12 steps to perfect optician marketing

The right marketing is extremely important in every industry. On the one hand, to make your own company better known. But it also serves to make customers who have already bought something from you even more loyal to you and increase loyalty. There are various ways to choose the right strategy and do optimal marketing. In this blog article, we'll show you 12 steps that will lead you to perfect marketing for opticians. If you follow these instructions step by step, you are guaranteed success!

Step 1: Plan your business strategy

In order to define a suitable strategy for your business, you must first understand your initial situation. That means, on the one hand, you need to find out which unique selling points your business has. Do you offer special products or do you have a service that no other optician in your region has? In addition to the unique selling points, you also need to know exactly what the message you want to share with your customers is. What is important is how you want to affect your customers and what qualities they should associate with you.

Once you have identified the initial situation, you must set yourself goals on this basis that you want to achieve. These goals could be, for example, increasing your turnover or acquiring new customers. The goals must be specific and realistic so that you can implement them. Finally, you also have to consider when you want to achieve which goal. From this, you create a fixed plan that you will follow in the future.

Step 2: Identify customer needs

In order to do successful marketing as an optician, it is essential to find out the needs of your customers. There are four different ways to gain knowledge about these needs.

The easiest option is to interview customers who come to your store. This survey should make you know what your customers really want. In other words, for which problems they need a solution or which services their customers expect. However, since you don't get any information about new customers by interviewing your customers, you also need to look at the other options.

To find out what new customers expect from an optician, you must also research online, for example in forums about specific topics or through reviews. You should also visit trade fairs regularly so that you know what new developments there are in the industry and what other opticians are offering to your customers.

The last option for determining customer needs is to look at basic human needs. Everyone has the need for security, variety and also social needs. If you can meet your customer's needs, then you're sure to be more successful.

Step 3: Identify profitable customers

The goal of every company is to make a profit. You only get this profit if you have customers who pay enough money for your own products. Therefore, there are customers who are more or less profitable. Identifying these profitable customers and specializing in specific customers is important for your success.

So the first thing you need to do is find your most profitable customers. To do this, it is best to compare the ratio of costs and turnover of each of your customers. That means how much does a customer buy from you and how much does he cost you in this process? Once you have calculated this ratio, you know which of your customers are bringing you the most profit.

You must then determine which target group you want to specialize in. Because if you turn out to be a specialist in a particular field or specific customer, then you will attract more attention. At the beginning, you need to differentiate your target group. To do this, you must set criteria to classify your customers. The simplest is information such as the customer's place of residence, age and gender. You can also divide your customers according to the group or shift to which you belong, or according to your buying behavior.

Once you've created the various customer groups, you need to find out the characteristics of the different target groups. Because these characteristics serve to address target groups in the right way. You must also choose which target group (s) you want to focus on. Choose the target groups that suit you best, because that's how you can offer customers the best service.

Step 4: Product planning

Your specialization as an optician also includes which range of products you offer to your customers. Because with the right product range, you attract the right customers. First, select which range of products you want to offer. Would you rather have a wide range of products, such as glasses for children, adults and sports? Or should your range be rather deep, for example glasses for children in all sorts of designs?

If you've made this choice for yourself, then you need to adapt your product range to your customers and their behavior. In doing so, you must decide on customer needs and profitability. First, you need to find out the characteristics of your range and then create meaningful variations of the range. It is also important to consider features that go beyond basic functionality, such as packaging or which brands you carry.

Step 5: Pricing planning

To truly be successful, you need to offer your products at the right prices. Because if your prices don't suit your customers, then you won't be able to make any sales.

To do this, you must first set the absolute lower price limit for each product. This is based on the total costs that a product causes you. On the one hand, these costs are the purchase price that you pay. In addition, the hours of work associated with the sale. You also need to break down all fixed costs that your store has to your products. If you add up all of these costs, then you have your lower price limit for the respective product.

There are also two rules of thumb that you should remember when it comes to costs. On the one hand, the more products a brand sells, the lower the costs per item, due to quantity discounts or the like. And the second rule of thumb is that the longer you have a particular product in your range, the cheaper the product will be for you. Because over time, you should have a learning effect on how to adapt the product as quickly as possible and how to buy at the cheapest price.

Now that you know the price floor, you can determine your selling price. These prices must fit your company's concept. If you work in the premium segment and have top service, you can charge high prices. If you don't set yourself apart from the competition, then you should set yourself apart from them by offering lower prices. You could also offer promotional prices, for example for the introduction of a new product.

Step 6: Select sales channel

How you sell your products is also decisive for how successful you are. In doing so, you must first make basic considerations. The chosen sales channel must match your concept and target group. Are you better off selling your products online, in a store, or a combination of the two? Which sales method is most profitable for you? How can you set yourself apart from the competition through your sales method? Once you've found an answer to these questions, you'll find your ideal sales channel.

