ORION EYE CENTER
Marketing Overview & Suggested Strategy
TERMINOLOGY
Marketing is the the activity and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offers that have value for customers, partners, and the society at large
Brand identifies one seller's good/service as distinct from those of other sellers; includes, but is not exclusive to, the name, symbol or other features that identify the seller.
Brand standards create an intanglible brand asset, intended to create distinctinve images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefit/value
Value proposition is how your cusotmers define the value in your brand, product and services, This should truly be the foundation of your marketing efforts and is based on a combination of customer perception, competitive intelligence, and your own evaluation of the product/services you offer If surveys tell you that customer perception is not in line with your evaluation, a shift is required in your external/internal marketing strategy.
PURPOSE
This document provides a high-level overview of marketing touchpoints available to Orion Eye Center and at the end of the document, the suggested approaches for 2020/2021 with the goal to:
Increase brand awareness
Drive referral rates
Improve SEO
Boost online reputation
BRAND ANALYSIS
Deliver your brand. Your brand statement is both internal and external; it should be present throughout all potential customer touchpoints and so reinforced throughout your customer experience that your clients inherently know it and can share it with others
Your brand statement should be simple and essentially state your value proposition, which should answer why someone should choose/refer you over the competition;
Why would a doctor refer Orion Eye Center vs. the competition?
Why would a patient chose Orion Eye Center vs. the competition?
In short, what sets Orion Eye Center apart?
Your value proposition was difficult to ascertain Based on extensive time researching your site online, it appears like you ' re trying to differentiate on these points:
Only ophthalmic practice with a walk-in/walk-out surgery center
Do not perform services in competition with referring optomologists
Advertise high patient satisfaction*
Experienced staff
Dedicated to keeping patients comfortable and informed
On the homepage of your website, lead with the points that make your practice unique
Your brand statement is different from your messaging campaign/slogan: “Life is beautiful, see well.”
Example Brand Statement:
See the Difference in Orion Eye Center:
We are the only ophthalmic practice in Bend/Redmond with:
A walk-in/walk-out surgery center
A vitreoretinal disease specialist (cornea surgeon)
77% of patients use online search prior to booking an appointment. Compared to other indiustries, this is a very high statistic and one that should not be ignored
And we are one of only two facilities in Central Oregon to employ a surgical glaucoma specialist.
Our highly trained retina surgeons leave optometrists to do what they do best and do not prescribe glasses or contact lenses.
MARKETING TOUCHPOINTS
This section provides an overview of the digital and traditional methods Orion Eye Center can/should employ
In today's increasingly digital world, prospective clients will be less and less likely to choose your business if it is not in the top three Google search results, or if you have less than 4 5 stars I imagine this is true even if they are referred to your practice by a trusted physician
Although patients who self-refer only comprise a third of your business, it is highly probable that your online reputation is hurting your business by deterring potential leads before you ' re even aware of them.
This is all within your control. There are very simple steps you can take to improve your customer satisfaction index (online reputation) and organic search engine optimization (SEO) These actions will not only increase the quantity of self-referrals, but also your referral rates
WEBSITE
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DIGITAL Website, Directory Listings, Facebook Instagram, Email
TRADITIONAL: Direct Mail, Print, Point of Purchase, Promotional Materials, Events
Your website should be:
An embodiment of your brand and reinforce your value proposition Your new website is professional and does a great job delivering your brand; I would just suggest minor language tweaks to better communicate what makes you unique Mobile Responsive: Google prioritizes mobile responsive sites Your new website is mobile responsive..
