VISIONOMICS

Harnessing the Power of Social Media

How an effective online presence can generate new patients

Visionomics^®, a series of COPE- and ABO-approved business-building courses, will be held at this year’s International Vision West. The courses focus on strategies for assessing and maximizing practice profitability. In this series of articles, Eyecare Business—the official trade media partner for Visionomics—will feature some of the program’s speakers. This month, Samantha J. Toth, ABOC, “marketing rockstar” and president of Innereactive Media in Grand Rapids, MI, discusses her course, “Secrets to Generating New Patients Online.” What follows is just a small portion of the information she will be sharing.

Samantha J. Toth, ABOC

social media has become the number-one activity on the Web. With more than a billion people using it, if Facebook were a country, it would be the fourth largest in the world. The question is no longer, “Will you use social media?” but instead, “How well will you use it?”

IT IS WORTH IT

Never before has it been so important to establish a strong media presence. Your business may depend on it. The most powerful form of marketing in the optical industry is word-of-mouth, and social media is equivalent to “word-of-mouth on digital steroids.” Patients want to do business with a provider they know and trust, and social media allows them to get to know practices and connect with them easier, faster, and more effectively than any other marketing medium.

For more info on Visionomics, go to: visionexpowest.com/Continuing-Education/Highlights/

Patients are now using the Internet to search for their eyecare providers. Businesses are searched for online 90 percent of the time prior to calling, and 70 percent of mobile searches lead to action in one hour.

Whether you like it or not, your website and social media presence are being judged by every set of eyes that come to your page. If a visitor’s first impression is not appealing, you will lose them in a few seconds.

MAKE IT A JOB

Offices often put the youngest person in the role of “social media administrator,” assuming he or she is the most social media savvy. But are you overlooking someone who will post more effectively? Before assigning, ask these questions:

• Who has the most face time with your customers?

• Who has (or can make) time during the day to post?

• Is someone a power user already?

• Who else on staff should have access?

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

While there is no secret formula to social media success, there are guidelines that practices should adhere to for optimal performance. Follow these best practices:

• USE PHOTOS. They get 53 percent more “likes,” 104 percent more comments, and 84 percent more click-throughs.

• SAY WHAT? Question posts get 100 percent more comments.

• MAKING CONNECTIONS. Don’t be afraid to make posts personal. Help patients (and prospective patients) get to know the personality of the practice through your posts.

• WHAT TO POST. About 70 percent of your social media posts should add value to your business and brand recognition; 20 percent should be sharing other’s ideas or posts; and 10 percent should be promotional in nature.

• WHEN TO POST. Between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., during the lunch hour, and right after dinner are high-traffic times. Wednesday posts get the highest visibility.

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