IN SOME WAYS, IT’S a great time to be an optometrist. In 2017 alone, the average income for an OD increased by about 4 percent. That said, no independent eyecare professionals should turn a blind eye to the technological advances that make it easier than ever to reach customers.
While optometry offices are far from obsolete, online upstarts like Warby Parker and Felix Gray have gained traction. Optometrists are working to combat this shift. One survey found that 57 percent of ECPs have offered more frequent discounts to appeal to customers.
Thankfully, you don’t have to cut your way to profitability; instead, use digital marketing to target people in your area who already have glasses or contacts.
See Eye to Eye With Clients. The advent of social media targeting has leveled the playing field in countless industries. Optometry is no exception. ODs can use digital tools to target customers with precision.
While the medium is important, the people you’re targeting are even more critical. Whether you’re filtering by city, county or zip code, try to stay as local as possible. Once you’ve identified your target audience, it’s time to take your marketing efforts to the next level.
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Set up your facebook pixel. About 171.4 million Americans use Facebook at least once per month. Many of those people use it to hunt for medical information for themselves or their kids. This is where the Facebook pixel — code you place on your website that uses cookies to track how users interact with your Facebook ads — proves its power. Use a pixel to retarget individuals further down your sales funnel, gathering information that makes it possible to contact people who are interested in your services.
Limit your distinct audiences. Set a dollar amount (it could be $100 or $1,000 per month) for your sponsored social posts, and then stick to that rate regardless of how many distinct audiences you target. At most, you should target three audiences; targeting too many people is as bad as targeting no one.
Amplify your reach. For more chances to convert, you need more eyes on your posts. Promoted Tweets or Facebook Ads can help you reach a larger audience, but you don’t necessarily need to pay for followers. This can be as simple as a call to action at the end of your posts asking readers to share on their profiles.
Make your creative pop. Twitter’s Video Website Card is changing the way brands advertise on the social platform. Pairing autoplay video with a company’s website link, it allows advertisers to create ads that pop. Ads using the tool received twice as many click-throughs as traditional mobile video ads.
Optometry, like most medical fields, isn’t leading the charge of digital marketing. But that doesn’t mean your office should fall behind. Social media marketing isn’t easy, but these suggestions can help you get started.
