overseas as part of Operation

Gratitude. Many dental offices pay $1 per pound for candy brought in by children, which is then shipped out to give overseas troops a small taste of home. Or you could buy back the candy with coupons, toothbrushes or toys.

Alternatively, you could ask parents to encourage their children to dress up in their Halloween garb for their dental appointments. This gives you the chance to explain the damage too much sugar can do to children’s teeth, particularly during Halloween. Reward them with a treat of sugar-free candy or a gift bag.

3. A NIGHT AT THE MOVIES

As Halloween approaches, horror movies such as the scary “Halloween” or the comedic “Beetlejuice” are likely to be showing at a movie theater near you. Show your patients you value them by offering them movie ticket giveaways or the chance to win a night out at the movies as they automatically get entered into a monthly draw when they turn up for appointments on time or enter special Facebook raffles where you enter them into a drawing for sharing and commenting on your post.

4. VIDEO/PHOTO CONTESTS

Run an Instagram video or photo contest. Ask patients to post images of their families taking part in their favorite fall activities – apple picking, for instance – with a designated hashtag. An exclusive hashtag will not only help you keep track of entries but can also highlight your dental office or a specific service you offer. Choose a winner and offer them a free gift.

5. YOUR VERY OWN HARVEST FESTIVAL

Hold your own harvest festival. This is a variation on the worldwide harvest festival theme, in which gifts of food are collected for the needy. Email patients to offer them a discount if they bring canned and other nonperishable food items to your practice for donation to a local food pantry.

6. NATIONAL ORTHODONTIC HEALTH MONTH

If your dental office offers orthodontic treatment, don’t forget that October is National Orthodontic Health Month (NOHM), which gives you the chance to engage with your patients and the community about the importance of orthodontic treatment.

You can celebrate NOHM by blogging on topics such as “Myths About Orthodontic Treatment” or “How Invisalign has Revolutionized Orthodontic Treatment”. Think about offering features on similar subjects to your local newspapers and use social media to spread the word about the orthodontic services you offer.

7. AMERICAN DIABETES MONTH

One in 11 Americans suffers from diabetes, and November is American Diabetes Month. Many people don’t realize they may be at risk of diabetes or already have the disease. American Diabetes Month is the perfect time to encourage your patients to discover whether they may be in danger of developing the condition. One way to do this is by creating a diabetes risk assessment patient survey.

Tell your patients why the poor control of blood sugar associated with diabetes increases the risk of gum problems, and how, as with all infections, serious gum disease (periodontitis) can result in a rise in blood sugar. You can do this through various media including posters, handouts, social sites and blogging on your own dental website.

8. MAKE ONLINE ADS FALL-THEMED

Google AdWords enables dentists to instantly engage with the huge numbers of prospective patients who use Google’s search facilities when looking for dental care.

If you run Google AdWords campaigns, try adapting your ads to reflect a fall theme such as Thanksgiving or Halloween or anything else that people may be getting excited about at this time of year. You can monitor the effectiveness of this tactic by using AdWords Analytics to see whether you’re getting more clicks.

9. SHOW YOU’RE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

Fall is a big fundraising time for charities and schools. Reach out to those in your neighborhood and offer your services for raffles and auctions. This will raise awareness of your practice while demonstrating you’re a good neighbor.

10. LOOK AHEAD TO THE FESTIVE SEASON

As fall moves into late November, many people will begin to focus on Christmas. You could run a late fall tooth whitening promotion. Christmas is the busiest social period for most people and they will be more inclined to want their teeth to sparkle like festive lights for all those parties and selfies. You could also discount your cosmetic treatments and package them as fabulous Christmas gifts.