For many people, the arrival of summer is a happy event. There will be barbecues, pool parties, and repeated visits to the amusement parks.

But for dentists, in the midst of this 2008 recession, finding money to spend on big advertising placements is becoming more and more difficult to do.

One of the best ways dentists can save money and keep their business from going bankrupt is by finding cost-effective methods to implement in their dental marketing strategy.

Here are 7 low-cost dental marketing tips (and almost any small business!) that a dentist can use that can put his business in the news using press releases and online strategies:

1 - Create a free online dental newsletter sharing tips on how people can take care better care of their teeth and write a press release to announce it. Don't be afraid to use humor if this is your strength as this will make your newsletter one that stands out.

2 - To demonstrate your expertise, write "how-to" articles and submit them to high trafficked directories such as: Ideamarketers.com & Ezinearticles.com These same articles can be sent to newspapers, magazines, trade publications and both online and print newsletters.

3 - How about conducting a survey and reporting the results? The media love surveys because it is something fresh that they can share with their audience - hopefully information that they can either use or find rather interesting.

4 - How about putting up a profile at social media sites like Myspace, Facebook, Squidoo, LinkedIn, and Ryze. These sites are growing by the day as millions of people turn to them instead of to traditional media for their news, entertainment and networking activities.

You can connect with people who will learn about your practice and refer you new clientele - this will be a big plus to add to your dental marketing arsenal.

5 - Find out the reporters who cover your industry and invite them to lunch. Let them know that you are someone whom they can call on for background, commentary and story ideas. Don't be shy. Reporters appreciate it when you call to ask, "How can I help you?"

6 - Contact the advertising department of every newspaper and magazine you want coverage in and request a copy of their editorial calendar. This is a free listing of all the special sections and special topics coming up during the calendar year.

This information alone will tip you off to sections where your story idea would be a perfect fit, enabling you to query the editor weeks and even months ahead.

7 - Host a community event as part of your dental marketing plan and write a press release about it. If you can, tie it in with a national holiday, a birthday, or anniversary. And if you can get a big name celebrity to attend or even your local weatherman/woman to be a judge or emcee this can certainly help in getting you free publicity.