When Grant Miller, OD, and his wife Eva Shabo, OD, purchased Grand Eye Care, in River Grove, Illinois, the couple saw an opportunity to build a myopia management practice segment. Some patients were on atropine therapy, but that was the only option provided. Dr. Miller dove in. “Shortly after acquiring the office, I began the certification process for a handful of the available orthokeratology lens designs so that I could incorporate more options into our patient care.”
Once he built his platform, he began marketing myopia management services internally and externally.
Steer the conversation. The office questionnaire screens for lifestyle and behavioral tendencies to establish risk factors, and the parent is handed a flyer on myopia to review while they wait. “During the exam, we use refractive error and axial length age-expected values on something I refer to as ‘the vision report card’ to show where the child falls in relation to average or below-average findings.” These are similar to the growth charts parents see at their pediatrician’s office, so it grabs their attention. Then he lays out the options.
Make each visit an experience. “I want every child with myopia to have a blast while in the program,” he says. So he created the Myopia Management Champion Program, with a brightly colored comic-book inspired logo. “I want them to become champions of their myopia.” The practice has a giant axial length graph on the wall where children compete for who has a normal axial length. “It’s incredible how competitive children become when they want a lower number for their axial length than other children. Plus, we highlight our current champions by giving them goody bags and having their ‘guest of honor’ picture taken to play on the waiting room TV.”
Communicate clearly and effectively. Dr. Miller has created pamphlets and flyers that explain the Myopia Management Champion Program, highlighting the concerns, risks and what can be done about myopia. It’s short and clear. He also uses Hoot Myopia Care to send parents additional information.
GENERATE AWARENESS
Dwight Barnes, OD, FIAOMC, IACMM, of Cary Family Eye Care in Cary, North Carolina, agrees. “The goal of internal marketing is not to ‘sell’ this service to your patients. The goal is to generate awareness regarding the myopia epidemic and ensure that any patient in your office becomes aware that you are the expert in treating these patients,” he says. So he displays posters in the pre-test areas and the exam rooms. “Even if a patient would not benefit from this service, they may have a friend or family member who would. We also have an area where we post photos (with permission) of some of our successful young orthokeratology patients,” he says. Myopia management brochures, as well as special branding and a logo for the myopia clinic, add to the messaging.
TAKE IT TO THE WEB
Vishakha Thakrar, OD, FAAO, FSLS, of Vaughan Vision Centre in Vaughan, Ontario, says your patients’ first impressions will often be created by the quality of your website. It only takes 50 milliseconds for a parent to decide whether they want to continue engaging in your website and hence your services.1
This is probably not the time to go-it-alone. She suggests hiring a website designer because you want to get it right. That includes getting key information in an easy-to-find way; having a site that is visually appealing to moms, who generally make the appointments; and explaining what services or therapies you offer. “I also like to demonstrate the methods of myopia management with graphics, pictures and video. This will retain attention much longer than patients simply reading about your services,” she says. Practices where the doctor or staff is skilled at photography and videography may be able to take and post quality photos, but vendors and professional organizations often have photos available for use. Testimonials are important, as are blog entries and updated resources, she says.
Leverage social media. Matthew Martin, OD, FIAOMC, of Auburn Optical, in Auburn, Michigan, says that his social media and web presence are what drives the majority of new patients to his practice. Before you begin to blast your messages out on the web, know what your short- and long-term goals are. For example, set a goal to increase myopia evaluations by two per week, or to increase outreach to the community. These are both ways to increase the number of patients in a myopia management treatment in your practice.
COMMUNICATE OFFICE CULTURE
In addition to sharing these goals with staff, another goal is to communicate the office culture. A practice that doesn’t seem kid-friendly on social media is less attractive to parents who might bring their children in. So how can you demonstrate the shared beliefs, values and environment of your office? For Dr. Martin, the target is that 60% of the social media posts show children or highlight the kid-friendly focus. He makes balloon animals for kids 10 and under, assuming no latex allergies, and asks parent permission to post fun photos.
Amplify good encounters. Reviews are tremendous practice amplifiers. If you’re setting up your Google business profile, take the time to be thorough: your description including hours, policies, how to make an appointment and sharing some of your practice’s culture is the first step. You can ask patients to add to the reviews, too, particularly if the encounter was a positive one. Dr. Martin says that he has had patients tell him they have bypassed other practices closer to their homes to travel 20 miles or more and come to him. When he asks them why, they tell him it’s because of his Google reviews and online content. Looking at some of their content and reviews, he found few and not always favorable reviews. It spurred him on to ask patients to share their experiences.
Understand social media etiquette. “Never put anything on social media that you would not like to see on a billboard in front of your grandmother’s house,” says Dr. Martin. Avoid hot-button issues and personal views. This is the public image for your practice.
SHOW AND TELL
In addition to marketing to patients already in the practice, a myopia showcase and events brings additional awareness, says Dr. Miller. He uses visual aids such as myopia vision simulators to demonstrate refractive error changes. When appropriate, he’ll allow parents and children to see, touch and feel OrthoK and soft contact lenses. “We even go a step further for a parent or child with additional interest and place an OrthoK or soft lens on the child’s eye to show that a child can actually wear a contact lens.”
Scroll to the bottom of the Dr. Wong’s blog post to view or take the quiz.
References
1 Lindgaard G et al. 2006 Attention web designers: You have 50 milliseconds to make a good first impression! Behaviour and Information Technology, 25(2), 115-126.
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How to Cultivate a Culture of Myopia Management in Your Office
Best Social Media Practices for Myopia Management
How to Create a Killer Myopia Management Website
Read more articles in the Getting Started with Myopia Management series. Be sure to check back as the series will be updated regularly with more content.
