The optical world is competitive. Marketing your business as an optician can be challenging, especially because bigger giants are in the market. However, you can still find your own niche in the market with the right marketing strategies. A great way to boost your optical retail marketing is with digital signage. This is whereby a business uses digital devices like screens to advertise deals, discounts, and promotions of its products within the retail store. It is an in-store marketing strategy that aims at increasing walk-ins, influencing unplanned purchases and raising sales.
In order to do this, let us first go through the previous methods used in optical retail marketing, and then see how digital ads can be incorporated to help improve marketing.
5 Main Optical Retail Marketing Strategies
The most common techniques in optical retail marketing include:
1. Building client relationships for future business
A great way to grow your business is through your ability to maintain your current customers. By applying smart methods, you can keep them returning to you instead of seeking services from a competitor. One way of doing this is by offering discounts and promotions to the clients when they return. You can also give offers and discounts to new clients and promise them better offers when they return.
Digital technology can simplify this process by displaying the information on the screens within the retail store. The screens can display new offers and discounts available for new customers and returning clients. They will instantly be aware of these offers when they walk into the store.
2. Requesting for referrals
To ask for referrals from your clients, you must first provide them with the best quality service. By doing this, you will earn your clients’ respect, who will then be willing to tell more people about your business. Optical business is susceptible because it deals with one of the most delicate parts of the human body. So, gaining your client’s trust will ensure they come back or tell someone else about your services.
Instead of directly asking for referrals from the customers, or perhaps if the clients are too many, you can display them on the digital screens for referrals. The clients will easily spot the display if it is creative and eye-catching. Make sure also to use attractive pictures and symbols to make it more relevant. People are more inclined to gaze longer at images and videos than plain text.
3. Increasing client walk-ins
People show a preference for businesses that look attractive, creative, modern, and clean. The best way to draw more people into your optical store is by ensuring your store’s sign is clear, big, and colorful enough to be spotted from a distance. Another method of optical retail marketing is handing out business cards on the outside, near the store entrance or handing them out at other local stores like cafes, grocery shops, and even schools.
Walk ins can also be increased by captivating digital adverts. The advert can be funny and interesting, perhaps showing someone struggling with sight, and how his or her problem was solved after visiting your store. You can place such a digital screen at the entrance of the retail store. This will allow even those people who are on the outside, to have a glimpse as they pass by.
4. Building a social media presence
The internet has thousands of people connected to it at every moment. This makes it the largest market where you can display your products and services. Opening a social media account to advertise your business can help to build your brand. You can open various accounts on different platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and many others. People will be able to know more about your business by visiting the website. Make sure you have included your contact details to enable new customers to reach you easily. Your clients can also expose you to new ones by sharing on their own pages about their experiences with your service.
You can also ask your clients to check out your social media by displaying them on the screens. Your social media account details should be clearly portrayed so that your clients will not have a hard time finding you online. This will also help save a lot of time and effort because you will not have to personally ask each client to check out the website.
5. Email marketing
When you have finished an eye check with your clients, always remember to ask them to include their email information when they provide their contact details. This way, you can reach out to them through their emails and let them know of the latest deals and offers they can benefit from. By staying updated about your business, your clients will always remember to drop by and take advantage of the deals.
A simple way of getting access to your clients’ contact details is by introducing touch screens. The touch screens will enable the customers to leave their email and give them access to all the discounts and deals you are offering. You can then continue to market your brand by sending promotional emails and newsletters to your customers.
How to Combine Retail & Online Marketing Strategy
With NexSigns, retail marketing is integrated with online marketing. This is achieved by installing digital screens in the waiting and exam rooms of your retail stores.
Examples of content:
- Latest eyewear deals promotions – encourage clients to consider different kinds of eyewear depending on the prices.
- Educational health information – share tips that help customers take better care of their eyes.
- Eye exams – inform clients on how to book their next eye exam.
- About the doctor – gain trust of your customers by showing brief background information and celebrating optometrists’ accomplishments.
Learn more about digital signage for Optical Retail and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube to get the latest info on marketing with digital signage