WEBSITE
Supplement your social media efforts with blog posts (ideally on a monthly basis); this will increase engagement and improve your organic SEO Embed search terms (but not excessively) throughout your site to improve organic SEO. Changes you can make to improve SEO:
Add a link for each provider's name on the homepage to the "doctors" page to improve SEO for each provider as well as for the site overall (See Infocus' site for reference ) Speak your patient's language by incorporating search terms on your site that they might Google, for instance:
Eye Surgery
Cataract Surgery
Glaucoma Surgery
Eye Surgeon
Ophthalmologist
Top Ophthalmologists
Since the majority of your business comes from referring physicians, consider putting the referral form link at the top of your site (by the phone & email icon)
**See further web edits to improve SEO at the end of this document.
Take out Google Adwords for key search terms Use Google Analytics on your current Adwords account to research other potential search terms; adjust accordingly
77% of patients use online search prior to booking an appointment 77%
DIRECTORY LISTINGS
Your business information (physicians' bio/photos/contact info/services available) should not only be current, but also reflect your brand in every directory listing Inconsistent descriptions and outdated information reflects poorly on your business and can even hurt SEO. Audit each directory for Orion Eye Center and separately, each provider's name: Healthgrades com Your current provider list is not current Overall your reviews are poor to average, with a low number of customers completing the review process
After your Healthgrades.com stars are above 4, consider purchasing a premium account (approx. $150/mo ) to test the self-referral effectiveness/potential of this site
As a general rule of thumb, the U.S. Small Business Administration recommends spending 7 to 8-percent of your gross revenue on marketing if your net profit margin is in the 10 to 12-percent range.
How to Measure ROI for a Directory
Marketing Ad: Use the Healthgrades com analytic reports for a baseline ROI. These reports should not be relied on as the sole tracking method:
1 2. 3.
For a minimum 60-day period verify that the leads you receive are qualified leads Divide the cost of the service ($150) by the number of verified leads, this will give you the cost per lead For some, paying $50 for a lead is a good ROI, while others would not want to spend more than a $1. Auto dealers, for example, spend around $650 in advertising per vehicle sold Your determination of a good ROI depends on your profit margin and conversion rate.
Track the number of leads that convert to sales to determine your conversion rate The measure of a good conversion rate varies by industry, but I would expect a click-toconversion rate in the 5 to 10percent range. The lead-to-sale rate varies based on how qualified the lead is and your own internal sales methods This is your best measure of ROI.
DIRECTORY LISTINGS
4 Ask yourself: are the leads received for profitable services where we want to focus our advertising dollars? If not, revise your profile description. If still no, stop investment, but continue to maintain directory
With all forms of advertising marketers consistently wonder: Was it the ad campaign that brought them in, or would they have found me regardless?
A percentage would have absolutley found you regardless. No ROI report accurately paints that picture That is why with any marketing investment I like to play devil's advocate and ask: If only 10% of reported sales received from this campiagn were actually due to the ad campaign, am I happy with that ROI? If the answer is yes, it's probably a winner Using 10% is a ridiculously low percentage, but the results of this exercise oftentimes help to illuminate underperforming campaigns
When choosing between two providers, a patient is 91% more likely to select the provider with higher reviews!
Ensure your branding, contact information, physicians' info, and services are consistent on the following sites:
AngiesListcom
Doctorwebmdcom
Google Listing/Google Maps HealthGradescom
St Charles Bend and Redmond
location listings for Orion Eye Center
Vitalscom
Yelpcom*
*Download the Yelp for Business mobile app to see analytics for your industry My guess is that traffic is low compared to Google and not worth Yelp's advertising services
Online Reputation Management. myrealpracticereviews: sends an automated text and email to your patient after their visit An automated method to drive online referrals will quickly turnaround poor star ratings online
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media allows followers to experience the soul of your business--your people, your culture--and gives you an opportunity to reinforce your position as a expert in your industry. When you post regularly, your followers will see your name over-and-over again, improving brand recognition So when it comes time to make a referral, they will be more likely to think of you first
Your online presence matters. it's essentially free marketing and can do wonders to not only improve brand recognition, but also referral rates
Existing Facebook followers
Existing Instagram followers
INSTRAGRAM TIPS
Make your logo your profile picture
Name account: Orion Eye Center (instead of oriorneyecenter)
Create subcategory icons that explain what you do (i e Cataract, Glaucoma, Retina). To do this you need to first post what Instagram terms a "story" then add it as a "favorite story" on your homepage
Build content before focusing on friend requests This doesn't need to take more than a week or two, but posts need to look professional and support your brand image Use Canva com to create quick, professional looking posts Reposting articles from expert sources work as posts and are easy ways to populate your site While building your site, aim for 4-5 posts/wk, then choose a day/time to schedule your posts moving forward (see Facebook Global Engagement illustration) Before friending potential/current referral providers, friend local influencers and popular local groups (Bend culture, Restaurants, etc Nothing political); most will friend you back Your site will be visited with the first friend request, so it is important that your site feels established when you partners/clients visit Ask reception staff to spend just 5 to 10 minutes per day liking and commenting on your followers posts
EMAIL MARKETING
Use an email management vendor such as Constant Contact to create CAN-SPAM compliant marketing campaigns, and receive analytics As a rule of thumb, if a communication is not transactional or relational in nature, the email must provide a means to unsubscribe For this reason it is best to do all email marketing for both patients and referral partners through Constant Contact. (Not being familiar with HIPAA rules; other regulations probably apply ) Create a template in Constant Constant that matches the brand of your website (same colors, fonts, feel). You might consider using Constant Contact's graphic design services for a onetime template Preschedule content for no more than 6 email blasts per year, keep 4 blasts for ad-hoc messages/events.
