1) What is the greatest marketing
challenge facing ECPs?
Marketing for small business has changed
and eyecare is no exception. It is no longer
a “do it yourself” project.The way to
market to the consumer has changed
and the way the consumer shops and
buys has changed. Eyecare businesses
that believe that their customers are
finding them the same way they did 10
years ago… even 3 years ago… are now
struggling to bring in new customers/
patients at the same rate. Eyecare consumers are spending more time online
and how they research and communicate
with local businesses is changing. The
customer wants to conduct their own
research before reaching a business so
they are prepared. This is a challenge
and an opportunity for ECPs and the
ones that will succeed are adapting and
thriving in the online arena.
2) What tools do you recommend to
get ECPs comfortable with new
marketing tools?
The way someone looks for an ECP these
days is online. You need to be involved,
active and comfortable in every platform
and medium to really compete. Most
ECPs not only do not have the technical
web expertise, they definitely don’t have
the time commitment it takes to be
seriously visible online. That’s why we
recommend hiring an expert marketing
company/ agency to help you develop
and work with online tools. An optimized
eyecare website is the most important
marketing tool as everything other online
activity will drive traffic back to a website.
You can have a great looking website but
if it doesn’t convert the consumer it doesn’t
work. Social media such as Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest are all tools
as they represent an opportunity to connect
and reach your customer in a new and
more engaging way than ever before.
Google Adwords, Google display campaigns, Twitter Ads and re-marketing
campaigns are also a few imperative
marketing tools in competing in today’s
online marketing area. Another important
tool are communication platforms…
16 EYE FOCUS | December Digital 2015
automated email/ text systems that
communicate ongoing with your customer/
patient to ensure your business stays
top of mind.
forums can open new avenues of information on business growth.
3) Does old fashion marketing work?
Flyers, print media etc.
Having a strong marketing plan for the
year allows your eyecare business to proactively prepare and plan for everything
from budgets to collateral requirements.
If you look at successful businesses in our
industry their marketing is a full scale
plan. They know when their promotions
are, what is required and how to support
them. They execute well, track results
and plan for the next promotion. It is
the same old adage…failing to plan is the
same as planning to fail.
That really depends on many factors.
Geographical location plays a huge factor
in whether print or flyer marketing is still
effective. Rural and small town locations
see stronger results in traditional marketing methods than larger metropolitan
cities. If you’re in a rural location you still
need a website but you may do less in
Google Ad words and more in a community
newspaper. Whereas an optical or optometry practice in downtown Toronto should
look to invest in digital options to really
see active results. Not only is it important
to track results of every marketing
campaign to understand effectiveness
it is important to research what works in
different zones in Canada.
4) What other tools do you
recommend investing in?
When we talk to ECPs no matter what
sector, Opticianry, Optometry, Ophthalmology they all state the top challenges are finding good staff, training
staff and competing in a busy, changing
industry. It was why we started 4ECPs, a
company focused in creating business
resources to assist eyecare professionals
with some of their main challenges.
Staff are an eyecare business's greatest
asset so investing in better recruitment
tools such as Jobs4ECPs – an online job
site focused on assisting businesses with
finding qualified employees quickly is
a staple with many ECPs. We are also
launching an eyecare business training
portal in Jan 2016 – Training 4ECPs, which
will assist offices in training employees
on everything from sales to hiring. We
are also huge advocates of higher learning
including putting staff through licensing
programs such as Opticians and Optometric Assistant training. Networking
with peers can also prove to be an invaluable tool so finding opportunity or
tools relating to communication such
as LinkedIn groups and eyecare
5) Do you require a full scale
'marketing plan'?
6) How often should marketing be
reviewed?
All the time. You should be asking each
new Patient or Customer where they
heard of you and where they found your
contact information. If you're investing
in radio or print, you should be asking
your new patients if they listen or read
those particular mediums. There are
call- tracking software companies that
can provide you a bank of phone numbers
to place in various ads. This measurement
allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of
your marketing efforts. Understanding
which marketing to reinvest in will
elevate your marketing efforts to a whole
different level. Charest says it is important
to not give up on marketing if a change
isn’t experienced right away.
“Get marketing! Try it! Get advice…
don’t wing it. Get involved and get social.
Join blogs, online resources, social
platforms, industry forums and start
really learning what is going on in our
industry and online,” she said.
“The more you understand about the
eyecare consumer, the changing eyecare
industry the more prepared you’ll be in
the ongoing shift in communication
with them and how to market to an ever
distracted customer."
Learn more about our new ventures
at www.4ecps.com.