Optical Marketing Today

OPTICAL MARKETING TODAY

Supplement to VCPN, March 2015

Strategies for Marketing in a Digital World

INSIDE:

• Marketing Tactics to Reach Every Patient • Social Media Tips & Tricks • Must Have Web Site Features

This issue is brought to you by:

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SEND THE RIGHT MESSAGE, TO THE RIGHT PATIENT, AT THE RIGHT TIME. The Solutionreach platform bridges the communication gap between vision providers and their patients through effective engagement and education outreach. The tools and services from Solutionreach will increase your revenue, eliminate no-shows, and revolutionize your office efficiency.

REVIEWS

TEXT REMINDERS

DAILY TASKS MANAGEMENT

MOBILE APP

EMAIL REMINDERS

SURVEYS

NEWSLETTERS

CUSTOMER SERVICE

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ER E

Marketing is fundamentally changing traditional mass advertising to advertising on digital channels in 2015. Additionally, 84% of marketers plan to invest more money in social media this year.

More than ever, the time has come to evaluate the money you’re spending on advertising and the results your achieving.

While in-office brochures and printed PDFs are important, if you are relying only on these tactics, you’re missing out on the excellent opportunities the digital world has presented for connecting with and educating your patients.

Marketing in the optical industry endlessly morphs as a result of new technologies, consumer habits, market competition, or any combination of these forces.

A study by Salesforce.com reports 45% of marketers plan to shift their marketing spend from

Now is the time for eye care professionals to rethink, experiment and innovate the way they market their practices.

This supplement is designed to provide you with proven strategies and tools to help you achieve your practice growth goals.

Samantha Toth is the resident Marketing Rockstar for Innereactive Media, a full-service marketing company specializing in the optical industry, in Grand Rapids, MI. Samantha also authors the regular column “Social Media Advisor” for First Vision Media Group publications.

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2015 STATE OF MARKETING

45% plan to shift their marketing spend from traditional mass advertising to advertising on digital channels in 2015.

84% plan to invest more money in social media this year.

64% see social media marketing as a critical enabler of products and services.

70% of marketers view marketing as a critical enabler of products and services.

Source: 2015 State of Marketing, Salesforce.com

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Strategies for Marketing in a Digital World Today’s patients are far more informed and proactive than those of previous generations.

They now have easy access to medical and healthcare information via the Internet, smart phones and other technology. As patients increasingly switch between devices, the goal of modern marketing is to elevate their experience across every channel consistently.

Just as many of us rely on the contact list in our smartphone to remember

the numbers for even our closest friends and family members, our patients are growing more reliant on the same ‘smart’ devices to search for providers, read reviews, post feedback and remind them of their appointments.

Focusing your marketing on this level of patient engagement is no longer an option; it’s a necessity. While this task may seem complex and time consuming, technology has drastically simplified the ability for

practices to market their services and increase their revenue while simultaneously improving office efficiency. The most successful practices take advantage of the benefits of technology by making use of automated systems that allow them to personalize their patient outreach.

Eye care professionals should envision the tactics used in their marketing strategy as a way to further enhance the patient experience. This includes

91%

90%

Despite the fact that 91% of US citizens have their cell phone within reach 24/7, patients are increasingly unable or unwilling to answer.2

Ninety percent of cell phone users ignore incomingphone calls.3

all of the interactions a patient has with the practice, products, and/ or services across all channels and touch points.

From visiting your web site or social media page, to requesting an appointment online, receiving a text appointment reminder and an emailed survey after the visit technology is the essential glue that connects the various moments along the create exceptional patient experiences.

Text messages are typically responded to within 90 seconds.4

People check email on their smartphone an average of 34 times per day.5

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Mobile is the ‘Smart’ way to Communicate Patients keep their smart phones at the ready 24/7. Provided your practice earns their digits, you’ll have a direct line to them wherever they are. With this great power, comes great responsibility. Just as social media requires different strategies, SMS (text) marketing tactics must be considered uniquely as well.

Patients are concerned about their privacy, and they certainly don’t want their phone ringing at all hours with marketing messages. All signs point to respect when marketing on mobile channels, whether it’s SMS, push, or in-app notifications.

Respect your patients’ time and don’t over communicate. Use this technology to enhance your patient experience and help make it easier for them to communicate with your office.

An increasing number of households are TEXT APPOINTMENT REMINDERS The numbers make it obvious: reaching patients via text or email is much more reliable than hoping they will answer their phone. You don’t need to give up phone calls completely, but at least ask your patients if they prefer a text (or email reminder) before you go about wasting time on unanswered calls and unheard voicemails.

