Marketing ?

[Giorio]

Can we exchange ideas on marketing our store?

[cinders831]

How big is the market you wish to Market to? Are you looking to fill an entire schedule as you are new or are you interested in furthering a current clientelle?

[Giorio]

How big is the market you wish to Market to? Are you looking to fill an entire schedule as you are new or are you interested in furthering a current clientelle?

There is a small customer base.
G.

[eyegirl]

Do you specialize in any particular area of optics?
What age group is your current patient base?
Where are your patients currently coming from - zipcode-wise?

[TheEyesHaveIt]

I work in a small optical department in a warehouse type store. For marketing with great results we do the following:

Meet Members as they come into the door of the warehouse and give them a flyer/voucher "To be redeemed in our optical department for a FREE VISION SCREENING"

We walk around the store meeting and greeting Members, cleaning their glasses and taking that opportunity to tell them about our department, our services and our prices.

We call Members whose RX. is about to expire as a courtesy/reminder.

We call Members 2 weeks after their glasses are dispensed to follow up with them regarding their satisfaction with the service that we provided.

We place these FREE VISION SCREENING vouchers inside of the bags in the Pharmacy of the store as well as in the bags at the Photo Lab in the store.

Hope this helps. I would be very interested in hearing how others of you are doing!

[GOS_Queen]

Here's a thread we had awhile back



http://www.optiboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13402


It really depends on what you have to offer, what kind of market you are in, demographics, etc. Are you working in an optical with a DR, what kind of DR, is your practice old or new, what is "special" about your business.

Would you mind filling me in on a few of these things and I'll dust off my old marketing degree (20 years old mind you) and see what I can come up with.

[GOS_Queen]

I work in a small optical department in a warehouse type store. For marketing with great results we do the following:

Meet Members as they come into the door of the warehouse and give them a flyer/voucher "To be redeemed in our optical department for a FREE VISION SCREENING"

We walk around the store meeting and greeting Members, cleaning their glasses and taking that opportunity to tell them about our department, our services and our prices.

We call Members whose RX. is about to expire as a courtesy/reminder.

We call Members 2 weeks after their glasses are dispensed to follow up with them regarding their satisfaction with the service that we provided.

We place these FREE VISION SCREENING vouchers inside of the bags in the Pharmacy of the store as well as in the bags at the Photo Lab in the store.

Hope this helps. I would be very interested in hearing how others of you are doing!

Wow ~ that's awesome. I like the part about cleaning the glasses of the members ~ :cheers: and also, the part about the vouchers inside the bags in the pharmacy ...and photo lab. :idea:

[GOS_Queen]

I work in a small optical department in a warehouse type store. For marketing with great results we do the following:

Meet Members as they come into the door of the warehouse and give them a flyer/voucher "To be redeemed in our optical department for a FREE VISION SCREENING"

We walk around the store meeting and greeting Members, cleaning their glasses and taking that opportunity to tell them about our department, our services and our prices.

We call Members whose RX. is about to expire as a courtesy/reminder.

We call Members 2 weeks after their glasses are dispensed to follow up with them regarding their satisfaction with the service that we provided.

We place these FREE VISION SCREENING vouchers inside of the bags in the Pharmacy of the store as well as in the bags at the Photo Lab in the store.

Hope this helps. I would be very interested in hearing how others of you are doing!

Welcome to optiboard, btw ~ :cheers:

[GOS_Queen]

Can we exchange ideas on marketing our store?

Welcome to optiboard, btw ~ :cheers:

[TheEyesHaveIt]

Thank you for the "Welcome"! Also, thank you for the link to the old thread. I followed that link and got lots of good information on marketing.

[Giorio]

Thank you for the welcome...as I get into this venture I'll be able to be more specific...stay tuned

[April]

I too work for the small optical inside a warehouse type store. The marketing dept at your club should be a huge asset to you. Offer to go with them and provide cleanings and screenings. Another tip: Call nursing homes or alzhiemer care homes and offer to just come and clean glasses. These people usually cant get out and really appreciate it. It also makes me feel good to give back.
Also if you can get a new business to donate a free service to raffle off with a purchase or exam. Example, purchase sun rx pkg. gets you entered to win a tanning pkg at a salon. Isnt optiboard a great resource? I love the thread of stupid questions from patients. Some days you just need a good laugh!

