In today’s competitive world, to stay ahead of competitors you need to enhance your online presence for patients who are browsing all the time on the Internet. Being an eye doctor, you should know that vision issues are very common in the US and thus you need to have a strong online presence. With the help of digital marketing, potential patients can reach out to your optometry practice instead of competitors’. Online presence will help you acquire new patients and build long-term relationships with existing patients.
Here is how to be found on social media and Google search results:
Better Presence on Social Media Platforms
If you think social media is just a place to socialize with your friends and family, then sad to say, you’re losing business in a big way. Today, social media platforms have become a hub for potential patients. People go there searching for eye doctors, services offered, doctor’s reviews and one-to-one online interaction. And for a strong online presence, you need to be where your audience is.
Just having an account on Facebook, Instagram, Google+ or Twitter won’t help until you invest some of your time engaging with people. Here’s what you can do to be found on social media:
- Create an account on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, etc.
- Share your expertise and blog posts to show you’re a trusted source of information.
- Post general eye care tips or images of your patients wearing their new glasses bought from your optical shop.
- Discuss the latest trends in the eyeglass industry to attract fashion-conscious prospects.
- Appreciate the positive reviews.
- Read, reply and rectify the negative reviews.
- Greet your patients on life events and occasions.
- Conduct social media paid campaigns.
- Talk to your elite patients like a sportsperson, new personality or politician would.
Paid advertisements on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook help you reach new prospects. You can execute campaigns on your special offers, new eyeglass frames or free or discounted eye checkups. Ads can have a customized design, such as exclusively for a defined age group, gender or area.
Rank High in Google Search
Now that you know how to establish a position for yourself on social media platforms, it is important to get yourself ranked in Google search. There are two types of search results:
- Organic search that includes SEO
- Paid search that includes Google AdWords and PPC
To be found online, you can run an AdWords ad and combine it with SEO to get top results on the organic listing. If you can invest a bit of extra money, it is always better to go for pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns for quick conversions.
You also need to have an elite website optimized with keywords that are required for Google ranking. Always check if you are selecting the right keywords related to your eye care practice. Selecting area-specific keywords is another way to make yourself noticeable to your local prospects. Bidding on unwanted keywords and phrases will never make you visible online.
You might have a site, but no one will ever know about it. In addition to an intuitive design and SEO optimization, you should make the website interactive by including an appointment scheduling form and eye care and eyewear product ordering form, etc.
Another way to get noticed online is to have videos and a mobile app. Another important thing is to have a mobile-friendly website since most people prefer browsing the Internet on their mobile phones. If you don’t have a mobile-compatible website, then surely potential patients will be disappointed and won’t prefer visiting you. Being an eye doctor, it is a must for you to not let your eye care practice go unnoticed and builds a strong online reputation.