Realizing Your Marketing Plan through Online Advertising

Q: How can I use online advertising to expand my practice?

A: It’s easier than you think.

Marketing is a crucial part of any optical practice management plan, and with the Internet we have one of the most powerful tools ever created for putting our plans into action. More than with radio, television, and newspapers, you can use the Internet to harness broad-based yet extremely efficient advertising methods that will significantly enhance your practice. If you haven’t tried it yet, you should.

When optical practice management teams use traditional marketing methods—radio, television, and newspapers, as mentioned above—they miss out on a world of potential contacts. And that’s to say nothing of the cost of traditional advertising. Radio, television, and newspaper are simply more expensive. While these methods do reach customers, you can reach just as many people for a fraction of the cost with Internet advertising. That’s an opportunity to jump at.

No tool is better-suited than the Internet for reaching existing clients, past clients, and potential future clients. Online advertising is a 21st-century way of tackling a 20th-century issue—namely: I have a business, and I want clients for my business. How will I attract clients to my business?

The best way to advertise your practice on the Internet is through your own website. Make sure your patients know your URL and that your site is attractive and easily navigable. Collect patients’ e-mail addresses so you can send them updates that link back to your site, and watch as your number of daily visits increases.

Putting your marketing plan into action has never been easier. By spicing up your website, using business cards effectively, and getting patients’ e-mail contacts and communicating with them electronically, you will be well on your way to modernizing your practice and attracting new customers in the process. Who said optical management practice had to be difficult?

Optometric Practice Managment: Your Local Word Wide Web

Technology has certainly changed the way we think of optometric practice management.

It wasn’t long ago that the idea of linking image systems with an EMR was only a pipe dream. Now it is commonplace.

In fact, many of you have learned how some of these technologies actually become a working part of your marketing mix – with the ‘WOW’ factor of diagnostic technology exhibited at the chairside.

Therefore, for most, there is a natural progression to expand this premise further as we re-evaluate our optometric practice management offerings.

The new and improved patient cycle.

Technology now offers any size practice the ability to expand its reach-big time. We now have the capability, through internet and email marketing to build systems that automatically deliver these ‘WOW’ factors in between patient visits, while providing robust and measurable framework that makes it easy to add value.

It’s all about providing value.

Most people think of eye care marketing and email or optometric websites as extensions of the storefront or optical display. This is a mistake.

We worry about the visibly presentation and design much more than the actual substance or content.

The unfortunate reality is that we waste a lot of money on developing flashy (and often beautiful websites or email templates), without spending much time on the message and content.

I made these expensive mistakes myself.

It took me a while to come around and let go of the flash and focus on the patient.

Email broadcasts are an extension of the chairside.

You don’t fancy pictures, logos, or templates to create an effective message. By simply talking to patients through short, personal, yet informative notes, you are providing an invaluable service.

In essence, you are creating a unique conversation with hundreds or thousands of patients, both listening to their feedback, while teaching and training them how to use these systems.

As you gradually teach patients about their eyes and health, you are simultaneously showing them:

• How to make appointments conveniently online
• How to order contacts through YOUR online store
• Links to your blog or other places for information
• How to refer friends and family
• How to take advantage of special offers or new programs and/or services.

The best part? These systems are so cheap that it almost seems to good to be true. What other optometric management system can deliver this much ‘WOW’ and cost less than the average revenue collected from one patient per year?

Your Eye Care Marketing Niche

ou know how a lot of practice management consultants will say you need to develop a specialty within that practice?

Low vision, specialty contact lenses, and vision therapy come to mind.

It’s true.

So, why don’t you just have one big practice that does it all?

As optometrists, we pride ourselves in being the general eye guy – we can take care of most problems – or at least get people to where they need to be.

So why all the fuss about developing a side-specialty?

For the very same reason why niche-focused marketing is the most
effective way to grow your patient base.

You see, today, in early 2009, we have become a very specialized
society.

For example…

Years ago if you needed legal advice you went to a general attorney.

Today, if you needed an attorney for something, you wouldn’t think of going to a general lawyer.

You’d choose an attorney that specializes in your area of need
(i.e. divorce, personal injury, trial, intellectual property, etc.)

(We’ll talk about WHY in a second.)

And, we see this kind of specialization in every area of commerce… from ultra-specialized doctors all the way to stores just for a specific type of sunglasses.

Fact is, today, people want products and services that appear to be designed for their specific, targeted needs.

They want a SPECIALIST, NOT a generalist.

If they have cardiovascular problems, they want the cardiologist. Not a general doctor.

If they have a foot injury, they want the podiatrist. Not a general doctor.

If they have chronic sinus problems, they want a sinus specialist. Not a general doctor.

