1 Take a multichannel approach
Using a full range of channels is the surest way to fully market your practice. This might include pay per click advertising, social media, blogs, emails, texts and display advertising.
Each could be likened to a stop on the ‘customer bus journey’, which can be tracked and analysed through data insights, according to OptiCommerce digital marketing manager Chris Mantle. ‘You can engage with people three or four times but you need to be in as many channels as possible to make sure all those engagements resonate with people,’ he says.
2 Reach multiple devices
In addition to the established desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile phone devices, ‘voice’ is emerging as a common search technology. Because more people are talking into their devices in this way, through assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, search terms are also getting longer.
‘What we are seeing, especially in paid search, is that queries are changing,’ adds Mantle. ‘Key words and search terms change as we move further down the sales funnel.’
3 Target new customers
With patient loyalty not always what it used to be, digital marketing presents an opportunity to tempt fresh eyes towards your practice.
‘It’s really important you consider brand new customers as well as the return of existing ones,’ says Mantle.
For instance, if the patient’s favoured practice does not stock the required frames they may well shop around onlilne. ‘People know what they want and how to get it, but it might not always be from the same place,’ he adds.
4 Use data wisely
Data insights and market reports on the optical sector can help to steer marketing campaigns, says OptiCommerce digital development manager Nathan Potts.
For instance, 49% of optical searches are now conducted with a mobile phone. ‘If you’ve got an advert that is too long to read on a mobile then you are putting yourself on the back foot,’ he adds.
The month of September was found to have the greatest search volume for eye examination queries, with December having the least. In terms of search engine terms, patients were most likely to type in the words ‘eye exam’ – just ahead of searches for brands. ‘This is one of the leading ways patients are going to get in touch with us,’ says Potts.
5 Share your testimonials
Google and Trustpilot Reviews have become go-to resources for internet browsers, where they can find patient reviews both before and after eye appointments.
If an individual does not have a registered Google account to leave a review, encourage them to email a testimonial through to be used on the practice website. ‘You are giving them the opportunity to let people know what a good job you’ve done,’ says Mantle.
Eye care patients are leading the charge online with 14% more Google searches for optical related terms last year. ‘More and more people are becoming interested in technology but also specifically so for optics,’ adds Potts.
6 Provide easy viewing
Using video is a particularly effective way of maximising the impact of promotional material. Potts says: ‘The less that someone has to do, the more conversions you are going to get. It’s not that people are lazy, they just don’t have the time.’ Indeed, YouTube is now the second most populated social media platform on the web with 1.5bn monthly users. Only Facebook is higher with 2.2bn users.
Facebook Live videos, meanwhile, have been found to generate six times more engagement than regular ones. ‘People love real-time video and will click just out of curiosity if nothing else,’ adds OptiCommerce digital marketing executive Aashni Shah.
7 Stick at it
Marketing campaigns require a significant amount of time commitment before they can be properly evaluated. According to the experts, this should be over a period of at least six months for any meaningful measurement.
Mantle says: ‘If you don’t do this, how do you know what success looks like? You need to measure effectively and keep feeding that funnel.’