Do's and don'ts for the marketing coordinator: Use a marketing calendar

Do you have a handle on your promotions throughout the year? Have you started work on practice events for the spring and summer? Use a marketing calendar to help plan your strategies and events for the entire year. It's a simple tool, but one that can have a big impact on your and your practice's performance.

Build out the calendar for the year. You need to see the marketing plan in its totality. By filling out the entire calendar -- taking into account seasonal promotions -- you can see if you have too many or too little strategies in play. You can also identify if you're using the same type of strategies too frequently. Once the calendar is complete, you can review it and make any necessary adjustments.

Don't forget to be flexible. Your great idea for a practice open house in September may not work if it's the same night the local school is holding a fundraiser. Use the marketing calendar as a guide for the year, but realize you may have to make changes to it due to scheduling conflicts and other unexpected issues.

Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the founder and CEO of Levin Group, the leading dental practice consulting firm in North America. For the complete list of dates and locations where you can attend his latest seminar, visit www.levingroup.com/gpseminars.

The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.