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Annual Eye Exams: Changing the Consumer Mindset

May 11, 2016

Think About Your Eyes, in its first three years, has raised consumer awareness about the importance of annual eye exams—and generated measurable increases in exams and eyewear purchases. Rick Holt and Laurel O’Connor,who direct this marketing campaign, report on how multi-channel communications (incorporating traditional advertising, PR andsocial media) are making a positive difference in our national discussion of eye health awareness. See below for ways that ODs and staffcan take part inand benefit from this successful consumercampaign.

Reach Consumers through Multi-Channel Communications
EmphasizeWellness inAnnual Exam
List onTAYE Doctor Locator

STRESSANNUAL EXAMS. Ingrain in patients the need for annual eye exam, just as dentists have ingrained the need for a teeth cleaning every six months.

REINFORCE AND PRE-APPOINT. Amplify the annual eye exam message in all your patient communications, and be pro-active in pre-appointing for the following year.

TALK “ANNUAL.” Insist that patients return for “annual” exams, rather than just “regularly,” or “frequently.” Annual is a more powerful call to action that can shorten the exam cycle.

REACH PATIENTS IN VARIOUS WAYS. Traditional advertising and PR fall short in reaching all consumers today. Use various platforms,including mobile andsocial media, in communicating with patients the wide range of services youprovide.

EDUCATE ON OVERALL HEALTH IMPACT. Show patients how the annual exam is about more than just finding out whether or not they need glasses; that checking their eyes can mean catching conditions that affect their overall health.

NOTE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY DETECTION. Explain the importance of catching eye diseases like macular degeneration and glaucoma early in order to have better outcomes.

EXPLAIN BENEFIT OF PRODUCTS. Show how products like lenses with a blue-light filter can help with computer work, and minimize digital eye fatigue.

LIST ON TAYE.Increase your exams and drive practice growthbylisting your practiceon the Doctor Locator on ThinkAboutYourEyes.com, along with 16,000 other ECPs. Cost: $250 for one year.

INCREASE EXAMS WITH APREMIUM LISTING. For $500 annually, get eight times the interaction with your listing as ECPs with just the standard listing on the Doctor Locator.

SUPPORT A CAMPAIGN THAT WORKS.In three years since thecampaignlaunch, 2 million consumers have visited the TAYE web site. In 2015, some 828,000 more annual examswere attributed to theTAYE campaign,resulting in nearly $320 million more in revenue spent in the optical industry.

Rick Holt is marketing director of Think About Your Eyes. Contact rholt@thinkaboutyoureyes.com.

Laurel O’Connor is marketing and communications manager of Think About Your Eyes. Contact loconnor@thinkaboutyoureyes.com.

Jon Torrey is director of professional relations at Think About Your Eyes. For any questions on the Doctor’s Locator, contact jtorrey@thinkaboutyoureyes.com.

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