The good summer weather is here and so begins the summer slump (no pun intended) for chiropractic practices. Several times throughout the year, chiropractors are challenged to keep the flow of patients constant, but it’s a fact that patient appointments always seem to slow down a bit more during the summer season.

The reasons vary; but the main reason is that people just get busy and their routines have changed. When the normal routine of school has ceased during the summer months, another routine begins and what happens is that the trip to the chiropractor falls out of the summer routine.

I guess it’s easy to do. Sports and other activities take a break and summer activities take over. During the school year, many families will schedule their chiropractic appointments after school; They pass on the way home. When you remove “picking up the kids from school” from a mom’s daily schedule, you also remove that convenience factor of having everyone in the car and being out of the house.

So what is a chiropractor to do? How can you compete with the excitement of summer fun and get back into a mom’s busy daily routine? This is when you have to get creative in your chiropractic marketing.

First of all, you have to think like a child and you have to think like a parent. It’s not that hard to do with a little help.

Below are six seasonal ideas to boost your chiropractic marketing and keep those patients from abandoning their chiropractic routine. These ideas are simple and the cost is minimal. One day a week during the summer months, have a theme day. I have listed some ideas below;

Beach party- Tell your patients that on this special summer day, children can come dressed for a day at the beach. Bathing suits, flip flops, beach towels, hats, sunglasses. Let them choose how they go overboard. Buy a cheap plastic pool and fill it with sand, not the whole pool, just enough to cover some trinkets you buy at the party store. They are usually sold in large bags. Bury the trinkets in the sand and let the children search for a trinket or two.

Fill Food Bank Day- This is ideal for children as they love to give to others. Summer is a slow time for area food banks. On this day, you may have your student patients bring a canned or boxed food item.

Creative Writing or Art Contest- Have your student patients write something about why they go to the chiropractor and how it helps them. Or have them draw a picture showing what they do at the chiropractor. Have a wall dedicated to displaying these works. You can even have jobs judged by other patients as they come in. Papers can be numbered and your patients can vote for their favorite. Have a coupon for a snow cone as a prize for the winners.

The Chiro Shop – Set up a mini store with affordable toys and items that kids can browse all summer long. Give each item a cost in tickets. Every time the kids come in, they get a ticket to save something they see in the store. Tickets can also be given away when they have participated in one of the aforementioned events. Give a ticket to bring a friend. Give a ticket for being on time. Encourage children to tell you what they are saving for.

Popcorn Mania – Rent a popcorn machine for a day and serve it fresh in paper cups.

Where is Chiro Waldo? Find Waldo stickers and place them in weird places throughout your office and waiting room. Tell the children to see how many they can find. Maybe they should get a ticket for every one they can point to. Do not forget to include the little ones in this activity. Make some easy to find ones.

This is also a great way to engage your staff in chiropractic marketing, interacting with patients, and enjoying their time at work during the summer months.

Plan your activities, write them on bright, summer-colored paper, and post them at the front desk for your patients to see. If you collect patient emails, send the activity calendar in an email to all your patients. Do you have Facebook? Post the activities there too and your patients can follow them through their status updates.

Sounds like super summer fun at the chiropractor’s office. You might even win some new patients when you become the coolest chiropractor in town.