"Good Will" Marketing

How can I get more customers / patients for my company / practice?
For companies or businesses whose clients are in a specific area, try doing something that will get your name out there, create a good perception of you, have the community praise you.

For example: As a dentist, its your job (one way or another) to get clients. You can either wait for them to come to you, hire 1800 dentist or place ads in the newspaper/yellow pages, etc. OR you could do something which involves the people you want to do business with, the community around you. People are bombarded with ads every day... people will forget your ad in the newspaper, penny saver, or whatever direct mailer they get. What people remember is the good things you do for the community, for kids, for people in need. People want to do business with people like that.

Example: A dentist, who cares about kids teeth will offer a "candy buy back" program. He buys back candy from Halloween and donates/gives it to soldiers in Iraq.
Yes, the dentist is spending money buying the candy back, but the "good will" or "good deed" will stay in peoples minds way longer than any kind of advertisement.