In addition to the sales channel, it is also important to choose the right location for your business. You must reach enough customers and, above all, the right target group. The purchasing power of your catchment area is also important. You must also consider how many comparable stores there are in the area, how big they are and how far away from you. Finally, the quality of your location is relevant, i.e. the location of the running roads nearby, transport connections and parking spaces. All of these factors influence how many customers come to your store.

Step 7: Develop corporate personality

Perfect marketing as an optician requires you to be able to show your customers a specific corporate personality. This is the first impression that a customer gets of you and this is usually lasting. This corporate identity ranges from your shop windows to shop equipment and employee clothing to your stationery or the like. In all of these points, you must present a consistent image so that the customer can recognize and internalize your company personality.

The behavior with which you and your employees treat your customers also influences this personality. Because in doing so, you are reflecting your company's message. So set up rules of conduct that your employees should abide by. For example, greeting every customer with a smile.

The last factor of corporate identity is communication with your customers. This obviously happens through language, images and actions. However, you also communicate through smells, scents, and music in the shop. Each of these types of communication must be consistent so that you are credible to your customers.

Step 8: Extraordinary actions

Through actions that you take, you should try to attract attention. This attention leads to word of mouth about your business, making you more well-known. This is one of the most effective forms of marketing for opticians. Because events and promotions usually talk about you positively and more potential customers hear about you. You can make your products come alive and present them accordingly so that more people buy them.

Step 9: Reports from the public

You can generate attention for your business through promotions and events. But your event alone won't reach enough people. You should therefore ensure that you are reported on. Local newspapers are best for this, as they are the most effective way to reach customers in your area. In order to be mentioned in a newspaper, you should of course take action. But you should inform various newspapers beforehand that you are planning an event so that they notice it. Send newspapers a press release that you wrote yourself so that you can control the content of the reports. This press release must be relevant, have a compelling headline and the W-questions, i.e. Who? , When? , Where? , How? and why? , if possible, answer in the first paragraph. You should also always include your contact details so that they can reach you. Also publish this press release online to reach even more people.

To ensure that your press release is successful, there are certain things you should consider when it comes to the content. Explain what makes you different from others. You should also focus on current and local issues. Also give the reader free advice and inform them about upcoming actions. You can also participate in public discussions to attract more attention.

Step 10: Internet opportunities

Nowadays, it is essential to be able to find and be present on the Internet, because customers are now looking for opticians there.

You could also send emails to your customers, for example in the form of newsletters. With the WLAN marketing package from Socialwave you can send automatic emails to your customers and inform them about current developments and promotions. You also offer visitors to your shop free guest WiFi. This also automatically collects positive Google reviews and makes it easier to find.

You can also use the Internet to connect with other opticians and exchange information. Also get involved in forums and blogs to hear about new developments and gather information.

You can also sell your products online. Although this is complicated when it comes to glasses, you can easily sell standard items such as contact lenses, cleaners or eyeglass cases to your customers over the Internet.

After all, it is extremely important to have a good homepage of your own. If you don't have any programming skills yourself, then it's best to use a provider to create. These are usually not particularly cost-intensive and you can achieve very good results. The appearance of the website must absolutely match your corporate personality and follow your previously defined design guidelines. It must also include all relevant information that your customers might need. For more tips on designing a website, check out our blog articles.

Step 11: Leave traces in people's minds

Every entrepreneur wants people to remember their business in a lasting way. This fact is also important for marketing as an optician. There are three ways to increase your own recognition value.

On the one hand, you can rely on product placement. Although this is mainly known from Hollywood movies and this is of course very expensive, you can also make use of it. Think about where your target group is interacting and try to show your products there as well.

You can also use sponsorship. This tool is much easier in a local environment; for example, you can support sports clubs or other groups so that they then display your name on banners or jerseys.

The last option is to distribute flyers. On it, you can announce offers and promotions. But make sure that your flyers actually reach your target group. Deploy them to places where your customers are.

Step 12: Stay on track

After you have completed the last eleven steps, you have set up an optimal strategy for perfect marketing as an optician. The last step is to stick to this strategy. So you shouldn't lose sight of your plan. Over time, however, you will gain a lot of experience and with this experience, you can adapt your strategy to various developments in order to be even more successful. Constantly improve your plan and make sure to always pursue your goals. And once you've achieved a goal, allow yourself to celebrate it. As a result, you can increase the motivation of your employees and your own, and thus also achieve your other goals.

conclusion

In this blog article, we have shown you 12 steps that you can take to do optimal marketing as an optician. After you've completed each step, you've developed a strategy that will definitely help you succeed. You should continue to pursue this strategy and adapt it as you gain experience.

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