Eyeworld

10 Ophthalmology Business • July 2018 with the responsibility of managing day to day business operations. They do not have time to hold a marketing team's hand and walk them through the ABCs of ophthalmology. Trusting brand building and storytelling to a team that has not only an under- standing of the basics but also a store of personal experience will have a significant impact on brand quality. Comprehensive marketing teams In addition to finding experts with time-tested industry intelligence, there are benefits to selecting one firm with expertise in all areas of marketing and advertising—especial- ly because the alternatives, which include hiring someone in-house or outsourcing to multiple firms, are so problematic. Those looking to hire in-house should consider this: Marketing is a very large job. It is too much to ask of any one person to have the necessary level of expertise in med- ical writing, web programming and management, graphic design, video production, email marketing, social media development and manage- ment, media buying, marketing budget management, and digital, radio, television, and print advertis- ing. Unless the ophthalmic business is large enough to internally fund its own marketing department, in-house hires are simply not realistic. Those looking to spread out the responsibilities among multiple firms often face issues with campaign con- sistency and feasibility. In the past, campaign consistency was simpler to maintain, thanks to fewer available marketing channels. Today, those channels have expanded, leading to the development of multichan- nel marketing, a way for brands to implement a single strategy across a variety of channels (digital ads, social media, email, print ads, radio, televi- sion, website, mobile app, etc.). This modern marketing tactic is key to maximizing a brand's opportunities to interact with prospective custom- ers, but more channels require more effort to maintain campaign con- sistency. Naturally, every firm has a different style or marketing outlook. When an ophthalmic business uses multiple firms, it risks placing "too many cooks in the kitchen." This can lead to mixed brand messaging or contrasting graphics, which confuses perspective customers. Outsourcing to one comprehen- sive creative firm limits the vari- ables that may jeopardize message continuity. There is no disconnect between those managing the mar- keting channels because all messag- ing decisions—everything from the wording of materials to the timing of material releases—are made as a team, under one roof. For example, if a practice wants to run a campaign to promote LASIK, the social media spe- cialist may create a post that mimics the other direct-to-consumer ads by working directly with the copywriter. The copywriter may create an appeal- ing email to inform patients about LASIK by working directly with the designers. The designers may create digital ads by working directly with the social media specialists and the web programmers. It is this easy con- nectivity that helps protect message consistency. Multiple firms also affect market- ing feasibility. Each firm charges different rates for services, which are accompanied by different billing times. This can get expensive quick- ly, making a well-rounded brand and marketing strategy hard to afford for most small to medium sized ophthalmic practices or ASCs. With a comprehensive firm, project time becomes sharable between creative team members under the same roof, which reduces cost and even speeds up project completion time. One billing schedule also means a more efficiently managed marketing budget. Conclusion Ophthalmology is a competitive field and choosing to invest in growing a brand is an important part of remaining visible to prospective patients. Select a team capable of telling more authentic, more consis- tent, and ultimately, more profitable brand stories. Industry intelligence and comprehensive services make all the difference. OB continued from page 9 Mr. Rabourn is the founder and a managing prin- cipal of Medical Consulting Group in Springfield, Mis- souri. He can be contacted at bill@ medcgroup.com.

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