Maximize your marketing by mastering these 3 simple tools

in our technology-driven world, keeping up with how to successfully market your practice and reach your patients can be challenging. Why? Because how your patients prefer to communicate and where they share their purchasing experiences is always changing.

One of the best examples: the millennial generation. This on-the-go patient base is ever accessing the Internet-of-things’ wealth of information. Additionally, most of Gen Y expects practices to provide advanced online communication to meet their needs. As the largest-growing purchasing power in the retail industry, millennials are challenging the way all businesses and practices communicate with their consumers.

So how do you alter the way you communicate with and market to these patients? Social media, texting, and building your online reviews are three easy tools that can help you better serve this unique patient base.

TOOL #1
Social Media

The digital world provides a huge opportunity for you to extend your patient base and increase communication with your existing one. Start by creating or claiming your online social media pages via Facebook, Google, and Yelp. Next, set a schedule for posting and share relevant eye health information, staff or office updates, and promotional materials to keep patients engaged and your practice top of mind.

How do You Create a Successful Online Presence? Post social media content at least once or twice a week. Choose different days of the week for different topics. For example, share eye health articles on Monday, staff updates on Wednesday, and promotional posts on Friday. Don’t forget to share your practice’s personality. And, stay engaged with your followers by responding to messages and comments.

TOOL #2
Texting

Two-way texting is a newer communication tactic for practices, and a great way to easily and quickly connect with patients about appointments, eyewear-ready notifications, and much more. For the on-the-go lifestyle of your millennial patients, providing a quick alternative to phone calls and emails can cut down response time, boost customer satisfaction, and improve appointment scheduling.

How Could Text Messaging Work for You? Send appointment reminders with an easy confirm or cancel text response. Tell patients they can leave a review via text—or even send a picture of their health insurance card using a HIPAA-compliant text messaging service. You can also share patient prescription information or eyecare articles.

TOOL #3
Online Reviews

The majority of patients do research and read online reviews prior to visiting a business. They feel more comfortable trusting the services provided by your office when the feedback comes from genuine people and first-hand reviews. By encouraging patients to leave online reviews, you show you care about their opinion and, as a result, can increase your reach and opportunity to attract new patients.

Should You Reply to BOTH Good + Bad Reviews? Remember all reviews are important, good and bad, so be sure to reply to all. Thank patients when they leave a positive review. And, respond promptly to negative reviews—and, if necessary, apologize publicly on the social platform. Always try to remedy the problem, but do so privately with the patient after replying publicly.

—Samantha Toth

SAMANTHA TOTH is an ABO-certified optician and the resident marketing rockstar for Innexus by Innereactive. Programs like Innexus help practices build their online review reputation and include add-ons like 4patientcare.com to offer two-way texting features to ECPs. As a professional speaker, Toth lectures internationally on how to manage and market eyecare practices. Getinnexus.com and 4patientcare.com .