In-house:
Nothing beats the resource of potential attendees than your existing patients. In your e-mail, we sent you an editable flier for promo. Here are suggested uses:
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Print a stack for your front desk, have your CA hand out.
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Include a copy of the flier in your Pathways magazines.
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Make copies and post on in-office bulletin boards, walls.
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Include group announcements in your practice e-mails and on your practice social media pages.
In-community:
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Distribute copies of fliers to local preschools, birthing centers, family activity ceenters.
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Connect with community group leaders
You, or your group members, may want to connect with other groups in your area. Below are national organizations with local groups around the country. Check their directories to connect with their groups in your area.
- National and Local Doula Certifying Organizations
- Lamaze International
- The Bradley Method
- International Cesarean Awareness Network
- Le Leche League
- International Lactation Consultant Association
- Holistic Moms Network
- Weston A. Price Foundation
- Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
- Homeschooling organizations
- The Third Path - Creating Time for Life
You might also want to connect up with groups that are completely local in nature. Check with a local birth center to connect with breastfeeding support groups. You might also look for homeschooling or education co-op groups, local farmer’s markets and CSAs (community supported agriculture).
On-line:
- Use social media – Facebook, Twitter, Meetup, emails. Use these media formats to ask parents what they would like to talk about. Start advertising for the group 3-4 weeks in advance of the meeting. Ask for RSVPs (either by phone, email or on social media. You could also consider one of the digital invitations services like Evite).
Tips for creating a Facebook Group:
To create a Pathways Connect Facebook group you can visit your home page of Facebook. Click on the "create" button next to your name and select Group. A group is better suited for discussions among members rather than a page anyone can follow. You may decide to keep the group private so only people you know are able to view and join. This makes it a safe place to discuss any topics you choose.
Decide the name of your group, such as "Pathways Connect - Ohm Chiropractic", and choose your banner by either posting the current cover photo, or creating something unique to your groups. Then you are ready to invite members. These can be patients or other people in the community you want to join.
If you need help with ideas on marketing your group or what to post, you can contact our Pathways Coordinator Kelli at pathwaysconnect@icpa4kids.com
Meet Up:
Meet Up is a bit of a different animal, because it is open to everyone in your geographic region who are members of Meet Up. It will advertise your Meet Up group to all people on Meet Up (or anyone who searches Meetup.com) for groups in their area. You select a variety of interests that relate to your group, and these will be visible to anyone in your area looking for groups with those interests (e.g. Holistic Health, Alternative Medicine, Attachment Parenting, etc).
To start a group as an organizer, Meetup.com requires dues ($19/mo, or less if you choose to join for more than 1 month). There are no costs just to join Meet Up. If you create a Meet Up group, you must commit to having a face-to-face meeting (rather than an online one, I guess), and to not use Meet Up as a marketing tool. It is advisable for you to have your CA open the Meet Up group on behalf of Pathways, Magazine, a fulfillment of the ICPA non-profit mission,, rather than you as a business owner so there is no perception by Meet Up that you are setting up the meeting for practice building purposes.
Meet Up has a very useful Help page that can get you started- http://help.meetup.com/.
You might also find it helpful to view a successful Meet Up page created by Dr. Laura Brayton’s team in Hoboken, NJ - http://www.meetup.com/Holistic-Parents-Hudson-County/members/43640502/