To get more cataract patients you must first understand which type of patient you are speaking to. According to Cuinn Merrigan, Director of Marketing-Client Services at Fast Track Marketing in Broomfield, CO, there are two types.
- People who know they have cataracts.
- People who have no idea they have cataracts- or who don’t know what cataracts are.
When speaking to the cataract aware crowd it is important to market the technologies that you have available, as well as the excellent success rates of your practice. Marketing these stats and technologies to the cataract patients already patronizing your practice can influence their decision when it comes to having surgery.
Messaging to the general 55+ population, who may have no idea that they have cataracts or even what cataracts are, should rely heavily on common symptoms of declining vision. Words like “reading glasses,” “dull vision,” or “cloudy vision” are known to catch the attention of people who are experiencing symptoms of presbyopia and cataracts. The goal is to educate this crowd so that they will feel the need to schedule an exam with your practice.
Whether you are speaking to current cataract patients, or trying to educate the general 55+ population, be sure to take a step back and put yourself in their shoes; which will help you to develop the right messaging to hit those “hot buttons” that they will automatically be able to connect with.
To learn more about marketing to different types of cataract patients, you can read the full article in the Sept/Oct edition of Administrative Eyecare.
