The right strategy can help your business grow
Marketing is something most businesses need to do all of the time. Hooking in new clients isn’t something you do once. Of course, customer retention should be an important aspect of your business strategy, but you will always need new clients to ensure growth and success.
Even on a small budget, there are lots of things you can do to attract new customers. Growing your optometry business, you’ll need to look at a range of marketing activities and consider ways to make your store different to other optical stores. Get your marketing strategy right and your optometry business is on its way to success.
Here are 6 things you should be doing now.
- Nail your elevator pitch
The most important aspect of marketing is your ability to explain clearly and succinctly what your business does and why potential customers should choose you over your competitors. In marketing, this is known as your “elevator pitch.” Wherever you are, and with whomever you are speaking, you should be able to introduce your company quickly with a compelling back story. See more tips on creating a compelling elevator pitch here.
- Build a socially responsible business
It is becoming increasingly commonplace for businesses to give back to their communities. It’s called corporate social responsibility and it isn’t restricted to the domain of big corporate businesses. An increasing number of small businesses are prioritizing. According to one study, more than ever before Americans are looking to businesses to drive social and environmental change.
The 2017 study found that as many as 87 per cent of Americans are more likely to buy from a company that supports an issue they care about. Your business ethics could give you an edge over your competitors.
- Have an online presence
All businesses need a website and an SEO (search engine optimization) strategy – there’s no point having a brilliantly crafted website if you don’t feature in internet searches. One way to ensure you are top of the leader board is to pay for ads, but a more business-savvy way to get noticed online is to work on optimizing your website to make your way organically up the leader board. See 13 tips for what to include on your optometry website here.
- Get social media savvy
Becoming active on social media is essential to keep your practice relevant to young people (95 per cent of millennials expect brands to have a Facebook presence). Unless you have a budget for paid, targeted ads, social media is a completely free way of connecting with your audience. The key is to find useful and interesting information your audience will be interested in.
- Go the extra mile
Word of mouth is your best marketing tool and should be an essential part of your business strategy (just like advertising, sales, content and social media).
Offering an exceptional service is the most powerful way to keep customers coming back and for them to recommend you to family and friends. Some great businesses invest very little in marketing, and instead rely on word of mouth. Of course, for this to work, your service needs to be in a pretty good place – why else would people shout about you?
Going the extra mile for your customers means they’ll remember you and recommend you. This involves everything from a welcome smile when customers walk into your store to the informative nature of the eye-test and eye-care process. How staff engage with your customers and the range of glasses and eye-care products you offer will also have an impact. Importantly, consider what can you do to make yourself stand out from the other optometrists in your area.
- Collaborate and network
Getting yourself known and respected among the local business community means getting out there and meeting people. With a brilliantly crafted elevator pitch, you’ll soon be one of the best-known optician stores in your area.
Shaking hands with people who may not be instantly in need of your services won’t bring instant custom, but it increases your business’s exposure. Collaborating with other businesses in different fields could also help you to reach new people. Try bundled or cross-promotions or promoting each other. It’s a great way to increase exposure and at the same time cut marketing costs.
See here for more low-cost ways to market your business.
