News magazines are the dominant reading choice of patients, according to Jobson Optical Research’s Waiting Game report. If broken down into age and gender, both men (56.1 percent) and people over the age of 55 (54.4 percent) say that they like news magazines more than women (47.0 percent) and the younger age groups. Interest in news magazines actually increased with age where ages 18 to 34 preferred news magazines the least (48.4 percent).
The reception area is one of the first points of contact for both patients and potential patients. We want to create a positive, welcoming impression, yet at the same time we want to use this space to help pre-set the patient to purchase. Magazines are the traditional approach to trying to make patients feel comfortable. But what a waste of time! For every minute someone is reading Time magazine they are not thinking about their visual needs and how we can help them to have a higher quality of life.
The balancing act is to provide the familiar–a series of magazines for every group entering the office–to make them feel comfortable while surrounding them with clever marketing messages that make them realize they need additional care and services.
When thinking of marketing messages, always think of pain points for patients. What is happening in the patient’s life that is causing pain or discomfort? Can’t wear contacts as long as you would like? Can’t drive at night comfortably? Headaches when reading or working on the computer? Child not performing at expected levels in school? These are just a few of the pain points.
The formula is easy. It only has three points: (1) Are you having trouble with [insert pain point]? (2) Tell us, because we have the answer. (3) Call to action: Don’t wait, let’s get this resolved today.
Here’s your action plan: Make a list of the major pain points you want to address in your practice. Now prioritize the list. What are the top three pain points? Create marketing materials for the top three pain points for use in your reception area. You can use a big screen TV, posters, pictures, notebooks filled with success stories … there are a million ways to do this, just do it.
Don’t fall into the trap of just giving patients magazines to read and waste that time. Instead, provide the magazines to make them feel comfortable– it’s what they expect–but then surround them with intriguing and interesting facts about the pain points in their life for which you have solutions. Don’t forget to include a call to action. Always remember, the call to action must be immediate.
