NOTHING SAYS, “I love you Mom!” like a pair of new frames or sunnies. Well, if that’s not quite true yet, it ought to be. According to Forbes, after the winter holiday season, Mother’s Day is the next most expensive holiday. Citing the National Retail Federation, it reported that the average adult consumer spends almost $180 each spring to celebrate their mom. That’s spending you should be tapping. What do moms want on their special day? A pre-paid evening out to shop is a great place to start. We have six practices who came up with interesting Mother’s Day promotions that have great potential to drive customers through the door, but also — and perhaps just as importantly — let their patients know they’re always trying something new and creative.
Northwest Hills Eye Care
Austin, TX
“Moms and Manis” was the theme at a Mother’s Day event at Northwest Hills Eye Care a few years ago. The store offered moms a manicure when the new SynergEyes multifocal lens came out. While the lens set on the eye, they got their nails done. The practice’s contact lens area was set up for putting on the lenses, and while they settled, staff walked patients to another area set up for the manicures. “We just had a couple of tables set up for the manicure. When the mani was complete we took them to an exam room to check the lens,” says Laura Miller. “We had a great turnout and we had lots of fun with our patients.” Miller says the key is to coordinate with a local manicurist and ask them to give out a discount coupon and brochures for a manicure or pedicure to help their business. “I also bought a complete pedicure from the local nail salon that came to help. All of the patients that came were entered into a drawing, and one lady won a pedicure to go with her manicure,” she says.
Advertisement
Mill Creek Optical
Dansville, NY
Jennifer Leuzzi at Mill Creek Optical has for Mom’s Days past designed postcards from Vistaprint that say “ _____ has chosen the frames listed below to make it easy to deliver the right gift with the perfect fit…” Moms stop by and fill out the card, which is mailed to kids and husbands, urging them stop in and pay for the frame. The store supplies free wrapping and cards. “We ask women who may have three or four finalists in their search for new eyewear, to pull out one of our postcards and fill it out for family to help with their second favorite,” says Leuzzi. She says moms are “excited to think that maybe this year she’ll get something she loves, besides that coupon book for taking out the garbage.”
PrairieStar Health Center
Hutchinson, KS
This year, PrairieStar Health Center is using Mom’s Day as an opportunity to debut some new branded products. The practice will be offering a large, branded 8 oz. cleaner and a 10” x 10” cleaning cloth in fun patterns including leopard print, packaged in a gift bag with tissue paper for $10. The campaign coincides with a sunglasses promotion of 20 percent off the entire pair. The event is being promoted through radio, social media and handouts. The cleaner and cloth will also be exhibited in an acrylic display box in the office. “This is our first attempt at this specific promotion,” says Vision Office manager Kate Broeckelman. “I think the key to any promotion is advertising. We will be extending this past Mother’s Day to allow the word to get out that we have these items available for any occasion.”
EyeShop Optical Center
Lewis Center, OH
On a recent Mother’s Day, Dr. Cynthia Sayers and her crew at EyeShop teamed up with local businesses. EyeShop held a trunk show, offering 40 percent off all suns. “Such a fun event; it gave patients a chance to engage with other small businesses,” says Sayers. “People came and went throughout the two hours. The vendors we chose were popular with the ladies and each offered a giveaway as well, which really drove people in.” All patients over 21 were invited. An RSVP (driven by offering the first 10 respondents a “swag bag”) was put out to get an idea of how many people to expect. Advises Sayers: “Get the word out early, share it every opportunity you get. We advertised it a lot on a local ‘Mom’s page’ and had a Columbus Mom’s Group write an article about it.”
Advertisement
Dr. Texas Smith & Associates
Citrus Heights, CA
This year Dr. Texas Smith & Associates will give a rose — yellow, of course — to all mothers that come in the week before Mother’s Day. According to Dr. Tex, “This is the first time doing this promo for Mother’s Day. We will probably get a social media pop on Facebook or Yelp the following week” from pleased recipients. Along with the flower, each mom gets a ballpoint pen that doubles as a hand sanitizer sprayer — a handy tool the practice has been giving out to all adult patients for the last six months. The pens feature the practice’s name, phone number and address. Dr. Tex urges other ECPs going the flower route to order early, as Mother’s Day rivals Valentine’s for flower orders. And of course, he urges, order local!
Specs Around Town
Bloomington, IL
Last year during the initial COVID shutdown, Specs Around Town still found a way to celebrate Mother’s Day with an online gift certificate sale. The sale was announced during a FB Live event, during which owner Julie Kubsch highlighted a number of new arrivals found at OptiMunich the preceding January, along with her Mother’s Day deals. Purchases of the gift certificates came with a leather case from Wolf Leathers. “They are a small business in Hartford, WI, and I love their products,” says Kubsch, who also posted some mother/daughter collage pics featuring clients and employees.
