Is your day-to-day routine draining the energy out of your pharmacy? Celebrating holidays and hosting events can rejuvenate your business and draw people in for more than a prescription refill. You probably won’t find all of these five holidays preprinted on national calendars, but they offer a fun way to showcase your pharmacy’s products and services, and to help you get involved in the community.
1. Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October)
Promote health in your store by participating in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This holiday offers a way to raise awareness about a national health concern and to build relationships with women in your community. Breast cancer affects one in eight women in the United States and your pharmacy can be a valuable resource for those in your community. Consider attaching a reminder to schedule a yearly mammogram to prescription bags. Stocking items featuring the signature pink can also drive foot traffic to your pharmacy. And if you donate a percentage of all pink products purchased, you’ll boost front-end sales while also supporting a good cause.
2. World Photo Day (August 19)
Celebrate this worldwide observance of creativity in your pharmacy by collecting random props, hats and other costume items for a photo booth. Then, set up a photo area outside your store on World Photo Day. People passing by won’t be able to resist the temptation to take part in the fun. If you’re not pressed for floor space, consider putting the booth inside to give people something to do while they wait for their prescriptions. Joining in on this oddball holiday can also encourage customers to promote your pharmacy on social media. When they take a photo, ask them to post it using a specific hashtag or handle, or to tag your pharmacy in the post. All you have to do is provide the goofy costumes and your customers will do the rest.
3. Take Your Dog to Work Day (June 20)
Take Your Dog to Work Day presents an opportunity to reach pet owners and to promote specialty services your pharmacy offers, such as flavoring medications for pets. While you may not want your four-legged friends in your store, you can hand out pet treats and flyers with information about your services to your customers and place pet toys, treats and water bowls outside to celebrate. Or, consider sponsoring a pet parade in your parking lot or in the local dog park. This fun event can help build a bond with your customers—the two and four-legged kind.
4. Grandparents’ Day (September 13)
Grandparents in your community are likely to regularly visit the pharmacy. As of 2004, people 65 years and older were spending more than $2,000 per year for prescription drugs alone. Celebrating a day about them on Grandparents’ Day, and their favorite pastime—their grandkids—is a great way to get this group in your pharmacy. Consider providing free coffee for grandparents to entice them to stop in and take the opportunity to remind them that you are a community pharmacy that has a lot to offer, including a personal touch that they might not find in other pharmacies.
5. A random, non-holiday holiday
Pick a random holiday—Groundhog Day, Bastille Day, National Rubber Ducky Day—and make it your own. Or, choose something you are passionate about, like local artists, or baking, and declare a day in celebration of it! These holidays give your store personality that big box pharmacies lack. Participating in an offbeat event gives you a chance to promote your pharmacy without competing with other holiday store promotions like during Thanksgiving or Easter. You could even use it as a customer appreciation day. Make it an event not to be missed with games for kids, special deals, and even a “Chat with Your Pharmacist” afternoon, where patients can get some face time with the person behind the counter.
All of these events can take place both in your store and online. Expand the reach of your event by encouraging people to post their stories, photos and share information online to raise your pharmacy’s profile.
Related articles:
How to Put Together a Successful Pharmacy Health Fair Booth
Get Involved: 4 Ways to Participate in Your Community
How Engaging in Your Community Can Benefit Your Pharmacy
