Start early!

It’s almost upon us! The most wonderful and exciting time of the year is peeking over the horizon! Soon, you and your loved ones will gather ’round to eat pumpkin pie, drink marshmallow hot chocolate, exchange gifts and sit cozily by the crackling fire. But, even more, your practice’s business will boom as patients and potential patients want to glam up and look their best to celebrate the merry season.

So, because it can and WILL (let’s be honest) get busy amongst you and your staff, we truly advise you to begin planning and strategizing now. Here are some things to begin planning and start discussing with your team:

Holiday Marketing Plan 

Make sure your holiday marketing plan, budget, staff and graphics are in order so you’re able to properly execute what is needed and meet your Q4 goals. If your team does not have a marketing plan by the first of November, they are behind. Be sure to take a couple of weeks to make sure a plan is in place and ready before then. Pro tip: Make it a community effort. Get your staff involved in planning this festive season. As a result, they will feel more invested, excited and “in the spirit” if they feel their ideas are valued and taken seriously. Ask seasoned staff what worked well last year and what they wish they could change; then, make adjustments.

Office Events

Are you going to have any holiday events in your office this upcoming season? If so, start planning items such as your theme, what products or services you will sample or provide to guests, what marketing materials will promote your event, such as your e-newsletter and social media posts, and also prepare a photography consent form that guests can sign to allow permission for their photos to be taken AND be posted onto your social media channels. Planning events can take time so doing this ahead of time will make things so much smoother and easier to execute.

Gift Certificates

What better gift to give to a loved one than the opportunity to receive a nice treatment, procedure or skincare product from your practice! Gift certificates or gift cards are great items to offer to your patients as they make perfect gifts for their loved ones and will benefit your business by increasing your patient base number as well as your revenue.

Specials and Promotions

This ties in with your marketing plan and office events. Planning which specials you will offer now, ahead of time, will make things so much easier for your team to implement and roll out when it comes time to promote them. Your team will not run around stressed or overwhelmed, wondering who, what, when, where, and how. Instead, they will know exactly which specials you’ll be offering, which marketing materials to post or send to your patients, when and where to post them and how. Optimally, we suggest planning your sales and promotions through the end of the year.

Employee PTO

This one is very important. Your staff will be wanting to take days off to spend time with their loved ones, and therefore you need to begin planning and organizing accordingly so everyone does not take off at the same time and you have enough coverage. Let staff know how much notice they should give if they are going to be off between November 1st and January 1st. Be sure to review paid time off policies ahead of time with your team. If your medical providers are contractors, let them know ample amount of time is the fair thing for the practice to be able to schedule patients accordingly. If providers are employees, remind them their time off will require approval so that overlaps do not occur and become problematic. Pro tip: It’s good to plan for busy phones and a higher than average volume of social media requests to come in. Be sure to always have someone who ensures all of those requests are answered as soon as possible.

Open/Close Times

Something important you should begin solidifying is your office hours. Your patients will want to know your hours of operations during the holidays as they begin to make plans for visiting family, vacationing, attending parties, etc. Your staff will also want to know which days the practice will be closed. Post a notice of any dates the practice will be closed for the holidays on all social media profiles, on-hold messaging, front door, check-in and check-out areas and in an e-newsletter. Be sure to also let patients know who to call if any procedural complications should arise. Pro tip: don’t forget to make adjustments on your website and Google My Business profile!

Influx of Insurance-based business

We’re aware that about 40-50% of our cosmetic/aesthetic medical practice clients take insurance for their patients’ procedures. If you’re a practice accepting insurance from patients, you’re more than likely going to get a lot of insurance-based business at the end of the year. Start planning how you will manage this end-of-the-year influx while still making time and keeping slots for your coveted cash-based patients. Be sure to not only note this in your practice management electronic system but with your Director of First Impressions (i.e. your receptionist) as well!

Influencer Marketing Campaign

The holidays can be one of the most lucrative and competitive times for business. If you are planning on partnering with an influencer to get your brand noticed during the holidays, you must plan your collaboration months in advance. With holiday sales and promotions coming up, many influencers will be very busy. That’s why it’s crucial to get a head start and start planning things such as the goal of your holiday campaign, your budget, what service you’ll be promoting, and most importantly, which influencer you’ll be partnering with! 

If you’re anticipating a hectic and busy season we’re happy to come to your rescue and bring you relief! Read our blog: “How to Turn the Holiday Season Around” for tips and strategies to have a joyful and stress-free time with your patients and staff this holiday season.