There’s a line from an old song that says “everything old is new again.” We see this in fashion and home décor, but we can also apply it to orthodontic marketing. Back before iPhones and iPads, some doctors would have their young patients “pay” part of the cost of the replacement for a lost or damaged retainer by writing an essay regarding how it got into a state that needed replacement. These essays would be put into a binder in the waiting room and made for fun reading for moms and patients. The deal was that the doctor would take $50 off the replacement retainer in exchange for the essay. Patients were encouraged to use their creativity and imagination……..the story could be true or totally fiction…..but it should be fun to read. We had stories about pets and lunch trays……and alien abductions of retainers!
In our current offices, these books would be anachronisms, but we could sure have some fun with these stories on Facebook. Give the same $50 discount for the essay, then post the stories on Facebook, where the story with the most “likes” gets a prize at the end of each quarter or monthly range. We can encourage responsibility, creativity and writing skills while getting grandmothers, aunts and cousins liking our Facebook posts……seems like a win/win situation to us!
