Special feature
Digital
marketing
in 2020
By Cameron Martel
Q4 is always a good time to reflect on the changes in
digital marketing. Whether self-made or premium-crafted, your website
should be clear, easy to follow and easy to access.
2019, in particular, was a tumultuous year. Almost
every major component, from PPC (pay-per-click
advertising) to SEO (search engine optimization)
saw significant changes in how they operate. This
is also true in eye care, where changes to Google’s
algorithm have presented a multitude of new
opportunities for independent eye care businesses. Add performance marketing via Google & Facebook
For 2020, trends are showing that a mix of
performance marketing and brand building is going
to be what helps independent ECP’s gain ground in
an increasingly competitive space. I recommend hiring a professional for this. Both
Google and Facebook make it easy for you to get an
ad up and running, but they don’t necessarily make
it easy to optimize performance and reduce your
cost per lead.
Here’s what we have in mind:
Start with your website
We start here because a well-performing website
empowers all of your marketing efforts, while
simultaneously driving down your cost per lead. If
your website doesn’t represent your brand well, it’s
time for a renovation or a replacement.
This may sound expensive, but consider that a
website that represents you effectively has never
been easier (or more affordable) to create. If you want
to keep the cost down, look at tools such as Weebly
and SquareSpace, which make it simple to create
attractive websites that look great on all devices.
30 Optical Prism | January 2020
Once your website is top-shelf, it’s time to send traffic
to it.
PPC marketing is the fastest and most effective
way to start generating leads and both Google and
Facebook perform well for ECPs.
Grow your social media presence
There’s a ton of social channels out there - pick one or
two social media sites you can manage well and then
manage them well.
If you’re unsure of where to focus your energy,
Facebook and Instagram are always good places to
start and have good results for an eye care business.
Consistently engage your audience with content they
care about. 2 - 3 posts per week is a good place to start.
Be mindful of your brand. We’ve all seen how
social media can be a boon or a bust, depending
on how you manage it. Focus on clever, interesting