September 14, 2022
2 minute read
Source/Disclosures
Published by:
Compton J. Global Contact Lens Forum: Marketing for specialty contact lenses. Presented at: Vision Expo West; September 14-17, 2022; Vegas.
Disclosures: Compton does not report any relevant financial information.
LAS VEGAS — Marketing to patients and standing out from the competition requires optometrists to effectively use traditional strategies as well as new tactics, according to a presenter at Vision Expo West.
Jason Compton
“None of us have a million dollar budget to spend on marketing alone,” Jason Compton, DO, FAAO, owner of Compton Eye Associates, said. “But luckily there’s so much we can do in our practices to get our information in front of the right people.”
Compton said traditional marketing, which involves marketing through television, newspaper and radio advertisements, can still play an important role in expanding a market in the digital age, s it is done efficiently. This can include obtaining a unique phone number that is exclusively used for traditional marketing efforts such as print ads, which will allow practices to track where their ads are seen and better understand demographics primarily reached. .
It’s also important for the optometrist to understand marketing in the digital age in order to target the practice’s most ideal audience and see exactly how a marketing campaign contributes to a business from start to finish, he said. he declares. Two of the most important marketing tools in the digital age are search engines and social media, which require understanding intent marketing versus distraction marketing.
“You go to Google because you want a recipe, you want to find Nike sneakers, or you want to find the definition of a word. You go there with a very specific intent,” Compton said. “Now when you’re on social media is a completely different scenario. Social networks are not designed for that. It’s designed to connect you with things that matter to you.
Distraction marketing involves tapping into customer interests by including broader topics such as sports, polls, and celebrities on social media posts to entice customers to stop scrolling and engage with a Mark.
Alternatively, effective intent marketing can help optometrists increase a company’s or brand’s position in search engine results, which is valuable given that 92% of people receive their information from the top 10 results on Google, according to Compton. Optometrists must strike a balance between paying for placements on the first page of Google and earning a placement through organic means, including website appearance and design, social media connections, and positive reviews, all of which contribute to increased website traffic.
Compton also discussed the importance of involving patients in waiting rooms through efficient and knowledgeable reception staff and sources of entertainment. Optometrists can consider creating a TV channel for their waiting rooms that features fun content with educational value, such as videos featuring optical illusions.
“There are always different ways to stay up to date,” he concluded. “I love marketing, and everything I’ve learned about it has nothing to do with our industry. I’m a podcast consumer, and I read all kinds of blogs with this stuff just to see what doing the realtor in the industry, and I’m turning that stuff into my practice.
Vision Expo West