In Part 1 we presented general information about the importance of differentiating your optical store from competitors and detailed several effective methods that allow you to brand and differentiate your business from others. In Part 2 we present additional differentiating methods for your optical store. Let’s get started!
Branding and marketing your optical store on social networks
If you’re interested in differentiating your optical store, it’s worth investing in a business profile on leading social networks, especially on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Keep in mind that your competitors are also active on social media. This makes it worthwhile for you to learn and analyze the activities they conduct in the digital sphere so that you can consolidate a better marketing strategy.
After setting up your business profile on social networks, it’s important to constantly upload content. There is also the option of investing in various kinds of sponsored promotion of posts and campaigns. Advertising on social media creates differentiation from competitive optical stores. You can also use campaigns to drive broader exposure to predefined target sectors.
Localized activity for business differentiation and promotion
Characterizing your optical store’s current client pool is highly recommended, as it allows you to evaluate whether your customers live near your business, and study their locations relative to your store. If you wish to differentiate your optical store from competitors in the vicinity of your store’s address, it’s worth investing in local activities that expose the business and its advantages, and access new clients living nearby.
A unique, positive service experience
One of the most effective ways to create differentiation for your optical store vis-à-vis your competitors is to provide a unique, winning service experience. Customers prefer visiting optical shops that offer unique services that are accompanied by warm, personalized attention to each client. This makes it worth monitoring the in-store service in other stores and providing a better, positive customer experience than your competitors do. It’s also worth investing in the optical store’s stylization to leave a distinctive impression on customers visiting your business and encourage them to prefer being tested and making their purchases from your store even if your prices are higher.
Some optical stores differentiate from competitors by offering a VIP service. Consider offering services that your competitors don’t provide, such as eye tests by professional and specialized optometrists, brand name frames suitable for sunglasses and vision glasses, a professional cost-free in-store consultancy that does not obligate the customer in any way accompanied by a good cup of espresso on the house, collecting glasses requiring repair from the customer’s address, and so on.
Maintain ongoing contact with your customers
If you’ve decided to differentiate your optical store, there’s huge value in correctly choosing your smart clinic management software specially designed to manage optical stores by employing advanced systems that digitally manage your client cards, producing reports and marketing data from that information. Smart optical store management software is a highly practical and effective tool. Client data can be updated easily, such as recommended examinations, sending text messages to customers about an upcoming appointment they’ve booked through the appointments system, sending a birthday greeting to your clients, and so on.
Smart management software can also assist you in managing your client club, sending out direct mailings to existing clients and potential clients who may have contacted you in the past about new products or advanced eye tests, for example, updating them about a new line of glasses frames, and offer worthwhile special deals and benefits.
Bottom line, in our current reality all businesses, including optical stores, must invest in differentiation from competitors. Differentiating your optical store helps grow sales, and encourages managing a successful prosperous business despite the brisk competition typical of this field.
ezMedSoft develops quality programming systems with up-to-date technology in the fields of optics, health, and medicine, according to the needs of its customers by their fields of specialism and operational processes.