Patient messaging services should include a clickable “Add to My Calendar” button in the reminders so patients can automatically insert the appointment details.

LET PATIENTS CONFIRM VIA TEXT Request a confirmation in one of your appointment reminder messages. Let the patient respond with one word, letter, or click

to confirm that they will be there. Invite them to respond with a request to reschedule if they can’t make it so that you can immediately begin attempting to fill the open space. Automated systems may even let patients who receive phone call reminders press a number on their dial pad to confirm.

FILL EVERY OPENING ASAP Like over 80% of offices, you may keep a “waitlist” of patients who are hoping to get in sooner than you were able to schedule them.6 Solutionreach and Innexus PRO both offer ASAP messaging; When a last minute cancellation occurs, ASAP text and/ or email messages can easily be sent to every patient on your waitlist until the opening

cancelling their landlines and listing their mobile numbers as their primary contact information, leaving many practices unsure as to whether or not the phone number they have on file can receive a text. To address this, some patient messaging systems have been built to intuitively recognize which numbers are landline and which ones are mobile. If a text or email cannot be sent, providers like Solutionreach and Innexus PRO will automatically deliver appointment reminders to the landline number with a voice message that sounds like a member of your staff is making the call themselves.

is filled. ASAP messaging benefits your busy patients, saves your staff time and frustration, and helps capture the revenue that can be lost through late cancellations.

DON’T SEND LATE NIGHT TEXTS Many practices don’t want reminders to go out on specific days or during specific times, so restrictions can also be set to accommodate those preferences. Make use of automated systems that will safely pull information from your schedule and contact patients how, when, and with the frequency they prefer.

call reminders. However, remember that people tend to hang up when they hear a mechanical voice, so choose a system that provides “natural voice” introductions.

When patients answer the phone and hear a member of your staff introducing your practice, they are much more likely to stay on the line to hear the appointment details.

DON’T BE A ROBOT To accommodate patients who may still prefer the phone for communication, be sure to choose a system that will also automate phone 4

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Email is Key to Your Practice’s Marketing The email inbox has become a fierce battleground for attention. While 77% of consumers prefer to receive permission-based marketing communications through email, about 84% of all email traffic this year will be spam.7 Email only becomes spam when the content of the message brings no value to the recipient.

Subject lines are the most important elements that motivate someone to open an email. In fact, Adestra found that subject lines fewer than 10 characters long had an open rate of 58%8. The best reason to open a message is to find a benefit within, or “What’s in it for me?” Avoid anything commonly found in the subject lines of spam, including

RECALL REMINDERS The same technology tools that benefit patients can help your staff by making them more productive. Instead of printing labels and applying them to recall postcards, automated emails and/or texts can be sent to patients notifying them when it’s time to schedule their next appointment.

Include a link to your practice’s web site where they can request an appointment online 24/7 for an even higher response rate. eNEWSLETTERS Most patients enjoy receiving monthly and/or

quarterly email blasts with engaging educational articles, videos, trivia, jokes, recipes and more. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ideas. If you lack time, marketing solutions like Innexus PRO will write customized email content and send it out to patients on your behalf.

EYEWEAR READY NOTIFICATIONS Automated eyewear ready notifications can save your staff hours of time spent calling patients and leaving messages. Instead, an automated email and/or text can be sent to the patient

exclamation marks, dollar signs, uppercase text, and the words “free” and “you.”

Similar to text messaging, you must respect your patients’ time and avoid over communicating. Before writing any email blast, ask yourself, “How does this email message help or benefit them?” If it takes you longer than 30 seconds to think of the answer, don’t send it. Regardless of what the message is, always include a link to your web site and your social media pages, as well as a “share with a friend” button.

The following email strategies are the most commonly used in eye care and are the best received.

as soon as their order has been marked “arrived” in your practice management software.

PATIENT SURVEYS Sending satisfaction surveys via email will help you to learn what your patients want, improve your practice, and show your patients you respect their opinion.

Systems are available that automate surveys for your office and allow you to customize the questions, structure, and response options so the surveys meet the needs of your practice.

Platforms like Solutionreach and Innexus PRO also allow

you to automate customized post-appointment surveys and offer built-in analytics and alerts so you can more easily sift through the feedback you are receiving.

BIRTHDAY MESSAGES eCards are more likely to be seen and provide you a variety of fun options for attention grabbing, personalization. Create a customized greeting by embedding a photo of your practice wearing hats and holding a Happy Birthday sign. Even better, make a quick video using a cell phone with your whole staff singing, “Happy Birthday!”

