Electronic Health Reporter

Medical care marketing can be challenging. Most people try to put medical appointments out of their minds until the day of — it’s not something they aim to engage with daily.

When marketing your ophthalmology practice, connecting with and engaging potential patients is the key. Here are some powerful marketing tips to help reach your target audience and connect in an impactful way:

Invest in local search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO is one of the best investments you can make when planning your ophthalmology marketing. It’s the driving force behind search engines and, ultimately, decides what businesses and websites are prioritized on a results page. Having an online presence is no longer enough; it needs to be optimized for SEO.

Local SEO drills down further and ensures that your practice is listed above others in the area. This aspect of digital marketing has the most merit for medical practices. While social media is also a powerful tool, it’s better to reach fewer people in your local area versus millions of people worldwide. Unless you offer something very special, it’s unlikely someone will fly across the country to your practice.

Start with local SEO by claiming your Google My Business page and ensuring all the data is relevant. Additionally, your website should be integrated with Google Maps and prominently display your address and hours. Finally, incorporating the name of your city or town throughout your website can help boost your results. This aspect of digital marketing will reach potential patients most effectively.

Manage Reviews and Feedback

Managing online reviews and feedback is the next priority for improving your ophthalmology marketing efforts. Dedicate time to checking your online reviews and responding to reviewers – both negative and positive.

You can thank positive reviewers for their feedback and use negative reviews as an opportunity to practice exceptional customer service. Many prospective customers will look at how a business responds to negative reviews as a part of their purchasing decision.

Consider creating a patient follow-up process to request feedback and an online review. Offer the chance to win a monthly draw, or a small incentive, for those who leave a review. When making this request, mind your language; you shouldn’t ask specifically for positive reviews (though implied).

Create Virtual Offerings

Virtual medicine and telehealth have become predominant over the past two years. Unfortunately, conducting an online eye exam isn’t as simple as some medical offerings. However, there are still opportunities to improve online accessibility for your clients. Doing so provides new value propositions to shape your marketing around.

Consider how you can leverage technology to create virtual offerings – for example, using augmented reality to let people try on glasses from the comfort of their homes. Alternatively, you can have a designer create a custom Snapchat or Instagram filter to encourage sharing and help extend your reach online.

Answer Commonly Asked Questions

Whether you’re creating social media content or SEO blog content, knowing what to say or showcase can be difficult. Simplify your efforts by answering commonly asked questions from patients and online searchers. Present these answers in a fun, engaging way, taking a proactive approach.

Start by noting questions your patients ask and creating content with the answers. Then, use a service like “Answer the Public” to find more relevant questions derived from internet searches.

Remember that this content is evergreen and can be repurposed in multiple ways. You can refer patients to blog posts for further information about their glaucoma diagnosis. You can piece quotes from your blogs to create social media quote posts. You can present the same information again and again in short video marketing posts, taking advantage of the Instagram and TikTok algorithms to extend your reach. The more you can repurpose content, the better your return on investment (ROI).

Marketing your ophthalmology practice doesn’t have to be complicated, but, when in doubt, source it out. Consider working with a skilled medical marketing agency to put a strategy in place so you can expand your ophthalmology practice.