How to Use Contests as an Effective Marketing Tool for Pediatric Dental Practices

Looking for a fun, low-cost way to increase engagement on social media, attract new families and grow your pediatric dental practice? Contests are one of the easiest and most effective ways to generate excitement, expand brand awareness, increase social media engagement and attract new families. Best of all, contests are easy to implement, fun for the whole family and are a low-cost social media marketing strategy for pediatric dentists with a big impact on patient retention, referral rates and community engagement.

Why Social Media Contests Work for Pediatric Dentists

While in-office contests are fun for patients and your staff, social media marketing for pediatric dentists helps you engage with patients, connect with your local community, expand your reach and increase participation. Not only that, social media makes contests shareable and helps to grow your social media following, boost engagement and attract new families who may not yet be familiar with your practice.

4 Benefits of Social Media Contests for Pediatric Dental Practices

Increased Social Media Engagement

Promoting and running your practice’s contests on social media keeps your audience active and returning. Contests can encourage likes, comments, shares, and user-generated content. Every interaction helps your posts (and your practice) reach more people while keeping your current followers engaged with your practice.

Wider Reach

Contests that encourage families to post their own photos and tag your office immediately expand your audience to new potential patients. You can also involve your staff in the fun by having them participate in sharing to extend your reach even further.

Lead Generation

Another effective option for running a contest, especially for start-up pediatric dental practices, is to direct participants to submit their entry on a landing page on your website. Lead forms can gather valuable contact info for future campaigns. Just be sure participants understand how their information will be used and that you obtain necessary marketing consent.

Brand Loyalty

Patients love prizes and being a part of a dental family that truly cares about seeing their community smile! Making dentistry fun creates positive associations with your practice and keeps the kids—and parents—excited to come back for another visit.

10 Contest Ideas to Market Your Pediatric Dental Practice

The best contests are simple, family-friendly, and easy to enter. To kickstart your marketing efforts, here are 10 ideas that can help increase engagement while showcasing the fun personality of your pediatric dental practice.

1. Best Smile Photo Contest
Invite parents to share a photo of their child on Facebook or Instagram showing off their brightest smile, tag your office and use your contest hashtag to be entered for a chance to win.

2. Silly Face Photo Contest
Ask families to post a picture of their funniest silly faces, tag your office and use your contest hashtag to be entered for a chance to win.

3. Coloring Contest
Provide a downloadable dental-themed coloring sheet or hand out printed sheets during appointments. Families can submit completed artwork via email or bring it to the office. For a coloring contest, you can even have your marketing company create custom coloring sheets featuring your logo and branding.

4. Caption This! Contest
Share a funny photo of your team, the dentist, an office mascot or even a stuffed animal in the dental chair (think: Elf on the Shelf), and ask followers to come up with the best caption. Be sure to include that EVERY caption is entered for a chance to win!

5. Cavity-Free Challenge
Celebrate patients with cavity-free checkups by entering them into a monthly or quarterly prize drawing. Alternatively, provide patients with at-home oral hygiene charts and have parents check off for successful daily brushing routines. Parents can then submit the completed chart via email or in-office to enter their child for a chance to win.

6. Guess How Many Contest
Fill a jar with toothbrushes, floss picks, or sugar-free gum and have patients guess how many are inside. The closest guess wins.

7. Back to School Smile Giveaway
Kick off the school year by giving away a backpack filled with school supplies, lunch gear or other family-friendly items. A chance for entry can be anything from commenting on the post with what your child loves about school, who their favorite teacher is, or their favorite summer memory.

8. Holiday or Seasonal Contest
Host themed contests throughout the year, such as: pumpkin decorating, gingerbread house decorating, or a Valentine’s Day card contest.

9. Tooth Fairy Letter Contest
Ask children to write or draw a letter to the Tooth Fairy and submit it for a chance to win a fun prize. (Bonus: Have someone in your office dress up as the Tooth Fairy to showcase the prize!)

10. Dental Trivia Challenge
Post kid-friendly dental trivia questions each week. Families who answer a question correctly are entered into a prize drawing. For this contest, be sure to make the questions multiple choice with some humorous answers to keep it lighthearted.

How to Run a Successful Social Media Contest in 6 Steps

Step 1: Choose the right contest.

Choose from the list above or start with your own great ideas. Make sure the idea is simple and clear. Your contest can be as simple as posting a silly photo and asking patients to post a caption in the comments, or to fill a jar with items for a “guess how many” game.

Step 2: Be clear about the instructions, rules and guidelines.

Before launching your contest, be sure you understand the guidelines and best practices for the social media platform you are using. Next, give your patients clear instructions on how to participate, who is eligible to enter, when the contest begins and ends, how winners will be selected, and any other applicable information. Always state the parameters and any fine print, including restrictions, clearly.

If you are using the contest for lead generation, think through the information you want to gather from participants, acquire necessary consents, and have a lead follow-up plan ready to roll.

Pro Tip: Keep contest entry requirements simple. The easier it is to participate, the more likely your patients and community will enter and share.

Step 3: Announce the prize.

When offering gift cards or services, remember you don’t just want entrants. You want entrants who will become patients. What type of prize would motivate a parent to schedule their child’s first visit? What age group of patients are you targeting?

Prize ideas that parents and kids love:

• Gift cards to a local toy store or ice cream shop
• Family passes to a children’s museum or zoo
• Movie tickets for a new animated release
• A kid-friendly smartwatch or tablet
• Electric toothbrush kits for the whole family

Pro Tip: Partnering with local businesses to offer prizes is a wonderful way to build strong relationships. Not only does it create a sense of community, but it also doubles your exposure, as both of you share the contest promotion.

Step 4: Set the timeframe for the contest.

When planning the contest, determine the timeframe for the contest. Be mindful of the sweet spot between creating urgency so participants remember to enter and giving enough time for potential leads to enter.

Contests with smaller prizes can run for shorter periods and more frequently. For example, run a Win it Wednesday contest with a smaller weekly prize. Contests offering a larger prize can run for a longer period.

Step 5: Time to Advertise.

Once your contest is planned and organized, it’s time to spread the word! Whether you choose to run your contest on Facebook, Instagram, or both, be sure to promote the contest in-office and on your other channels. Add the contest details to your monthly email newsletter or send out an email blast with links to the contest. Don’t forget to promote the contest at your practice’s reception area and have the dental hygienists share the fun with their patients.

Step 6: Announce the winner!

Create a lot of fun and excitement around announcing the winner. Take a photo of the winner with their prize and a team member when they come to collect. Announcing the winner on your Facebook and Instagram accounts will keep the contest going even after it has ended, reminding followers of the prizes, your practice, and the value your brand offers. Also, be sure to thank all the participants and invite them to follow your page, visit your practice and stay tuned for the next contest or giveaway.

Pro Tip: Post a short video of the prize reveal and the winner announcement to keep excitement high. Giveaways aren’t just about the prize—they’re about creating buzz around your dental office brand.

Make Social Media Contests Part of Your Pediatric Dental Marketing Strategy

The best pediatric dental marketing does not always require a large advertising budget. Sometimes, a simple contest is all it takes to create excitement, encourage families to engage with your practice, and generate lasting word-of-mouth referrals. With the right strategy, contests can become a fun and effective part of your overall marketing plan.

At Edify Dental Marketing, we can help your practice develop a customized pediatric dental marketing strategy tailored to their brand and designed to achieve long-term growth goals. Book a discovery call with Joelle, Edify's founder and an expert in dental marketing, to get started with a customized social media and marketing strategy for your practice.