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Cu in-o we

YOUR ALL-IN-ONE MARKETING SOLUTION We’re the extra set of hands you’ve been looking for, with the optical marketing expertise you can’t find.

SOCIAL MEDIA We set up & design your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ & Yelp pages, and write and post content 2x week to your pages.

MARKETING PLAN Customized with promotions, printed in-office posters, window clings & website graphics for your practice.

DIGITAL MESSAGING Unlimited email, text and phone calls for recall, appointment reminders, eyewear ready notifications, surveys, eNewsletters and more.*

SEO

ROI REPORTING Quarterly 1-on-1 consultations with our optical specialists to review email & social media analytics, survey feedback & more to track your growth.

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WATCH OUR VIDEO ONLINE & SIGN UP AT INNEXUSPRO.COM/DEMO innereactive media • 2620 horizon dr se • ste 250 • grand rapids mi 49546 • 888.963.8894 *Innexus PRO includes a full subscription to Solutionreach.

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While 25% of marketers in 2014 saw social media as a critical enabler of products and services, that number has leapt to 64% in 2015.1 Experian Marketing Services found that the number of ratings or reviews posted online has increased by 30% in the past two years alone.9 In addition, the number of adults who say they pay attention to such reviews has increased by 33%.1 Companies are increasing their budgets for social media more than any other digital marketing channel in 2015. In fact, 66% of companies now have a dedicated team to help manage their social media marketing programs, a 9% increase from 2014.1

Social Media is Word of Mouth on Digital Steroids

Social media marketing isn’t simply staking a claim on a Facebook profile URL and never touching it again. Your best and most successful posts are “organic,” or those that stir conversation naturally. The better you know your audience, the more easily you’ll produce these posts. Encourage patients in the waiting room to jump on their phone and ‘check in’ on one of your social media pages. If you do a health tip, joke, or quote of the day, advertise it in your waiting room and use that as incentive to get them there.

Your followers want to interact with the personal, not corporate side of your practice. Realize that spending more money on social media won’t work if your social presence is too self-promotional. Marketing solutions like Innexus PRO write and post content for busy practices and also help to make sure your paid advertising and organic content work in tandem.

Successful practices use social media to connect with their patients on a personal level and less like a soapbox for their marketing message. Seventy percent of social media posts

should be about adding value, or personality to their practice. Twenty percent of social media posts should be the sharing of articles, pictures, or other information your patients would find interesting. Only 10% of social media posts should be promotional in nature. Your web site should be used for marketing and online promotions, and then your social media can be used to post links back to your web site to retrieve these offers.

When assessing the success of a social media campaign, it’s important to rate quality over quantity. Would you rather have an engaged, responsive audience of 3,000 real people, or an audience of 10,000 non-responsive names on a list? The smaller, engaged audience is the logical choice because they are eager to receive your messages, cultivating the connection and loyalty that grows your bottom line.

Social platforms change so quickly. The key is to be flexible.

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Professional Web Site With Mobile Responsive Design When you consider over 600 million people visit Facebook every day, some eyecare professionals find themselves wondering if they really need a web site for their practice.

While there is no argument about the importance of social media, your web site is the hub of all of your practice services and products; a place where you can communicate your marketing message to your patients.

A smart web site anchors your practice’s brand, arguably the most coveted asset, and sets the tone and standard for the company’s culture and attitude about feedback, expression and service. Put another way, it establishes that first critical (and often unforgettable) impression. For this reason, don’t try and do it your self.

Leave the development of this important marketing tool to the professionals.

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of marketers in 2015 see social media as a critical enabler of products and services.

Source: 2015 State of Marketing, Salesforce.com

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Ninety percent of the time, practices are searched for online prior to calling. While searching social networks is popular, search engines are still used by the majority of people looking for information online. If your web site is built with SEO in mind, you have a better chance of being found in the top search engine results on Google, Yahoo, or Bing, and you’ll see a steady stream of online traffic resulting in new patients.

web site, social media pages, emails and text messages offer patients a fully optimized experience on mobile devices see significant increases in their marketing effectiveness.

Fifty eight percent of U.S. consumers own a smartphone and 33% own a tablet, and those numbers are only growing.10 As today’s phone screens are increasing in size, consumers are using their phones/tablets to view content. As a result, laptops now make up just 17% of connected devices globally, down from 29% in 2012, according to International Data Corporation.11 Professionally designed, mobile responsive web sites are a necessity for all practices. More affordable than ever, marketing solutions like Innexus PRO include a professionally designed web site with patient education videos, informative eye health articles, interactive eye, online appointment requests, and a number of other robust features designed to generate new patients online.

