Optometric Marketing on the Internet

What does your optometric marketing plan look like? A typical plan—successful, but typical—might rely on getting the word out to patients via the Yellow Pages and ads on radio and television. There’s nothing wrong with this approach in and of itself—except when you compare it with what you can do on the Internet.

If you want to increase revenue and see a steady stream of new patients, you need to be conversant with how the Internet and your optometric marketing plan can work together to produce results. The great thing about it all? It’s actually pretty easy!

First, consider the following: How do people—particularly young people—get their information today? Increasingly, it’s not from magazines, TV, or newspapers, but rather the World Wide Web. Your optometric marketing plan needs to take this into account. But how?

It’s one thing to be on the Internet, and another thing to be able to found there. Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Metacrawler are you friends in this case, as are directories like dmoz.org. Make sure your site is listed and available to the major search engines. For starters, you can submit your site to Google here.

When you consider content for your website and other Internet-related matters, the following tips will make a difference:

• Send out an e-newsletter to patients who opt to receive it. Your newsletter should contain coupons redeemable for things like eyewear and contact lenses, as well as interesting optometry-related articles for your patients to peruse.

• While you’re at it, put some of those articles—or others you or your staff write—on your website, too. It’s a professional touch.

• Submit your articles to article database sites like e-zinearticles.com. Use the articles to link back to your site. This is a simple way to increase traffic.

While this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of using the Internet to grow your practice, following the tips listed above will give you a great start. Your patients are moving forward—is your optometric marketing plan going with them?

Making Your Optometric Website Work for your Patients

There are many “traditional” ways your patients might find out about you: the Yellow Pages, a recommendation from a friend, or they might notice your practice while walking or driving around town. These ways still work. However, today’s competitive marketplace also demands that you have a strong Web presence. Why? Because it brings in customers. Simply put, your optometric website should be one of the primary means of expanding your customer base.

Getting new patients through the door is easier said than done, though—even if you are using the Internet. Following some simple principles will help your optometric website get you the results you’re looking for.

Keep it user-friendly. Think about other professional websites you like. What do they do well? Chances are that they all make it easy to find what you’re looking for. Make sure your website does the same. Your patients should be able to find your location and hours, schedule exams, and locate other relevant, interesting information easily.

Think locally. In other words, target a local audience. Your town or area name and the name of your practice should appear prominently on your homepage. Your street address and a map to your practice will help patients find you. Including this information also helps search engines link you with your area. You can also register your website with Google Maps and Yahoo! Local to maximize your visibility on the Internet.

Be patient-centered. This means including contact forms or an e-mail address so that patients can reach you and your staff over the Internet. Given the instantaneous nature of e-mail, replies are likely to be timely as well—a definite plus when dealing with patients who want quick answers.

Make it engaging. Offer information that your patients are looking for, either on your website or as part of a newsletter that you send via e-mail. Topics you should consider include eye healthcare, eyeglass fashion, and contact lens hygiene (among many others). Information like this can help your patients make important decisions—all by way of the Internet!

A final tip: Be sure to include your web address in all of your other marketing material. This ensures maximum exposure for your optometric website. Offering discounts and electronic coupons to potential patients who visit your website never hurt either!

Eyecare Marketing through E-mail

Practically everyone has an e-mail address these days, but did you know the numerous potential benefits it can have for your eyecare marketing? If you’re just getting started and building your practice from the ground up, you might be surprised just how much e-mail can help. Used wisely, e-mail can help bring in loads of new patients and get your practice off on the right foot.

There are many ways to use e-mail for eyecare marketing, but the best are those that make things more convenient for you and your patients. Your e-mails might consist of newsletters, appointments reminders, e-coupons, or educational information. Bottom line: Your communications should benefit your patients, and they should anticipate receiving them.

Of course, building that list of patients when you’re just starting out can be a daunting task. Despite your good intentions and innovative ideas for eyecare marketing by e-mail, you still need a list of contacts to send the e-mail to. And without a patient base, where will the e-mails go?

What you don’t want to do is send random e-mails. If you send unsolicited e-mails to people who may or may not be interested, you won’t get the results you’re looking for. Plus, you’re on shaky ethical ground if you go this route. The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 regulates bulk e-mail communications and closely monitors suspicious behavior—such as sending out unsolicited e-mail in bulk.

An alternative is to contact only those patients who opt in to your e-mail campaign. It’s not as difficult as you might think to expand your contact list for potential patients. Here are some suggestions to obtain legitimate patient leads to grow your practice:

Use e-mail to communicate regularly with your existing patients. They’ll like the convenience of e-mail and will feel comfortable asking questions and scheduling appointments over the internet. As existing patients, they’ll be the foundation of your new “word-of-mouth” eyecare marketing campaign.