[Johns]

We started using gift cards last year, and it has really boosted sales at one of our slower stores. We give them a $50 gift card at dispensing, and they give it to a family member or use it themselves. Sounds simple , but it works!

[LKahn]

A few ideas that may be of value

1. Define your market. Who do you sell to? How did they get to you? Think about how to get more people just like the ones that you have now? These are the simple low cost ways to grow
2. Develop a simple small handout which defines the following Who you are, What you do, What makes you different and why they should buy from you. Give this to everyone you have contact with.
3. Pick products and services that make you different. If you have the same products then the issue is price. No one lasts the test of time by selling price. Your products and services must be different.

Prior to being in the optical industry I was a management consultant and a speaker on business survival.

[For-Life]

You cannot start marketing without knowing your current and potential market. Their age, lifestyle, beliefs and such.

Then I always feel the best way is to have two seperate campaigns, an awareness campaign where you work on building up awareness of who you are, and a behavioural campaign where you want an immediate action (like someone coming to the store). I believe that you should be running the awareness campaign throughout the year on a consistant basis and the behavioural as a complementary throughout the year.

Think of it this way. Lenscrafters used to run tv ads daily telling you about the store. Then they would run sales promotions on top of that.

[GOS_Queen]

You can always become a "spokesman" for eyecare in your market/community ~

Here are some links to customizable press releases from the checkyearly campaign.


http://www.checkyearly.com/supppromote.asp

[GOS_Queen]

I got this next section from this link:

http://www.aao.org/aao/patients/eyem...d_practice.cfm


Community Relations
One way to raise awareness of your practice and improve your community is by getting involved in existing community activities or by creating one of your own. Either way, you can effectively use your time and raise your image by choosing a cause or event relating to eye health.

Examples of cause-related community activities:

• Sponsor a screening for vision-threatening diseases at a local senior center, community center or church.
• Work with your local Lions Club on their “prevent blindness” campaign.
• Co-sponsor a public service campaign with your local fire department on the dangers of fireworks.
• Serve as a guest speaker about issues affecting eye health. An example would be taking a position on proposed legislation affecting health care access at a meeting of your local Rotary, Lions Club or Chamber of Commerce. You can use the CD presentation on Sports Eye Safety or Eye Injury Prevention for a public presentation.
• Underwrite a local event related to eye health.
• Sponsor Little League activities by providing protective eyewear for players.
• Participate with your area’s hospitals, medical centers or corporations in a community health fair.

Some tips on promoting your community involvement:

• Where possible, display your name and that of your practice on materials related to these events.
• Make sure you and your staff wear name badges with your company name at the event.
• If appropriate, take brochure or hand outs with your practice’s name on them.
• Don’t forget to promote your involvement within the walls of your practice, on your Web site, in other sponsor publications and with other community organizations with which you’re involved.
• A picture is worth a thousand words. Take photos at the event and display them in your office and on your Web site.
• Inform the media about your involvement in the activity. Offer to serve as a spokesperson. But don’t expect publicity miracles. Do it for the community first.

About UsAcademy JobsPrivacy PolicyContact UsTerms of ServiceMedical DisclaimerSite Index

[GOS_Queen]

http://www.aao.org/patients/eyemd/observances.cfm


This link will take you to a montly calendar of observances - pertaining to eyes & eye disorders - injury prevention etc -

Each month has:

News Release,
Public Service Announcement
patient handouts and posters in English & Spanish

[GOS_Queen]

I think marketing depends on each individual practice.
* Is this practice new ? under new ownership/management?
* Is this practice specialized (low vision, children, exclusive products??)
* Who are your neighbors? are you in a residential neighborhood, business,
industrial, university?
* Is your community large or smalll? Urban or Rural?


