Using Outreach Programs to Attract More Eye Care Patients

02/20/19 | by Terrnekia Collier | Practice Management

One of the best ways to attract more people to your practice and get them more familiar with your brand is by being active in your community. As a member of your community, you are responsible for how much you engage with those around you.

Many residents may not even be aware of your presence and therefore don’t know what services or products you have to offer. But outreach programs give you an opportunity to get better acquainted with potential patients and vice versa.

If you own an eye care practice and you’re looking for ways to reach more people in your local area, we’re here to tell you the best practices for creating relationships with those in proximity to you and turning them into loyal patients.

Be Active in Your Community

In order to make your presence known, you have to reach out to people and become more involved. This should be relatively simple if the town you’re located in ever holds any town events where you can promote your practice.

For example, if there is some type of festival or street bazaar happening where all the small local businesses will be promoting themselves, this is the perfect opportunity for you to build those connections.

Whenever you do participate in these events, bring some of your products so you can show potential customers what you have to offer.

If you have multiple options for the type of frames customers can choose from, bring them with you and put them on display. This way, people have something tangible they can test out for themselves versus you just telling them what products you have back at your office.

You should accept every opportunity that comes your way to boost your visibility and in turn boost your revenue and increase your clientele list.

Partnerships

Connecting with other, larger companies in the area through outreach marketing is another way to reach even more people. Having joint events helps to develop relationships with other business owners while simultaneously creating more revenue for bother parties. If their business offers something that allows a product collaboration between the two of you, that’s even better!

You could also work out an agreement where they permit you to advertise your eye care practice in their establishment and you authorize them to do the same for their business.

When you partner with larger companies, they can introduce you to more business owners and before you know it, you could be collaborating with multiple businesses to slowly build brand awareness and visibility for your eye care practice.

Community Outreach

Advertising yourself as a family-oriented eye care practice is also a sure-fire way to increase your clientele because you’ll attract people that want to book appointments for their entire household.

You can achieve this by getting to know the families residing in the community.
5 Ways to Attract More Families:

Support a children’s sports team in your neighborhood (sponsorship)
Give free eye exams at the local homeless shelter or retirement home
Donate a few pairs of glasses to children in your local community who don’t have access to proper eye care
Allow a local organization to hold an event at your practice
Donate a percentage of your sales to a charity in your community

When you constantly participate in local events, you become a familiar, trusted face. Families will know they can come to you to get excellent service and purchase great products from someone that they know cares about the community.

The Benefits of Giving Back

When you give back to the community, people want to give to your business by purchasing your products and services. They want to see you succeed because of how much time and effort you put into improving the neighborhood around you. Consistently engaging with the local residents and forming connections with these people will create loyal patients that will frequent your practice for years to come.