Lasik is a rapidly-growing market forecasted to reach more than 2bn in value by 2026. Consumers are flocking to Lasik, but they’ll choose your competitors if they don’t know who you are.
Consumers increasingly choose services based on on-the-spot mobile searches, online reviews, and influencers. Your marketing plan needs to keep up with these preferences, and there are seven ways you can do so:
- Search engine optimization
- Paid search advertising
- Mobile optimization
- Local Search Optimization
- Reputation Management
Let’s look at each of these possibilities in more detail.
1. Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to all the ways that you can make your pages more likely to appear for search terms. It belongs in any ophthalmology practice marketing guide.
You want your site to show up when terms such as “Lasik surgery” or “laser eye surgery” are searched. SEO practices can be used to make sure that you do. When they’re applied correctly, your site can appear as the first result for the search.
Why SEO matters
- It lets you capture people who want Lasik now: People who are searching for branded terms may be looking for information or ready to schedule a consultation. If you attract people on the search page, they may convert very quickly.
- It lets you make the impression: Not every website is going to describe Lasik in an accurate or appealing way. If you can win the top result for a search term, you can be the one who sets the impression for most people.
How to apply SEO
Most large-scale SEO strategies require a team. However, Google has published a comprehensive SEO starter guide that explains many helpful practices that can be implemented while pages and content are being created.
2. Paid Search Advertising
Paid search advertising includes all the practices you can use to appear higher in search engines by using paid ads. If you search for “Lasik eye surgery in Texas”, you can see that the top 4 results for the page all have “ad” in the upper left-hand corner of the result.
Ads like the ones you see above are expensive to maintain, but they also get to make their impression before any other results.
Why paid search matters
- It lets you jump to the front of the line: If your site is new and having trouble climbing the search results, PPC can allow you to move to the top for a limited time. This can be necessary while you’re still building a customer base and reputation.
- Your competitors are already there: If you aren’t using paid search ads, there’s a good chance that your rivals in the area are. Make sure you regularly search for terms related to your office and area to find out if you’re visible to searchers or not.
How to apply paid search
Any business can purchase ads using a Google Ads Account. Yahoo and Bing also have paid search ad programs. Professional teams usually handle large-scale campaigns because of the expenses involved.
3. Mobile Optimization
Mobile optimization refers to the process of making your business optimized for searchers who are using their phones. Your website is optimized when it doesn’t produce any errors, displace any assets, or hide any content when it is viewed on a mobile phone.
Why mobile matters
- A massive share of searches take place there: Nearly 60% of all searches for services take place on mobile phones.
- Google uses the mobile site as the baseline for ranking: Google indexes your mobile site as the main version of your site. If there are problems with your mobile site, your desktop site may lose ranks in search results.
How to optimize for mobile
You can easily find out if your site is mobile-ready by checking Google’s own mobile-friendly test tool. Just enter your website into the field and it will tell you if Google detects any errors that may be held against you.
4. Local Search Engine Optimization
Local search refers to search engine optimization that focuses on local features. The most prominent local feature is the map and the limited list of results that follow it. Below, you can see the map results for “Lasik Surgery in Fort Worth, TX”.
Results that appear in this pack provide information that is not provided for other results. Searchers can learn who is closest to them, what their operating hours are, and what reviewers are saying about them.
Why Local SEO matters
- It’s vital for attracting local business: Sometimes, the choice for a consumer comes down to who is closest. If you aren’t featured in the map pack, you may not be considered, even if your location is closer.
- It appears above SEO normal results: If you’re at the bottom of the visible map results, you’re still above the first SEO results that don’t appear until after the map.
How to apply local SEO
Make sure that you register your local business through Google My Business. This will allow you to create a local profile and appear on the map. To get started on optimizing, make sure that you fill out all of your business information and add some attractive images of your office.
5. Reputation Management
Reputation management refers to all of the practices you can use to manage the reputation of your business. For local businesses, reputation mostly comes across through reviews and testimonials.
These reviews are very easy for searchers to access. Reviews appear directly under the business name in local results. Any searcher who clicks a result will see snippets of what has been said.
Actively managing reviews is one of the most important ways that Lasik offices can protect their reputation. Reputation management campaigns may focus on getting more reviews from happy customers or resolving past conflicts to get angry reviewers.
Why does reputation management matter?
- Reviews can live for decades: Good or bad, a review may be the first impression someone has of your business. They can do that for years to come, meaning they can either be an amazing asset or a constant obstacle.
- Reviews don’t always grow naturally: It usually takes a strategy to get customers to leave reviews more often. Incentives and reminders can be added to your customer experience guidelines.
How to apply reputation management
Reputation management should involve ongoing plans to monitor the places where your business is being reviewed on a weekly basis. You should also have a plan in place to respond quickly graciously to good reviews, and diplomatically to bad ones.
Direct the Growing Market Right to Your Office
By optimizing your website for all types of searches, and making a more personal connection, you can start capturing some of the growing interest in Lasik. Apply these marketing strategies to start reaching people who are ready to schedule an appointment.