An effective email blast is:
Short, 100% visible without scrolling (on average, you have 3 seconds to capture attention) Personalized with the recipient's name/business in the subject line (can improve open rates by up to 15-20%)
If you include an offer, dollar-off coupons vs percent-off coupons see higher response rates. Some email servers block images; it is important that your emails leads with text and that text is not uploaded an image (i e PDF in Constant Contact) To improve tracking ALWAYS include a variety of links; generally the more links, the more clicks
Measure success of your campaign by your click rates, not open rates.
Only email providers/patients who have provided you with their email address; anythign else is a CAN-SPAM violation
Schedule emails and social media posts at high-engagement times (see left)
Think of marketing as a cake; you can't bake a cake with just one ingredient Your advertising budget should be composed of a mix of mediums, both digital and traditional, and the effectiveness of that mix is attributed to the mix as a whole, not just one ingredient in the cake
PRINT MEDIA
Request 'media kits' and 'rate sheets' from the Bulletin, Bend Living, and the Source
Benefits:
Effective means to establish brand recognition in our local community over a long period of time
Cons:
Expensive to maintain with inconsistent engagement
If you advertise: a 1/4 page vertical or 1/3 page ad costs less than a half page and often times sees the same or better response rates since it stands alone without competing ads
DIRECT MAIL
I would imagine that most receptionists filter through the mail, and so most marketing may not make it past the gatekeeper to the referring physician For this reason, I wouldn't recommend (unless it is primarily the gatekeeper who makes the referral).
Some marketers attach a unique phone number or landing page link to track response rates. This does not paint an accurate picture of print ROI since most consumers google a business when in active buying cycle for a service and do not call off a printed ad. However, print advertising still plays a purpose because of the repetition of seeing your name in ads If your business shows up in the top three google search results, consumers may be more likely to click on your business, but the impetus behind this action is not always conscious, much less self-reported
Remind customers of your business's brand statement/value proposition in the waiting room and in all forms of communication they receive from you
Use your waiting room to inform patients about the bios and expertise of your current providers, and especially any new providers. This helps to reassure customers of their choice to do business with you (as well as the referring physician's judgement) Customers are more likely to repeat these claims in online reputation reviews the more they are explicitly exposed to the claim, further reinforcing your brand image
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
Providing your customers and referral partners with promotional products is a much more effective marketing strategy than you may think:
Fifty-three percent of the time, promotional products create a more favorable impression of the advertiser.
Eighty-nine percent of consumers can recall the advertiser of a promotional product they had received in the last two years.
Only one in five people will trash an unwanted promotional product
Incorporate promotional products as part of your referral strategy to improve brand favorability.