Marketing can be as simple as putting up flyers, getting out to meet your business neighbors ... take some candy and some business cards and go knock on some doors...

If you near an industrial neighborhood and WANT to pursue safety eyewear accounts, then present that to the local market.

If you are focusing on children, strive to gain referrals from pediatricians, pediatric dentists etc (and you don't have to stop there ~ you can also contacts "unique" children's businesses - our area happens to have a cafe that caters to kids and also a kids only hair salon - and don't forget that if you have $$$ you can always buy advertising in the local "parenting" newspapers).

If you are focusing on older adults, strive to gain referrals from senior centers, senior advocates etc. In our area, we happen to have a "senior & baby boomer" newpaper. You can buy adversiting if you have $$$.

Also, our area also have a baby boomer radio program - they are always looking for show ideas - you could go on as an expert and answer questions about presbyopia. The baby boomer radio program also has an email newsletter that goes out once a week - they include information in that about local businesses. I don't think it costs anything for that.

If you offer exclusive, high end products, you could get referrals from local high end salons, spas, clothing stores - people who provide services in the "elite" category.

If you are near any athletic clubs, you can offer their members information (and perhaps a discount) on the importance of proper eyewear protection. Sometimes, in the YMCA to which I belong, there are informational topics/presentations put on for the members ...

If there are health fairs in your community, try to get a booth - if that is out of your budget, try to get a flyer in the "goodie bag" or at least an ad in the brochure.

If you have a nice collection of sunglasses, you can always market your practice to travel agents, (Why Squint on Vacation ??) and again, try to get your flyer into a goodie bag at a fun run or cycling event ...

When I was managing, anytime I was approached for a school raffle, I always donated a pair of sunglasses for the fundraiser. They always make sure to mention "who" donated "what". Good PR for a good cause.


oh, and regarding referrals: if you are putting your business cards/brochures in another business, remember to put theirs in yours - it should work both ways.

And, you don't want to be overwhelmed, you can make a marketing calendar - maybe a monthly or quarterly focus for a specific target market.

Years ago, in a optical I worked for, when we had someone come in for a repair/adjustment, we would give them an "eyewear analysis" ~ if I remember right, it was a form with categories on it re: the lens & frame condition - excellent, good, poor - (such as: lenses badly scratched, frame dehydrated, cracked, oxidation etc). We would circle the descriptions we felt the eyewear "showed" and then we would give them the card with our recommendations for replacing the eyewear (if necessary). If we felt the eyewear needed replacing, we would give them a "courtesy coupon" towards their next purchase.

You could contact realtors or apartment leasing managers in the area and see if they put together a "welcome home kit". I know that at my last 2 rentals, I received a packet with "local" information in it ~ dry cleaners, dentists, insurance agents, hair dressers etc.


I hope that gives you some ideas ...

[GOS_Queen]

Here's a link to one of my favorite links on the web -



http://www.businessownersideacafe.co.../marketing.php


This link will take you to the marketing page - it can help identify your target market -

[GOS_Queen]

I thought this article had some great ideas on what to include on your website ~ (re: directions, q & a, new patient registration, insurance plans, etc)



http://www.physiciansnews.com/busine...onnellydv.html

[Chris Ryser]

I thought this article had some great ideas on what to include on your website ~ (re: directions, q & a, new patient registration, insurance plans, etc)

Before you do any of these things you have to plan how to get your site out to the community you live in. It has to pop up on every search engine when a question comes up dealing with the community you live in and work.

Thertfore you need a lot of text explaining you work in .....again the community and its benefits of all kinds. Make a lot of links and subscribe to all these free information letters sent out by all search engines that give you all the good advice.

I have done it and my website is ranked number 5 optical supplier, out of over 500 sites.

[Giorio]

Last week I signed a purchase and sale agreement on a small practice, the next day I gave notice to my employer of 20 years. :cheers:

Ready or not....here we go! :hammer:

Thank you for your suggestions so far, I'm sure I'll have lots more questions.

[GOS_Queen]

Congratulations!