Optometry practice marketing can play a large role in business strategy. Private practice Optometry is no exception.
There are many strategies on how to improve optometry practice marketing, and different techniques and avenues to do so. However, it can be difficult to determine where to begin and what resource might produce the best return on investment.
Read more about the basics of optometry practice marketing.
We hosted a discussion panel at Vision Expo East 2017 where a few extremely knowledgeable individuals talked about how to improve optometry practice marketing 10 fold!
The panel discussion features the thoughts of:
- Dr. Jennifery Lyerly OD - Optometrist and Co-Founder Defocus Media
- Michael Pote – Founder of Energeyes and COO of EyecarePro
- Dr. Matt Geller, OD – Founder of NewGradOptometry.com and Co-Founder CovalentCareers.com
Where to Start with Optometry Practice Marketing:
You must determine what your goal for the year is, and then break it down into quarterly goals to determine what your strategy looks like on a month to month level.
A simple goal to begin with, can simply be to focus on filling up your schedule.
Michael Pote describes the 3 stages of optometry practice marketing activities and what the focus might be:
- Fill up the schedule
- Once your schedule is nearly full, you can then narrow your optometry practice marketing efforts towards specific patients that you are looking for, speciality care patients.
- Dominating the market once you've got a busy schedule and are where you want to be
Going After Low Hanging Fruit
Dr. Lyerly
- Facebook is a great avenue.
- Facebook marketing doesn’t have to be time intensive.
- 2-3 posts per week can create great results. It isn’t so much about likes as it is about engagements.
Michael Pote
- Websites
- This is a good place to start and websites terribly expensive.
- They provide a great opportunity to educate patients on what eyecare is and what your practice does. You can tell your story a little bit at a time to create engagement.
Learn more about how to use Google Adwords in this article.
What to Post About?
Dr. Lyerly - Post about what you are passionate about. People want to connect with real interests, and a real person.
Michael Pote - You need to be an expert of something. You should focus on one single thing, and market that to paint yourself as some sort of expert. If you are an expert at something, this can single handedly can grow other more general aspects of your business.
Facebook Optometry Practice Marketing 101
The anatomy of a great Facebook post is one that conveys an emotion. What you are posting should connect with your audience.
Dr. Lyerly
- A picture is critical.
- If a post doesn’t have an image, your readers will likely scroll right past it.
- Include imagery in your posts that are real.
- Avoid using canned stock photos!
Michael Pote
- A voice is important.
- Sometimes people feel like they need to develop a persona.
- Facebook is a great method of portraying yourself as a real person and not just a clinician.
- If you allow your personality to come through, you can give your patients an opportunity to connect with who you are.
Marketing methods for optometrists
Social Media Optometry Practice Marketing
Picking Your Platforms:
The general consensus is that Facebook Instagram are key.
These two platforms command a large audience and will allow you to connect with a large population of patients that makes buying decisions.
Facebook Advertisement Platform is a great way to boost your posts. You should be extremely specific though on the ad settings to make sure those who will engage with your posts will see your advertisements.
Other Forms of Optometry Practice Marketing
In addition to social media, you can always tap into other traditional forms of marketing.
Read about some strategies on external marketing and PCP Referral Coordinators here.
Dr. Lyerly - You can utilize your local magazines. The fact that these are local is great for targeting a specific audience. You can also write a personal handwritten note to patients you really connect with. This can create long lasting bonds with your patients.
Michael Pote - Direct mail is a great avenue. You can target your demographic to include household income level, age, sex etc. You can tailor your message based on what you are marketing be it clinical or retail.
Measuring Success
Anything you do, no matter what advertising you are doing needs to be geared towards your goal and how you are measuring success.
Michale Pote - If you use direct mail, you can put a special tracking phone number on there, this way you know that when that particular phone rings, it has come from this specific advertisement. That will give you a great idea as to whether or not what you are doing is working.
Pearls:
- A 1% return on direct mail is pretty average.
- Don't mistake increased traffic on your website as increased business!
Word of Mouth Optometry Practice Marketing
Dr. Lyerly
- Google Reviews can be a great way to market.
- Try to facilitate reviews internally by your patients and encourage them to share their experiences.
- If patients posts a picture of themselves with their new glasses, simply ask them to tag you in their posts!
Michael Pote
- You can use your internal patients to market to others.
- You can give people messages to share with their own social circles.
- Even if this doesn’t resonate with them at the moment, it might resonate with their mom, dad, brother or uncle etc.
There are countless methods of optometry practice marketing.
You can utilize any or all of them. The key is to make sure you are measuring success, and utilizing resources that resonate with your patient audience.
Takeaway pearls
- Don't be afraid to involve your staff and your opticians in your marketing methods. Let this be a team approach.
- Let your efforts reflect your office as a whole and the culture inside it.
- Your office is one of your biggest marketing tools. The gestalt of your office is what people walk out with.
- Your receptionist might be one of the most important staff members in your practice, as this is the first face many patients will see when they enter your practice.
What methods are you using in your practices. Comment below!