Suggestions:
Desk calendars that include Central Oregon imagery. Present, but less prominent: your logo, slogan "Life is beautiful, see well" your providers' names and their specialties, direct link: https://orioneyecenter.com/referr al-forms/ Branded sunglasses for patients; bold colors are more likely to get noticed by others
For A-level referral partners (and a shortlist of those you want to transition to A's), a branded HydroFlasks for staff (fits with your outdoor brand; nice, high usage potential)
Based on our discussion, this is an area of strength with your continuing education series. I would encourage you to find ways to continue this virtually; and to follow with a hand-written thank you for their attendance, an advertisement for your next continuing education event, and possibly a promotional item to further reinforce their recognition of the event and your business in the future
I would recommend including a calendar of these events on your website, along with a link to enroll (you can generate the event link/form in Constant Contact) This could not only help physicians find local continuing education, but will also help legitimize your expertise for potential patients checking out your website
ACTIVITIES BY GOAL
ANNOUNCING A NEW PROVIDER
One month prior: Take headshot and receive information for bio
On First Day (start 2 weeks prior to allow for vendor turnaround time): Update your website with photo/bio; add providers name as a link to the homepage and as a link of the pages with the provider's expertise (i.e. cornea).
On First Day: Update all online directories
On First Day submit Press Release (finalize 2 weeks prior; submit as a word document not pdf so they can easily repost) : Send to Bend Chamber, Bulletin, Bend Living, Source, KTZV These sources may not pick it up, but you can add the release to your Blog/News page to help with SEO. Further leverage press release with a Newswire.com (or similar provider) to improve long-term organic SEO
On First Day (finalize 2 weeks prior): Post welcome video on your social media accounts with a brief bio (2 min max)
ANNOUNCING NEW PROVIDER
5 Within First 2 Weeks: Take out a Google Ad under the provider's name so referring physicians know were the physican now resides
6. Within First 2 Weeks: Consider a targeted Facebook ad welcoming the new physician. Image heavy, linking to your homepage. Be sure to incorporate your logo, website and slogan. (Target just those who have expressed interest in your business before to better target referring providers )
7 Within First 2 Weeks: Email blast to notify referral partners again sharing the bio; letting them know you will be visiting their office next week to drop by and introduce the new provider. (Keep a stash of Orion Eye swag on hand for visits such as these; production time can take months with Covid )
TRADITIONAL: 1
Within First 90-days: Visit local referring physicians with your new physician, no appointment necessary, to introduce new providers to the healthcare community (if from out of town), or to visit and share the news of the move if the change occurred within Bend If the provider is busy, leave behind a professionally printed flyer or postcard introducing the new physician and ideally, promotional items (or treats) for the front office staff as well to further ensure it makes it into the hands of the physician.
1 Month Prior: Create print marketing: Flyers or Postcards: Advertise the physicians arrival in your office and waiting rooms with point of purchase displays that tout the physician's bio Use these same flyers in your Meet and Greet with local referral partners.
Business Cards: Consider incorporating the providers photo and specialities
Two months prior, begin design/negotiations for any print ads: You might consider a short-term Bend Living ad welcoming the new provider NW Cosmetic Surgery advertised in Bend Living when Dr Nelson joined Dr Nelson reported that people did seem to hear the news; but no one specifically mentioned the ad. Although she reported that she would not take out a Bend Living ad again (preferring event marketing methods) she does think it may have helped spread the word
IMPROVE ONLINE REPUTATION
I would put this at the top of the list for Orion Eye Center to improve your SEO, self-referral rates, and support your brand claim of high customer satisfaction rates.
The more you can automate this process, the more success you will have, so this is well worth outsourcing These are vendors that appear to offer inclusive services:
a.
b.
https://intrepy.com/services/review-generation/ my.realpractice.reviews
Integrate reviews on your website The above tools probably have automated ways to do this (sometimes the actual implementation of this looks poor) or you can use the comment and first name as quotes for your testimonials page (your testimonials page is currently broken and needs to be fixed).
Reviews are also great posts for Facebook and Instagram, "Thank you, Sarah, for providing such a positive review You made our day! Then share Sarah's quote " Before doing so, friend Sarah on Facebook and tag her in the post, when she comments to thank you your reach will extend to her Facebook friends.
When choosing between two providers, a patient is 91% more likely to select the provider with higher reviews!
