The Optical Vision Site

Social Media-Eyez Eyecare- Using Social Media For Lead Generation-FREE

We have mentioned in the past FREE webinairs that you can attend to learn about Social Media. Hub Spot is one of our favorite places to go for FREE information on social media. This webinair is as applicable to bloggers, optical sales reps, optical vendors, eyecare professionals and their eyecare staff and  trade press  This is one of the webinairs we attended, it is about 1 hour long and is full of useful information.

How Good is Your Website? Free Ratings

Hub Pages Website Grader

One of the places I go to check how good our website is doing is websitegrader.com. Websitegrader is a free seo tool from Hub Pages, that measures the marketing effectiveness of a website or blog. It’s easy to understand and basically grades your website on a scale of 100 and provides helpful hints on how to improve your site.

There is some controversy as to whether they are effective or not, but this is a free tool that provides you a quick evaluation of your site so you can implement changes to make your site seen. We started incorporating changes about 6 months ago.  It was 68 then and now it’s 92! As our grading has gone up so has our hits and subscribers.

What I know- it’s easy to use, it’s free, it’s takes a few minutes and what do you have to lose?

Eye Care Services For Gift Registries? $19 Billion Spent On Gift Registries

Photo: offbeatbride.com

I’m big on gift certificates prominently shown in an office. Here is another idea, offer eyecare for gift registries. Think about how many baby and wedding showers there are plus open house parties, anniversary parties. It’s huge and a huge opportunity for Eye Care Professionals.

Eye Bogglers

• 2.3 million couples wed every year in the US. That breaks down to nearly 6,200 weddings a day
• Most wedding guests spend between $70 and $100 on a gift
• Over  91 percent of all to-be-weds register for gifts. The couple receives gifts from an average of 200 guests
• $19 billion per year is spent on wedding gift registries

TRUNK SHOWS 101 By ClearVision Optical

Thank you to ClearVision Optical for posting on TRUNK SHOWS 101  – A beginner’s guide to this time-tested tactic for optical retailers.

Whether you have some hot new frames that you just can’t wait to share with the world; or are simply looking for a new way to promote your optical practice, a trunk show is a fun and exciting way to drive traffic through your doors. A trunk show is a special sale where vendors present merchandise directly to invited customers, either at a retail location or special venue. A proven marketing tactic, trunk shows have been used by retailers for years and are typically a coordinated effort between a retailer and a vendor.

BCBG Trunk Show Ad

In the world of eyewear, a trunk show is an outstanding way to generate some buzz about a designer brand carried by your optical practice and an innovative way to lure existing eyewear customers back to your business. If a particular brand or style catches your eye at an optical trade show, a trunk show is an outstanding way to introduce the brand into your practice.

Planning is key. To ensure a successful optical trunk show, it’s essential that you plan for the event well in advance of the show date – 6 to 8 weeks lead time is ideal. Line up a select group of vendors who represent the brands you’d like to showcase. Ask them about what kind of commitment they will make to your trunk show. How many brands or frames will they be showcasing? Will they help cover the costs of window and in-store displays, advertising, or gift with purchase items? ClearVision Optical offers qualified customers a co-op program that can be used to help defray the costs associated with a trunk show. Similar to a bank account, these co-op accounts accrue funds each year that can be used to offset advertising and marketing costs.

Advertise and send invitations

Once you have firm commitments from your vendors and a set date for the event, it’s time to get the word out. At a minimum, you should create in-store promotions around the event; send invitations to customers in your database (either by traditional mail or e-mail) and place ads in your local newspapers.

Use this trunk show checklist as a guide:

• Newspaper ads
• Press releases to local newspapers
• In-store promotions leading up to the show
• Telemarketing
• Window and in store displays
  

  Refreshments - yum

• Signage about the trunk show
• Coupons/discounts
• Gift with purchase
• Raffles/Prizes
• Refreshments
• Thank you notes

2 weeks prior to the show, reconfirm all pertinent details with your vendors (such as space requirements, display materials, special offers and product) and contact potential guests who have yet to RSVP.

Once the show begins, remember that the vendors are there to help you, so be sure to allow them the freedom to work directly with your customers. Play the role of host or hostess and ensure that all invited parties are comfortable and engaged. If you chose to do raffles, raffle entries are a great way to build an email database, so be sure to include a space for this information on any raffle tickets.

During and after your trunk show, it’s important to get feedback from all parties involved and evaluate what worked (and what was less successful). Keep notes so that the next time you host a trunk show, you can learn from past mistakes and missteps. Lastly, send thank you notes with special offers or discounts to your guests (and even those who did not attend). Also, send follow-up press releases (preferably with photos) to the local press.

Remember, no two trunk shows are alike and there is no perfect formula for success. But through trial and error, you will discover what type of show works best for you and your practice and reap the many rewards they can offer.

