How to Walk With A Doc… Successfully (Part 2)

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Have you decided to launch a Walk With A Doc (WWAD) chapter in your community? Maybe you already have a chapter and need help getting attendees. In this post, I will share my strategies for recruiting participants. After all, this isn’t a solo event. Most of these tips can be applied to any community and practice, but not all. So choose wisely.

The good news for those who have yet to start a chapter is that WWAD makes it easy for you on the front end. Once your chapter is official, you can access the chapter leader page with WWAD marketing materials (posters, flyers, social media templates, press releases, etc), detailed information and training for Doctors and Walk Organizers, health topic ideas, and more. (For example, I created the photo for this blog with a WWAD Canva template.) If that isn’t enough, they will make a Facebook page for your chapter, provide ongoing personal support, and a WWAD Facebook Community.

Now, let’s get to the tricky part: what do you do with all of these resources?

  1. Invite your patients, friends, and family every opportunity you get.

a. Simple – verbally in person, via text, or email

b. Take it up a notch – distribute WWAD Postcards or WWAD Prescription Pads to patients’ and specialists’ offices to spread the word. I keep a WWAD “prescription pad” in my backpack for impromptu sharing and on my desk in the office, alongside postcards to hand out.

  1. Add an “events tab” to your website that updates automatically monthly.

Check ours out here: https://www.sohdpc.com/upcoming-events.

  1. Create a recurring Facebook Event for your walks. If you have a practice Facebook Page, create it there and share it across your social media pages (personal and professional) and platforms (IG, TikTok, LinkedIn). Tag every “friend” within a short drive of your walk. Even if they can’t come, ask them to share it.
  2. Have a newsletter? Highlight it there.
  3. When you host your event, invite walkers to photograph themselves at the walk and tag your practice and WWAD. As an added incentive, I told walkers I would randomly choose one person’s social media post to win one of our nifty Branded Yeti Mugs. You can give out anything or nothing.
  4. Post your personalized digital WWAD flyer to local Facebook Groups and Organizations that match your practice demographic. One of my patient volunteers found over a dozen local Facebook groups for me, which I joined and posted on our WWAD flyer.
  5. Post on social media often! Not just fliers. Post swag, post your signs, post lives talking about the event, etc.
  6. Send personalized WWAD letters to community groups with shared interests, inviting them to participate and invite their members.
  7. Send personalized WWAD press releases to local news outlets.
  8. Keep your WWAD sign in your yard at all times. It makes a great conversation starter; if you run out of ideas for posts, you can photograph it for your social media.

11. Finally, a bonus tip – don’t fake the funk. Your participants won’t be excited about the walks if you are not genuinely excited. If you have difficulty showing enthusiasm, find someone in your practice or professional circle to do it for you and bring them along…everywhere.🙂

Most of these methods perpetuate themselves once you do it once, so don’t be intimidated by the list. You can see how Seeds of Health put this into action on Instagram, Facebook, and our website.

Happy walking!!

About Angela Andrews, MD

Dr. Angela Andrews is a board-certified Internal Medicine and Pediatrics physician, health coach, wife, mom, and lifelong athlete. When not spending time with her family or caring for her patients, she is training for her next competition. Dr. Andrews graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and worked at General Electric Healthcare Wisconsin for nearly five years before returning to her dream of becoming a doctor. She received her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She completed her Med-Peds residency at the Detroit Medical Center & Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, MI. After 8 years in the system, Dr. Andrews opened Seeds of Health Direct Primary Care in Grand Rapids, MI in February 2014. Her personal journey with fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle medicine training was a key factor in her decision. She spent years trying to figure out how to incorporate this experience into a “standard” clinical practice, before finding a natural fit within Direct Primary Care. Dr. Andrews is passionate about helping patients address the root cause of their mental and physical conditions and guiding them to cultivate healthy habits around exercise, good nutrition, and mental well-being. Dr. Andrews lives in Byron Center, Michigan, with her husband and exercise companion, Joseph VanEss, their son, Myles, and her two bonus children, Griffen and Quinne. She engages in various fitness activities (CrossFit, running, swimming, yoga, and bodybuilding) and enjoys gardening, tackling projects around the house, and building things out of wood.