Health Grades: Dr. Traustason (2.4 stars; 7 reviews; last rating: 5/21/20); Dr. Francis (4 stars; 5 reviews; last rating: unknown); Dr. Desmond (3.9 stars; 14 reviews; lasting rating: 5/21/2019) - reported as still working at BMC; Dr. Kadasi (not found near Bend, OR)
DoctorWebMDCom: Dr Traustaston (4 stars; 5 reviews); Dr Grove (3 stars; 5 reviews); Dr Desmond (35 stars; 9 reviews); Dr Francis (4 stars; 6 reviews); Dr Kadasi & Dr Billinghurst (not found near Bend, OR)
Yelp: Orion Eye Center (4 stars; 5 reviews)
Google Listing Orion Eye Center (42 stars, 10 reviews) *Most Important Angie's List: Dr Traustason (A-rating, 3 reviews)
Vitalscom: Dr Desmond (36 stars; still listed at BMC), Dr Grove 45 stars
IMPROVE SEO
Goal:
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2020/2021 Goal: Get in top three Google Listings for key search terms. 2021/20222 Goal: Rank first in Google Listings for key search terms
Steps:
Using your current Google Ad, research frequency of key search terms.
Ask your patients what search terms they used to find you online-use layman terms like " eye surgeon " and "cataract surgery "
Embed above key search terms throughout website; especially within the homepage
To help with "local listing" SEO, replace most instances of "Central Oregon" on your webpage with "Bend" and "Redmond."
Fix the testimonial link on your website; list the physician they saw as a link under their name to help with the repetition of your physician's name on your site to help their SEO
Take out Google Ads for these key terms to help SEO while your organic search builds; put a cap on your Google Ad spend to keep the campaign within your budget.
Follow Google's instructions to link your Google ads, analytic account, and your website (Savvy Marketing should be able to help with this if they haven't already )
Link practitioner's names on your homepage and throughout the site (On the procedure site at the bottom it looks like their names are currently images not text, change to text to help SEO).
Claim and update all online directories with consistent information and photos Upload additional photos on your Google listing
Launch a blog page on your site; use to post news releases and other relevant materials with the purpose being to incorporate key search terms throughout the posting. (*Be sure to date the postings since Google prioritizes a website's perceived recency.)
Helpful, but lower priority: Create a handful short videos explaining procedures Name videos with the key seach term, your practice's name, and provider's name Post to YouTube, your website, and social media to help with SEO.
SEO SNAPSHOT
These results will be in constant flux and should be monitored on a monthly basis, at a minimum.
Incorporate these search terms and others Google Analytics and Patients SelfReport as using to find your services
NEW FACILITY OPENING
4 Months Prior to Launch: Design and order all Point of Purchase marketing, Swag, Thank You notes, and signs for your building so it's ready for the Grand Opening
2 Months Prior to Launch: Book ribbon cutting ceremony with Bend Chamber of Commerce
3 Weeks Prior: Constant Contact Invitation for Referral Partners, Bend Chamber leadership, and the Press to the Open House (use Constant Contact form for RSVPs for better tracking; and autoreplies to thank invites for RSVPs); Phone Call Follow-up 4 days after; Door-to-Door invitation to top referral partners with swag and possibly, something of value (bottle of wine?) to encourage RSVP Include Press Contacts in the invitation, make individual phone follow-ups to invite them to the event.
COVID APPROACH: Small Group of less than 10 Distancing Happy Hour Tours? Professionally recorded virtual tour?
1 Week Prior: Send official press release
1 Week Prior: Email blast invitiation reminder
Day Before; Email blast reminder to " yes " RSVPs with pertinent logistical info
Day Of; Orion Eye Swag bags with professionally printed marketing materials advertising your brand statement and marketing your providers and services
Within 1 Week: Handwritten and signed thank you notes branded to Orion Eye Center.
Within 2 Weeks After: Send press release follow-up with photos
Helpful, but lower priority: Create a handful short videos explaining procedures Name videos with the key seach term, your practice's name, and provider's name Post to YouTube, your website, and social media to help with SEO.