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OPHTHALMOLOGY BUSINESS 76 May 2016 Mona Wood, public relations and marketing director for Dr. Higa's practice. If you don't have someone in that role, you could work with a local public relations student or a freelance writer to craft a release for you, Ms. Wood suggested. Your PR contact will know the best way to get the release out to local media and follow up with targeted press contacts; some local chambers of commerce also have programs that help you get releases into the hands of press contacts. 3. But also think beyond the press release. Although press releases are a definite tool in the promotion of eye awareness months, there are other things you can do. "I often partici- pate in health fairs and talks around the community—at hospitals, shop- ping malls, veteran halls, elderly care homes, etc.—and even present at least 4 events each year in my own office for free," Dr. Higa said. He will usually focus his talk on the topic of the month. Dr. Higa's office will promote these talks at his office, in newsletters, via press releases, and other venues. about specific conditions that can be better treated with regular exams, Dr. Piracha said. John-Kenyon also uses the monthly promotions to raise aware- ness about trends, such as proper contact lens wear during Halloween. 2. Draft a press release. This is your basic tool to get the word out to the local or regional press about the theme during a given month. Obviously if your practice has a marketing director or publicist, he or she could write the release, said health awareness months (see side- bar for a list of the months), then consider advice from these aware- ness month pros. 1. Decide which months you'd like to promote. Do you want to target certain months with topics that are most relevant to your practice, like Center for Sight did? Or would you rather take a broader approach and celebrate all or almost all themes? For example, Hugo Higa, MD, Honolulu, has celebrated eye- themed months for almost 20 years, as he thinks they help raise 7 steps for easy, thoughtful education and marketing for your practice I t seems like there's an awareness month for just about every- thing—ever heard of National Doghouse Repairs Month (July) or National Chicken Month (September)? Some of the monthly awareness themes may be down- right silly, but if your practice isn't observing at least some of the eye health-themed months throughout the year, you could lose out on a solid educational and marketing opportunity. Take, for example, the experi- ence of Center for Sight in Sarasota, Florida. The large practice recently decided to participate in eye aware- ness months, and Diabetic Eye Disease Month in November seemed like a good place to start, said Marissa Rossnagle, director of marketing, Center for Sight. "We realized this was an un- tapped opportunity to educate current and prospective patients about common eye conditions while also positioning Center for Sight as an expert source and go-to provid- er for specific eyecare needs," Ms. Rossnagle said. The office sent out a press re- lease with diabetic eye disease statis- tics and tips to prevent and manage onset of the condition. That helped the practice secure a feature piece in a local health magazine. The practice's vitreo-retinal surgeon also spoke with a journalist on the sub- ject, providing information beyond the press release, Ms. Rossnagle said. "The opportunity to educate a large group of people with a high poten- tial to be personally connected to the topic is invaluable," she said. Because of the outreach effort, the practice has decided to partner with a local diabetes non-profit group to share information on the topic. 7 steps for awareness month outreach If you think your practice would benefit from marketing and educa- tion efforts related to various eye Use eye awareness months by Vanessa Caceres EyeWorld Contributing Writer awareness about scheduling regular annual exams. Another way to approach it: Think about a goal you have in mind for patients and how you can use the themed months to help them reach that goal. "At John- Kenyon, our goal is to encourage the community to schedule regular eye exams, the same way they'd schedule an annual physical or go to the dentist regularly," said Asim Piracha, MD, John-Kenyon, Louis- ville, Kentucky. "We often see peo- ple neglecting their vision because they aren't sure it can be corrected or are nervous about the treat- ment." The promotional efforts the practice does around the monthly themes help to raise awareness

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