Marketing Tactics for Niche Markets
Marketing a Lasik Surgery Practice
The key to success in marketing a lasik surgery practice is to combine time-tested marketing techniques with the most cutting edge strategies in today's marketplace.
A high-quality marketing plan connects your company to your customers. Without it, you'll quickly find your lasik surgery practice stuck in limbo.
It's not hard to convince most business owners that marketing plays a vital role in strategic planning. But in a zero-sum economy, there are winners and losers -- and here are some of the things that will help keep your lasik surgery practice at the top of the heap.
Social Media Monitoring
The use of social media as a marketing tool is the latest wave to overtake the small business community. Combined with a functional company website, social media attracts new customers and converts them to brand advocates. Social media can quickly go negative, turning brand advocacy into "badvocacy", a scenario in which consumers and users create content deriding your company and your products. All lasik surgery practices need to be particularly sensitive about the potential for negative brand commentary on social media sites. To counter negative social media, you'll need to monitor your brand's online presence and enter the conversation, redirecting negative discussions toward more positive topics.
Generating Buzz
Never underestimate the value of good buzz with consumers. You've heard it said before: Word of mouth is the best form of promotion for products and brands. For a lasik surgery practice, meaningful brand conversations have the ability to transform the impact of your marketing efforts. The process begins with developing communication vehicles and mechanisms that invite discussion. With minimal effort, you can instigate conversations through social media and other communication vehicles favored by today's consumers.
Managing Negative Publicity
Not sure how to handle negative PR? You're not alone. It's a probably faced by many lasik surgery practices. The worst way to handle negative buzz is to put off developing a response until reporters are pounding on your door, demanding a comment from a company spokesperson. The creation of a quality, crisis PR plan and the adequate preparation of key stakeholders is a requirement for any lasik surgery practice interested in controlling negative messages. Mailing list providers can also provide quick access to accurate mailing lists, an important consideration if your crisis response plan contains a direct mail component.
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