THE SOCIAL MEDIA ADVANTAGE
By Troy Patterson
Social media is rapidly expanding in mobile and desktop formats , styles and delivery methods , and many in the optical industry are taking advantage .
The attractiveness of the ' free ' element of social media is keeping optical businesses creative in an effort to keep their audiences interested in their message .
“ As an avid social media hound myself , it was natural to use the multiple formats available to promote the opening of my new store nearly two years ago ,” said Ryan Horne of Regina ' s Spex by Ryan .
“ With all of the start-up costs associated with a new store , traditional advertising was not a viable option .”
Horne enjoys interacting by social media and says seeing the likes , follows and
24 EYE FOCUS | December Digital 2016 comments provides useful feedback .
“ Having new clients mention their visit was due to one of my posts was very gratifying and a great way to measure success ,” he said .
Horne said original content is important , as people don ' t care much for stock images . And images should also be appealing , or they risk making either the product or store lack in professionalism .
“ Take some time and post quality ,” he said . “ Be consistent . Post one to three times a day , otherwise your audience will quickly become disinterested .” He also recommends encouraging clients to share their own images with their friends and tag your business .
“ This is just as good as word-of-mouth advertising and dramatically expands your reach and followers ,” Horne said . “ It is the best time of my day when I post something really cool and see how everyone likes it .”
Eye Spy Optometry is in a young and trendy part of Calgary and Mark Ross said it ' s important to reach out to existing clients with “ fun , interesting information , jokes , blogs and scientific reports about eyes and vision .
“ Communication is key ,” he said . “ It also gives us the chance to highlight special events or new products in o ur practice .”
Ross said good quality and regular social media posts increases search engine optimization , so their website is more visible to potential patients on platforms like Google .
Ocean Optometry in Halifax relies on