Eye-Catching Creative and Cost Effective Point Of Purchase Materials

Photo: catchingfireflies.com Anthropolgie Window- Using Kitchen Utensils

Creating attractive and innovative optical displays to draw the customer in or to move slower moving eyecare products, doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or even take up much time. Almost every item, thing or object you own or find can be made up in great eye-catching, consumer attracting displays. I once saw a display (years ago) that was a line up of Joy Dishwashing Liquid and eyeglass perched on top. It was so clever. The advantage, buy the dishwashing liquid and you can reuse it!

Where to Find:

Garage Sales, Thrift Stores, your house and garage, Craigslist for Free Stuff

From Your House- the advantage of using things from your house, you can easily recycle them back into the household

• Hangers- Colored hangers with matching eyewear dangling can be very effective.
• Books- stack a few books and place eyewear
• China Settings, dishes and napkin rings
• Plants, pine cones, branches,
• Cotton Balls
• Cardboard Boxes, stacked and painted
• Newspapers, and Magazines
• Sand, shells, rocks,
• Antiques, furniture and knickknacks
• Lamps or just fun lamp shade with coordinated eyewear dangling!

Food

• Lemons, Oranges in a bowl and accessorized with eyewear not only smell good- they can make attractive displays!
• Spice Bottles- Match up your Sage colored eyewear with a Sage spice

Hardware Stores

• Plumbing tubes, nuts and bolts, pliers make up ‘manly’ eyecare displays. Even use some tag lines:
• ‘We guarantee no repairs with our Eyewear”
• ‘Were nuts about our new Summer Collections’
• We’re wired for the futures..

Carpet and Tile, Fabric  Remnants

• Cut apart, use as backdrops, show off colors.

Gardening Stores- just in time for spring, small pots of flowers, gardening gloves gets patients in the mood for sunglasses

• Bark, flowers,

Party and Paper Stores

• Gift wrap bags with tissue papers – encourage your patients to give gift certificates

Old Records, CDs

• With the retro look so in, why not showcase a bunch of LP’s and show off your vintage and retro eyewear .

Office Items

• Colored Post-its, even wrapping tape can make up some unusual eye-boggling displays.

Local Boutiques

• Many of your local boutiques have window dressers and merchandisers- try doing a trade with them to merchandise your office.

Toys

• Get the kids in, bright colored toys are a fun way to encourage eye exams for kids

Local Artist

• Many local artists, sculptors, woodworkers would like to showcase their products, why not let them showcase them in your office?

Old Clothes

• Halloween costumes, theater groups and clothes that you don’t wear
• Scarves, jewelry, shoes, purses

Sports Equipment

• Most sports equipment is not used, so why not put some tennis rackets, footballs, or whatever the sport in season and display to showcase performance eyewear

Tip O’ The Day-Eyecare Merchandising For St. Patricks Day

Again, I can’t believe it’s St. Patricks Day coming up and of course it’s time to GO Green in the eyecare dispensary. Millions of people globally celebrate St. Paddy’s day by wearing green, drinking green beer, parades and more.

Shamrock Eyeglasses from Amazon set of 50 For $19.00

That said, St. Patricks Day is a great opportunity for marketing your eyecare business. There are many things you can do from Trunk Shows, special prices on green eyewear or contact lenses, discounts for Irish or just serving green cookies in your office. Even free giveways such as these shamrock eyeglasses are a cute item. Beistle – 33612-50 – Shamrock Eyeglasses – Pack of 50

St. Patricks Day Trivia

• St. Patrick was said to use the Shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity
• St. Patricks Day became a public holiday in Ireland in 1903
• The First St. Patricks Day Parade was held in 1931 in Dublin
• In the USA the first St. Patricks Day Parade was organized by the Irish Society on March 17, 1737
• New York’s first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade was held on 17 March 1762 by Irish soldiers in the British Army
• Seattle and other cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green. Chicago dyes its river green and has done so since 1961 when sewer workers used green dye to check for sewer discharges and got the idea to turn the river green for St. Patrick’s Day but it last a few hours.^[35] Indianapolis also dyes its main canal green. Savannah dyes its downtown city fountains green. Missouri University of Science and Technology – St Pat’s Board Alumni paint 12 city blocks kelly green with mops before the annual parade.^{[citation needed]} In Jamestown, New York, the Chadakoin River (a small tributary that connects Conewango Creek with its source at Chautauqua Lake) is dyed green each year.
• The smallest notable parade World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade, is said to take place in Hot Springs, Arkansas in the United States annually held on historic Bridge Street which became famous in the 1940s when Ripley’s Believe It or Not designated it “The Shortest Street in the World.”

Doggie St. Patricks Day Clothing- About $15 from Amazon

I love these Doggie T-shirts for Go Green Day: Maybe have a St. Patricks Day dog contest, bring Your Dog dressed in Paddy Wear! St. Patrick’s Day Dog Shirt – “Lucky Dog” Irish Dog Tank Top – Medium

No matter what you decide to do, it’s a fun holiday and an opportunity to bring in new patients and potential patients into your eyecare office and have a little fun with the rest of the celebrators.

