Blog by Paul M. Stubenbordt

In 2006, I was working as a surgical counselor at a practice in Indiana. I had a patient who was –9 D come in for a LASIK evaluation. Her corneas were 650 µm, but her keratometry readings were very flat. The physician recommended “the newly FDA approved” phakic ICL implant. Unfortunately, the price for these implants was nearly double the price of LASIK. Her husband, who was wearing very expensive caiman boots, said, “Absolutely not, this is a rip-off!”

2019 is in full swing, and now is a great time to re-evaluate and reassess your marketing techniques for your practice. With the speed that marketing is progressing and evolving, we have to make sure to adapt our approach. Here are four things your practice should be doing for marketing in 2019:

Gone are the days of flip phones and hand-held bricks. Ever since the first-generation iPhone came out in 2007, smartphones have taken over the cellular world. Having a smartphone on you is now equivalent to carrying a computer in your pocket, giving you the power to look up whatever you want in the palm of your hand. Recently, there has been a significant increase in a hands-free way to look up information: voice searching.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act has been something many practices have struggled to remain compliant with since its introduction in 1996. Many practices have introduced HIPAA officers or compliancy administrators who help ensure they stay compliant with HIPPA guidelines of handling of patient protected health information.

A QR, or quick response, code is a two-dimensional matrix barcode used for storing information, and it is readable by the camera on a smartphone. Essentially, a user would “scan” a QR code through a smartphone application in order to quickly access a URL, video or application.

What is a premium cataract practice?

1. Facebook c heck-in and free Wi-Fi

Approximately 70% of eye care-related problems, such as cataracts, are seen by an optometrist. As we all know, optometrists work with ophthalmologists to refer surgical patients to or to co-manage with. One often overlooked business development area is optometric development or optometric co-management. My next few blogs will explore what our practices do to grow their optometric referrals.

Marketers know it is much easier to sell to a current customer than get a new one to walk in the door. In one recent study, businesses with a 40% level of repeat customers generated 47% more revenue than similar businesses with only a 10% level of repeat customers during a 12-month period.

Once you’ve created a phone system that ensures your office is presenting a positive first impression, the next step toward improving your internal marketing is to focus on converting your waiting room into a reception area because who likes to wait.