Funny thing is… people will happily pay more money for a specialist than they will a generalist.

It’s why the cardiologist gets paid a heck of a lot more money than the general M.D.

Or, why a Mercedes Benz mechanic gets paid a lot more than the Goodyear mechanic.

People want SPECIALISTS, and they happily pay more for their “perceived” expertise.

**So, what does this have to do with the low vision or vision therapy and you and your practice?

Well, the reason the practice consultant recommends these specialities and doesn’t want you to have just one big general practice that they don’t want to be perceived as one big general practice!

You want to accommodate those sliced, targeted, specific groups and their needs.

In return, you are able to attract a larger share of each of those little
groups AND charge a lot more for the service.

Which is the same exact thing you should do when marketing your practice.

You NEVER want to appear as a generalist in your marketing because it totally devalues what you do and causes people
to NOT think of you as a specialist or expert.

Hence, general eye care marketing lowers the perceived value prospective patients have of the care you provide.

Instead, what you want to do is target specific niches and conditions in different marketing pieces, so you position yourself as a
specialist in that particular area.

This makes prospective patients feel you are an expert with solving their problem and INCREASES the perceived value of your care.

Remember, people want someone who is an expert with solving their needs. NOT someone who is just a generalist.

My point is this…

Specialization in marketing is key, today, because of society’s move toward specialized solutions for their specific needs.

They want stuff just for them.

Good thing is, you don’t need multiple offices to accomplish this.

You just need specialized marketing that does it for you.

Eye Care Marketing: Effective E-Newsletters The Easy Way

You would think that once you’ve collected a the patient emails, uploaded them to your email delivery system, and refined your website, that the rest would be smooth sailing.

What’s the big deal, right? You get a ton of email newsletters in your inbox. Which ones do you read?

But a lot of people have a hard time from here.

Obviously, you have valuable insight on a subject people need and want to know about. But how do you deliver this efficiently

Here are the keys:

Keep it short and sweet.

Everyone is busy and we tend to scan ‘E-stuff’ quickly. And ‘Sweet’, in this context, also means lively – so keep it fun where appropriate.

Speak in your voice.

This a personal connection. Much more so than most imagine. If you are thinking about all those emails in your inbox, STOP. This is different. Your patients SEE you in an  entirely different manner than we see marketers and spammers. This is an email coming from the Doctor!

Give THEM something valuable.

Say you’re on a long flight. Your neighbor – a really nice, well-adjusted person you could get along with. They have problem-X and they want to know how and why it happened to THEM and what THEY can do about it. Tell them. Who knows better than you? If someone does know better than you, tell them that too.

Show them how to act.

We all need a little guidance. If you have a link to your appointment schedule or if people make appointments the old-fashioned way (they call), then remind them about. And tell them specifically what to do – as a service.

Once you have that, the next step is simply a matter of pressing send! Then watch the appointments fill in.

Not ready for this? Most doctors have a tough time with this aspect of practice.  Click to learn more about email marketing for your practice.

Optometric Practice Management and the Internet

Consider two ways of looking at optometric practice management:

One practice looks at it in terms of what’s worked in the past for acquiring and retaining patients. Assuming an “If it’s not broken, why fix it?” mentality, they continually return to ads in the Yellow Pages, newspapers, and on the radio to get the word out.

Another practice relies on the same means of advertising to a point, but has added a new dimension to their optometric practice management. This practice is increasingly moving toward communicating with patients over the Internet. They maintain regular contact with patients via e-mail and have a great-looking website with printable coupons and free eye care advice.

Any idea which practice is most likely to gain new customers in today’s competitive marketplace? I think it’s pretty obvious: the second one. Using the Internet to build your optometry practice is of immense importance when growing your practice.

But what is the best way to use the Internet to your advantage? Here are some tips that will get you started.

Growing your practice in today’s competitive marketplace is no easy task. Traditional means of getting the

• Write a periodic newsletter and send it to patients via e-mail.

• Build a better website. Include special offers to visitors, and offer them the opportunity to sign up for you e-newsletter.

• Ask visitors to return. It’s amazing what a simple, “Thank you, come again!” will do for your optometric practice management. Courtesy counts.

• Ask for a referral. In other words, if you can tell a patient is happy with the service you’ve provided, see if they can’t recommend some of their friends, relatives, or co-workers to visit you. Make things easier by handing them a few extra business cards for good measure.

One thing to remember about the e-newsletter: federal spam legislation now requires permission from the people to whom you intend to send your messages. Your patients have to agree to get e-mails from you. By creating an “opt-in” for these patients, you’re following the guidelines and showing your courtesy at the same time.

Want to market to your current patient base effectively? Following the practice management suggestions listed above will get you on the right path.

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