ET will be at Vision Expo East 2010

When I see ET I still see an image of Steven Spielberg’s ET but the ET at Vision Expo East will be ETechnology not an extra terrestrial! I am amazed about how fast social media has become part of our business. Lucky for us optical people the Vision Expo organizers have embraced ETechnology in a big way and it will be an opportunity for us to use and learn more about ETechnology.

Here are some ways Vision Expo is using social media and texting to provide immediate responses to questions during the show:

1 – Live video coverage hosted on VEE’s YouTube page. Three videographers will shoot video live from the show floor, conference and special events throughout the week. Including interviews and testimonials from eyecare professionals and  manufacturers. Reminders to watch the coverage will be updated on the show’s Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn pages.

2 – Virtual Help Desk: Attendees and exhibitors can text questions to a Virtual Help Desk at 36263. Way it works: someone at a customer care counter gets all of the texts. They can then respond. I personally, particularly like this one as texting is a lot easier than talking on the cell at a noisy show or when try to get from A to B!

3 – Twitter conversation: I learned something new about Twitter already from this post - Use #visionexpo when talking about the show. The hashtag (#) is a way to unite global Tweets around some particular topic. Basically, you may not follow someone and they might follow you, but if everyone uses #visionexpo when talking about the show, you can search by the hashtag and read tweets from everyone commenting on the event.  I think I would like to use this feature just to get the practice and experience using Twitter more to find out what is going on. (I haven’t used Tweeter other than on my computer so far.)

While we are on the subject of ETechnology, here are some additional links that might be useful to you regarding VEE:

• Show Specials
• What’s New
• Travel
• International
• Vodcasts

Linden Optometry-How To Have An Eco Friendly Trunk Show

Linden Optometry in Pasadena

Many of our readers may know who Linden Optometry is in Pasadena. If you don’t know, they bought a bank have about 21 lanes, use the drive up teller to deliver contacts and whatnot, this is an extremely busy office and I would say probably one of the top independent eyecare retailers in the United States.

They have always been committed to Trunk Shows, in fact they they constantly show up on our google alerts for Eyewear Trunk Shows. I really like this one for several reasons: 1.) Consumer trends are green- focusing on a hot topic right now. 2.) Win a Free Pair of Eco Friendly Eyewear- makes this trunk show not a run of the mill. 3.) They are giving back and planting a tree- people will always buy if they can support a cause- planting trees, especially in smoggy LA is an excellent cause. 4.) Giveaway- Promoting green, the first 200 people that try on a ECO frame get a free reusable bag I would go just to get the bag, in fact against all odds, I signed up for the San Diego Union just to get a reusable bag, and I can’t tell you how many bags I have.

Win a Pair of Eco-Friendly Eyewear at Green Eyewear Trunk Show!

Saturday, Feb 27 10:00a to 5:00p

at Linden Optometry, Pasadena, CA

Price: Free

Age Suitability: Teens and up

Tags: fashion, environment, green, trunk show, eco, trunk, eyeglasses, optical, sunglasses, eyewear, old pasadena

Come to our TRUNK SHOW and try on the latest Eco-Friendly Eyewear styles for 2010 from our ECO (Earth-Conscious Optics) collection.

ENTER TO WIN A FREE PAIR OF ECO SUNGLASSES (includes non-prescription sunglass lenses; total value up to $200).

ECO Eyewear is affordable luxury eyewear manufactured from recycled materials. The frames are stylish, earth friendly, and wallet friendly! This is your chance to make a difference.

ONE FRAME – ONE TREE: Linden Optometry is giving back to the environment! Linden Optometry plants a tree for every ECO eyeglass frame purchased.

A Designer’s Rep will be in-store with the complete ECO line, including Sunglasses and Eyeglass Frames. Meet fashion consultants who will be on hand to help you choose the styles that are best for you.

GREEN SHOPPING BAG GIVEAWAY! The first 200 shoppers who try on a pair of ECO eyeglass frames will receive a FREE REUSABLE GREEN SHOPPING BAG. No purchase necessary. Limit one per person.

Refreshments will be served.

ABOUT THE ECO LINE:

ECO is the first line of affordable luxury eyewear that brings the focus on environmental responsibility to the forefront. The new collection has been designed for stylish and Earth-conscious men and women.

With a 360-degree approach to sustainability, the frames are created from recycled stainless steel (UL certified) and repurposed plastics, and the collection is even packaged in recycled materials. Plus, each new pair of ECO eyewear is accompanied by a mail-in recycling kit for old, unwanted eyeglasses.

For each pair of ECO eyeglass frames purchased, Linden Optometry donates one new tree to Trees for the Future, a non-profit organization that helps communities plant trees.