Optometry Marketing
How often do patients say this?
Let’s say that you’re a Behavioural Optometrist.
You’ve got a mother and son in the consultation room. Let’s call them Kim and Xavier.
Xavier is a hyperope. You’ve nearly finished explaining your findings. You mention that you can help Xavier to avoid sore eyes.
Then Kim interjects…
”oh, my husband has sore eyes all the time. He always wears safety glasses. But somehow he manages to ends up with metal in his eyes at work.
And he has to wait ages at the doctor’s clinic to be seen. One day he had to wait there for two hours…”
Your eyes brighten and you mention:
“Did you know that I can take bits of metal out for him? He can skip the queue at the doctors’ clinic…”
Kim replies: “Great! I didn’t know you could do that!”
You’ve probably heard this a dozen times already this year. Isn’t it amazing that some people still don’t know what Optometrists can do?!
Surprisingly, you can use these levels of awareness to generate more patients. And get the best return on investment from your Facebook Ads.
A podcast about Facebook Ads, Perpetual Traffic Podcast recently discussed a 5-Step Framework. They explained how the steps are based on solid Advertising principles from over thirty years ago!
This 5-Step Framework will change the way that you communicate with patients!
It will change the way that you post social media updates, create social media ads, run Google ads…even advertise on the radio or newspaper!
The 5-Step Framework
The 5-Steps in your Practice to attract new patients. They form the acronym UPSYD:
1) Unaware of Problem
2) Aware of Problem
3) Aware of Solution
4) Aware of Your Solution
5) Deal
Lets take a closer look at these:
1) Unaware of Problem:
In this step, potential patients are unaware that they have any type of eye problem.
In our Behavioural example, perhaps everyone previously thought that Xavier’s eyes were fine. This includes his father, teacher and friends at school.
They might say “That’s just him”. But they are unaware that Xavier has an eye problem.
Sometimes Xavier himself believes them. He might say in his head ‘maybe it’s normal to strain your eyes when you concentrate’.
Why does this matter?
When you’re communicating with potential patients, it’s important to remember that some people in your community don’t know that they have a problem.
If you showed them an Ad saying that you have a stocktake sale on frames, they might say: ‘that’s fine, but I don’t need glasses’.
So, you need to be more strategic about this.
If you wanted to attract Xavier’s parents to make an appointment, you would need to make them aware of a problem. Well before he made an appointment to see you.
Your ad needs to help take people from unaware of the problem to aware.
You need to show something that everybody recognises. That viewers say “I can identify with this”. Relate it to something that they do everyday.
To target people like this, you might create a short article called “7 Signs that your child isn’t having fun at school”. You might talk about things like: Reduced Attention, Gets in trouble for talking during class, Fidgets with pencils etc. Notice that it’s not directly about vision. But it helps parents to start thinking about “is my child actually doing well at school? Or does he or she need help”.
After a parent reads your article about “7 Signs…”. They start to ask themselves whether their child may have an eye problem. They pay more attention to their child’s behaviour at school and home when concentrating.
2) Aware of Problem
In this Step of the Framework, potential patients (or their parent) know that there is a problem, but don’t know that there’s a solution. For example, Xavier might be struggling with reading. He may have started reading recovery during school hours. His parents may spend some time online at night looking at solutions to help him read better. But they’re keeping their options open.
3) Solution Aware
Xavier’s may have been having Reading Recovery for a while, when the Aide brings up the topic of vision: “have you had Xavier’s eyes tested?”. Kim says “No, not yet”.
Kim realises that Xavier’s vision could be holding him back at school. However, Kim never had trouble with her eyes growing up. So she brings out her phone and starts looking at the local Optometrists. She sees your Behavioural Practice listed on Google.
4) Your Solution Aware
Another day, Kim goes back to your website and looks at it in more detail. She sees that you help Children with Learning-related problems. She knows what you do, but spends time thinking about whether or not it’s right for Xavier.
5) Deal
After thinking about it, Kim knows that she wants to bring Xavier to see you. She knows that you are a vision expert and can help Xavier. Now, she just needs a reminder to make an appointment. It’s the school holidays and she’s been busy with the kids. She keeps reminding herself to make an appointment.
Conclusion
This 5-Step Framework will change the way that you communicate with potential patients. Understanding that everyone is on a different level of awareness of their problem, and your solution, helps you to target these people with Ads to help to bring them to your practice. When you send them the right message for the step that they’re at, they’re much more likely to warm up to what you’re saying.
Kim brought Xavier in for an appointment, and he’s a +3.25DS in both eyes. Now Kim understands why Xavier wasn’t having fun at school. And she’s happy to start the process of Dispensing.
She can’t wait to see how Xavier’s reading improves!
