BUSINESS

  SOCIAL MEDIA

PROMOTE WELLNESS

USE THESE FIVE POSTS TO INCREASE HEALTH AWARENESS

JUSTIN BAZAN, O.D.

AS OPTOMETRISTS, we have a huge impact on our patients’ wellness. We help them feel better in many different ways, including correcting their vision, detecting other health issues and boosting their confidence. Utilize social media to share these benefits with your audience by creating these five types of Facebook posts.

1 OVERCOMING DESPAIR

Dr. Ed Boshnick has been highlighted as a leader in social media for his use of video. It is the content of those videos that I wish to highlight here. He, like many of you eye doctors reading this, impacts patients in dramatic and inspiring ways. Read a few posts from his Facebook page “Dr. Edward Boshnick’s Global Vision Rehabilitation Center.” You will see that his care helps bring these patients up from the depths of despair and lifts them up to the heights of inspiration.

2 SAVING A LIFE

How many of you have had a part in saving a patient’s life? Maybe it was the discovery that your patient was dangerously close to having a stroke. Maybe it was your initial detection of a visual field defect during a routine eye exam that helped to identify a patient’s brain tumor.

Traditional media is covering these stories, which is great news for you. Share those stories with your fans! Let them know that their annual eye exam is part of their overall wellness program.

3 CHANGING A LIFE

I look forward to seeing the “Vision Therapy Success Story of the Week!” from the Facebook page “Eyecare Professionals PC at Hamilton New Jersey.” If anyone ever doubted the power of vision therapy (VT), all he or she needs to do is read these posts. Every week, we get to learn about the amazing changes that have taken place in a person’s life as a result of his or her successful VT program. Add these posts to your own feed to increase wellness awareness.

4 BOOSTING SELF CONFIDENCE

There used to be a time when kids would cry when they were told they needed glasses. Nowadays, it seems more kids are faking what they see on the Snellen chart so that they are prescribed glasses! Why? Fashion.

The cool kids are wearing eye wear. Next time you dispense glasses to a kid, watch his or her face light up! Be ready with the camera to capture it! Watch that kid walk a little taller when he or she can see better in his or her new specs.

5 EAT YOUR CARROTS

America is food obsessed. Magazines, books, movies, TV shows, all cover it. Your audience will eat up content that involves recipes! Share all those recipes that benefit eye health. They also benefit patients’ overall health, making them an excellent addition to your wellness campaign. I’ve found AllAboutVision.com/recipes/ to be a great source for content. Another source is OM’s “Eye Recipe” published every other month.

RESIDUAL PERKS

The amazing thing about posts that highlight patient wellness are their ability to impact many others! The people reading them will get an instant boost of wellness, and they just may turn out to be your next patient! OM

DR. BAZAN is the founder of Park Slope Eye, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He is a member of the AOA, NYSOA and the AAOMC. In 2014, he received financial compensation for services from Allergan, Bausch + Lomb, Vision Service Plan, Luxottica, The Vision Council and Foster Grant. Visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment to comment on this article.