According to Samantha Toth of Innereactive Media in Ada, MI, “The purpose of marketing is to create an equity position in a specific target market and motivate a sufficient number of patients so that a practice can realize a specific growth objective.”

She also advises that the first step in creating an effective marketing plan is to recognize and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your practice. You need to look at everything from the telephone greeting, to the clothes you and your staff wear, to the appearance of your office both inside and out.

You’re probably saying to yourself, “This is going to cost me money I don’t have” or “Maybe next year if business is better.” Remember that without marketing, the only thing that your patients or prospective patients can compare is price. That decision will force you into becoming the low-cost vision provider just to stay in business.

The Marketing Bridge Survey developed by Innereactive Media asks you to evaluate 21 different areas on a scale of 1 – 10. This is arguably the most difficult step to take. You will be asking yourself, your staff and your patients for honest and unbiased perceptions of the “child” that is your practice. There is no place here for equivocation, for rationalizing the processes and procedures you’ve put in place.

Once you’ve evaluated the nuts and bolts of the practice, you need to determine what your marketing budget should be, as a percentage of your gross receipts, and how you will allocate those funds. Remember that marketing is more than just the telephone book ad. Everything that carries your practice name, from staff uniforms to business cards to building signage is marketing. Even parking at your office is marketing, especially if parking is inadequate or difficult to access. Again according to Samantha, “When your practice first started, do you think the plan was Let’s try this for a month to see how it works?” You must make the same commitment to your marketing that you made to your practice.

CREATING A BRAND

The optical industry is as brand-driven as any other industry. Varilux® has become synonymous with Progressive Addition Lenses the same way that Kleenex® is synonymous with tissues. Dior, Chanel, Prada and Polo all carry the expectation of excellent quality. Your practice brand should evoke that same reaction from your patients and the first step is to develop a mission statement. That may sound like it came from a ‘90’s business textbook, but the concept has proven itself time and again. You and your staff should craft a mission statement that will become the standard for evaluating every other business decision you make. It needs to be more than just stating the obvious, “We will provide our patients with the best eyecare possible.” Your mission statement should say how and why you will deliver that care.

Once the statement is agreed upon, it should be visible to your staff and your patients. It should appear on your patient forms, your newsletters, your billing statements and your receipts. Have it stenciled on the break room wall, in the shop and in your private office. It should be the reason your open your doors every day and it should guide every patient/staff/practitioner interaction. When the question is eyecare in your geographical area, the answer should be your practice. That’s creating a brand.

LAST YEAR vs. NEXT YEAR

Where did the bulk of your advertising budget go last year? Was it effective? How do you know? If you don’t have very specific answers to these questions, you really don’t have a marketing plan. You have an advertising plan. If you don’t know where your new patients came from or where your older patients went, you need a marketing plan. If your only exposure is in the Yellow Pages, you simply advertise rather than market your practice. Effective marketing requires a far more systematic approach than just renewing a contract.

CREATING A MARKETING BUDGET

For most of you, the major income-producing area of your practice is the dispensary. Innereactive’s Marketing Bridge Survey also asks you to evaluate every aspect of your dispensary.

• How many vendors do you carry?

• How many frames?

• Do your frame reps manage your boards or does your staff choose the frames?

• Are you part of a buying group?

• Has your practice grown or shrunk during the past 2 years?

• How have you marketed your practice and how are you measuring its effectiveness?

• What percentage of your gross income was spent on advertising/marketing?

• Are you taking advantage of co-op funds from your vendors?

In the current business environment and with the current economic conditions, planning for the most effective use of your marketing dollars is not just a good strategy. It can make the difference in how well your practice weathers the storm and how it prospers once the storm is over. Believe me, this is not a task to be undertaken in your spare time. In some cases, it’s far too time-consuming and far too critical to tackle on your own. Innereactive Media has many cost-effective marketing programs available to small practices (www.innereactive.com) or check with your local colleges and universities. They often have small-business outreach programs.

I spent 5 hours listening to Samantha. It was worth every minute of my time. If I were do jump back into the world of entrepreneurship, finding a good marketing partner would be my second call, after I called my therapist.