Three criteria can make your first, and following, events successful

As an optometry student, I kept hearing the phrase, “trunk show” and, to be honest, I had no idea what this event referenced. Once I did learn, however, it became a passion of mine to help others successfully plan and execute such events by educating them about a three-criteria process:

1 CONSUMER-FRIENDLY PHRASING

Marketing 101: Use terms people recognize. People who aren’t optometrists or who don’t work in an optometrist’s office do not know what the phrase “trunk show” means. However, much like the geographic differences in names for getting rid of unwanted items in your home (i.e. garage sale, rummage sale, tag sale, lawn sale, etc.), consumers do recognize the following generic names for a trunk show:

• Optical Sales Event
• Frame Sale
• Glasses Sale
• Frame Showcase
• Exclusive/New Frame Line Special

Additionally, some of the most successful events I’ve seen have a specific brand or theme, such as:

• Back-to-School Sale
• Small Business Saturday Sale
• Christmas in July Optical Event
• Office Anniversary Party

2 PROMOTIONAL OUTLETS

Now that you’ve got your event phrasing correct, it’s time to choose the most popular promotional outlets to get the word out. Here are some ideas:

• Google Ad: ads.google.com
• Facebook Ad: www.facebook.com/business
• Facebook post boosts
• Facebook event
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Nextdoor.com
• Flyers at local businesses
• Personal invites (primary care doctors, dentists, councilman, brand-loyal patients, etc.)

3 ENJOYABLE EDIBLES

If you feed them, they will come. Below are some successful ways to incorporate food into your trunk show:

• Hire a popular local food truck, and ask to cross promote the event on its social media pages. This is a great way to attract new patients who are fans of the truck’s food.
• Collaborate with owners of a local bakery or restaurant to help promote their business in exchange for a lower cost for their treats.
• Invite different optical reps (frame and/or lens companies) to help chip in. If they can’t, ask for some raffle items, and always invite them to attend!
• Look for opportunities within your patient population. For example, we had a set of sisters (ages 6 and 8) who won a national award for their lemonade! Hosting them at one of our optical sales events was a huge success.

PLAN AHEAD

Regardless of the event name, theme, method of advertising and food choice, be sure to plan ahead to prepare your team. OM

DR. O’BRIEN is an associate at Vision Source Studio 20/20 in Charlotte, NC. She is heavily involved in private practice student programming with Optometric Insights, the Vision Source MentorOD Program and, works with iCare Advisors to help others pursue their cold-start private-practice dreams.