Social media has become a primary marketing tool for businesses of all sizes, across every industry and in every corner of the globe. While it would seem that the healthcare sector, particularly optometry, has been hesitant to get on board, the obvious benefits have begun to sway practice marketing strategies.
Social media is no longer just a social networking platform – approached the right way, it’s one of the most effective communication and marketing tools a business can harness. Social media’s reach offers the ability to market your business to a wider demographic than ever before.
According to Australian-based marketing consultancy Advantage Agency’s director and co-founder Samuel Petrusma, “Social media is a multi-faceted tool that can be used to build brand awareness, generate leads, build customer loyalty, increase your reach, research your audience, attract customers and get customer feedback. Not many marketing tools can claim to be so encompassing while remaining accessible and economically viable for any business.”
Approximately 80% of people use social media today, said Petrusma. “You don't have to be an internet sensation to see success across social media, you just need to start posting.”
Some might still argue that social media isn’t the right tool for an optometry practice – perhaps not everyone that sees your posts will be looking for an optometrist or a new pair of glasses. They would be right, to a degree, but it’s not about the hard sell or the here and now. Social media marketing is a form of ’push’ marketing; for optometry, it’s more about consistency and timing than intention-based. In other words, you might be displaying to people who don’t need your products or services right now, but if you’re consistent, yours will be the first practice to come to mind when they do need an eye test, sunglasses or a frame update.
Social media for optometry is ultimately about brand awareness, increasing traffic to your website and keeping you connected with your patients and the wider community. Not only does it provide interaction with people outside the confines of your practice walls, using multiple platforms allows you to adapt your message to your audience. Instagram is known for catering towards millennials, while Facebook has a wider age demographic. So you have the advantage of being able to tailor your marketing message on each platform accordingly. This can help new patients discover you, keep your current patients engaged and, most importantly, help your practice grow.
Social media tips for practices
Social media marketing can be time consuming, but with a clear plan and strategy in place, it can become one of the easiest and cheapest marketing tools you can invest in. There are many apps available to help with timelining and post scheduling too, so you don’t have to feel like a slave to your phone.
“Social media is about being prolific over perfect. In other words, just focus on posting consistently, three to four times a week if you can. Build the habit – you can always improve the quality over time. Social media algorithms look favourably on regular posting, but so will your audience!” said Petrusma.
So, social media is here to stay and if you want your business to progress with the world around it, now is the time to evaluate your marketing strategies.
Disclaimer: Samuel Petrusma is April’s brother-in-law and has helped a number of small businesses improve their social media marketing.
April Petrusma is CEO of Optical Dispensers Australia and a senior lecturer at the Australasian College of Optical Dispensing (ACOD). She was marketing manager for a Sydney-based independent optometrist for more than four years and has degrees in visual communication design, cert IV optical dispensing and cert IV training and assessment.