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OPHTHALMOLOGY BUSINESS 74 February 2019 5. Set slightly different expec- tations for social media adver- tising. Although any ad campaign needs to be strategic in the long term, the immediacy of social media calls for a call to action. Dr. Wang contrasts how his practice advertises traditionally—with the emphasis on brand awareness and education— with their social media advertising, which focuses on encouraging potential patients to come in for a consultation or an educational seminar. One way to create an ad buzz on social media is with giveaways, said Andrew Whitley, Amplify 10 tips continued from page 72 Are you a fan of EyeWorld? Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ EyeWorldMagazine Online, Bradenton, Florida. A short guide to eye care, a product or ser- vice with a discount, or a newsletter are all easy items to create that are potentially meaningful to someone interested in eye care, Mr. Whitley said. However, much like tradition- al advertising, you'll also want to think long-term with social media ads. 6. Use online and social media pros for your digital advertis- ing. Keeping up with advertising through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Google Ads, a website, and any other social media platform can take a lot of effort and time—more than an ophthalmolo- gist or practice manager squeezing in a post in their "free time." When you focus on social media adver- tising, use a professional who has dedicated time to keep up with best ad and marketing practices in those venues, Mr. Whitley advised. This person will help you identify the right social media venues for you and create enough content to boost search engine optimization. Additionally, traditional adver- tising is best done with ad profes- sionals who can tailor your message for your audience, Ms. Dennis said. 7. Track everything. One mis- take that Ms. Dennis has observed is practices that do advertising but don't track it appropriately. For example, they may use their main practice phone number for patients to call versus a dedicated phone number to see exactly what return on investment an ad has generated. "If you don't track the results, you are losing the benefit of knowing the ad's effect and you may be wast- ing your money," she said. 8. Keep your website top- notch. Although your website may not be an ad per se, it's what many patients will use as an initial step to research you before ever reaching out to the practice, Ms. Parrish said. Her practice also optimizes their website for search engines to help achieve a higher ranking position in the search results and make it easier for consumers to find them. Beyond your website, plan to have an active email and text strat- egy to communicate with current and prospective patients, said Mr. Erickson, noting that these are inexpensive forms of advertising that help to maintain top-of-mind awareness. 9. Consider word of mouth a gold standard form of advertising. "Although it appears to be 'free' advertising, it requires a substantial investment and commitment from our entire team," Ms. Parrish said. "ReVision is constantly evaluating creative ways to 'wow,' connect, and provide added value to current and prospective referral sources." In today's digital age, practice staff members at ReVision will also re- mind satisfied patients to share their experience with others on social media or on online reviews. 10. Mind the budget. Obvi- ously, your advertising budget will vary by your location. However, Mr. Erickson thinks that new practices should spend 25% to 30% of their annual revenue on marketing the first several years. "Once they are established and have achieved a consistent flow of patients, they can look at dialing it back to 15% to 20%," he said. EW Editors' note: The sources have no financial interests related to their comments. Contact information Dennis: karensuedennis@gmail.com Erickson: chad.erickson@advicemedia.com Parrish: samanthap@revisioneyes.com Wang: drwang@visioninstitute.com Whitley: andrew@amplifyonline.com

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