Your optometry practice daily workload means juggling a lot — patient care, staff management, equipment, inventory ... and then there’s marketing. If you're like many eye care professionals, online marketing might feel like one more task on a packed to-do list.
The good news? You don’t need to be a digital marketing expert to get real results. The right tools make all the difference to help you:
- Build a strong online presence
- Attract more patients
- Grow your practice
And you’re not spending hours figuring out complex platforms and algorithms as more patients turn to optometry sites.
Maybe you need to bring in new patients, boost your reviews and reputation, or show up better in search results. Whatever your marketing goals are, these five smart optometry digital marketing tools make it simple to promote your practice online.
[Related: Digital Marketing 101 — Online Advertising Basics for Local Businesses]
Optometrist digital marketing solutions
The sheer number of tools available to you can be dizzying. Start your efforts with these platforms and strategies; the tactics work together to streamline your optometry marketing. You can always broaden your approach with more solutions down the road!
1. Smart websites
An avalanche of website tools is at your fingertips. But here’s the thing: Your website is the heart of your digital marketing strategy. The website design tool you choose has to meet modern and constantly changing criteria like:
- Mobile-friendly design that displays effortlessly across devices
- Voice search capability to meet the 150 million people who use it
- Airtight security and HIPAA compliance
- Content that engages patients and is rich with local search engine optimization (SEO)
- Features that work smoothly with your other digital marketing tools
- Fast loading times, plus easy navigation
- Built-in accessibility options for ADA compliance
Find a website tool or platform that covers those crucial bases to make the most of your overall digital marketing. Some optometrist website design tools offer support to fully build or customize your site, which is helpful when you’re focused on caring for your patients.
And you definitely don’t have to (or need to) do it yourself!
[Related: Today’s Website: Free Guide for Small Businesses]
2. SEO services
When someone searches for “optometrist near me,” ideally your practice appears early in search engine results for users in your local region. Local SEO is what helps that happen, but here’s where things get tricky.
It takes a lot of studying to learn SEO. Online SEO tools are certainly available, but you have to learn them thoroughly to reap rewards.
Thankfully, SEO services are also available when you’re not ready to dive into SEO tools. Specialists fine-tune your local visibility without adding to your workload.
Optometry SEO geared to your location is key for your practice to be more visible. And it doesn’t end at your website. Your Google Business Profile (GBP), social media accounts, ads, and more hinge on SEO for their search engine ranking.
Nearly half of all Google searches are for a local business. Professional, targeted optometrist SEO is how you land in front of all those potential patients. Small improvements in local search visibility can make a big difference when it comes to nearby patients finding you.
[Related: Does SEO Matter for Your Local Business’s Website?]
3. Social media marketing systems
Optometry social media marketing is a must. Facebook (Meta) alone has more than 3 billion daily active users, and image-centric Instagram (also Meta) keeps growing. Managing profiles, posts, and replies can be a major hassle when you’re busy.
Tools like Canva, Meta Business Suite, and Buffer help you design attractive posts and stay active on social media. And you should definitely do so because it builds trust between your optometry practice and potential patients.
To give your social posts even more reach, social ad tools help you turn social media into potent social marketing. Check for social ad platforms and tools that cater to you:
- One-on-one service for custom social ads
- Precise user targeting and retargeting
- Ongoing ad optimization
- Analytics that tell you what’s working and what’s not
It’s not enough to just post. Social ads remind users you’re there and ready to handle their eyecare. That puts about 2 billion users in your sights.
[Related: The Smart Business Owner's Guide to Social Media]
4. Reputation management software
It’s not easy to wrangle your online reputation, but it’s crucial in your optometry marketing plan. Most people who are interested in your services will check reviews and star ratings. They’re going to scrutinize your practice before they step in your door (or often, even visit your website).
Reputation management tools let you take control of your online reputation, and that’s a powerful ability. Like all digital marketing software, you’ll find a host of reputation management platforms. Look for these features in them:
- Business listing management, like ensuring consistent contact information
- Review and rating monitoring across the web (Facebook, Yelp, Bing, Healthgrades, etc.)
- Notifications for new reviews, ratings, and comments
- Reply and response capabilities
- Competitor analysis information
- Easy-to-use interface
- Excellent user reviews
When those features come together, you get a centralized tool that will help you deep-clean your digital first impression. And that can make all the difference when a potential patient is deciding to choose you as their optometrist versus your competition.
[Related: Five Reasons Why Reputation Management is Crucial for Your Local Business]
5. Marketing automation platforms
It’s important to stay in touch with your patients, but doing so yourself is a mammoth task. Marketing automation tools use AI to reach the right people with the right messages in the right places. A great tool takes basic email marketing into the future.
Automated marketing is a standout among digital marketing tools for optometrists because it saves you significant time and money. Check for these types of functions in a great marketing automation tool:
- Email and text/SMS messaging
- Review prompts and requests
- Offerings outreach (like optical discounts and specials)
- Loyalty campaigns, where you message patients at specific times
A healthy marketing automation platform captures patient data (per HIPAA guidelines as necessary). It sends them review requests and tailored text/email messages at regular times.
This loop is tactful, not tacky, and keeps your optometry patients in the know. You drive website visits and increase your number of reviews. And you don’t have to lift a finger.
[Related: How Marketing Automation Can Save Time (and Make Money!) For Your Small Business]
Ready to optimize your optical marketing tools?
We love watching businesses thrive at Hibu. That’s why we offer synchronized platforms that lead to smart digital marketing for optometrists. Our tools fit your industry, workload, lifestyle — and other Hibu tools.
You don’t have to shoulder your marketing and run your clinic while learning a ton of new software. Your Hibu solutions are intuitive and custom to your campaigns. Our SEO specialists are experts in the field and deeply research your location, services, and target audience.
And we partner with you for dynamic digital marketing that converts leads and magnifies your optometry practice.
Let’s make marketing easy. Call us at 877-237-6120 or fill out our Get Started form for a free, no-obligation consultation.