Get your patients’ family and friends involved. When you’re sending e-mails to your current patients, include e-coupons that can be redeemed by their family members or friends. You’ll be surprised how many new patients this approach can bring through the door. Even during times of economic uncertainty, people need glasses!

Give them the chance to opt-in. Your website should give patients the ability to opt in to e-mail communications. Better yet, it should give them the incentive to do so. If you offer an interesting newsletter or other information that’s beneficial and interesting to your patients, they’ll be more likely to want to receive e-mail from you in the future.

“Brand” other marketing materials. Make sure your e-mail address is on your other marketing materials. This makes it easier for your patients to contact you when they need to. And once they’ve contacted you, the likelihood is high they’ll end up in your office.

Offer prizes. Really! If you publicize a contest with a great prize—a free pair of glasses or a year’s supply of contacts—and publicize that you’ll notify winners via email, you’ll be wowed at how many people sign up. You’ll also get contact information for potential patients who need your services.

Don’t forget one of the golden rules of eyecare marketing: Target locally. In other words, advertise to people in your area. The internet offers you the opportunity to advertise anywhere, technically, but there’s no point in advertising to Lee’s Summit, Missouri when your practice is in Vacaville, California.

Growing a practice isn’t easy, but e-mail can help. Follow the advice printed here and you’ll be well on your way to establishing a thriving practice.

Outperforming the Competition in the Optometric Marketplace

The optometric marketplace is a competitive one. No matter how long you’ve been in business—and no matter how strong of a relationship you have with your patients—the fact is that there will always be someone trying to do it better and more efficiently than you. If you’re worried about losing your patient base to local competitors, you should consider optometric marketing.

Healthcare reimbursements from insurance companies are decreasing, but costs are still going up. Reshaping your business strategies to reflect this reality is a must. Your business can surpass your competition by creating and seeing out an optometric marketing plan.
What kinds of things does the term “marketing” bring to mind? Do you think of radio and television ads and other media that come at a hefty price? These traditional forms of advertising are effective, but also expensive. There are simpler—not to mention cheaper—ways to get your message out.

You already have the most crucial part of an effective marketing strategy right in front of you: your current patients. To begin with, you should be sure you’ve got staff large enough to accommodate your client base. Secondly, give them an experience that will ensure return visits.

When you’ve got patients returning on a regular basis, you’re ready for the next step: asking them for patient referrals. While not seeming pushy, ask your current returning patients if they’ll recommend you to their friends and family. Satisfied customers refer other people, and if your patients have a good opinion of you, they’ll do the same! If a patient seems willing to give you referrals, handing them a few of your business cards never hurt, either.

Your patients return to you because you show your concern for them. They will refer other patients to you—their friends and family—because they know you’ll show them the same consideration. Make sure you keep your new patients on with you by keeping in contact with them after their visits. While they are in for an appointment, make sure that they receive a free copy of your newsletter.

A focused optometric marketing campaign is the best way to grow your practice—but it is only as good as the people and ideas behind it. If your employees aren’t on board with your vision, you won’t see the growth you’d hoped for. Make sure that your employees are friendly and caring toward your patients. A little customer service goes a long way

Expanding Your Business through Optometric Marketing

A successful optometry practice requires a solid client base. If you’re happy with that number of patients you currently have, you might be surprised to find out how many more you could have with a few tweaks to your optometric marketing. In any case, sitting back and assuming you’ll always have the same number of patients is the wrong thing to do.

More patients means more success—it’s as simple as that. Your competition knows this, and it’s your job to attract new business before they do. A solid optometric marketing campaign is the best way for you to take on—and keep—new clients.

You might be concerned that since you’re not a large practice, you lack the resources necessary to carry out such a campaign. Don’t worry. As a small practice, you bring the one thing to your clients that larger practices simply can’t: individual attention. And with the advent of the Internet, you can work to get your name just as visible as some of the large healthcare practices.

As a small practice, you are in a unique position. You can offer your patients all the benefits of a large practice without sacrificing the personalized attention that makes you stand out among the crowd. As your practice grows, keep the following tips in mind so that your practice will always retain that “small” feel.

• Make sure that each patient feels special. Your patients are your most important assets; treat them accordingly.

• Make sure you have enough staff. As your practice grows, add doctors and administrative staff as needed to handle the expansion.

• Offer additional services. Observe other practices to see what they offer their patients. Are they offering services that their patients value? Are you offering those same services? Keep up the innovation—adding new services to your optometric practice is a great way to grow your business.

• Use technology to your advantage. Using technology wisely can be a great way to keep expenses down. Though you should be adding staff when necessary, technology can in some cases “replace” employees, and thus keep your costs at a minimum.

Including optometric marketing in your practice is great way to expand your business while retaining the advantages of a small practice. Growing your business doesn’t have to mean sacrificing the things that built your client base in the first place.

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