marketing matters

Case Study: Search Engine Marketing

Erinn Morgan

After 38 years in business, Triangle Visions in Durham, N.C., opened a satellite office in the town of Cary, about 25 miles away where they had little name recognition.

Instead of broadcasting the news via a traditional print, mail, and radio advertising campaign, the team of optometrists of this now two-location practice decided to take a novel approach to marketing.

ABOUT FACE

Employing the services of Netsertive, an online ad technology company with a dedicated optometry offering, Triangle Visions put the onus on using online marketing to gain more local customers. “Our desire was to market this new office to the community in a cost-effective and less-traditional way,” says Chris Glupker, OD, with Triangle Visions.

Via Netsertive, Triangle Visions implemented a locally focused search engine marketing campaign that concentrated on increasing website visitors and appointment inquiries. This involved tweaking Triangle Visions' existing website and launching targeted online advertising.

The cost? “We've spent about $1,000 to $1,500 per month,” estimates Glupker.

This strategy was no shot in the dark. According to a 2010 study from BIA/Kelsey, a media consulting firm, 97 percent of consumers now use online media when researching products or services in their local area. In addition, Netsertive CEO Brendan Morrissey asserts that online ad spending grew by 14 percent in 2010, while ad spending in other media averaged just three percent growth last year.

“The Yellow Pages don't work anymore,” says Morrissey. “Online is a critical part of marketing today. People aren't going to see your web-site unless you direct them there.”

Triangle Visions revamped its website to be more SEO friendly

ONLINE RESULTS

After just five months of working with its online marketing plan, Triangle Visions achieved a whop-ping 300 percent increase in website visitors, all of whom were the local consumers it had been looking to reach. Triangle Visions also experienced a 350 percent increase in appointment inquiries submitted online. This initiative was also a boon to its bottom line—it enabled this business to decrease its search advertising costs by 33 percent.

What were the most tangible results this optometric practice realized from its out-of-the-box marketing effort? “We have had a noticeable increase in new patient encounters,” says Glupker.

“And, we have ongoing exposure to potential future patients through our banner ad campaign.” EB