Does this sound familiar? You have an established patient base. You have invested in technology and built capabilities in your optometry practice to provide dry eye treatments, myopia management, or other specialized eye care services, and now you’re excited about providing these services, but your patient base and the community isn’t aware that you offer them. Where to start?
Marketing new services to an established patient base is both an opportunity and a challenge. The good news is that you have a unique advantage—you already have a relationship with your patients. Here are a few tips on how to create awareness and demand for your services with the people who already trust you for their eye health and vision care – your existing patient base.
Educate and inform
People are more likely to consider trying new services if they understand the need and the benefits your services provide. Use your communication channels to educate them about the services and how they can help them. If you can tailor or personalize your approach based on the demographics of your patient base, even better!
Here’s an example. For myopia management services, the goal is to increase awareness of myopia and your services with the parents of children between 6 – 12 years old.
- Your website should have a specific page for pediatric eye exams and myopia management services. If you don’t have those pages, add them!
- Send email to the parents in your patient base about myopia and the benefits of myopia management for their children.
- Send out a letter or postcard informing the parents in your patient base about myopia management services, highlighting the benefits for their children.
- Create visually appealing brochures and place them in your waiting area or exam rooms.
- Share educational content about myopia and its impact on children on your practice’s social media accounts.
SEO for your services
For better or worse, people research their symptoms on the internet, including your patients. By adding articles about the impact of screen time on children and the rise of myopia with children on your website, parents researching this topic can discover you can help them. People who are suffering with the symptoms of dry eye are also researching these symptoms to understand what is at the root of their distress. By adding specific landing pages and blog articles to your website about the symptoms and the treatments for dry eye, you’re capturing these inbound visits to your website and over time this can help position you as an expert for this condition.
Leverage patient testimonials
Testimonials and success stories from satisfied patients can build credibility and encourage others to try your new services. Remember to get their signed consent to share their feedback or story on your website, in email campaigns, or on social media.
Host an event
Hosting events can be an effective way to engage with patients and introduce them to new services. Organize an open house or informational session about dry eye and your dry eye treatments for specific groups of people in your patient base, such as women between the ages of 40 – 60.
Build partnerships
Build relationships and partnerships with other healthcare providers or local businesses to reach a broader audience. You can collaborate with other optometrists, general practitioners, pediatricians, or other specialists to cross-promote your services and build a referral network.
Be consistent and patient
Consistency is crucial in marketing. It takes time for awareness and adoption of new services to happen, even with your patient base. We are inundated with an incredible amount of information these days, but with persistence, your patients will start to understand the services you now offer and the benefits they provide. If you can, it helps to have a marketing content calendar with topics, events, and tactics all mapped out for the upcoming quarter or year.
Summary
The key is to educate, personalize, and create value for your patients. Be consistent and patient, and it’s helpful to have an overarching marketing plan and calendar so that you stay on track with getting the good word out about your new services!
