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Sometimes, It's in the Execution

Great marketing strategies need great tactics. And great tactics need details.

FROM THE EXECUTIVE EDITOR Jim Thomas

Editor Jennifer Kirby found out firsthand the difference between a great marketing idea and a well-executed plan.

Jen learned she could increase the value of her residence by improving its curb appeal. So she dragged her husband down to Home Deport with the intention of creating a beautiful garden in front of her home.

When the couple got to the store, they were overwhelmed by the aisles and aisles of choices, so they decided on the obvious: purchase a shovel, a small bag of fertilizer and the prettiest-looking flowers. In a short time, their modest investment in a garden would yield a more valuable property. Well, that was the plan.

For the non-green thumbs, we'll fast forward three months. Despite constant watering, the plants are on life-support. It turns out that the area in which she planted gets very little sun. Additionally, local rabbits consider her flowers five-star cuisine.

Jen says she wishes she had done her research and followed the necessary steps to planting prior to parting with her hard-earned dollars.

The best-laid plans …

In optometric practices, great ideas can be foiled through a hasty or ill-planned execution. This is especially true in marketing. After attending a contact-lens seminar, which urged doctors educate patients as to why fitting fees were necessary, an attendee told me, "That approach doesn't work."

"You tried it?" I asked.

"I have my marketing piece right here," he replied.

From his briefcase, he took out a sheet of paper with a bold headline that read, "SORRY. WE NOW CHARGE FEES." The text below it was just as subtle and patient friendly.

"You won't believe how many patients this has cost me," he said.

I think we can guess. While this example is extreme, I'd argue that we can all improve as marketers, especially if we define marketing as everything a practice does to acquire patients and maintain a productive relationship with them. From advertising to patient care to billing to staff interaction, we have the opportunity to improve hundreds of processes.

Becoming a marketer

Because marketing isn't second nature to most of us, we can all use some help with the specifics. Our cover article on marketing (page 28), written by the now marketing-savvy Jen, not only provides the logical steps to success, but offers practical tips — the details — that can make the difference between the success or failure of any marketing strategy. Here's to the successes. OM