Woodyard Periodontics is holding strong at 6% YTD referral growth through June — on pace with the 5% annual benchmark. June is slightly down in referral volume, which is expected given Q2/Q3 seasonality and summer vacations impacting both referring offices and patient scheduling. Importantly, the practice has 11 more providers referring in the previous 90 days compared to the prior period — a very positive leading indicator. The 30-day view of May outreach shows earnings up nearly $130,000, even with referral volume slightly down, confirming that outreach is attracting higher-value cases. July may see a mild dip due to vacation schedules for both Dr. Woodyard and Dr. Dority — however, referral volume tracks inbound referrals, not scheduled consults, so the impact may be less pronounced than anticipated.
Two providers stood out in the 30-day May outreach review. A provider that Dr. Dority had proactively engaged through a dinner and ongoing communication generated a $3,600 case. A second provider, Angela Smith (approximately one hour north), referred a patient who converted to a $10,000 case — her first referral in the prior 30-day window. Dr. Dority has been maintaining direct communication with many providers via phone and text, which is contributing meaningfully to earnings growth. Jayme noted she is excited to see the 90-day view of these results.
The open house took place on June 19th and generated approximately 50 RSVPs, with an estimated 25 attendees showing up — a roughly 50% show rate. Attendance was concentrated in the 4:30 to 5:30pm window. The food truck (Mexican cuisine) was very well received, and the mocktail station — featuring a mango margarita and strawberry limeade — was a standout hit that guests complimented throughout the event. The event worked well for what it was, but the lower-than-expected attendance was a reminder that summer timing is challenging. Michelle will send event photos to Jayme to share in the PRD group chat as inspiration for other practices.
Jayme shared data from Cameron showing that the highest-ROI marketing activities are office visits, check-ins, drop-offs, flowers, treats, and lunch and learns — while the lowest performers are holiday campaigns, social/sports events, and dinners. Open houses and large events can still be worthwhile for milestone celebrations (like the 20th anniversary event which saw strong attendance), but general open houses during summer tend to underperform on attendance. For 2027, the recommendation is to plan any similar event in spring rather than summer to maximize turnout, and to lean more heavily into high-ROI individual outreach activities.
A co-sponsored hands-on program on hybrid All-on-4/6 procedures is scheduled for August 5th, with BioHorizons and NDX Labs covering the cost — no budget impact to the practice. Invitations have been sent to approximately 28 doctors. This is an excellent example of leveraging vendor relationships to deliver high-value programming at no cost.
The study club kickoff is scheduled for August 19th — after school starts, which should improve attendance compared to the June open house. The event will be open to non-members with a sign-up table available for those who want to join after experiencing the session. Michelle will design the invitation independently, incorporating messaging that non-members are welcome and can join on the day.
Both Dr. Woodyard and Dr. Dority have vacations in July — Dr. Woodyard is out for two weeks and Dr. Dority for one week. While clinical capacity will be reduced, Michelle plans to maximize office visits during the doctors' absence, taking advantage of lighter in-office demands to get out and maintain referral relationships. At least one lunch and learn is being targeted for July, including a scheduled touchpoint with an office that has been requesting one. Michelle also hopes to get out more independently during this period. Keeping marketing momentum through July will help protect against any referral softness from the summer slowdown.
Several marketing events still need to be entered into Referral Lab: two completed lunch and learns, the open house on June 19th, and a third lunch and learn scheduled for June 23rd. Michelle confirmed these will be logged promptly. The open house should be entered as a marketing event with all attendees listed and the event total reflecting the full spend. Once entered, the 30, 60, and 90-day ROI windows will begin tracking.