Lastly, select a company or solution that won’t charge you every time you want to update your web site. Unlimited web site marketing consultation and unlimited web site updates are two of the unique benefits included with Innexus PRO.

Practices who pay special attention to make sure their 8

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Start with a Strategic Marketing Plan This year practices have a record-high number of technologies, channels, and tactics to choose from. As you consider growth strategies for your practice and specific sales objectives, remember who your target patient is. They have unique wants and needs that your marketing will need to appeal to.

discussed in this supplement. Which will you use to communicate your marketing message?

Start by taking advantage of the technology and benefits automated systems provide to personalize your patient outreach. This customizable, digital messaging will reach 100% of your patient base with each individual’s preferred method of The first step toward marketing effectively comes communication; texts, emails, or landline phone with the creation of a marketing strategy plan. calls. Practices that effectively engage their Most practices select quarterly marketing topics to patients across all of their preferred channels will focus on such as digital lenses, multiple pair sales, create intelligent interactions every time, today or back-to-school, just to name a few. Once these and into the future. topics have been selected, it’s important to keep in mind the strengths of all marketing channels

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Professionally designed point-of-purchase materials should be posted around your office to help communicate the quarterly focus of your marketing plan. Materials should include posters, window and mirror clings, as well as content and graphics updated on your web site. Lastly, social media posts at least twice per week, monthly email blasts, and quarterly eNewsletters with a strong call-to-action should also be sent. In addition to the a custom marketing plan, social media, and sending the email blasts, Innexus PRO also includes development of these customized marketing materials for practices.

Finally, focus on the patient’s experience when they arrive at your office. Personalize their experience by recognizing them using their name when they arrive. Take time to create an inviting

waiting room with no clutter and nice background music. Set out a tray that has an attractive water pitcher with lemon slices in it and offer to get your patients a beverage and hang their jacket. Start using a digital intake device. Handing patients a tablet and letting them complete the necessary paperwork digitally is an excellent way to make the waiting room more enjoyable and productive.

It’s more fun than filling out papers and it eliminates shredding and illegible handwriting.

The device can also assist in long-term patient engagement. Platforms like Solutionreach and Innexus PRO allow patients to browse through educational newsletters available and opt-in to topics that interest or benefit them.

Measure and Analyze Your Results Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet for marketing your practice.

There is no guaranteed, onesize-fits-all tactic to grow the size, quality, and ROI of your audience. For this reason, measuring and analyzing your results must be done at least quarterly. Learn how are patients are finding you by reviewing your web site’s Google Analytics report, or integrated analytics included with Solutionreach and Innexus PRO. From a bottomline perspective, the automated patient recall messages sent out are also tracked and include

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graphs of the actual revenue generated, providing real-time data illustrating the return-oninvestment for your practice.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ideas, or tweak your plan slightly. There is no perfect science, only best practices to help you achieve results. What’s good for the patient is good for the practice. With the right tools and technology, improved engagement doesn’t just benefit your patients, but also instills efficiency and effectiveness to your practice in ways that can

improve profitability, as well as boost employee morale.

Practice owners who adopt a proactive mindset and utilize the right technology, tools and strategies will not only have a competitive edge, they will gain the loyalty, trust and confidence of their patients.

When that happens, everyone wins.

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Ninety percent of the time, practices are searched for online prior to calling.

Innexus websites are dynamic and designed to generate new patients online.

The Solutionreach platform bridges the communication gap between vision providers and their patients through effective engagement and education outreach.

Innexus PRO combines all of the benefits of Innexus along with a full subscription to Solutionreach. It’s the extra set of hands you’ve been looking for, with the optical marketing expertise you couldn’t find.

WATCH OUR VIDEO ONLINE & SIGN UP AT INNEXUSPRO.COM/DEMO OR CALL 888.963.8894

This issue is brought to you by: solutionreach.com

innexuspro.com SOURCES: 1. 2015 State of Marketing, Salesforce.com 2. Morgan Stanley via Mobile Marketing Association 3. Netscape 4. CTIA.org via hubspot.com 5. Study in the journal Personal and Ubiquitous Computing 6. Answers polled from more than 800 dental practices in a 2014 study conducted by Solutionreach 7. 2012 Channel Preferences Survey, ExactTarget 8. Adestra July 2012 Report 9. Experian Email Market Study 10. Trending now, September 2014, Experian Marketing Services 11. International Data Corporation

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