Optometric Practice Management - Producing an Effective Practice E-Newsletter

Part of any effective optometric management plan is keeping your patients up-to-date with an e-newsletter. Electronic newsletters are more than just a cost-effective way to communicate; they are important tools for promoting eye health, educating patients, and marketing your practice.

However, there is no doubt that some electronic newsletters are more effective than others. The most successful examples obey one core principle: patients first. Your newsletter is only effective if your patients read it. Put your patients first, as you do in other areas of your practice, and the rest will follow. What does this mean for your newsletter?

Your Patients Want to Read Your Newsletter

If you communicate with patients by email regularly anyway (for confirming appointments for instance) you have an opportunity for them to choose to receive your newsletter. Keeping patients updated on your practice and on eyecare in general helps build your relationship with them.

Your Patients Can Read Your Newsletter Easily

Your newsletter should be easily scan-able. When reading electronic communications, people appreciate receiving information that's organized into small segments. White space is even more important online than it is on the page. Use colors when you want to highlight critical information, and keep usability in mind when you select fonts. Some of your patients may have visual impairments, so usability is of paramount importance. Include visual elements judiciously, and make sure that patients can also access all of the information in a text-only format. If you don't have the resources to design a template that you like, companies specializing in newsletter design can easily do this.

Your Patients Find Your Newsletter Valuable

Keep your patients engaged by targeting your newsletter to information they want to read. If you find that your patients regularly ask certain questions or need certain resources, this is excellent information to include in your newsletter. You can also offer incentives for patients to take action: for instance, a discount on their next eyeglasses purchase. You know best what your patients need, and your newsletter is a good way to provide it. The right content is also a good reason for patients to recommend you to potential new patients, either through word-of-mouth or simply by finding your newsletter so useful that they forward it on.

Your Newsletter is a Public Health Service

Ultimately, your newsletter not only provides information on your practice, but also serves a function as a valuable public health tool. All too often, people don't seek out critical health information online until they are already experiencing a problem. Newsletters, on the other hand, arrive directly in patient inboxes, providing critical information that can really make a difference. This enables patients to make decisions that affect their eye health in a positive way -like not putting off that annual exam, or reminding them about the steps to proper contact lens care.

Most doctors use less than 20% of the potential of their website for gaining new patients. A great looking website is only one part of getting patients from the internet. Are you getting as many patients as you can from yours? You may find the free expert guide, “7 Mistakes Doctors Make When Getting Their Website Done,” a valuable optometric practice management resource.