Urgent Care Marketing 101: Tips to Draw a Crowd at Community Events

Perhaps the best way to get the word out about your urgent care center in the local community is to participate in the right community event.

Nearly every city has a major seasonal celebration, whether it’s the Fourth of July fireworks, a music festival, Labor Day parade, or summer party. The process of getting involved is usually as simple as paying a sponsorship or exhibitor fee.

From there you schedule staff and purchase giveaways for the event, set up a booth, and prepare to pass out information and talk to visitors about urgent care services. The marketing efforts should translate into better community awareness of your urgent care center—and more feet through the door.

But there are potential pitfalls, if you don’t attract people to your booth the return on investment of your sponsorship at the event could be nonexistent. Consider these five tips to boost your booth performance at a community festival or other event:

Get the Right Location: Just like any retail selling space, a community event booth is “real estate.” Make sure you’re in a high-visibility, high-traffic location—ideally near an entrance, refreshment vendors, entertainment, bathrooms, or queues for other attractions.

Offer Treats: A great way to gain booth traffic is to feature a display table stocked with assorted snacks and bottled water. Branded items that end up in attendees’ bags can remind them of your business later on. Weary passersby will be grateful for the pick-me-up and become ideal candidates for your marketing pitch.

Employ a Mascot: Use of a child-friendly mascot (think a life-sized costume of an animal or caricature) will draw families with children to your booth. It will work even better if the mascot interacts with the crowd and makes himself available for photos, and somehow ties back into the urgent care brand. If your center doesn’t have its own mascot, consider inviting one from a local high school or college. Also, have a “helper” on hand to assist the mascot in moving around and be ready to talk to attendees about the urgent care center services.

Have Games: By far the most effective activity to draw crowds at an event is to offer an interactive party-style game setup near the front of your display. People love games, and they love winning prizes. Most have been inundated with marketing talk and sales pitches all day, so the prospect of having some lighthearted fun is a welcome diversion. Consider giving away branded marketing items, such as bags, pens, magnets, and T-shirts.

Feature a Prize Wheel: This attraction is almost sure to lure people to your booth. It’s easy to set up, inexpensive and versatile—and there’s just something about the sounds and colors that never fails to attract an audience. Try to weave in a message about your urgent care, and send winners away with a branded T-shirt, canvas bag, or other swag that continues to help spread your marketing message.

Check back all this month for marketing tips and strategies we’re offering for Urgent Care Awareness Month. And send any specific marketing questions or topics you’d like to see addressed to dwallheimer@practicevelocity.com.