YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE can tell prospective patients everything they need to know about your eyecare business in only a couple of seconds. While it might seem intimidating at the start, the journey of building your online presence is a slow one. Think of this like investing into a savings account — small and steady investments will add up to create a significant online presence in no time.
It takes effort every week. Start with a few of these methods:
1. Ask for reviews. Ask every patient to give you a review. Set up an automated email survey or text that prompts them to rate their experience and then give you a review.
2. Activity on your website. Every week you should be looking at how to add activities and something new. Google loves websites that are active and fresh. Think blogs, pop ups, web banners, office hours, and new pages or content updates.
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3. Post on Facebook one to five times a week. Although it’s not the sexiest platform, Facebook still remains king when it comes to social media — especially in the eyecare industry. Taking time to build and fill out a proper Facebook page will not go unnoticed. Now post a minimum of one time a week. Don’t forget to boost your post (put up some money to promote it) so that your followers actually see it in their feed.
4. Build referral sources. Referrals are not only important, they are sometimes a huge missed opportunity to get patients who otherwise would not know about your business. Easy way is to drop off business cards or brochures to community businesses and introduce yourself or your practice. Take some of their cards as well and refer back and forth.
5. Do Instagram Stories. Instagram, like Facebook, is an important social platform to be visible. Take advantage of the impressions Stories and Reels can provide. Because they only live for a short period of time, Instagram gives them more exposure than a standard post without sponsoring. That being said, also consider sponsoring posts and Stories to get even further traction.
6. Write blogs. I know we said it above under website activity but blogging can do a ton of great things for your online presence. They keep your website active, provide amazing search engine optimization, allow you to talk about new technology and treatments and then provide a great option to post to your social media and drive back to your website.
7. Interact with your community online. Responding and posing questions to your audience is a perfect way to show you’re invested in your online presence. Not to mention it helps boost your online engagement.
8. Send an email blast. Email marketing is one of the most effective forms of advertising, yet many eyecare businesses do not take advantage of email blasts.
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9. Pay attention to online analytics. At the end of the day, you need to know that what you’re doing is working. However, don’t fall into the trap of overanalyzing. Don’t let something like a low follower count deter you from creating content and putting yourself out there.
10. Every week take a look at how your marketing is working. Look at Google Analytics to see insights on web traffic and demographics. Don’t forget to investigate social analytics as they often show more than just post engagement. Analytics help you understand what’s working and what’s not.
Above all else, have fun online and remain authentic to your brand! The more you do the more it works.
