IS IT JUST us or does Father’s Day get less love than Mother’s Day? (Our Brain Squad surveys and consumer statistics certainly suggest so.) From an optical retail perspective, though, sleeping on Dad’s Day makes no sense. Especially if your experience is anything like Buena Vista Optical Boutique in Chicago, where, according to owner Diana Cantos-Sims, 80% of their Facebook following is female and where “We get a lot of calls from daughters to schedule appointments for their fathers and grandfathers.” According to social media giant Meta, “Last year, women drove over 75% of the Father’s Day conversation” on Facebook and Instagram. So fire up your socials, stock up on sunglasses, gift certificates, accessories and summertime merch … and maybe contact a local craft brewery or hardware store to discuss a cross-promotion. At the very least use the day to boost engagement through giveaways or by inviting customers to post photos of themselves with their pops or share their cringiest dad jokes. Here are six eyecare businesses that gave Father’s Day some thought and earned themselves some extra engagement and business for their efforts.
You know we’re not here to sing the praises of retail mega-chains or their online offshoots. But we’re not above pinching their occasional good ideas either. We think a glance at the “Father’s Day Gift Guide” web page at Sunglass Hut’s website might be worth a minute of your time. Visitors are guided to collections like “The Cool Dad” (on-trend sunglass frames from Dolce & Gabbana, Ray-Ban and Versace) and “The Active Dad” (pages devoted to specialty frames for specific sports). The company is also offering “A Matching Pair for Father’s Day” — discounted second pairs of identical frames in kids’ sizes, reminding moms that “There’s no one your little one looks up to quite like Dad!” (and possibly a great model for a similar promotion of your own?) The company has nicely grouped dad-friendly accessories and gift card offers and can even engrave dad’s name or initials on temple tips.
Mill Creek Family
Eye Center, Mill Creek, WA
Continuing the theme of Father’s Day giveaways with non-optical prizes, Mill Creek Family Eye Center went all out a couple years back with two tickets to a Mariners vs. Rangers game. “Word on the street is that the seats are in a spot,” they bragged in a post. “Anyone can enter and win, all we ask is that you take a father figure in your life to the game with your extra ticket.” Entrants were required to like the post and tag a father figure they appreciated in the comments. Cleverly, five extra entries were counted for those who shared the post to their Instagram stories (with the practice tagged). This Father’s Day, think about sending out a “Play ball!” post to your customers.
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Taylor Eye Care
Carmi, IL
Going the tried-and-true sunglasses giveaway route, the crew at Taylor Eye Care invited families to submit photos of their dads in the comments section of a Facebook post, then used the very handy — and free — “Wheel of Names” online app to randomly choose the winner, who took home a free pair of sunglasses of their choice. Recalls office manager Morgan DiMaggio, “One of our favorite patients won and picked himself a new Oakley sun. They’ve been our loyal patients ever since and tell everyone about us! So worth it.”
EyeCare of Blackfoot
Blackfoot, ID
Announcing a special non-optical prize for a lucky dad is a surefire way to boost social media engagement — and also creates cross-promotional opportunities. Over the years EyeCare of Blackfoot have given away Oakley sunglasses to mark Father’s Day, but one year they really got creative and gave away a set of Midland two-way radios supplied by a local business, Vern’s RadioShack. Customers were invited to nominate their “favorite dad” by liking the practice’s Facebook page, tagging the nominated dad in the comments, and sharing the post to their own Facebook wall. The post succeeded in generating some local excitement, with one commenter remarking: “Would be awesome [for] hunting season.” The winner was announced in a short video showing off the radios posted to Facebook.
The Eye Site
Mishawak, IN
The folks at The Eye Site know how to work that vendor swag. One day they looked at the Maui Jim merch piling up in the back office and saw… a Father’s Day promo! “Buy dad a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses and pick out an extra gift to go with! We have hats, beach towels, mugs, and more,” they announced in a Facebook post ahead of a recent Dad’s Day, using the opportunity to push Maui Jim’s polarized lens technology, as well as gift certificates. The practice has also run contests inviting customers to nominate their dads to win a pair of sunglasses, and even when not giving away goodies, make a point of inviting people to post photos of themselves with their fathers, just to celebrate the day.
Logan Eye Care
Lake Mary, FL
One of our favorite Father’s Day events is this contest that Logan Eye Care ran on their Facebook page some years back celebrating the stock phrases, cringe jokes, dubious advice and dime-store wisdom that dads seem to have an endless supply of. Entrants were asked to like the post, leave their dad’s saying in a comment and add the hashtag #ThingsDadSays, with the prize — a free pair of Ray-Bans — going to the comment with the most likes. Sayings ranged from homespun optimism (“Smile and make someone happy — it’s free”) to the grimly observational (“I think there’s a bottleneck up ahead”), but in the end the free sunnies went to the surprisingly touching “I’m proud of the woman, wife and mother you’ve become.” Aww…
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