- Medical practices can maximize end-of-year appointments by creating a holiday marketing plan that emphasizes expiring insurance benefits, seasonal health services, and convenient scheduling during patients’ time off.
- A successful holiday marketing strategy combines timely content across multiple channels (email, SMS, and social media) with strategic incentives and local partnerships to keep your calendar booked through year-end.
- Medical practices should start their holiday marketing planning 4–6 weeks in advance and focus on patient-centered messaging that balances promotional content with valuable health education and seasonal wellness tips.
The holiday season is here, and busy patients are more prone to no show or cancel appointments made in advance. To prevent gaps in your appointment calendar, it’s important to implement a strategic medical practice holiday marketing plan that capitalizes on end-of-year opportunities.
Here’s how to create an effective holiday marketing plan that works for your practice.
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1. Identify key services to promote
Start by determining which services are most relevant and popular during the holiday season. Flu shots and other vaccinations are a prime example. Flu season runs from October through early spring so it's important to promote that patients get vaccinated as early as possible. If a patient already has their flu shot, other vaccines can be offered to prevent viruses and illnesses like shingles, pneumonia, or RSV.
Other health services to promote include:
- Preventive screenings
- Annual wellness visits
- Services that can utilize expiring insurance benefits
- Elective procedures patients may schedule during time off
2. Develop a medical practice holiday marketing content calendar
Creating a content calendar is crucial for organizing your holiday marketing efforts.
“A content calendar is crucial for organizing your holiday marketing efforts.”
Best practices include:
- Plan your content 4–6 weeks in advance
- Include all marketing channels (email, social media, blog, etc.)
- Align your content with specific holidays and events (e.g., Thanksgiving, Black Friday, New Year’s)
- Ensure a balanced mix of promotional and educational content
Example content calendar entry:
| ・Email: "Last Chance for 2025 Benefits" reminder ・Social media: 3 posts on winter well-being tips ・Blog: "5 Health-Focused New Year's Resolutions" ・Website: Update homepage banner for end-of-year appointments |
3. Craft relevant messaging
Develop messaging that resonates with patients during the holiday season by:
- Emphasizing the importance of staying healthy during the holidays
- Reminding patients to use their insurance benefits before they expire
- Highlighting the convenience of scheduling appointments during time off work
4. Launch holiday email marketing campaigns
Email remains one of the most effective ways to reach patients. Consider these campaign ideas:
- "Use it or lose it" insurance benefit reminders
- A series of holiday health tips related to your specialty
- End-of-year appointment availability updates
- New Year's resolution tie-ins for health goals, and starting fresh in the following year
Here’s a sample email template to send out to patients:
| Subject: Don't Let Your 2025 Health Benefits Expire! Dear [Patient Name], As the year comes to a close, we want to remind you to take full advantage of your remaining 2025 health insurance benefits. Many plans reset on January 1, meaning any unused benefits may be lost. Consider scheduling: ・Your annual wellness exam ・Any outstanding screenings or tests ・Procedures you've been postponing Our office has limited availability through the end of the year. Book now to secure your appointment: [Scheduling link] Wishing you a healthy and happy holiday season, [Practice Name] |
5. Leverage social media
Many patients spend more time on social media than checking their email inboxes — making social media a strategic way to engage patients and promote your services. Here are some ideas for posts:
- Share holiday health tips and infographics
- Post a "12 Days of Wellness" countdown
- Showcase staff holiday celebrations
- Run a holiday-themed photo contest
- Share patient success stories
6. Implement SMS marketing
Text messaging can be an effective way to reach patients quickly:
- Send appointment reminders with a holiday theme
- Offer last-minute openings to a targeted list
- Provide quick health tips for the holiday season
Here are some sample text messages:
| [Practice Name]: Holiday reminder! We have 3 appointments left this year. Reply YES to grab one before your 2025 benefits expire. Happy holidays! 🎆 |
| Holiday tip: Don't let your FSA funds go to waste! Schedule your annual check-up or that procedure you've been putting off before December 31. Call us to book: [Phone number] |
| 🎅 Santa's not the only one making a list! Check off these important health to-dos before the year ends. ✅ Annual physical ✅ Flu shot ✅ Dental cleaning ✅ Eye exam Book now: [Link] |
7. Update your practice website
Use your website to promote medical practice holiday marketing efforts:
- Add a banner promoting end-of-year appointments
- Create a dedicated landing page for holiday health services
- Update your blog with holiday-related health content
Prominently feature your online scheduling
8. Offer incentives to book
Incentives can be an effective way to motivate patients. Drive appointment bookings with special offers, including:
- Discount elective procedures booked before year-end
- Referral bonuses for patients who recommend friends or family
- Bundle services for a comprehensive "holiday health package"
9. Partner with other local businesses
Add convenience and value to patients by collaborating with local businesses to cross-promote your offerings. For example, your practice could:
- Offer flu shots at local businesses
- Partner with gyms for New Year's resolution promotions
- Provide health tips for other businesses' newsletters or podcasts
10. Run paid advertising
Boost your reach with targeted paid marketing, by:
- Running Google Ads to promote specific end-of-year services
- Using Facebook and Instagram ads to reach local patients
- Implementing retargeting campaigns to re-engage website visitors
You can also optimize your practice website for local search. To ensure your practice appears in local results:
- Update your Google Business Profile listing with holiday hours
- Create posts on Google Business Profile about end-of-year services
- Encourage patients to leave reviews mentioning specific services
11. Measure your medical practice holiday marketing success
Different marketing tactics will produce varying ROI for your practice. Monitor the performance of your marketing efforts and adjust your strategy to what’s working best. You may find that it’s not even worth investing in certain areas. Here are ways to track performance:
- Analyze email open rates and click-through rates (CTR)
- Review social media engagement metrics
- Compare performance to previous years to identify trends
- Conduct a post-holiday analysis to inform next year's strategy
Wrapping up
Implementing this medical practice holiday marketing plan, can help drive appointments and keep your schedule full through the end of the year. Remember to start early, be consistent with your messaging, and focus on providing value to your patients during the busy holiday season and beyond.
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- Current Version – Nov 21, 2025Changes: Edits made to reflect the most recent and up-to-date information.
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