What is Dinner with Doc?
Dinner with Doc (DWD) is an engaging way to connect with potential new patients by hosting a community speaking event over dinner. Guests come for the meal and stay for a presentation on a topic of your choosing. The event wraps up with an in-person call to action, providing an excellent opportunity to sign multiple new patients at once. This guide will help you plan, promote, and execute your DWD event independently, ensuring it’s a success from start to finish.
The DWD Process: A 7-Week Timeline
To ensure a successful Dinner with Doc event, follow this detailed 7-week timeline. Each week has specific goals designed to help you promote and execute the event effectively.
Week 1 | Planning + Discovery
Planning
Start by preparing yourself for the journey ahead. Schedule a 30-minute planning session to outline your tasks and gather the necessary information. Begin with preliminary tasks like setting up your marketing accounts, creating a list of potential venues, and compiling a list of your current customers to create a lookalike audience for advertising.
Be sure to set clear expectations and understand the timeline. Review your preliminary tasks to ensure you have all the necessary information at hand.
Discovery
Now, dive into discovering what makes your market unique. Conduct thorough research on your area’s culture, nuances, and customer base. This knowledge will be invaluable in tailoring your event and marketing efforts. Document your findings meticulously, as they will guide your strategies throughout the process.
By the end of Week 1, make sure to reserve your event venue. This early reservation will give you ample time to create and distribute the necessary promotional materials.
Week 2 | The Build
With your groundwork laid, it’s time to build the infrastructure needed to promote your event effectively. Start by developing an ad strategy tailored to your market. Consider factors like market size, location, and season, and identify key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure your success, such as impressions, click-through rates, and cost per lead.
Next, set up your ad account if needed, and create the required graphics. You can use platforms like Eventbrite to set up your event page. Build your ads and prepare the campaign for launch, ensuring everything is polished and ready to go. Conduct a final internal review of all materials to guarantee quality before launching your campaign.
Week 3-6 | Iteration
This phase is all about testing and optimizing your ad campaigns to achieve the best results. Conduct regular check-ins to analyze and fine-tune your ads. Use a systematic approach to test different variables and improve performance. Here’s how you can structure your check-ins:
24-hour Check-in
Ensure your campaign is set up correctly and note any early success indicators. This initial check will help you confirm that everything is running smoothly and identify any immediate issues.
1-week Check-in
Assess your campaign’s performance after the initial learning phase. Focus on KPIs to determine the effectiveness of your strategy. Since the event is still weeks away, prioritize metrics like impressions and click-through rates over registration numbers.
2-week Check-in
Implement optimization protocols based on your campaign’s status. If needed, adjust your ad creative or copy to improve performance. This is when you start to see more significant trends and can make informed decisions to boost your campaign.
3-week Check-in
By now, you should have a substantial number of registrations. Make any necessary adjustments to ensure you meet your goals. Continue to optimize your ads based on the data you’ve gathered.
Friday Before Event Check-in
This is your final check-in before the event. Maximize your ad spend and make any last-minute changes to drive registrations. Decide if any additional promotional efforts are needed to ensure a successful turnout.
During this iteration process, use an Optimization Checklist to make incremental changes to specific variables. Apply a “red, yellow, green” check-in system to assess your campaign’s status and take necessary actions:
- GREEN: Healthy registrations and cost per lead.
- YELLOW: Moderate registrations and cost per lead.
- RED: Low registrations and poor cost per lead.
Week 7 | Follow-up
After your event, it’s essential to review its success and gather feedback. Schedule a 30-minute self-review session to assess how the event went and document all the necessary information in an Event Stats Sheet. This will help you make informed decisions for future events.
Create a brief SMS campaign to reach out to attendees who didn’t sign up during the event. This follow-up effort can help you capture any remaining interest and convert attendees into new patients.
Ready to run your own Dinner with Doc event?
By following this comprehensive guide, you’ll be well-prepared to host a successful Dinner with Doc event, attract new patients, and grow your practice. Remember, the key to success lies in thorough planning, effective promotion, and continuous optimization. Use the resources and knowledge you’ve gathered to troubleshoot and improve your process along the way.
Want help with your Dinner with Doc event?
Our proven strategy is the result of extensive testing and refining, and years of experience. It’s what we do best. Whether it’s hosting a Dinner with Doc or other creative marketing tactics, our team can help you find the winning strategy for your market.
With each Dinner with Doc event, we’ve honed our approach to ensure maximum impact. From the initial planning stages through to post-event follow-ups, every step is designed to optimize your results and bring new patients through your doors.
If you want help with your Dinner with Doc event, schedule a call with one of our experts today. Let us put our expertise to work for you and make your next event a resounding success.
