viewpoint

Going to Market

From duct tape to the “Dead,” how do you decide on your marketing tools?

Jim Thomas

From The Editorial Director

If you are a “marketer,” the type who looks forward to creating new and unique ways to deliver your practice’s message, then you know there’s no shortage of tools available to you. For instance, search amazon.com on “small business marketing,” and you’ll get about 6,600 results. A search on “how to market your business” yields almost 2,000 results. Like most searches, of course, not all the books listed deal directly with marketing. But it’s safe to say that marketing-related books number in the hundreds.

As not all these books are best sellers, you may ask an obvious question: Can you trust the marketing advice in the books that sell poorly? After all, shouldn’t the author know enough about marketing to sell his/her own book?

Getting down to the niche

If you are a “marketer,” you understand that the answer to that question may very well be “maybe.” That’s because some of the books are often directed to niche markets, rather than large audiences — for example, Pinterest Power… (McGraw-Hill, 2012), How to Sell Your Crafts Online… (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2011), or How To Market A Product For Under $500! (The Danielle Adams Publishing Company, 2009).

Other titles use various hooks to attract readers, as in Duct Tape Marketing … (Thomas Nelson, 2008), which describes how to get specific audiences to “stick” to your company. And then there’s Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead… (Wiley, 2010). Considering the group still regularly sells out of much of the apparel and music it releases each year, some 18 years after the death of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, can you dismiss this book?

No duct tape needed

So, what tools should you, the marketer, choose? Well, for the moment, you can set aside the rolls of duct tape and tie-dyed shirts, as our chief optometric editor, Dr. Scot Morris, has organized a complete guide for your marketing efforts in this issue of Optometric Management. From attracting new patients to bringing back those who are “lost” to exploring specialty areas, this issue is dedicated to you, the marketer.

Reading through the issue, it struck me that each author not only has marketing expertise, but also a passion for the subject. If you don’t share this same passion, find someone who does, and appoint them your marketing director. Your practice’s message is too important to deserve anything less. OM