Back-to-school is a busy time for everyone, but it’s also a great opportunity for eye care professionals to reach new patients and remind existing patients about the importance of eye health and the impact of vision on learning. By creating a well-planned and executed back-to-school campaign, you can increase your patient base (even in a saturated marketplace), boost your revenue, and help ensure that your patients have the best possible vision for the school year ahead.
What to Include in Your Back-to-School Campaign
Some of the most important elements include:
Campaign Goal: What is the goal of your campaign? To increase the number of patients who schedule an eye exam before the start of the school year? Or perhaps to gain community awareness or to become a KOL (key opinion leader) in your school district?
Target Audience: This can be parents of school-aged children or it might be teachers or school admin.
Campaign Message: Your messaging should remain consistent throughout your campaign. One example would be: Healthy vision is essential for success in school. A comprehensive eye exam can detect vision problems that could be affecting your child’s learning, and it can also help to identify any underlying health conditions. Schedule an eye exam today to ensure that your child has the best possible vision for the school year.
Campaign Timeline: Your campaign should run anywhere from 4-8 weeks, beginning a month or two before school starts and ending after school begins. This will give parents plenty of time to schedule an eye exam before the start of the school year.
Campaign Budget: The cost of the campaign will vary depending on the tactics that you use. You may need to spend money on advertising or if you pay someone to create ads and social media posts.
Campaign Evaluation: The success of the campaign can be measured by the number of patients who schedule an eye exam. You can track the number of appointments by using your practice management system.
Campaign Tactics
A marketing tactic is a specific action you will take to execute your campaign. Some ideas might be:
Incentives: Try offering incentives to students and their families to make an appointment. This is a great way to get new patients into your practice and to make sure that your existing patients have up-to-date eye exams. This can be a freebie, discount, or service.
Email marketing: Send an email to parents of school-aged children reminding them of the importance of back-to-school eye exams. Include information about the benefits of eye exams, as well as a link to schedule an appointment.
Social media marketing: Post on social media about the importance of back-to-school eye exams. Use eye-catching images and videos to capture attention or link to an interesting article that parents can relate to, and be sure to include a call to action that encourages people to schedule an appointment.
Print advertising: Place ads in local newspapers and magazines that target parents of school-aged children. The ads should highlight the importance of back-to-school eye exams and include a call to action that encourages people to schedule an appointment.
Direct mail: Send out direct mail pieces to parents. The pieces should include information about the importance of back-to-school eye exams, as well as a coupon code for a discount or incentive.
How to Promote Your Back-to-School Campaign
Once you’ve created your back-to-school campaign, you need to promote it so that people know about it. Some of the best ways to promote your campaign include:
Your website: Make sure to include information about your back-to-school campaign on your website. This will make it easy for potential patients to find out about your offers and to schedule an appointment. This can easily be done with a pop-up or banner on your website.
Social media: Use social media to promote your back-to-school campaign. Share posts about your offers, education, and promotions on your social media channels. You can boost these with as little as $1/day to your target zip codes so more people see them. If you want to go deeper, you can create an ad campaign targeted to your demographic and location.
Email marketing: Send out an email blast to your email list about your back-to-school campaign. This is a great way to reach out to existing patients and to remind them about your offers. Consider offering an incentive for people that share your information with others.
Direct mail: Send out direct mail pieces to your community about your back-to-school campaign. This is a great way to reach new potential patients. Try adding a promotion that encourages them to make an appointment and to bring in the mailer for a free product or service.
School and community events: Visit local schools or volunteer at a community event to talk to students and their families about the importance of eye health and vision care. This is a great way to get the word out about your back-to-school campaign and to generate interest in your practice. You can provide a free eye screening at the event to demonstrate the need for eye exams.
FAQs
Q: What is the best time to start planning a back-to-school campaign?
A: The best time to start planning a back-to-school campaign is in the spring. This will give you plenty of time to develop your campaign, promote it, and get ready for the influx of patients.
Q: What are some common mistakes that eye care professionals make when planning a back-to-school campaign?
A: Some common mistakes that eye care professionals make when planning a back-to-school campaign include:
- Not starting planning early enough.
- Not promoting their campaign effectively.
- Not offering incentives.
- Not providing enough education about the importance of eye health and vision care.
Q: How can I track the success of my back-to-school campaign?
A: There are a number of ways to track the success of your back-to-school campaign. Some of the most common ways to track success include:
- Tracking the number of new patients who schedule appointments.
- Tracking the number of patients who purchase eyewear or contact lenses.
- Tracking the number of patients who share information about your campaign on social media.
- Tracking the number of patients who leave positive reviews about your practice.
Conclusion
By following these tips, you can create a successful back-to-school campaign that will help you increase your patient base, boost your revenue, and help ensure that your patients have the best possible vision for the school year ahead.
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